RACINE POWER HACKSAW - $575 (huntington beach, CA)

This is an almost exact duplicate of my Racine 66W2 machine. They are excellent saws, but one drawback is commercial parts availability. They are simple enough that almost any part can be fabricated, if an example is available to copy. On the other hand if parts are missing they could be difficult to find or fabricate.

If anyone is interested I would suggest making an offer considerably lower than the seller is asking. I purchased mine in working order (needed a good cleaning) with all the parts, accessories, and a few blades included for about 1/3 the asking price of this machine. Mine was wired for 440 3 phase so I had to change out the heaters and starter coils for 220 volt ones. I also had to add a static converter. The additional cost for Allen Bradley heaters, coils, and a converter was less than $100.00
 
projectnut said:
This is an almost exact duplicate of my Racine 66W2 machine. They are excellent saws, but one drawback is commercial parts availability. They are simple enough that almost any part can be fabricated, if an example is available to copy. On the other hand if parts are missing they could be difficult to find or fabricate.

If anyone is interested I would suggest making an offer considerably lower than the seller is asking. I purchased mine in working order (needed a good cleaning) with all the parts, accessories, and a few blades included for about 1/3 the asking price of this machine. Mine was wired for 440 3 phase so I had to change out the heaters and starter coils for 220 volt ones. I also had to add a static converter. The additional cost for Allen Bradley heaters, coils, and a converter was less than $100.00
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The price you paid and the price this seller is asking, sadly is the reality of pricing difference from the East and West. I never ceases to amaze me how much people ask for tools, for that matter anything here on the West Coast. They love to use the term "Vintage" or "Collectable" to justify their asking price.

I would love to find a reasonably priced Racine. But POS's go for about this price with parts missing. Or they are several states over and the cost of shipping nearly doubles the price.
 
I would have a hard time even considering the asking prices of most machinery I now see advertised on the west coast. I know what most of it cost new, what the years have done to it, and what it takes to put them into good running condition. In the case of my Racine saw when I first saw it, it was a filthy mess. Before I even opened my mouth the seller said "don't be afraid of the asking price, I just wanted to weed out the scrappers". You can have it for $200.00 if you're interested".

I asked to inspect it and he was agreeable. After a quick look over I offered a few dollars less. He agreed and said he would remove the oil, coolant, and load it in my truck for my offering price. We made the deal he cleaned it, loaded it, and I was on my way. It took another couple weeks to completely disassemble the machine, clean it thoroughly, reassemble it and install the phase converter and electrical parts. I've had it up and running in the shop for about 5 years now.

As for the market in your area, it has certainly changed over the years. I was working in the LA area in the late 1980's and through the 90's. At that time many of the aircraft factories were either shutting down or consolidating. I could buy tooling and tools at a fraction of what they cost in the Midwest. Every trip out I spent my free time browsing used equipment dealers and buying things for pennies on the dollar. Often times I would ship packages back home on company trucks or with shipping companies. The cost of both the tools and shipping at that time was so reasonable I often waited until I got back to the West Coast to buy things I was interested in.

One thing that still sticks in my memory is the cost of HSS lathe tooling. In the late 80's HSS tooling started falling out of favor. Carbide was somehow seen as the new go to, and savior of the turning world. I was buying new 1/4", 5/16", 3/8", and 1/2" tooling by the box at $0.25 per unit. Depending on the size of the tooling there were 50 to 70 units per box. Some dealers were offering 2 for one in full box quantities. I bought all I could carry for our shop at work and several boxes for my personal use.

My how times have changed.
 
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