Monarch EE worth the price??????

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twraska

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I'm tire kicking for a 10"X40" or similar sized lathe. Found lots on Ebay from Chinka-chinka, LaBlonde, South Bend, etc and some Monarch EE's. The latter being at times more expensive than new foreign stuff, and seemingly the most expensive of the 'American iron'. Are they that much better to command the price? Or was I seeing asking price and they will come down with a little dickering?

I did find a Monarch EE at $10K, it looked to be in excellent condition but it wasn't under power at the time. It was an early 60's model, 8000 hours on the hour meter, ex-gov unit with taper and a steady rest. I didn't see it but owner said he had a 6 jaw chuck for it, no other tooling. What y'all think? Should I go back and get him to power it up or can I find something a lot less expensive if I keep shopping? He did offer a 30 trial, and the owner is good for his word on that part. It is close to me and I could pick it up so moving cost would be very little.

All replies will be appreciated!
 
I have no experience with the Monarch EE, but have used Monarchs. They are great machines, but this seems to be the 10EE's moment in time and they are priced accordingly. All the American heavy iron was terrific and any example (say an "ordinary" Monarch) in decent condition will probably perform to a level the general hobbiest (especially a noob) has little need to attain. A 10EE would not be worth the price to me, knowing that a "lesser" model would be all the lathe I would ever need and could be had for a fraction of the price. YMMV.

It is human nature to think that better results can be attained with better equipment. Cameras are a good example. Back in the 60's and 70's, all the shutter bugs wanted a thousand dollar Nikon, not realizing the two hundred dollar SLR they had was more camera than they could effectively utilize. I knew a guy that stopped at a gun shop after a trap shooting session and bought a $2000 dollar shotgun because my 14 year old son had outshot him, using a $150 20 ga. Mossberg with a Poly choke. My son outshot him the following week, just like before.

Same with machine shop tools.

Bill
 
Actually,Hardinge HLVH's bring more money than Monarch 10EE's. Might be the complexity of the drive on the Monarch. The HLVH is not as great a lathe as the EE,but it does wonderful work,and is relatively easy to work on. I have an HLVH. It has a small selection of threads compared to the EE,and less of a speed range. I wish the lowest speed (130) was much lower. The HLVH is intended for smaller work,as is the EE,really,but the HLVH is the easiest lathe to use that I have ever seen. I have a larger lathe for bigger work,but it seems that,in the type of work I am asked to do,I seldom use it. The last paid job I did do on the 16" gap bed lathe was 24" in diameter,and just barely swung in the gap. Fortunately,the gap piece went back exactly straight and in line. Some of them don't.

I bought an EE a few years ago,but sold it as I am getting too old and creaky and just didn't feel like rebuilding the drive to a modern unit.
 
It's a good chunk of change, but if it's a late model, with all the accessories, I could see $10k. I would not spend that money without seeing it run though.

I purchased my 10EE for about 4k, but it's an older model (1956 as I recall) with the electron tube drive that scares lots of folks off. The guy who moved it for me (who also buys/sells used machines) said he could have gotten 6k for it, but keep in mind you almost always pay more through a dealer.

The think about the 10EE is that it is a very stout lathe, but the work envelope is not huge (12.5 swing, 20" between centers, a rare few units with a 30" bed). If that works for you, they are great machines. I still don't know if I would pay $10k. It may be more attractive at $7-8k
 
Nobody I know has paid $10,000 for an EE. Not that they aren't worth it,but they are just very complex lathes that I think many don't want to try to deal with. They do pay that much,and a lot more for an HLVH. Actually more than twice that much for a late model. Mine is a 1964,and I think it would go for about $13,000.
 
DMS said:
It's a good chunk of change, but if it's a late model, with all the accessories, I could see $10k. I would not spend that money without seeing it run though.

I purchased my 10EE for about 4k, but it's an older model (1956 as I recall) with the electron tube drive that scares lots of folks off. The guy who moved it for me (who also buys/sells used machines) said he could have gotten 6k for it, but keep in mind you almost always pay more through a dealer.

The think about the 10EE is that it is a very stout lathe, but the work envelope is not huge (12.5 swing, 20" between centers, a rare few units with a 30" bed). If that works for you, they are great machines. I still don't know if I would pay $10k. It may be more attractive at $7-8k
Click to expand...

I forgot to put in my OP that I did just get a 25"X120" Lodge & Shipley for the big stuff (mostly longer shafts 1-2" diameter on farm equipment). I'm looking for something for the smaller items and a little more 'user friendly'.

Second thing I forgot to add was I have a couple of friends who are machinist at work. They can do some work for me on the weekends and evenings but they don't have machines of their own, so I'm needing a machine better than my capabilities.
 
The 10EE is renowned for its ability to work to "tenths" and is the reason so many of them were manufactured. Do you need that kind of precision?

When you ask the question, "Is it worth the price?", your really asking is "Is it worth it to me?" Only you can answer that question. The first step is to determine if you need its unique capability. If Yes, you've pretty much answered the question. If No, then you should start comparing it to the selection of lathes that can satisify your needs.

Bill
 
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OrangeAlpine said:
The 10EE is renowned for its ability to work to "tenths" and is the reason so many of them were manufactured. Do you need that kind of precision?

When you ask the question, "Is it worth the price?", your really asking is "Is it worth it to me?" Only you can answer that question. The first step is to determine if you need its unique capability. If Yes, you've pretty much answered the question. If No, then you should start comparing it to the selection of lathes that can satisify your needs.

Bill
Click to expand...

OrangeAlpine,
Thanks for your reply. I hear you on the value to me, I guess what I'm trying to determine is what are the 'extra' capabilities of a Monarch EE over other brands out there???? i.e. why is a 50 year old one more money than a 25 year old of another brand which is more than a brand new JET???

I don't want to spend more than necessary but I don't want to buy 'X' only to fine out in a month it won't do what I need and should have bought 'Y' for a couple of grand more. I just don't have the experience to know what the capabilities of different models are.

Now if we were talking tractors or combines or cotton pickers I could tell you the quirk of each model made in the last 50 years! And I'd tell you I'm running 30 year old tractors because they get the job done for less money than new stuff.
 
You've gotta compare apples to apples. This is a toolroom lathe; they are the fine wines of the machining world. A better comparison would be between a 10EE and a Hardinge HLV/HLVH or clone. The Hardinges seem to go for more used lately than the 10EE. For an import take a look at

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Super-Precision-EVS-Threading-Collet-Lathe/SB1008

or

http://www.grizzly.com/products/14-x-40-3-Phase-High-Precision-Toolroom-Metal-Lathe/G0740

So, yes, you can get a new lathe for cheaper than a used 10EE or Hardinge HLV, but you would be hard pressed to find a new lathe in the same class for less than a used 10EE or Hardinge.

It does go back to the question, "what are you making?".
 
DMS said:
You've gotta compare apples to apples. This is a toolroom lathe; they are the fine wines of the machining world. A better comparison would be between a 10EE and a Hardinge HLV/HLVH or clone. The Hardinges seem to go for more used lately than the 10EE. For an import take a look at

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Super-Precision-EVS-Threading-Collet-Lathe/SB1008

or

http://www.grizzly.com/products/14-x-40-3-Phase-High-Precision-Toolroom-Metal-Lathe/G0740

So, yes, you can get a new lathe for cheaper than a used 10EE or Hardinge HLV, but you would be hard pressed to find a new lathe in the same class for less than a used 10EE or Hardinge.

It does go back to the question, "what are you making?".
Click to expand...

We repair tractors, farm and heavy equipment so it may be as simple as cutting some threads on a 1-2" shaft or building up and turning down such shaft to within 020". Or,,,,, it may be making some engine, transmission or other part that is no longer available & needs real tight tolerances. Or cutting a worn shaft down and making an undersize bushing to fit it.

Again, I'm not the best machinist that will use the machine. I have some friends that will do some work for me, they just don't have a machine of their own. I want to get enough machine to do the job. I've asked them but each prefers the machine he has at work and some are on very nice (can we say expensive) machines!

From what I've gathered, the EE or Hardinge are very high quality machines and capable of very tight tolerances. I also gathered that the EE can thread almost any pitch that is out there? Either would be capable of producing almost any part, no matter the tolerances (with the proper machinist of course), that will fit in the machine? Are these fair statements?
 
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