How much is this lathe worth?

One thing in industry.
Big machines value does not drop the way small machinery values drop.
From the picture, if it was in my "neighborhood" and he told me he would deliver, I would go up to a 1000.00+
Higher spindle speeds are not required as the work diameter "circumference " increases.
A man I worked for once told me that larger work is more profitable and fewer places can perform it.
Yes, it is more work and expense but its potential is much greater.
Remember it was built from peices and in worst case scenario it can be disassembled and reassembled.
 
Braeden P said:
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?
Click to expand...
As others have said you probably want to check it out good where it sits to make sure you're not getting a pig in a poke. Would be terrible to get it home only to find out it needs some obscure part that you will need a time machine and a foundry to get it working again.

Honestly I think how much it's worth isn't the question, rather how much will the owner pay you to take it off his hands? He's probably already talked to scrappers that have quoted removal cost. If he does have the ability to move it, and is willing to do so for a reasonable price then maybe, but again comes down to condition.

But, I'm gonna make a suggestion I'm not sure you've considered. Why not take a trip down to Tuckahoe and actually run something of this size and vintage before you decide you want one in your shop?

goo.gl

Bucktown to Bucktown

goo.gl goo.gl

You and your dad could make a day trip or possibly spend the night, you could meet up with @DiscoDan and chat about what challenges you might face and possibly loop back through Falston, MD meet up with Dave @mmcmdl and see if he has something nice for you.

It would cost a little bit in gas but I imagine the knowledge gained would be immense even if you do decide to buy this lathe.

Just a thought....

John
 
matthewsx said:
As others have said you probably want to check it out good where it sits to make sure you're not getting a pig in a poke. Would be terrible to get it home only to find out it needs some obscure part that you will need a time machine and a foundry to get it working again.

Honestly I think how much it's worth isn't the question, rather how much will the owner pay you to take it off his hands? He's probably already talked to scrappers that have quoted removal cost. If he does have the ability to move it, and is willing to do so for a reasonable price then maybe, but again comes down to condition.

But, I'm gonna make a suggestion I'm not sure you've considered. Why not take a trip down to Tuckahoe and actually run something of this size and vintage before you decide you want one in your shop?

goo.gl

Bucktown to Bucktown

goo.gl goo.gl

You and your dad could make a day trip or possibly spend the night, you could meet up with @DiscoDan and chat about what challenges you might face and possibly loop back through Falston, MD meet up with Dave @mmcmdl and see if he has something nice for you.

It would cost a little bit in gas but I imagine the knowledge gained would be immense even if you do decide to buy this lathe.

Just a thought....

John
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The person selling it is a farmer so I expect it to be beat and my dad saw the lathe and asked him about it so probably not too many people have seen it. I will bring some tools to inspect it if I want it but if there’s a broken gear or completely worn out bed I’m not going to buy it. I’ve ran a 12” a 14” and a 20” lathe before and old ones too (14” is a flat belt) I don’t like them as much as my Hardinge but it’s comparing a Cadillac to a pickup truck, I’m going to rough and tumble next week and they let me run the lathes and I might get to use the planer, just have to remember to respect the machine because they will hurt you any chance they get.
 
Sounds like you have it well in hand.

The fact your dad found it for you is definitely a plus, shows you've been doing your chores and staying out of trouble in addition to working on the machines you already have.

From what I've read you can work around a worn bed, broken gears are more of an issue but can also be fixed with patience and ingenuity. You do have the Hardinge for high precision work so presumably this one will be for farmer type jobs that you can charge for.

Hopefully the owner will take a liking to you and let you have it for $600 delivered as long as you promise to do work for him in the future.

John
 
That's a big girl.

I'd grab it if the price was reasonable and the wear was minimal. You also need to have the space for it and be willing to do whatever is needed to power it or convert it.

I'd say if I could buy it, move it, refurb it and power it for around 2 grand, I'd be a serious looker/buyer for it.

Sadly, I have none of the above, most especially space.

Something to consider is lots of parts can be 3d printed these days and work just fine in things like geartrains and such. Makes resurecting old iron a bit more "do-able". 3D printed gears also have a side bonus of making the lathe much quieter when running....
 
This lathe definitely looks like it is worth going and taking a look at and see what kind of shape it is really in take some tools and take covers off the head stock and so on could be a diamond I. The rough and would be a big step up in capacity!! I started off with a Logan 10x24 and have no regrets in getting a bigger lathe to have more capacity and my last one was pretty rough but after I got it home and cleaned up and gone thru turned out to be a awesome Lathe and will outlast me ! Main things to think about is how to power it and how to move it and the cost involved !! Good luck
 
That is one heavy duty lathe, beautifully built, comparable to Bradford metalmaster or Axelson (which are both good and hefty)
It's a gear head, try to judge the condition of the spindle bearings under the gear noise. Check the gears closely.
Can you fabricate the missing levers? Something to think about. I like the Fred Flintstone floor it's on- Yabba dabba doo!
-Mark
 
This looks like a middle 30s - 40s machine gear head machine to me.
being a WW2 machine usually means it hasn’t been run to death, a good thing.
and being owned by a farmer means it has been used only when he needs something built for one of his farm implements, which probably wasn’t too often, & most farmers know how to treat machines, it’s their livelihood.
I’ve run a few WW2 machines that were very good good manual machines.
one was a Monarch that had top speed of 680 RPM.
We ran indexable TT 321-322 carbide tooling & took huge cuts with coolant. No problem.
It wouldn’t be my first choice for building tiny steam engines, but you have a small lathe for that.
if decent shape & cheap enough & you have room for it, go for it.
 
That looks like a great lathe. No one is really going to pay 'lathe' money (the bigger machine tool like that, the less it is worth, so you should a bit over 'scrapper' value for it). BUT, it looks like it would be a fun rebuild project at worst.
 
Manual Mac said:
This looks like a middle 30s - 40s machine gear head machine to me.
being a WW2 machine usually means it hasn’t been run to death, a good thing.
and being owned by a farmer means it has been used only when he needs something built for one of his farm implements, which probably wasn’t too often, & most farmers know how to treat machines, it’s their livelihood.
I’ve run a few WW2 machines that were very good good manual machines.
one was a Monarch that had top speed of 680 RPM.
We ran indexable TT 321-322 carbide tooling & took huge cuts with coolant. No problem.
It wouldn’t be my first choice for building tiny steam engines, but you have a small lathe for that.
if decent shape & cheap enough & you have room for it, go for it.
Click to expand...
Farmers may treat their tractors nice but not their tools, I’ve seen it on every farm I’ve been on, it could have been used well or beat to crap
 
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