Do these lathes look used?

Same question applies to this radial drill:

http://ricklev> Check this out. I bought these two lathes from the US Army at Rock

"Ignoramus25323" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com...

We took Khrushchev's bluster very seriously:

"At its peak, a private contractor was responsible for maintaining more than 5,000 machine tools in the reserve facility."

I remember some being released for sale in the 1970's. I bought some equipment that had reputedly been stored in a cave in New Mexico.

-jsw

Amazing story.

Used but well maintained until they were abandoned in some storage lot.

OK, we will see soon. I have low expectations and I bought them at below-scrap prices.

That same auction had a couple of similar brand new machines that were inside, not rusted. The interesting thing is, they were in similar crates.

If nothing else the TEFC motors can probably sell separate along with a few other bits and pieces and the rest is a heavy pile of scrap.

Since it's from an arsenal, they're probably not clapped out. I'll bet you can get a much prettier penny for them that you paid, especially since you'll have one of your guys shine 'em up with 0000 steel wool and slick 'em up with way oil.

How much did they end up going for?

That Arsenal had two brand new looking shapers just like that that just sold (not to me).

My understanding is that shapers are sold strictly for their nostalgic value, and are commercially useless.

Check these out:

The whole auction is here:

I bought lots: 4,10,11,14,16,17,18,21,24,28,31,36, 39,57,68,71,76,79,81,86,89,100,118, 125,127,128,139,187,197,198,208,212, 216,221,222

Lot 187 (generator) has only 37 hours on it.

Almost. The only commercial use I've seen in the past 15 years is squaring mold bases for injection-molding tools.

There is an argument that they impose less internal stress on the workpiece than milling does. But I think the real reason is that they had the machine laying around, and that was all they could do with it that made sense.

"Ignoramus16121" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com...

Isn't that generally true of all manual machine tools?

-jsw

Not really, say, we use a manual mill and a manual lathe a lot for maintenance/repairs etc.

Dayum, you bought out the store! #212, is that a porta-power setup?

Good deal, as usual.

I have no idea, I will let you know.

Thanks, we'll see. I once bought a similar (to lot 187) looking welder from them. It had 3 hours on it. (!!!)

Very handy machine. Makes it easy to cut non-standard dovetails inside a small hole. Once upon a time i hung a dumore tool post grinder on the end of a shaper, worked great. Also makes a great horizontal power fed die filer.

Best Regards Tom.

Ig was asking about their commercial use. Small ones sell to hobbyists, and a few small shops, mostly onesie-twosie jobbers and repair shops, hang on to their old ones or pick one up cheap at an old-shop auction.

There is no real commercial market for them anymore, especially in medium or larger sizes.

Got any 6" treadle shapers, mon?

Har!

Hmm, are the Gingery books on that drive you gave me?

Nah, I was just thinking out loud about after the Fall...

And if they are would you please send me a copy of the shaper one? My set went to Australia a few years back with another member of the castinghobby email list . I wonder how many times they've circled the continent , they were supposed to be shared with all the hobby casters there . And I need a shaper often enough to build one . Shaving keyways manually on the lathe or mill ain't much fun .