May I Get A General Opinion On This Atlas Machine...price Ok Or Not, Etc...

I bet you are talking about that $2500 obo in Ft. Smith. That does appear to be a very nice machine indeed. Even the cabinet looks straight as well. Doesn't look nearly as knocked about as the one I listed.
 
Seems to be a little high, I'd be careful and not have buyer's remorse. We are blessed in the Midwest (Michigan area) with plenty of choices. I use a Craig's List search engine called Search Tempest; pulls up Craig's List pages from further and further away (can specify the max distance) and a price range. Here's what's in my area for under $1000; all comparable to the one in your area. Boy, it's kind of fun "shopping" for someone else!

Bruce

http://grandrapids.craigslist.org/tls/5695017151.html
Looks like an Atlas 10" without QCGB, has the change gears, 3-jaw, 4-jaw, minimal tooling, broken crank handle on the cross feed - $795

http://annarbor.craigslist.org/tls/5710746931.html
Logan 10 x 24. 3-jaw, minimal tooling - $475

http://richmondin.craigslist.org/tls/5729523295.html
Craftsman 12" x 24 with a QCGB, 3-jaw, 4-jaw, minimal tooling - $800

http://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/tls/5731361972.html
Atlas 10" x 24", 3-jaw, no QCGB (has change gears), minimal tooling - $800

http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/tls/5727827918.html
Craftsman 12" x 24", didn't see the tail stock, saying it comes with lots of tooling - $300

http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/tls/5721088590.html
Craftsman 12" x 24", 3-jaw, no QCGB - didn't see the change gears, minimal tooling - $500

http://greenbay.craigslist.org/tls/5720169392.html
Craftsman 12" x 24", QCGB, 3-jaw, 4-jaw, lantern tool holders - $1495

http://columbus.craigslist.org/tld/5700403888.html
Atlas 12" x 24", QCGB, pedestal lathe with stand, 3-jaw, minimal tooling - $2000 (this one has been relisted continually for over a year)

http://columbus.craigslist.org/tls/5691766086.html
Craftsman 12" x 36", QCGB, says it has extra chucks (not pictured), no tooling pictured - $1500
 
I'm with Ken. It doesn't look like it was rebuilt 2 yrs ago or it got a lot of use since then. Paint is all scratched up for one thing. A good rebuild would have included a new paint job. I would check the ways for wear. If all they did was clean it up a bit to call it rebuilt you will see it if you look close. With $2000 you can get a much better lathe.
 
All pricing as subject to negotiation, the opening may not be the bottom line.
A rebuild could be as simple as replacing the bushings and bearings and other worn parts like the half nuts, to a full restoration. Have to talk to the seller. I sold mine for $600 it was rebuilt, i.e. Bushings etc but not reground and painted. It was missing the two rests though, otherwise complete. I live in the rust belt, lots of lathes around here, usually one on every street, in the garage or basement.
 
And therein lies the difference in market. Oklahoma isn't known historically for its manufacturing prowess. Whereas Michigan was one of the definitions of American industrial might. I think that it's just going to cost more "down here" than "up there" as a result of the historical demographics....supply and demand. But that is really for me the least of all the considerations. I really have no problem paying a premium for a really nice used machine. I'll check out the Search Tempest thingy. Thanks, fellas.
 
barryww1956 said:
And therein lies the difference in market.
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Ha, that takes me back to a near-mythological time called the 1970s. My brother married a girl from the Muskogee area. They came up to visit and stopped into my apartment. My new sister-in-law marveled that I, a bachelor, had invested in such nice antique furniture.

I, the bachelor, had invested in the best matched furniture that I could find at the Salvation Army thrift store.

My current house predates Oklahoma statehood by almost thirty years. I visited my brother down there and got to meet a couple of people who remembered back before it was a state.

I don't recall meeting anybody who remembers Massachusetts before it became part of the USA.
 
barryww1956 said:
And therein lies the difference in market. Oklahoma isn't known historically for its manufacturing prowess. Whereas Michigan was one of the definitions of American industrial might. I think that it's just going to cost more "down here" than "up there" as a result of the historical demographics....supply and demand. But that is really for me the least of all the considerations. I really have no problem paying a premium for a really nice used machine. I'll check out the Search Tempest thingy. Thanks, fellas.
Click to expand...
If you're interested in a project, I saw a LeBlonde Regal 13" lathe in Enid today. Looked like about 24" between centers. Very dirty. I don't know what he's asking for it , but he says he's a very motivated seller. I have no affiliation with him- I bought a milling machine from him today. I can PM you his contact info if you'd like.
 
Charles Spencer said:
Ha, that takes me back to a near-mythological time called the 1970s. My brother married a girl from the Muskogee area. They came up to visit and stopped into my apartment. My new sister-in-law marveled that I, a bachelor, had invested in such nice antique furniture.

I, the bachelor, had invested in the best matched furniture that I could find at the Salvation Army thrift store.

My current house predates Oklahoma statehood by almost thirty years. I visited my brother down there and got to meet a couple of people who remembered back before it was a state.

I don't recall meeting anybody who remembers Massachusetts before it became part of the USA.
Click to expand...

Great story. One of the jokes leveled during the Dust Bowl migration of Oklahomans to the West during the Great Depression of the 1930's was "How can you tell the difference between a rich Okie and a poor Okie? A rich Okie has two mattresses strapped onto the top of their truck." Probably closer to the truth than one realizes. I remember while attending Eisenhower Junior High School in 1970 in Lawton, Oklahoma where I grew up, my science teacher who had just relocated there from Boston mentioned to the class how disappointed she was when she found out we didn't ride horses to school. Some relatives of my best friend there were afraid to visit because they thought it was still like the wild west, with "Indians still on the warpath". Funny now to think about people's total misconceptions of different regions of the country. The 1970's....no decade looks more dated in retrospect, in my opinion.
 
T. J. said:
If you're interested in a project, I saw a LeBlonde Regal 13" lathe in Enid today. Looked like about 24" between centers. Very dirty. I don't know what he's asking for it , but he says he's a very motivated seller. I have no affiliation with him- I bought a milling machine from him today. I can PM you his contact info if you'd like.
Click to expand...

Thanks very much for your offer, I really appreciate that, but don't go to the trouble right now. I have a Corvette that I'm going to sale, with some of the proceeds going to the lathe and tooling. It's one or the other per my wife. Which reminds me I need to get it detailed and sent out for consignment. But I have read a lot of forums and articles and such here and have already learned a bunch. Some really good ideas and advice I've received here. Great group of folks.
 
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