Are Good Used Lathes Like Unicorns?

[mmcmdl]

A buddy of mine has a very nice Clausing 13" with the reeves drive ripped out of it . I keep looking at it thinking a vfd would fix all of that . I have to wait on it as I may get the opurrtunity ( don't know why I can't spell this word ) on some other equipment in the near future . I don't have room for what I have now , it'll be interesting for sure .

 

[westerner]

What did you get for the two year wait?
Pics please

Here ya go, janderso.
Lathe is an 'as new' g4003 clone from 2003. DRO, collet chuck and closer included. 3 jaw, 4 jaw, base and OEM tools as well. $2800.

Mill is an MVN from the 70's. Came out of a high school metals shop. Some kid tracks, but very little actual wear.
The auction winner still had it on his trailer, and he delivered it to me!
Zero tooling. $1300

They both are more accurate than I am, or likely to ever be! Best possible use of dwindling disposable income I could have dreamed of!

 

[Janderso]

I think equipment originating from High Schools or colleges are a good choice.
My lathe came from a community college, it has kid marks but is in excellent condition.
I remember my High School metal shop teacher took very good care of the SB13X40 back in the early 70's.

 

[AndySomogyi]

I think they are.

I’ve been searching for a solid but compact lathe, about 11-12” for years.

The good ones sell within hours of posting, and the clapped out overpriced trash sits around and gets re-posted for years.

I’ve gotten ready to buy a number of them, even went and rented a pickup, and told the ******* I’m coming and he sold it before I could get there.

 

[Chipper5783]

Old lathes in great condition are everywhere . Know what you're going after and hit the auctions . It helps if you have the cash in hand . Lathes and mills tend to find me rather me find them , guess I have a reputation as being able to move stuff quickly around the area . As Aukai knows , I'll most likely end up with some major equipment in the very near future . Not that I need it , but I can move it along quickly and get paid for my time .

mmcmdl is right. Lots of good used lathes available. Not very many good used machines available for $0.01/pound. If you want good condition, top name brand, heavy duty, doesn't weigh very much, is local to you area, is hooked up for test, is ready to load, is easy to power, it has plenty of tooling, the seller is willing to wait on you convenience and you want it for $50 - yeah, those are pretty hard to find.

 

[.LMS.]

I’ve gotten ready to buy a number of them, even went and rented a pickup, and told the ******* I’m coming and he sold it before I could get there.

Well, unless you gave him a deposit, I can't blame him if someone was there with the cash. Not trying to minimize your frustration because the exact same thing happened to me. I was annoyed at first (hey man - why didn't you at least call me and tell me not to drive the 45 mins to your shop, you had my number...), but then accepted the fact that cash is king.

 

[AndySomogyi]

Well, unless you gave him a deposit, I can't blame him if someone was there with the cash. Not trying to minimize your frustration because the exact same thing happened to me. I was annoyed at first (hey man - why didn't you at least call me and tell me not to drive the 45 mins to your shop, you had my number...), but then accepted the fact that cash is king.

Yeah, I pay pal him a deposit, and took me two months to get it back. I really should have sued him because it cost me $100 to rent a pickup and return it, plus all the time I lost.

 

[Janderso]

Yeah, I pay pal him a deposit, and took me two months to get it back. I really should have sued him because it cost me $100 to rent a pickup and return it, plus all the time I lost.

I don't know, I understand there are flakes in the world but, if a guy wanted to buy my lathe and sent a deposit, I would give him a chance to complete the deal.
Maybe I'm just old fashioned.

 

[.LMS.]

Yeah, I pay pal him a deposit, and took me two months to get it back. I really should have sued him because it cost me $100 to rent a pickup and return it, plus all the time I lost.

Woah - then he boned you and is a jerk. Legit for you to be angry for sure.

 

[MtnBiker]

PM is replacing the 1440 GS with a "High Precision" (not an Ultra Precision Taiwan made) lathe. And offering a factory VFD/Vector drive variable speed option as well. Decided to pull the trigger. Need decent work envelope for the shop. Don't have time or patience for a rehab or for hit or miss shopping. Won't be my last lathe - will be a good tool to learn on and evaluate either larger manual or CNC lathe later.