How much is this lathe worth?

[Braeden P]

My dad found a lathe and the owner wants to sell it but doesn’t have a price I say that it is worth about $600

Pros,
Larger swing than my current lathe
Comes with 4 jaw chuck
Comes with steady or follow rest
More powerful than my current lathe
Comes with a taper attachment

Cons,
Too slow for carbide for most parts and slow for hss
2 broken handles and one is a big handle
It’s a war machine so most likely worn out
Lots of damage from the chuck hitting the saddle
It weights 8,100 pounds if it’s 20 or 22” swing and 11,000 pounds if it’s a 24” swing (according to vintage machinery)
Gravel floor will be harder to remove it
Needs a good cleaning

How much do you think it is worth considering that some money will be spent getting it work and a lot of time to clean it?

 

[Jim F]

$600 would be fair.
Can a rollback towtruck get close to it ?

 

[DavidR8]

I'd have a hard think about my actual needs before buying a machine that large and potentially worn.

 

[Braeden P]

He said that he would deliver it but that probably will cost a lot but he has that equipment to get it out of there and on a truck

 

[Braeden P]

I'd have a hard think about my actual needs before buying a machine that large and potentially worn.

I have a accurate lathe but it’s small and there is some odd jobs that I couldn’t do because the swing on my lathe was too small (9”) if it has bushings I can make new ones to probably within 0.0005”. It’s better to have something and not need it than to not have something and need it.

 

[tq60]

This machine is for the big stuff.

Likely more than 5 hp in 3 phase unless converted.

Requires a lot of space and power.

If you need big it could be a deal.

We have 3, a Logan we cannot get to, a 14.5 south bend and the 16x54 lodge and Shipley.

Most work is done on the 14.5

Heavy work, maybe once a year. On the l&S

Picked them up over the years along with a few Atlas and others that one uses until they find the next one.



Sent from my SM-G781V using Tapatalk

 

[Aaron_W]

Consider the otherside, the difficulty and expense of getting rid of it if it is too worn or simply too old to be of real use to you. You mention being concerned of its low speeds. A $600 lathe that is not useful to you and costs $1000 to move into your shop and $1000 to get rid of is not much of a deal.

I'd be certain it will make a useful addition to your shop, not just it seems like a good deal.

 

[benmychree]

You can do small work on a big latjhe, but not vice versa.

 

[KyleG]

What do you plan on making? There’s a big jump from 9”swing to 22” swing.

You’ll have several thousand dollars in that machine to get it running and outfitted. This is the old “How much does a free horse cost?” Problem.

 

[WCraig]

2 broken handles and one is a big handle

Sometimes broken handles mean that gears are damaged and the handle got broken trying to muscle the machine into a setting. You might want to pop the head cover off to check the condition of the gear train. If a bunch of the gears are chewed up or worn, I'd say the lathe is scrap.

If the headstock is OK, you need to decide for yourself if you enjoy the process of restoring or rebuilding machines. It can be a hobby all on its own--like Keith Rucker on the Vintage Machinery Youtube channel. Most likely, that machine got parked in the corner of a building because it was not working right. Getting it back to 'working right' (whatever that means to you) is going to take a considerable amount of time, effort and probably money. Some people love that work and others couldn't be paid to do it. Where do you land on the spectrum? <g>

Craig