Should I buy this lathe? (Been crashed)

[Dave01]

Hi guys! New here and looking to upgrade my lathe. Found this one in the local classifieds. It's a Andes 13x40 made in 1991 in Taiwan. its pretty clean and comes with some tooling, DRO, and a 4 jaw chuck. When looking it over I noticed the compound slide didn't extend inwards far at all, and upon looking closer I saw that there was some metal deformation near the gibs, and it was obvious by the markings that it came from being crashed into the chuck. The guy selling it took a file to it knocked off the high spot and the compound moved freely to both limits. compound slide assembly is solid with minimal backlash. However, the cross slide has about one full wheel rotation of backlash, and the whole cross slide assembly can be moved forward/backwards about 1/8". The gibs are tight and there is no left/right movement. I don't know if that play is from being crashed, or from the large amount of backlash...?
I tried turning a small (about 5/8" diameter) steel rod. No noticable chatter. Put an indicator to the chuck backplate- less than 0.001" off, the chuck body itself had 0.0015 deviation while rotating by hand.

3 questions:
-what other test should I perform to see if it's been damaged from being crashed?
-Should I buy it?
-how much should I pay for it/ what is it worth?

 

[JimDawson]

I wouldn't worry too much about a minor crash. Unless there is some significant damage it is normally not a problem. The machine looks pretty much like a Jet so probably is a good machine.

Value? Good question. A friend picked up one about like that one for $1300 and that was a pretty good deal. If I needed a lathe and the price was right I would buy it.

The backlash in the cross slide could be that the nut attaching screw is loose, or could just be wear. But one rotation backlash would probably indicate a loose attaching screw.

 

[middle.road]

If the price is right grab it and haul arse. That is a good looking import. (IMO)
$1200-$2000 based on what I've seen the past several years.
This machine is in a lot better shape and has more features than mine.

Pluses (as I see them)
- DRO
- QCTP with a good set of holders
- Hardened ways.
- Coolant Pump
- Enclosed oil bath carriage !
- And I like the cross slide design as compared to mine.

My 1440 had the same problem. Was ran into the chuck. Gib was messed up. Spent an afternoon and all is fine.

You can always replace the compound with a solid mount until repairs can be made, ala:
Robin Renzetti

Stefan Gotteswinter

Amongst others:

solid tool post compound lathe - YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

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[machPete99]

Chances are the the machine is ok but you could pull the chuck and check for any significant runout on the spindle flange and internal taper to be sure.

 

[SLK001]

For the right price, I would snatch it up in a heartbeat. I doubt that there is anything wrong with the cross-slide that couldn't be easily fixed. The only downside that I see, is the 440V 3 phase motor, which I would have to replace. You may luck out and find out that the motor can be wired for 220 3 phase.

How much is the seller asking?

 

[markba633csi]

Sounds like the compound damage is right at the end so I think it would mean only a miniscule loss of strength in that one spot-
Price depends on what comes with it- does it come with two chucks or just one? I see a three jaw in the pics
2200 maybe? See what he expects to get and go from there
Check the spindle carefully for roughness or noise, and make sure the gearbox is ok

 

[Dave01]

Thanks for all the replies guys! Got answers way faster than I thought I would!
I will go there again maybe Sunday and check spindle runout.

Besides what is pictured, there is some more tooling inside the stand cabinets- 4 jaw chuck, steady rest, dogs, a few more dont remember what I saw. And it will also come with a 3phase converter that the guy was using to run it.
His asking price is $5,000 so I will see what kind of deal I can work out with him after I figure in the cost of the converter as I heard they are expensive.

Also, I could not find any info online as to who owns the brand now, and where would I get parts?

 

[ericc]

$5000 is too much. Also, there is the sleaze factor: the guy didn't tell you anything until you found it yourself. I would take off a lot for this. When I bought my lathe, the seller told me it was no spring chicken. He saw me tighten the carriage near the chuck, and he told me to expect significant binding before going too far back. He also disclosed that the backgear was thrashed, and the drum switch wouldn't live much longer. He didn't drop the price, but I appreciated the full disclosure. It made me feel a lot more comfortable. I'm still fixing up the lathe, but it has done much good service, and it has been a joy to use. And, I never curse that the seller snuck something by.

 

[Nogoingback]

ericc has it right, $5000.00 is way too much, especially for a lathe with problems. There are two 13" Jet lathes on Seattle CL
right now for less money and one is described as an older machine that has never been used. For that matter, if you have a $5000.00 lathe budget you could spend a bit more and buy a new machine from Precision Mathews, which
are excellent machines and come with warranties and support. I'd walk away from that one: you can do better.

 

[Latinrascalrg1]

For $5000 you could rent a trailor and take a road trip to an area with a better, cheaper selection and come home with a lathe, mill and maybe even a bandsaw and still have enough left over to take the significant other out for a night on the town!