SouthBend 9A lathe- complete package

[gwilson]

IF I KNEW the ways were in mint condition,with the attachments the lathe has,the price would be better than paying a lot more for a Grizzly Southbend clone(which isn't as nicely designed as a real SB was.

[MichaelP]

It looks like it is missing the little lube dipper that goes in the little reservoir on the tail stock. You know where the white lead or other lubricant goes.

The lathe is not missing anything. Every little thing is in place and works as designed.

[Rex]

[Gloat]

So I guess the nice 9A I bought yesterday for $100 was a pretty good deal

[Bmyers]

So I guess the nice 9A I bought yesterday for $100 was a pretty good deal

you know the rules "without pics, it never happened"

[justanengineer]

So I guess the nice 9A I bought yesterday for $100 was a pretty good deal

Id say that was an alright deal . I know someone who bought a near perfect 10k with a Gerstner box full of measuring tools for $75. Granted, that was in the mid 90's, before a lot of the more recent inflation of hobby prices. Im still trying to figure out why so many think that the name is worth so much, for me its all about function.

[Rich Carlstedt]

Every one wants a million dollars when they sell their drill press and then wish to only pay
3 dollars for a 3 inch 6 axis boring mill fully tooled and still in the crate!.
I think I have heard this argument before ?
How about
"I have a mill that only a little old lady drove on Sundays" ..haha

Like all things, "Needs" and "Wants" are two different animals
The thing we really detest, is being snookered and I admit, it has happened to me, but that is another story.

If the lathe is "cherry" and someone wants a Cherry SB, then all bets are off, and I think you all agree.
Its having been "taken to the cleaners" in our past that creates the hesitation to admit whether the deal is fair or not.
We all know those "Hidden Gems" can turn to "Rock Salt Crystals" real fast.

Good deals occur, but rarely You have to wait- sometimes a loooooong time.
In 1972, my good buddy found a Bridgeport at an auction for antiques ( Owner died and had the mill in the back of the store ???)
No one bid on it since they were collectors and not machinists, except for him.
He got mighty nervious as the bid which started at 1,000 kept dropping by a hundred until he bit.. He may have gotten it for $ 100, but who knows?
That started me on my search, so I looked for a BP at $300 ( yeah, right !), and never found one.
Then in 1977 I stumbled accidently on a "collateral loan gone bad" given on a BP which sat in storage for 20 years.
I grabbed it for $600. took 2 seconds for that decision.
But wouldn't you know it, the VERY next day, when I told another friend about my great find, he said..
" Geee, I didn't know you wantd a BP....I saw one sold for 500 last month"...and it was fully tooled ....yeah

Moral of the Story--- no matter how good you do, your friends will remind you they did better...never fails

Determine if it is a need or a want
that and that alone determines if it is a good deal in my opinion

The old adage and it hasn't changed, is that you will match the price of any lathe with tooling costs. so a 2 K import when tooled, will be 4 K

Rich

[RB211]

Years ago in CT, a used machine tool paradise, I embarked on a quest to find a used Bridgeport. There was one listed for 100$, so I drove to the other side of the state to look at it. I had on a nice polo shirt and driving my dads new Honda Pilot. The guy that was selling the mill lived in a trailer park and had no hands. He just had two hooks. I could probably guess why...

Anyhow, I get there, he notices the clothing and the car and thinks right away I have money. First thing he tells me that the price is actually 600$, not 100$.
I play with the Table feed and notice that theres about 1" of backlash and he said, "Thats just the nature of the machine". I already was not going to buy the damn thing based on the price jack.

So what better way to play with these scam artist fools? Lead them on, make them think you want to buy everything....
So I continued, showing large amounts of enthusiasm for his load of absolute garbage. He had a South Bend lathe, I believe a 9" jr. Was different from my workshop 9". He wanted way too much for it, along with the tool post grinder that wasn't worth 5$ We continued to dig through his shed of junk, I was smiling the entire time, he was getting really excited.

Then I turned around, smiled, and said, "I'll give you a call to let you know."
Hahahaha
He immediately called up his friend and was constantly cursing on the phone. What a stupid fool...