to part or not to part (out a lathe)

[Nogoingback]

As a point of reference I was able to purchase a Sheldon MW-56-P (13"x56") machine in the Chicago area for only slightly more than the price mentioned by Moderatemixed. The machine I purchased machine had been rebuilt including grinding of the bed and cross slide ways. It also included 3 chucks, a collet drawbar system, a QCTP, steady rest, follow rest, several drill chucks and other assorted tooling.

I bet that prices and machine availability in Kentucky are quite a bit different than Chicago. You guys in the upper Midwest forget
how good you've got it compared with other parts of the country.

 

[wa5cab]

I hate to defend either PayPal or eBay but in all fairness, PayPal's rates haven't changed significantly and the only significant increase by eBay has been adding the cost of shipping to what they charge their fee on. And that change is the fault of a minority of greedy sellers, who would sell items dirt cheap and charge 3X to 10X for shipping. eBay made several attempts to stamp out that practice but all failed. So the majority suffered for the greed of the minority. I almost forgot to add that my wife and I sold full time on eBay from 2002 until about 2016. And only stopped because of health issues. Our feedback is currently 20892.

 

[projectnut]

I bet that prices and machine availability in Kentucky are quite a bit different than Chicago. You guys in the upper Midwest forget
how good you've got it compared with other parts of the country.

I live about 150 miles from Chicago, but I do keep my eyes open for good machines usually within a 300 mile radius. When I find one that meets my needs I contact the owner to see if an inspection is possible. I looked at the lathe in Chicago twice before I made the 3rd trip to pick it up. Over the years I've purchased machines in Milwaukee, Chicago, Davenport, Waukesha, Oshkosh, Waupaca, and a few other places.

Good machines don't come up that often at prices I'm willing to pay. When they do I have to be willing to inspect them with little or no hesitation. Over the years I've missed my share of machines because I wasn't willing to make the trip in a timely manner. The one machine I do regret not buying was a Linley Jig Bore in Green Bay. The company had it for sale for less than $900.00 with tons of tooling. A friend of mine in the area inspected it and found it to be in almost new condition. I hesitated and lost out.

It's good to have a network with people in the business, especially shop owners and used equipment dealers. Often times I've bought machines that never got to a bulletin board, showroom floor, or craigslist. A shop owner would be in the process of upgrading, or a or used equipment dealer would be buying out a shop and ask if I was interested in some of the machines. More often than not I was, and we were able to make a deal. There have been a few machines I passed on mainly because of their size. I have no room for a Rockford 24" shaper, a 25" x 150 American Pacemaker lathe, or a Cincinnati 330 milling machine. They're all great machines, but outside my envelope of interest, or ability to transport at reasonable cost.

 

[guckrob]

Hey John (Matthewsx) it is listed here since a week or two ago in the complete machines section and it was on CraigsList until the other day--That's how the gearbox offer came up.

Some back of the envelope estimation based on other items I've sold confirms what a lot of you have said--depending on how you look at it (i.e. whether you value your time, etc) it's either a decent or a terrible idea to part it out. The lathe came with two 3-jaw chucks so I sold one on ebay and it went for about $115, which isn't a great price, but that got me a decent chunk of my 4-jaw funds.

 

[phubbman]

Just to pile on - don't underestimate the time commitment of parting that thing out on ebay, packaging and shipping the various parts, and dealing with the pieces that don't move quickly. Big heavy parts that are expensive to ship may not sell well on-line. You might do well. You might not.
Atlas 618's (smaller and less capable machines) go for that kind of money. I'll bet you'd be safe selling it whole. It would certainly be a lot easier. For C-list or F-book listings, add good photos and description.
Try selling it whole. If no one bites within a couple of weeks, you always have the option of parting it out.

 

[guckrob]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm going to let it ride for another week or two and then see what happens. I've sold a fair amount of old tools and items on ebay, so I'm fairly aware of the pros and cons, but this would be a pretty major undertaking for sure. That is aside from the fact that it seems like a shame. The guy locally says he is still in for $600 on the gearbox so that gets me off to a good start if I go that route, but I do envision a pile of leftover parts that I'm tired of looking at in a few months and that isn't appealing.

 

[jwmay]

Have you said what you’re asking for it?

 

[guckrob]

yes it is in the for sale section (complete machines) for $2k with all of the tooling and materials. There is 3 or more feet of 3" aluminum stock and some steel and it has 10 AXA holders...quite a bit of stuff, although if someone is just looking for a machine they may want just the bare machine for less

 

[jwmay]

I agree you’re in a dilemma. I guess it depends on how long you’re willing to wait. Your asking price, with everything taken into account, seems a little ok. The last machine like this I have actual knowledge of was purchased for 1800 dollars with no tooling. My own machine sat for sale with not a single call on it for over a month, until I showed up and bought it. It was 2 years old and he was asking half price. So if it were mine, I’d settle in for as long as it took. After 6 weeks, drop your ad, oil it, cover it, and wait a month. Then list it again. I’d probably do this for as long as it took. I know there’s someone out there that would pay your price, and be happy for it. It may not happen until tax time next year though. Everybody has probably already spent their refund this year.

 

[guckrob]

well good news, I've got two parts to make for a planer I bought, so the lathe stays for a bit. It is on a rolling tool chest that is on blocks for stability, but I think I'm going to move it into a more open area of the shop and keep it for a while unless someone buys it up. hopefully it is still pretty stable on that rolling box, but it should be ok given how heavy that thing is.