KO Lee Model BA960 T&C grinder

2 yrs ago..that would have been worth $2500

I got mine for free. Well...$75...one hour worth of my labor rate.

Mighty handy to have if you can get one cheap.

Gunner

"I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I travelled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public provisions were made for the poor the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer." -- Benjamin Franklin, /The Encouragement of Idleness/, 1766

Thanks Gunner. I had quite a bit of difficulty getting an idea of value on these critters. I eventually also posted over on Practical Machinist and finally got a few responses there. The consensus was that many companies were almost giving them away to guys who would haul them out of the plant, but $500 was a fair price currently for a private sale. The seller I was going to visit in the Philly area cancelled the visit when I told him what the other guys were saying. I was hoping he'd get over the reverse sticker shock and email me back. He still may.

If I had transportation I ran across a better deal in IL. A guy closing his grinding shop offered me 3 tooled Cincinnatis and a Gorton for more reasonable price. Total weight is about 8000 lb. At most I could tow one Cinci with my Tacoma and it would be a 14 hour round trip. I'll look into less than load carriers, but my gut tells me this isn't economically feasible.

Thanks again for the info.

RWL

Ya..Id say $500 was fair, based on local and Ebay pricing....but with tooling and fixturing. Ive never seen one that was "worn out", but..shrug they do have wear on them when they are 40 yrs old. Some far more than others.

The very very wide range of carbide inserts in all shapes and types has largely done away with the need for tool and cutter grinders. So few are actually used anymore and most shops choose to not keep em running and fed with consumables..and a guy who is qualified to run one in a commercial environment. Specials are generally rare..and the few dedicated cutter and grinder shops do it fast, accurately and reasonably. Floor space costs money in machine shops..shrug..and having a machine you dont use costs you money if you are in the business.

Frankly...Ive got a big 6x18 surface grinder and my KO Lee T&C grinder..and Id never have paid for either one of them once I knew how little Id actually use them.

Gunner

"I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I travelled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public provisions were made for the poor the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer." -- Benjamin Franklin, /The Encouragement of Idleness/, 1766