Is there a market for NOS or slightly-used HSS or Carbide Cutters?

[mrmax1984]

Howdy. I recently added a lathe (LMS 3540) to my home shop. I bought it from the same older gentleman who sold me his Grizzly G0619 mill. He is really, really wanting to downsize his shop and has two tool chests full of cutters of all sorts and wanted to try to sell me the lot for $2k. I think this included ~400+ end mills and ~500 lathe cutters (some HSS and some w/ carbide inserts).

I don't have that kind of scratch, but I thought perhaps I can help him sell it in lots, while purchasing a smaller quantity for myself.

My question to the forum is that is there a market for new-old-stock HSS and carbide cutters? I'm talking about all sizes of end mills, reamers, lathe blanks, lathe cutters w/ carbide inserts, etc.

Many of them have the sharp ends still encased in wax. All of the ones he has sold me so far have had "Made in USA" marks from a few companies.

I know in general folks prefer American-made tools, but in the end money talks. The HSS tooling I would imagine would go for ~$5 each in lots of 10+. Slightly higher for single pieces, because there's a lot to sort through. I'm not sure about carbide yet, since I haven't asked him for a complete catalog.

When I bought my mill from him, I bought 20 new HSS US-made endmills for $100 in varying sizes to got with it.

 

[GeneT45]

There's definitely a market, mostly on eBay unless you have a machinist 'swap meet' nearby. How well they sell will depend a great deal on quality of photos and descriptions - i.e. a fair amount of work.

GsT

 

[projectnut]

Howdy. I recently added a lathe (LMS 3540) to my home shop. I bought it from the same older gentleman who sold me his Grizzly G0619 mill. He is really, really wanting to downsize his shop and has two tool chests full of cutters of all sorts and wanted to try to sell me the lot for $2k. I think this included ~400+ end mills and ~500 lathe cutters (some HSS and some w/ carbide inserts).

I don't have that kind of scratch, but I thought perhaps I can help him sell it in lots, while purchasing a smaller quantity for myself.

My question to the forum is that is there a market for new-old-stock HSS and carbide cutters? I'm talking about all sizes of end mills, reamers, lathe blanks, lathe cutters w/ carbide inserts, etc.

Many of them have the sharp ends still encased in wax. All of the ones he has sold me so far have had "Made in USA" marks from a few companies.

I know in general folks prefer American-made tools, but in the end money talks. The HSS tooling I would imagine would go for ~$5 each in lots of 10+. Slightly higher for single pieces, because there's a lot to sort through. I'm not sure about carbide yet, since I haven't asked him for a complete catalog.

When I bought my mill from him, I bought 20 new HSS US-made endmills for $100 in varying sizes to got with it.

While there definitely is a market for these items they'll have to be inspected for damage and offered in lots. At this point in time there are over 2,600 lots of endmills listed on eBay. There are over 150,000 listings under the heading "end mill". In my estimation it will be a slow process to dispose of over 900 mills and cutters.

The end mills encased in wax are in all likelihood those that have been resharpened. I've never seen new end mills come from the factory with wax coatings. They come in a sleeve, either cardboard or plastic with the size, flute configuration, part number, and other information on the protective container. Those that are encased in wax should have a new diameter inscribed somewhere on the shaft. When selling them they should be advertised as resharpened and the new size included in the description.

 

[mrmax1984]

The end mills encased in wax are in all likelihood those that have been resharpened. I've never seen new end mills come from the factory with wax coatings. They come in a sleeve, either cardboard or plastic with the size, flute configuration, part number, and other information on the protective container. Those that are encased in wax should have a new diameter inscribed somewhere on the shaft. When selling them they should be advertised as resharpened and the new size included in the description.

Thanks for this important tidbit! Now that you mention it, no one would likely spend any real money on cutters that haven't individually been inspected and/or measured if they've been sharpened. I should have checked on ebay before posting here...

 

[ChazzC]

I have quite a few NOS DeWalt HSS end mills I purchased last year on eBay based on the recommendation of a local machinist who was very happy with the quality & price: cheaper than re-sharpening. I, too, am happy.

BTW, all were in the original paper tubes.

 

[markba633csi]

Reamers I would put in a separate category and yes they would sell either in groups or individually
You should list them here! I might buy a few
-M

 

[matthewsx]

There is, but what you’ve experienced is something most of us have or will.

Lots of shops closing or downsizing and sometimes folks just want to be rid of things. More than once I’ve been given a box full of cutters when buying something else. I’ve gotten to the point where unless it’s a specialized need I don’t think I’ll ever have to purchase anything.

When shops downsize the owners often know exactly how much they paid for things. It has little to no bearing on how much it’s worth on the secondary market.

Before you enter into a venture like this you may want to reach out to @mattthemuppet2 for a reality check.

John