# Thinking of buying a Clausing at auction



## Inferno (Dec 5, 2021)

Thoughts?

It's an estate auction for a farm. I'm sure it means the owner either passed away or isn't able to be at the auction to ask questions. 
What should I look for other than runout, bed condition and the other basics?

It looks like it lived in a barn mostly. There's some rust on the stand so it's not been "well cared for". 

Value?


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## Richard King 2 (Dec 5, 2021)

Looks like a find.   Some simple ways to check is look at the ways up under the chuck, look for scratched you can hook you finger nail on.  take a flashlight with and look at the rack under the ways. The rack under the chuck end and tail stock end will be original but in the middle where the apron moves the most will have sharp teeth, wider pitch. The holes in the quick change will be oblong on an worn lathe.  check for back lash in the screws.  It looks like it has an aloric tool post.  Check inside the drawers.  I also see a Jacobs quick action collet chuck.( on shelf) Look for the expandable rubber collets too. 4 jaw chuck on the pan...lots of fun stuff. See if there in a manual too.  Id try to buy it    hopefully no one accept you wants it.  It's a jewel compared to the Chinese machines out there.... In an auction here in MN I bet it would sell for $3000.00


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## Beckerkumm (Dec 5, 2021)

There is a similar machine with tooling for sale at 2500 on Practical Machinist.  You might want to compare what is included.  Dave


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## woodchucker (Dec 5, 2021)

all prices are local...
its a matter of how rare things are around you, how much someone else wants it ..

It looks like it has a lot of tooling with it. 
How much are you willing to pay is the question. You didn't mention the size. It looks like it might be 12".
It's worth what you are willing to pay for it.

Sorry, but in machine deserts, the price goes higher, and in Michigan and Ill. in some areas the price can be dirt cheap as I've noticed.


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## BGHansen (Dec 5, 2021)

I have a Clausing 5418 (12" x 24"), really like the feel and smoothness of the lathe.  Another way to check wear at the chuck is to lightly tighten the apron clamp at the headstock and try moving the carriage to the tailstock.  Repeat going the opposite direction.  It'll give you a rough idea how much wear there is.  So what's the fix if there's some wear?  Frankly, you'd probably live with it and do your work knowing the cutting tool will vary in height to the work as you move up and down the lathe bed.  It's not a deal-breaker unless it's worn by 1/8".  You can still do good work on it, but might have to work around the limitation(s) based on your projects.

That lathe looks a lot like mine which came out of a high school shop my dad taught at.  I paid $600 for mine, but that was a steal.  If you google "clausing 5400 manual" or "clausing 5900 manual", links to vintage machinery will pop up.  I'm not an expert on id'ing these lathes, but that one looks like a 5400-series, not a variable speed 5900 based on the QCGB set up.  Looks like it has a screw-on chuck (2 1/4" - 8 thread) instead of an L00 (more desirable) though it's hard to tell from the photo.  Looks like a 3-jaw, 4-jaw and Jacobs rubber-collet chuck too.  It'd be a nice addition to any shop.

Bruce


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## pacifica (Dec 5, 2021)

Inferno said:


> Thoughts?
> 
> It's an estate auction for a farm. I'm sure it means the owner either passed away or isn't able to be at the auction to ask questions.
> What should I look for other than runout, bed condition and the other basics?
> ...


Can you see it under power? Run through all the gears and if possible check teeth aren't broken.


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## craniac (Dec 5, 2021)

A machine that nice with tooling doesn't appear everyday here in Portland. If it's not too worn I think Richard King's estimate of $3000 is not too far off the mark. That said prices can be all over the map depending on circumstances.

Tim


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## mmcmdl (Dec 5, 2021)

I have a 5900 series pretty well tooled up . Bison set true , quality 4 jaw , Jacobs flex collet chuck with collets , travel dial , Aloris AXA post and holders , Rohm live center and Jacobs SSB and Albrecht chucks . I have $3100 into it so that $3K is probably a close est .


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## Inferno (Dec 5, 2021)

All good info to have. Thanks. 

If it was bought used by the farmer, all bets are off but it's my experience that if a farmer buys a machine new it will tend to have a lot less wear, and a little more neglect, than a production machine. 
As stated, the beds will have to be checked. On production machines, the operators tend to protect the beds. On a farmer machine, who knows?

Back a few years ago I went to a farmer sell off. The farmer had turned to millwright but his machines were lightly worn but they were in a barn with the doors always open. Dust everywhere. Surface rust everywhere. 
He had some really good machines though. I didn't have money or the means to move anything but his machines were going for 10c on the dollar. A similar lathe to the one I'm looking at sold for $250. He also had a few Bridgeport milling machines that all sold for less then $1200 each. 

An interesting side note. That guy was a dwarf. He had all his Bridgeport mills set into the ground about a foot. The table surface was about 18" off the ground. It was a sight to see Santa's workshop.


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## Nogoingback (Dec 5, 2021)

I don't know how often farmers use their lathes, but I would think it would be occasionally, which
is probably a good thing here.  The fact that the carriage is a different color suggest it's been replaced,
so there might be a story there.  Even though there's rust at the bottom of the cabinet, it doesn't appear
abused in the photo: the paint around the head and tailstocks looks good unlike many used lathes.  Looks
decently tooled as well. If I were you, I'd be very interested in that lathe.


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## Tim9 (Dec 5, 2021)

I really love my 5903 Clausing. That’s a single phase variable speed hydraulic lathe. If the one you’re looking at is variable speed, make sure you check the sliding hydraulic sheaves at the motor. 
  There’s tons of info on that system online.  If you have a variable speed, it will have a rotating dial on the top of the headstock. Top left at the back of the headstock. Okay


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## Inferno (Dec 5, 2021)

Should I assume this will weigh about 2000-2500 pounds?
The only way I have to move it, once it's at my house, is with an engine hoist. 
I think my hoist is rated that high. I'd double check before trying. 

Otherwise I will have to get creative.


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## Tim9 (Dec 5, 2021)

I moved my Clausing using my 1993 Nissan Frontier/ Hardbody truck. It’s @   1/2 ton capacity truck.
maybe even  a bit less.
But as my memory serves me, I’m pretty sure my lathe’s data specs say @ 1200 pounds.  It’s actually not that heavy… Definitely lighter than my Millrite milling machine (1600# ) and Parker Majestic surface grinder (probably 1600-2000#’s ) 

    FWIW, the recommended way to lift the lathe is by using a flat steel bar under the bed. The bar is placed between the carriage and headstock.  Then the nylon sling strap is hooked to the bar . And once lifted a few inches, you move the carriage in or out to get the balance right.

I used a chain around the flat bar and strapped the flat bar tightly to the lathe bed so it’s wouldn’t accidentally slide out of place. The carriage does make it easy to get the balance perfect.


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## Inferno (Dec 17, 2021)

I decided to not even bid on the lathe. 
I went to the auction, in booney-town, from a not so recognizable named auctioneer, with a crappy website, assuming the clientele group would be small. 
Nope!
There were over a hundred cars and trucks there and parking had been extended to a muddy field where I could see a few trucks were already stuck. 
I was only interested in the lath so I would have had to sit through the auction waiting for it to come up. 
I don't really have room for a moderate deal big item but I would have made room for a steal. This wasn't going to be a steal. 
I never even looked at it in person. I like my car a little too much to get it stuck in the mud. 

So, thanks for all the input. I'll wait til I find a steal.


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## mmcmdl (Dec 17, 2021)

Bummer , steals on Clausings if posted on the net are like hens teeth . Everybody and there brother has them and are constantly searching them out , including many of us on here . Did you find out the final price ?


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## Inferno (Dec 17, 2021)

mmcmdl said:


> Bummer , steals on Clausings if posted on the net are like hens teeth . Everybody and there brother has them and are constantly searching them out , including many of us on here . Did you find out the final price ?


I didn't find out the final price. I wonder if the auction house would tell me. Most won't. 
I'll reach out to them. 
If it sold for a couple hundred I will kick myself. If it sold for a couple thousand, it may have been a good deal but more of a good deal than a steal.


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## jwmay (Dec 17, 2021)

Really no way to tell what's going to happen at auction. I'd not search out the sale price. Lol. Better to assume you made the right choice, and spend your time searching for a lathe. Let sleeping dogs lie.


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## pacifica (Dec 17, 2021)

Inferno said:


> I decided to not even bid on the lathe.
> I went to the auction, in booney-town, from a not so recognizable named auctioneer, with a crappy website, assuming the clientele group would be small.
> Nope!
> There were over a hundred cars and trucks there and parking had been extended to a muddy field where I could see a few trucks were already stuck.
> ...


Except for the boredom it's actually better if an item is near the end-people leave or loose patience. Also if there are several lots of similar or same items the second or third one usually goes for less. i've seen 3 identical bridgeports and by the 3rd one price is half that of the first.

It is a given when there are a lot of bidders you  probably won't get a great deal.


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## Tim9 (Dec 17, 2021)

Inferno said:


> I decided to not even bid on the lathe.
> I went to the auction, in booney-town, from a not so recognizable named auctioneer, with a crappy website, assuming the clientele group would be small.
> Nope!
> There were over a hundred cars and trucks there and parking had been extended to a muddy field where I could see a few trucks were already stuck.
> ...


Follow your gut feelings. No doubt that my following my gut feelings usually is spot on.  That gut feeling is hardwired into our genetic DNA.
    If you go to buy something and you get a feeling that something just doesn’t smell right…. Then that’s all that matters in my opinion. I’m not going to even waste my time trying to analyze what or why it isn’t right. Just walk away.


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## jwmay (Dec 17, 2021)

pacifica said:


> an item is near the end-people leave or loose patience. Also if there are several lots of similar or same items the second or third one usually goes for less. i've seen 3 identical bridgeports and by the 3rd one price is half that of the first.


That's really interesting, because I have the exact opposite experience. I wanted to buy a post vise at this auction. They had like 6 of them. The first couple went really cheap. But as the supply of post vises dwindled, the bids got higher and higher. I ended up with no post vise.


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