Need buying advice for Enco lathes

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Jeff L.
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I'm informally in the market for a lathe. I have an Atlas Craftsman 12x18, but it's just really dirty to use since it's an open bath oil system. I like it and use it and can make good parts with it, but I'd like something more modern (and clean), so I keep my eyes out for lathes. These came up for sale:

LATHE #1
Enco 110-0818 $1,000
This is smaller than what I have, I think. The price seems high, but what do I look for? What questions should I ask? The seller appears to be an antique shop of some kind.
enco lathe 110 0818.jpg

This is the plug. Looks like a locking 220?
enco lathe 110 0818 plug.jpg

LATHE #2
Enco 110-2034
Seller (the original owner, per the ad) is asking $3000 for the lathe, an Enco mill (Rong-Fu clone), some tooling and vises and a 2-ton shop crane. The pictures in the ad were terrible, this is the best one of the lathe.
I think this one is similar to a Grizzly G9249, based on a little research I've done. I think it's also a 12x36, which is a little longer than what I have.
enco lathe 110-2034.jpg

I'd appreciate any advice and comments. These are not real close to me, so I'd like to call the seller and ask some questions before making the drive.
 
I just heard from the seller of lathe #2. He wants $2200. Not sure what else it includes, though. I'll call and ask, but wanted to get some advice from you all before I did.
 
The first lathe is a 9x20, useful but not ideal
The price is too high IMO.

the second lathe appears to be a 12x36.
A superior choice for capability.
The price is too high also

folks often overvalue their possessions
 
Jeff you mention your craftsman lathe is dirty to use and has an open bath oil system. I have a craftsman 12x36 and don't find that it is dirty to use. Curious as to what you are referring to as an open bath oil system.

Can't help you out with the Enco's.
 
Lathe #2 for sure. I have that version in 13x40 and it has been great. Bought it new in 2004.
 
Jeff you mention your craftsman lathe is dirty to use and has an open bath oil system. I have a craftsman 12x36 and don't find that it is dirty to use. Curious as to what you are referring to as an open bath oil system.

Can't help you out with the Enco's.

Maybe I'm getting the name wrong, but I'm referring to the way the machine is oiled: the user squirts oil in the oilers and it drips down onto the bearings and then out. Also, the change gears have grease all over them and I get filthy changing them. I wear gloves and am careful, but I still get grease all over the machine and the table. I find myself not using the change gears since it's such a mess to change them. I thought I might get a QCGB, but these are about $750. I decided it might be better to apply the funds to a lathe with one.
I do like my Atlas Craftsman, but I'd like to change the speeds more. I got used to doing it when I was working with the machines at the adult school and find that I miss it.
I'm in no hurry, but I keep my eyes out and ask questions so it something pops up, I can jump on it if it's a good deal.
 
The first lathe is a 9x20, useful but not ideal
The price is too high IMO.

the second lathe appears to be a 12x36.
A superior choice for capability.
The price is too high also

folks often overvalue their possessions

I agree that it's overvalued, but what is a fair price? A 9x10 at Harbor Freight is $730. Precision Matthews has a 12x36 for $3600, and MSC has Enco's for $1400 (9x20 with stand) and $3700 (12x36 with a stand). The stands are $500 and $300 respectively. Not sure why the smaller stand is more. So that means about $900 and $3400. My unofficial rule is to pay about half of new, so I'm thinking around $450 and $1700. Any tooling would add more to the price, or course, but I apply the same rule: half of new. Does that sound even close to fair, reasonable and realistic?
 
The first lathe is an Enco 9x20, you can find basically the same lathe sold as a 9x19 by Grizzly (G4000, $1450). Jet sold the same lathe for years, but their current model (BD-919 $2800) is an improved version adding some new features. These are an improved copy of the Emco Compact 8, the most obvious modification was adding a partial quick change gear box, mostly to control feed speeds, you still need to use change gears for threading.

The Harbor Freight "9x10" you mentioned for $700 is a 7x10, and a completely different lathe.

I bought an Enco just like it last year, but only paid $300. Mine looks like it is in better shape than that one but was missing the change gears, steady rest and follow rest, but it did have some other extras.

I'd say $1000 for that one is wishful thinking. The Jet branded ones are supposed to be higher quality, so can get more (and the new ones are definitely worth more, because they made some real improvements). That one just has the basic tooling that it came with, and appears to be missing some of that (no follow rest, no change gears, no 4 way tool post). $400-600 seems a more reasonable price to me for that particular example. I do see them listed for $1000, but they usually have a QCTP and some other tooling helping to justify that price. There is an older Jet on my local (SF Bay area) CL for $600 right now, and it looks like it has everything it came with.

I think they are a nice small lathe, but I think your Atlas is better with one exception, cutting metric threads which I assume yours can't. That was one of my excuses* for getting the Enco, it was cheaper than buying the metric gears for my 11x24.

*Really it was just a good deal, that was close by and I wanted it. I got it mostly as a tinkering lathe, there are a million modifications that people make to these lathes, and that seemed like a fun thing to do. At $300 how bad can I screw it up?
 
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Changing the gears would be messy. I have a QCGB and the only time I touch a gear is the sliding gear to change between imperial and metric threading. Cheaper to buy a lathe with a qcgb that to just buy the qcgb.

Keep us posted on your search.
 
I should have mentioned, i have a $1000 and a $1500 threshold.
To explain,
If the machine tool works without major trauma, I’ll pay somewhere about $1500
If the machine tool is torn up or missing parts, or I don’t need it, I will pay no more than $1000
 
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