[Newbie] Where has all the older machining equipment gone to?

[4GSR]

Back in the mid 1980's, a lot of the manufacturing business lost to the down turn in the oilfield. Most of that machinery was scrapped and went on ships to Asia and melted down into all sorts of widgets that started flooded the markets in the early 1990's.

 

[Aaron_W]

Sounds a lot like old fire apparatus. I understand high scrap steel prices over the past 20 years have resulted in a lot of older fire engines going to scrappers because the scrap value was higher than people would pay for an old fire engine. Many have also headed south to Central and South America where a well maintained 20 year old fire engine has a lot of potential service life left in it.

It makes sense that other industrial equipment would follow a similar trend.

 

[MikeInOr]

If he has the money in hand and is ready to buy right this minute.... he will never find what he is looking for. All of my old iron came along after being on my list for YEARS! Some of my machines were so unwanted that I had to buy them, bring them home and fix them up solely because I felt sorry for them!

I have wanted a mill for 30+ years... one finally landed in my shop tonight! I am not a patient person but patients is key! What machines is he looking for? Does he have an idea of 3 or 4 different machines from different manufactures that will serve his purposes?

Knowing the different manufactures that made a type of machine, who made good ones, who made bad ones and how much they generally go for will allow him to pounce when the right deal comes along. If he is looking for a Bridgeport mill in great shape for $1000 he is going to have a long wait. In 30 years I haven't even found a nice $1000 Bridgeport that I missed by calling too late on. My $1000 8" x 30" Taiwanese mill is as close as I could come and I am quite pleased with the deal!

 

[dlane]

China,
they come back as disposable junk of all different shapes and sizes

 

[projectnut]

I live in the Joliet area (close to Chicago) and just have to wonder where all the older machining equipment has gone to.
I would think with all the manufacturing going overseas and across the border, that there would be more available out here but the pickings seem real slim.
My son inlaw who came from Argentina has been looking for some affordable machines and is also wondering.

You're about 10 years late if you expect to see a huge inventory of manual machines. There's still plenty available, but they're no longer selling for bargain basement prices. Most successful shops upgraded when the economy took a dump nearly 10 years ago. Those that didn't
went out of business.
If you're looking for some CNC stuff the older versions are now becoming available.
The best thing is to do a search on Craigslist. There are currently 62 listings for milling machines and related tooling, half a dozen for lathes, and 22 for surface grinders in the Chicago area. You might also Google "Used machine tool dealers Chicago area". A quick search brought up over a dozen dealers in the Chicago area.

If you're willing to go a little farther afield there's a used equipment dealer in in Waupaca WI.
https://www.rhliquidators.net/
He has dozens of used machines in all different states of repair. If you're looking for specific items give him a call. His prices are fair and he's easy to deal with.

 

[C-Bag]

Patience is key. CL and sometimes eBay have been where all my stuff has come from. What I did was do scans of machines and then research. The research is all on the net too so you'll find all kinds of opinions so it's best to average. By the time I'd really assessed my needs, budget and what was available, the deal lathe showed up.

What I've found here is the premium prices are for hobby size machines. For instance my brother finally had to sell his Hitachi mill( a direct knock off of a Cincinnatti 8,000lb beast) for $1000. I've seen the same size K&T's etc for that same price, complete. Not everybody has the room and the wherewithal to move such a beast and it took almost a year for a pump company to find it and show up with a flatbed and a crane. He'd had it for almost 30yrs and like he said, it didn't owe him anything. Where he moved back to in PA he picked up a BP for $600, so there's still deals. Even moving a BP is not something everybody can do, much less have the space for. Just the other day a really cherry looking BP showed up here for $1200 on CL. It lasted almost a week.

A lot of the stuff has gone away to Mexico, and a lot got scrapped. And then there's guys like a local clown that buys old iron and stores it outside uncovered saying it just needs a little TLC, yeah right........But if you don't get in a hurry its out there and just know for sure that whatever you get, soon after something nicer and cheaper will show up. That's what makes me watch and wait.

 

[ThunderDog]

I think location has alot to do with it and as was mentioned a healthy dose if patience. I watch CL like a vigilant hawk. I'm always searching the same thing, even if I don't need it because that's when a bargain seems to show up. I would say keep watching your area and you will find a deal.

 

[RandyM]

Economic cycle plays a big role as well. Just a couple of years ago Craig's List was chuck full of rolling tool chests, Snap-on, Mac, and etc., now they are slim pickings at best. You just have to be patient.

 

[C-Bag]

"Vigilant Hawk", lol, I'm more of a virtual vulture. And yes, area has a lot to do with it. Sometimes it's not about population or industry. What I've found here is quite a few small one man shops that made specialty items and had their own shop. Many estate sale is just brickabrack, then I stumble on to stuff. I scan most of the state, but rarely go far.

 

[projectnut]

I was told by an employee of a machinery auction company in Minneapolis (Hoff Online Auctions) that some of the larger equipment (especially Bridgeport and similar mills) was routinely bought by companies that shipped them to Central and South America.

For some hobbyists a "Bridgeport" may seem like a large machine. However in the commercial world they are generally too small, and lightly built for extended production work. Most are found in repair, prototype, and job shops. Depending on the type of work done I've seen as many as a couple dozen of this size machine in what I would call a small job shop. They are versatile, but not beefy enough to hog large amounts of stock 40+ hrs. a week for 30+ years. Their claim to fame is versatility. They can perform a number of different tasks that would take multiple larger scale machines.

Heavy production work demands larger, more rigid machines like the ones built by K&T or Cincinnati. A 2,000 lb. Bridgeport may seem large when trying to load it into a trailer, or get it into a garage or basement shop. But their dimuaitive size when compared to a 6,000 lb. K&T or a 15,000 lb. Cincinnati is whey they are preferred by hobbyists.