Advise on buying used mills and lathe

Do not worry about 3 phase at all, it is a non-problem. You can compare prices with ebay prices and, if you buy for at least twice less, you would be fine if you buy them for yourself.

i

Here are some links to pics:

Alliant Mill:

Turnpro Mill: Nova Tool Lathe:

How much is he asking?

Gunner

"The importance of morality is that people behave themselves even if nobody's watching. There are not enough cops and laws to replace personal morality as a means to produce a civilized society. Indeed, the police and criminal justice system are the last desperate line of defense for a civilized society. Unfortunately, too many of us see police, laws and the criminal justice system as society's first line of defense." --Walter Williams

Pretty much stock Taiwanese or higher end Chinese stuff.

You should be good if they all work in all functions

How much for the lot?

Gunner

"The importance of morality is that people behave themselves even if nobody's watching. There are not enough cops and laws to replace personal morality as a means to produce a civilized society. Indeed, the police and criminal justice system are the last desperate line of defense for a civilized society. Unfortunately, too many of us see police, laws and the criminal justice system as society's first line of defense." --Walter Williams

He is asking 10K for everything he has.

Both mills and lathe, all the tooling, rotary converter, cheap bandsaw and drill press, bench grinder with diamond wheel, chop saw, some air tools, air compressor, benches and cabniets, calipers, and all his other random stuff.

Seem fair? I'm sure to buy the mills with DRO and power feed and the lathe and the rotary converter and air collet changer new would probably be at least 16K before taxes and freight an thats with shopping around. Then there is all the other stuff on top of it.

Since I am new to all of this I am just trying to avoid being burned. As long as I could turn around and sell it for whatever I pay for it I will be happy, I just dont want to get ripped. Of course this was his first price so I will try to haggle with him because I know he needs to get rid of it. Just wondering if this is a fair price and if not what would be.

Thanks,

Ryan

10K sure sounds like a fair deal to me. Instant shop. You'll always find somebody that says he can do better.

That's kind of steep, in my opinion. Used bridgeports with DRO can be had for $2k or so. I would keep looking and attend (just to look) a few auctions.

i

I just bought a new chinese lathe and mill. The mill is a step pulley mill with a 9X49 table. The lathe is a 13X40. The mill came with no tooling. The lathe came with a 4 jaw and a 3 jaw chuck, a faceplate and a couple of centers. No DROs, etc. The design of my tools is very close to your pictures. I bought these for $5,016 from W. T. Tools.

You are right to check the prices with a group like this, and I believe 10k is a great price for all you describe. Just remember the tools are only a small part of what you will need to have a "shop" all the other things all seem to cost $100 each and there is a million of them turn tables, indexers, hold-down kit, etc, etc, etc.

10 K is a lot for a new hobby I hope you are committed to it and will take the time to learn how to use your new "TOYS".

Roger Paskell

Considering you're getting the mess fully tooled and a lot of other smaller machines with it, that sounds like fair price.

The part that only you can answer, though, is if 10k is an amount you'd be willing to spend on the hobby.

Personally, if I had the 10K, I'd probably jump on it. Once you've made the purchase, I bet you'll rarely think about how much you spent, you'll be too busy getting yourself buried in chips...

--Glenn Lyford

"FlaMtnBkr" wrote in news:1152292239.933534.78410 @s53g2000cws.googlegroups.com:

Seems like a fair deal to me. The Alliant was a Brand owned by Rem Sales up until recently when it was sold to Clausing I believe. The older machines were built by Sharp, the newer machines which it appears the 10x54 is, were built by Atrump. So in any case you have two sources for repair parts. Here is the current version of that mill:

That mill has Turcite lined ways, class 7 spindle bearings, a very thick table, Meehanite casting, and it is a better machine than any Bridgeport that I've ever worked on. Here's why: the table is thicker, the ram is heavier, the head is quieter more rigid and has two cooling fans built in, the ways are Turcite lined, it has a one shot lube system, dual table locks, the ways are wider and beefier. All in all it's a very good machine and new, tarted up the way it is, it probably cost more than his asking price.

The lathe is kind of low end as is the other mill. But you would have a hard time buying both of them new for his asking price. With all of the other stuff that's included in the deal you are probably looking at 1/3 the value of new. So while it's not a screaming deal, you are certainly not getting ripped off.

If the ways and tables all look to be in good shape then I would go for it. But I would try to get him to come down on the price. You've got nothing to lose by asking.

Wear is easily checked by tightening the gibs (the things that stop the motion of a direction of travel) until they are dragging slightly. Do the lathe at the headstock and the mill at the center of travel. Then move the moving part across the full length of the travel, for example the crosslide on the lathe, and check to see if the item binds while travelling. A slight tightening in the less used areas will indicate light wear while having to loosen the gibs will tend to indicate a lot more wear. Also check by inspection whether the surfaces that are moving about are well lubricated. Good lubrication tends to indicate that the person tends to keep up the equipment.

-- Why do penguins walk so far to get to their nesting grounds?

Id offer him $6500-7500 and go from there. Taiwanese machine tools are readily available in good used.

A BP clone with DRO is about $2500-3500 in excellent shape, so figure from there. He really isnt out of line actually, though it really depends on which part of the US these are in. Machine poor areas will command a significantly higher price than in machine rich areas.

Just my take on it as a part time machine tool broker/buyer/seller..in Southern California..YMMV of course.

Gunner

"The importance of morality is that people behave themselves even if nobody's watching. There are not enough cops and laws to replace personal morality as a means to produce a civilized society. Indeed, the police and criminal justice system are the last desperate line of defense for a civilized society. Unfortunately, too many of us see police, laws and the criminal justice system as society's first line of defense." --Walter Williams

The one seeming constant in life: it costs lots of money to ship cast iron around.

I think the actual number that the sum total is worth depends to some very large degree on the specific condition of each individual machine, *and* the quantity and quality of the tooling that accompanies it.

In my experience the tooling, if done properly, is nearly equal in value to the machines themselves.

Jim

Looking at the pictures, he didn't care that much about his tools. Look at the lathe's pitch table. I can't imagine what to do to scratch it so badly. I guess all has been abused and used without brain.

Nick

True indeed

Gunner

"If thy pride is sorely vexed when others disparage your offering, be as lamb's wool is to cold rain and the Gore-tex of Odin's raiment is to gullshit in the gale, for thy angst shall vex them not at all. Yea, they shall scorn thee all the more. Rejoice in sharing what you have to share without expectation of adoration, knowing that sharing your treasure does not diminish your treasure but enriches it."

- Onni 1:33

Beats the hell out of spending 10k on a boat, or a camper/motorhome, or race car, or toy car, or golf, or lot's of other things, even boob jobs. Motorcycles would be on that list too, but I can't say anything since I've got a 20k model in my garage. I've got maybe 3k wrapped up in my lathe, mill and accesories, never been sorry once, not even for an instant.

Tom

What's that stuff in the lathe chip tray?? Looks like he stuck his finger in the chuck??

Assuming the equipment is in reasonable condition, that is a good buy if you are starting a shop from scratch. The play in the handles is nothing, you have a dro on the thing that shows absolute position. All the tooling and spare equipment is worth quite a lot, plus if you had to look for it separately, think of all the time you would spend. The collet set with the collet closer for the lathe is a good chunk of change as well as that aloris or look alike tool holder system. The power drawbar on the mill is a very handy item also expensive, as well as the dro's on all the equipment.

I would not jerk the guy around for too much of a lower price and chance losing the deal. " Another guy made me a better offer and I took it, sorry"

This type of deal does not come along that often, and if you are seriously interested in learning machining this is the way to go.

John