Small Sanford surface grinder

I bought my SG this past year for $500.

I don’t have room for something bigger otherwise I wouldn’t have overpaid for such a small machine.

With that said there is an argument to be made that convenience and the small size is worth something to the owner. In my case that is true.

But it isn’t worth an extra $2000. That is used car dealer asking prices.


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Personally I think it's an outrageous price. If you do a search here on Sanford SG you'll find everyone whose purchased one in the last 5 years has paid considerably less. They are extremely small machines, and the company has been out of business for around 30 years. There are no new parts available so if it needs any work at all you're pretty much on your own. In the scheme of things they weren't all that popular due to their size, and as such there are few on the market and even fewer parts available. This particular one appears to be made in the 1950's.

Don't get me wrong as to the quality of the machine. They were good for the type and size of work they could handle. In fact I own a Sanford MG which is a 6"x 12" machine. This one (in my opinion) is just way over priced. There are nearly 100 surface grinders currently listed on eBay for less than this one. Most are quality brands like Boyer Schultz, K O Lee, DoAll, Clausing , Brown & Sharpe, and Thompson.

Here's a Sanford brochure from 1953:
 

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rjs - you hit the jackpot. I paid $600 for my 618 Ingar, it was in pieces, the traverse hand wheel was broken, and the shaft was bent, the traverse belt was broken, it could not be run tested, it was very dirty, there was no magnet, there was nothing for tooling and I couldn't be sure all the pieces were present.

The good of my purchase is that I could see the ways, and the looked good. Perhaps that is a benefit of a manual machine? The table only moves when someone is standing there, to wear it out means a lot of hours - so if someone has that much work for a surface grinder, then it makes sense to get one with some automation. I felt this little machine had decent bones. After considerable effort, making parts and tooling, purchased a mag table, I could finally start to play. I discovered the spindle bearings were bad, more tool making, $500 for bearings. All in I have about $2000 and perhaps 300 hours of effort. Perhaps I'm dilluded, I think I got a good deal.
 
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Chipper5783 said:
rjs - you hit the jackpot. I paid $600 for my 618 Ingar, it was in pieces, the traverse hand wheel was broken, and the shaft was bent, the traverse belt was broken, it could not be run tested, it was very dirty, there was no magnet, there was nothing for tooling and I couldn't be sure all the pieces were present.

The good of my purchase is that I could see the ways, and the looked good. Perhaps that is a benefit of a manual machine? The table only moves when someone is standing there, to wear it out means a lot of hours - so if someone has that much work for a surface grinder, then it makes sense to get one with some automation. I felt this little machine had decent bones. After considerable effort, making parts and tooling, purchased a mag table, I could finally start to play. I discovered the spindle bearings were bad, more tool making, $500 for bearings. All in I have about $2000 and perhaps 300 hours of effort. Perhaps I'm dilluded, I think I got a good deal.
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I think your experience is the exception rather than the rule. I paid less than $700.00 for my Sanford MG. It didn't need any repairs, or even a cleanup. It came with a chuck, a wheel hub, and half a dozen assorted wheels. I think the key to determining the condition of a machine is to be able to run it as part of the inspection process. Many of the defects you found after getting it home would have been revealed had you been able to run it before purchasing it.

Here's a couple pictures of the machine as it looked when installed in the shop. The previous owner had it clean, wired in, and ready for inspection
 

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Cr2348455 said:
This one is 625 lbs !
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That's about what mine weighs. Keep in mind the chuck (approximately 35 lb.) can be unbolted from the table, the table ( approximately 65 lb.) can be lifted from the base, and the machine can be removed from the cabinet. The cabinet itself weighs around 75 lbs. The remaining structure should weigh around 450 lbs. That should be light enough to move with an appliance or similar type dolly.
 
With a bad back, I would have to pay someone to move it into my basement shop.
The small one would have to be broken down so that they can be taken down into the shop.
thanks
 
Cr2348455 said:
With a bad back, I would have to pay someone to move it into my basement shop.
The small one would have to be broken down so that they can be taken down into the shop.
thanks
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That might not be as expensive as you think. My shop is in the basement and has several large pieces of equipment including a Bridgeport mill, Sheldon 13" lathe, Startrite horizontal bandsaw, Racine power hacksaw, Seneca Falls Star #20 lathe, US Machine Tools horizontal mill, and a number of similar size machines.

All except the column for the Bridgeport and the motor cabinet for the Sheldon were moved to the shop by myself using an appliance dolly. The 2 pieces previously mentioned were just to heavy (1,000 lbs. for the mill column, and 800 lbs. for the lathe motor cabinet) for a single person and an appliance dolly. I contacted a local moving company and asked if they would be interested in moving them. It cost $300.00 to have each piece moved (2 different occasions). It took 4 guys about 20 minutes each time to move and locate the pieces. They laid plywood down to protect the flooring and moved the parts using a 1,700 lb. capable stair climber dolly from the garage, through the kitchen and family room, down the stairs with a wall 4' from the end of the stairway, turned at a right angle and set them in the shop.

On Edit: Moving things "DOWN to the shop is no problem. Gravity is a great assistant. The last heavy piece I moved to the shop was a 24" x 36" Challenge surface plate that weighs 575 lbs. I also have a bad back so a friend helped me get it down to the shop. Again we used the appliance dolly. I was at the top lowering it step by step and he was at the bottom to provide cushioning should I loose control of the dolly. I didn't tell him that when we started, but it only took a couple steps before he realized his position. Needless to say he wanted to switch places, but it was too late. Fortunately for him he wasn't needed as a cushion. However he did mention he wants to control the dolly if any more equipment goes into the shop. As for removing anything from the shop I'll let the undertaker deal with that part.
 
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I did not investigate that seller; nor any fishing $2.5k for a tiny reciprocating surface grinder.
Any seller, unless I KNOW them, is not going to get a transaction unless they display knowledge or inventory that backs up some kind of expertise.
With insufficient capacity for little else beside tool bits, occupying effectively same footprint as a standard 6x12, at 3 to 4 times cost are illogical purchase points.
"cute, little baby...." applies to buying puppies; not machine tools.
 
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