Question about buying a lathe

J

jdsantiagojr

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Hello. I own and have been running a 7x14 and am ready to invest in a better machine. I have done a lot of searching and research on a few machines and landed on three below.

I am a little torn on buying old since the prices are almost as high as buying new. Some of the choices I have been looking at are

- PM-1127VF-LB LATHE
- Grizzly G9972Z 11" x 26" Bench Lathe w/ Gearbox
- South Bend 9" Model A: https://www.ebay.com/itm/392039732794?ul_noapp=true (from picture the ways don't look good. not sure. Messaged seller and he responded with "The lathe is all in good working order. The ways are in good shape. Taken from service out of a small local one man job shop. Voltage is 115 V / 1 Phase".
- Colchster Moel 13 engine lathe: https://www.ebay.com/itm/254843396628?ul_noapp=true (Is this price okay? Should I try to get for lower price.?)

Do you have any advice or recommendations ?
 
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I would be leary of the Colchester, unless you can inspect it personally. The headstock bearings for that cost close to the asking price.
The type of work you plan to do will be a big factor in your decision- A good lathe package should include 3 and 4 jaw chucks, a toolpost of some kind, a steady rest, and usually a tailstock chuck. Anything else like a collet set is a bonus.
-Mark
 
That South Bend is way overpriced, you should be able to find one on CL for <1,000, just setup an alert on Craiglist and be patient.
 
I would add the PM1228 to your list. A little more money, but only a few inches longer than the 1127 and it has a quick change gear box instead of using change gears which to me would be worth the money.

I'm not familiar with that Grizzly lathe, but looking at the manual it looks to me like you still have to use change gears to thread. I suspect it is similar to the G4000 9x19 and many of the 10x22 lathes where the gear box is mostly for controlling the power feed speed and you can only do a handful of threads without changing the gears. The price isn't bad, but other than the size I don't see any advantage over the 9x19 and 10x22 lathes. Personally I'd go for a PM1022 or PM1030 over the G9972Z. Again a little more money, but probably a better machine.

The SB9 would be a nice lathe, but agree with Martik it seems overpriced for what it comes with, and by the time you add in the costs of getting it from RI to Ohio, you are probably spending more than a new PM machine for a smaller lathe with less tooling. I also would never spend that much on a machine I couldn't personally inspect.

Edited to add if you have the space and budget for that Colchester, Grizzly and PM have 12x36 lathes around that price, and 12x36 seems to be a very popular size. I'm sure that Colchester is a wonderful machine, but it doesn't come with much tooling, you still have the costs to get it halfway across the country and again have to trust that the seller is being completely upfront about any issues.
 
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Aaron_W said:
... Colchester... you still have the costs to get it halfway across the country.
Click to expand...
Very good point, and one that doesn't get stressed enough. The shipping cost (and getting it from the truck/terminal into your shop) should be investigated before buying it. It may well end up doubling the cost of the machine, depending upon weight and distance.
 
Yes, indeed: migrate up from 11×whatever to 12×whatever

The 11" lathe is the last of the small lathes, while the 12" is the first of the big lathes (features, access, and utility).
 
Thank you for input. I am going to hold out for a 12x lathe. If I can't find an old one before/ during summer I will probably buy a PM machine.
 
A couple hours away from you is a big used machinery dealer. Most of what they have is bigger than you would want, but they do have some smaller machines. It might be worth a trip up there and take a look if they have something that interests you.

hgrinc.com

Used Machine Tools Equipment For Sale

Used Machine Tools Equipment For Sale https://hgrinc.com
hgrinc.com hgrinc.com
 
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