How much is this lathe worth?

[meincer]

Guys,

I could drive to Birmingham (3 hr drive, one way) to pick this up. Is it worth much for home/hobbyist use? If so what is the max I should pay?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...e=STRK:MEWA:IT

[IOWOLF]

Whatever two guys think it is worth.

[tattoomike68]

roflmao

nice "dutch boy" rebuild. they missed a few spots, I wonder if they painted the spindle bore too.

but realy thats a nice little lathe 200$-300$ is a good deal if it runs.

[This message has been edited by tattoomike68 (edited 08-03-2005).]

[meincer]

Maybe I should elaborate:

I am a TOTAL neophyte with machining. I presently have a Grizzly 7X12 and enjoy it but would like something a little bigger and "beefier" while still being a good lathe capable of accurate work.

I realize this is an old machine and would need a new 1 phase motor but would it satisfy my above criteria?

[GregC]

Jeez! They really painted everything!

Why do people do that? I'd hate to buy a car from them....they'd probably spray the whole thing and I'd have to scrape a hole in the windshield to drive it home.

[rkepler]

I never trust a "Rustoleum Rebuild", they're almost always done to hide excessive wear and such. One done with such abandon (heck, they even painted over the threading chart!) is particularly suspicious to me.

[J. R. Williams]

One comment in the Ebay write up is about the "ways being easily replaced" Pure BS

JRW

[J Tiers]

Nice touch that they didn't give a picture of the ways......... must be really bad if even the seller thinks they might need re-ground.

Could be a good deal if cheap, and you don't mind scraping off paint...

I do not for one minute think it was "used 30 years in their shop". From that paint job, I wonder if they have ever used a lathe...... except to hold up junk....

Let's see, if it WASN't used 30 years or whatever in their shop, they are liars.... good start there... If it WAS, its probably worn out and might have been pretty rusty from being kept out in the yard for 10 of the 30. That's BEFORE they took the angle grinder to it to "clean it up for sale"..... Why else would they NOT show the ways?

If you could go see it, it might be possible to get a good deal. But, I'd not buy it, or any other piece of machginery w/o seeing it.

$200 until proven otherwise... heavy 10 or not.

As far as the machine, as a type, it would be a very nice gunsmith or hobby machine, with 5C collet capability, and large thru-hole in spindle. No telling about this one.


[This message has been edited by J Tiers (edited 08-03-2005).]

[wierdscience]

It's a threaded spindle nose which ain't worth much,a SB Heavy 10 with an LOO spindle is worth much more IMHO.
I would not pay more than $300,it is a conehead after all.

[andy_b]

meincer,

in my experience, there are only two reasons for someone to paint a lathe like that (by "like that" i mean "horribly").

reason 1 - the guy is a total crook and painted everything to hide the rust and gouges. after blasting it with a steam cleaner of course to remove the oil leaking out all over.

reason 2 - the guy is no tool salesman. he is "old school" and used the machine, then blasted it with a coat of paint so it looks purty for ebay and the folks attracted to sparklies and fresh paint. while this type of guy may not maintain his machines with the loving care you would treat a 200-year-old family heirloom, he at least oils them and keeps the stuff in running condition (he is probably also a cheap ba$%ard). he is also probably no ebay expert.

if you look at the guy's feedback, the majority is for things he purchased. if you look at his other current auction (a new $700 A-B motor starter that he says was mistakenly ordered and now offered for sale for $99), he seems pretty straight forward.

i would guess that lathe has seen its fair share of use and probably was in need of at least a paint touch-up. take a look at all the accessories with it. that is almost all of them except for the taper attachment. also, i don't see any busted-off or bent handles on anything. i'd guess it is definitely worth a few hundred. although it would be safer if you could go see it prior to bidding. if you get there and the thing is a total piece of junk with welds hidden in the photos or the spindle sounds like a rock tumbler when spinning, just tell the guy he misrepresented it in his description and you don't want it. believe it or not, i know of several instances personally where folks drove several hours to pick ebay winnings up and when they got there the item was not exactly as described and either the buyer refused to take it or the price was adjusted accordingly.

i have no knowledge or connection with this seller and my advice is worth even less than you paid for it.

andy b.

[J Tiers]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by wierdscience:
It's a threaded spindle nose which ain't worth much,a SB Heavy 10 with an LOO spindle is worth much more IMHO.
I would not pay more than $300,it is a conehead after all.</font>

Yabbut, in decent shape they sell at over 1k no matter what you think.

Loo is a detriment if you don't get tooling, everything is double cost for that. Or more.

The 9" with not a scrap of tooling go for more than $300, and they are not that much smaller that they are so much more "home shop" than a heavy 10.

[JCHannum]

The seller can't be be too knowledgeable about machine tools, he is including a tailstock and steady rest for an OD grinder with the lathe.

I would stay away from this one unless I could inspect in person.

[precisionworks]

"Ways could easily be reground or replaced"

I've seen quite a few beds on eBay, and getting a SB bed may be easy. Getting the correct one (specifically width) may be a little harder.

Easily reground? Brain surgery is similar in both ease & cost. Last time I checked (a few years ago) SBL & other qualified rebuilders wanted about $1,000 for this. Plus shipping to and from.

If I lived close enough, as you do, this machine would interest me. WHY??? Because it's had over one thousand views & only one bid - for all the reasons already posted.

Parted out, the steady will bring anywhere from $75 to $250. The followers sell for nearly as much, etc.

You'll invest some time & some money to get this old girl where she'll do accurate work. If you're looking for a "plug & play" machine, this one is not. A nice one will bring a nice price.

Figure $2,000 to $2,500 for an excellent 10-K (Light 10, made from 1950 to about 1990, http://www.lathes.co.uk/southbend/page7.html ). More money for a 10-L (Heavy 10, made into the 1990's http://www.lathes.co.uk/southbend/page4.html ).

Value? A few hundred dollars, which is probably what it will sell for. If your budget is limited & you want an interesting project, this may be the perfect lathe for you.

The fact that you're retired is a plus - you have the time (unless all of it is spent at the golf course &lt;LOL&gt; ). And you have the Grizzly to use until the SB is finished.

You may want to look at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/southbendlathe/ and http://www.practicalmachinist.com/ub...ubb=forum;f=17


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Barry Milton

[precisionworks]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=7534754483

This auction just closed tonight. Nice looking machine for $500, but you'd probably pay $500 more in freight to get it to your shop.

[BillH]

Looks like mine except a lot older.