# Value of Clausing 4900



## vocatexas (Aug 17, 2018)

I've run across a little Clausing 4900 lathe for sale in my area. It appears to be a 10x36 with flame hardened ways. It has a collet closer and some collets, most of a taper attachment, two 3 jaw chucks, but little other tooling. It doesn't appear to have too much wear, though the cross-slide does have a bit of slack in it. Mainly it's just dirty and needs a good cleaning. I've been looking all over the internet and can't find prices on these lathes. I was thinking about buying it to replace my little 9x20 Central Machine lathe. I think it would be a much more rigid and capable machine, if I can talk them to a reasonable price.


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## Norseman C.B. (Aug 18, 2018)

As  cheap as you can get it without breaking yourself financially.........


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## Jason5555 (Aug 18, 2018)

Haha.... I paid 2300 for a 4914 about 6 months ago in the N.Y/PA line. I'm not sure if that's even good or not as it was my first lathe, and it did break the bank. But it was in amazing mechanical and cosmetic condition. Came with a 4 jaw, 3 jaw, steady and follow rest, and the Pratt B collet chuck and collets. In addition to an import axa tool post holders and tools.


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## Richard King 2 (Aug 18, 2018)

Call up auto dealer and ask them how much a 20 year old Nova is worth?   That's about as easy for us to guess on-line to the value of that lathe.

A photo would help showing it.  If the taper attachment wasn't missing parts it would help the value.  If the machine ran OK and the VS headstock worked I can see $1500.00 to $2000.00 retail and if I were to bid on it at auction I might pay 850.00.   But I never buy without looking at it and seeing it run.  I see You Tube has a few for sale, so why don't you sign on there and email the used machinery dealers.  Most dealers will lower prices on Friday and at end of the month.  If another dealer sold it they could get 10 to 20% commission.  I used to buy and sell machines when I was a used machinery dealer.   Clausing is a step up and any high schools had them way back when but if it had the hydraulic variable speed hand operated, they always broke.  So if your buying it sight un see.  I tell folks would you buy a car with-out driving it, looking under the hood or listening to the engine? 

A easy way to see if the machine is worn is inspect the saddle ways under the chuck to 18" see if you can feel a ridge on the top edge , look at the drive rack under the bed, dealers never or 1 in 1000 won't and if the rack has pointed teeth under there say 12" to 18" compared to the rach under the chuck then walk away.  If the rack teeth look about the same then it probably wasn't used much.  How much backlash are you talking about on the cross-slide screw?


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## vocatexas (Aug 18, 2018)

I'm not familiar with Clausings, so I'm just trying to get a rough idea of value. Some machines are notoriously cheap, where others, like 10EEs bring a premium. My gut feeling is that this machine is worth about a quarter of the asking price. I'm just trying to figure out if I'm in the ballpark.

I have looked at the machine. I can see no ridges or obvious wear on the ways. The saddle seems pretty tight, as does the compound, but the cross-slide has nearly a quarter turn of slack. I didn't think to look at the rack....The machine is pretty dirty, and it looks like they have used it more for turning wood (yes, wood) than metal.

For what I've seen other machines (South Bends, L&S, Atlas) go for, their asking price seems waaaay high. I may go back next week and take another look. They do have a Do-All saw that caught my eye for a reasonable price. I could see if I can get them down on the lathe. They also have a Bridgeport (they call it a drill press!) that is completely shot.

Here's a link with a couple of photos: https://sanangelo.craigslist.org/tls/d/lathe/6659353264.html


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## Jason5555 (Aug 18, 2018)

Are you sure that's a clausing 4900?  I assumed the 4900 series had slight variations/options but that looks nothing like my 4914 or the 4900 series lathes I've observed online or in manuals. But yea you're right, I wouldn't offer a quarter of what they're asking.


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## Jason5555 (Aug 18, 2018)

It also appears the lead screw and quick change gear box are "gone"


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## Chuck K (Aug 18, 2018)

That looks like a parts machine....and not a real good one.


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## jdedmon91 (Aug 18, 2018)

I don’t know the value but I seen one like that sold at auction today for $1000. It had the chucks and tooled up. Most of the tooling was HSS and lantern style 


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## Jason5555 (Aug 19, 2018)

As suspected, it's not a clausing 4900 series. Possibly a clausing 6900 series. I strongly encourage you to stay away from that lathe. I don't know the average prices in your area but this one just popped up in my neck of the woods.... https://rochester.craigslist.org/tls/d/clusing-lathe-for-sale/6664940218.html


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## Winegrower (Aug 19, 2018)

This would be a huge project.   Any missing parts, and as Jason and Chuck point out, there are a lot of them, will be fabulously expensive, and you must have them to make this a usable tool.   Run away, really even if you got it free for hauling it away.


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## SBreels (May 30, 2022)

I put about 50 hours into my 4900.
It’s now a very capable tool room lathe
capable of holding very tight tolerances.
I wouldn’t sell for $10k.
Put some time into it and you’ll have a very nice lathe.


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