Used Sheldon looks too good...

[joshua43214]

I have found a used 1961 ES68B 11x33 lathe for $3K cash locally from a used machine dealer. The company seems to have a good reputation.





The paint is so fresh that the gear box levers have not scrapped it off yet. You can see the same level of polish on the ways where it passes under the head stock. Either this was some ones only child, or the head has been off for a rebuild.
Some one either did an extremely good job of masking, or this thing has sat unused for ever.
Comes with everything in the picture, plus a rocker style tool post and tail stock. There are more pics if someone wants me to upload them.
3hp 3phase so I need a phase convertor.

This thing is so clean it is scaring me off.
Any thoughts?
thanks in advance.

 

[itsme_Bernie]

It looks like a visually nice restoration, as the chuck has been buffed but wa use and marked in the past. I would hope as much care went into the mechanicals.

The ways are hard to see, but don't look bad. Worth a look if your are in the market? I feel like I remember someone posting a refurbed Sheldon lathe like this, from a dealer, sometime last year.


Bernie

 

[mattthemuppet2]

looks pretty reasonable for the price, although not much tooling (common to dealers from what I hear). My biggest worry would be that it's had a paint'n'shine job, without any of the important parts (apron, saddle, nuts, gear box etc) having been touched. Still, a thorough testing and look over should hopefully tell you if that's the case.

Even if it's pristine and never been used, at that age there's going to be plenty of old hard oil and grease gumming and blocking stuff up, unless it's had a very thorough overhaul. Be good to find out exactly what's been done to it so you don't get a false sense of security from the external condition.

 

[rsegars]

I certainly could not speak for the condition of the machine but I have a 1940 11X56 Sheldon that I enjoy very much. It is purty!

 

[cathead]

I would ask the machine dealer a few pointed questions. Maybe the first question
would is where has this machine spent it's life? Or how about: Have you done
anything to this lathe than a coat of paint? I would move the carriage to the head
stock and lightly tighten the carriage lock and then see how far it will move towards
the tail stock without dragging significantly. Also it would be nice to see the lathe
under power and test all the functions and listen to the inner workings. I would ask
if the lathe has been reconditioned or had any repairs as well. It looks really nice
but looks can be very deceiving when it comes to lathes. It might be a good idea
to simply ask where the lathe came from. The bottom line: It might be a good lathe.
The other side would be to get a good deal on the unit as it stands and do some
work on it yourself if work is needed. That in itself can be very satisfying if you
can buy it right and make some improvements on it over time. Remember that
the lathe price will probably be less than the total price because you will need
tooling to operate it, such as a 4 jaw chuck and tool post and cutters and steady
rest and follower rest and and and... Also, does it have a taper attachment installed?
I didn't notice one. Well, that is enough for this post. I hope that whatever you
decide works out for you.

 

[joshua43214]

Thank you all for the replies.

I did not ask where the machine came from, because I expected a "She was only driven by grandma on Sundays" answer.

I might grab my indicator and a straight edge and drive over today and look at it. My understanding is that the spindle bearing set is ~$400.00. No rests, taper attachment, QCTP, or tooling. Shopping around the price seems a tad high, but if it really is as good as it looks, the price is probably fine (I think).

There is a 1961 14x40 Birmingham nearby as well for $1600.00 being sold by the owner. It's feed rod has been pulled because the drive gear (in the head stock, not apron) got mauled - I assume this is from a bad head crash. He will make me a new gear, it comes with a QCTP and some basic tooling, and it is still under power. He just bought out another machine shop and is getting a larger lathe in the purchase.

The Sheldon is my second choice after a Hardinge for old iron. I really want a lathe like this, but I will be quite happy with the Birmingham assuming the rest of the innards are fine.

-Josh

 

[Bill C.]

I have found a used 1961 ES68B 11x33 lathe for $3K cash locally from a used machine dealer. The company seems to have a good reputation.

View attachment 91863
View attachment 91865


The paint is so fresh that the gear box levers have not scrapped it off yet. You can see the same level of polish on the ways where it passes under the head stock. Either this was some ones only child, or the head has been off for a rebuild.
Some one either did an extremely good job of masking, or this thing has sat unused for ever.
Comes with everything in the picture, plus a rocker style tool post and tail stock. There are more pics if someone wants me to upload them.
3hp 3phase so I need a phase convertor.

This thing is so clean it is scaring me off.
Any thoughts?
thanks in advance.

It does look good maybe a professional paint job. I hope it is as good as it looks. Check it out in person.

A foreman I used to have said put it in low gear (power off) and then grab the chuck. Try rocking the chuck back and forth. If there is little or no movement then it is a good deal. If there is a lot of play (movement) indicates wear in the gear train. If there is play try lower the price.

Good luck

 

[joshua43214]

I spoke to the salesman again today. Seems it has been painted, but not refurbished. I could tell from his tone that he was impressed by the machine. He did look in the records to see if they marked down what it was used for, but no record was made. Their buyer might recollect when he gets back into the shop.

I am going to go have a look at it on Monday.
I have never used one of these before. I know they are supposed to be more quiet and smooth than other machines in this class.

I would appreciate any pointers on things that go wrong with these. This one looks like it has power cross feed, does any one know if these had an oil reservoir? I am pretty certain the regular ones did not.
There is a small puddle of oil to the left of the headstock, are their ugly-to-have leaks on these?
Can any one identify the machine positively? I got the model number by hovering over the link on the website.
Folks are calling these tool room lathes, is this correct or just sales hype?

The lack of tooling bothers me a lot. As much as I like clean machines and make a real effort to keep my tools clean, I would rather pay for tooling than paint. Tracking down rests could present a real problem. The lantern tool post bugs me for some reason, It just seems to me that if you go to that much trouble to make it so pretty, then put a real tool post on it. Parts for the 11 inchers seem to be about double than for the 13" and more rare.

Sorry for so many questions and so much ignorance. Everything I know about Sheldons comes from Google.

Thanks again for all your input,
-Josh