I pounced on an opportunity to buy a South Bend 1002 (SB) ~5 years ago at my employer’s surplus auction. I got it for a song. It’s since been in storage, waiting for me to start my new adventure. As that time approached, I realized that it’s a too small for some of my goals, so I bought a PM-1440GT to better fit my needs.
So now I need to decide whether to keep the SB or sell it. I could just keep it until I realize it’s not adding value, but the machine requires an initial time-investment to thoroughly clean it because it was used to machine carbon fiber composites, which I don’t want any exposure to. So, as I begin setting up my shop, I’m wondering if it’s worth the time-investment and floor space. The virtue I see (of keeping it) is: if I realize I need to make a tool or fixture in order to finish some ongoing operation/setup on the 1440, then I might be able to make that on the SB without disturbing the setup on the 1440GT. This is plausible as I’m currently a novice, but such use-cases would likely be infrequent, even for a novice, and should progressively diminish as I gain experience. So, I'm thinking it's probably not worth keeping, given that my final floorplan vision leaves me a little tight, but am I missing other applications/situations where having a 2nd lathe might be valuable? Finally, I have the benefit of knowing the pedigree of the machine. It has low hours, and has been professionally maintained and operated, with no abuse.
So, should I keep it or sell it? Very subjective question, I know, but any thoughts/considerations y’all have will help me decide. Thx in advance.
-Ben
