Places to buy industrial machines - i.e. avoiding eBay

Hi,

I keep an eye open on the famous auction site for the likes of Harrison M300s and Colchester Triumphs but they always have pretty high price tags. Which would be OK if they looked as though they were in good condition and well equipped, but it's pretty obvious they are often on their last legs and any accessories the vendor bought along with the lathe have been prised away from the lathe for extra profit.

So I suppose my question is.......where can we buy such machines to avoid the resellers? Private sale would be my favourite avenue but they don't seem to pop up very often.

Thanks,

Mike

Edited By Mike Clarke on 25/07/2016 23:21:33

I bought my M300 from a small machinery dealer, ex school virtually unused (still had packing grease on parts of it) and in immaculate order. You just have to look about and not wait for the ads.

Try and find your local estate agents and see if they do clearances. Might get the belongings of a deceased model engineer or of a factory closing / reorganising going up for auction.

Local auctions.

Or you might try this lot:

**LINK**

Hi Mike, you can always keep your eye on this action site **LINK**

Regards Nick.

Mike,

Unless they were sealed up in a crate for almost half a century i doubt any of them are going to look amazing, the very best may have gone through a refit anyway. The thing you want to be most fussy about is the state of the bearings, as that will be the hardest and costliest thing to sort right, everything else can be replaced or reground.

Michael W

Hi, try registering with bid spotter they list loads of auctions no connection but I have used them in the past cheers Mike

THanks all - and thanks for the links Nick and Hopper. I will keep my eye on them.

I know most companies get their money's worth from their machines, but nice ones will exist. Our place has a Bridgeport (Adcock and Shipley) they bought new with unused slotting head attachment. It has seen lots of use, but has been maintained and cared for. Mark free table and looks like the day it came from the factory (in the 60s I believe). Got my eye on that!

Regards,

Mike

I bought my M300 from that auction site - ex training college and sold by a retiring amateur gunsmith. I was thousands of miles away at the time when I got it - with 2 chucks, 2 steadies, faceplate and numerous other bits & pieces. Someone had been to view and try and by sheer chance I 'bought it now' after he got the vendor to change from auction to BIN. Must have been only minutes after the change over. One very unhappy tester!

Dave
The Emerald Isle

I've seen a few as-new secondhand lathes that friends have bought over the years. Tech college or high schools are good sources. They spend most of their time not running. Some that get sold off are in as-new condition.

Likewise, lathes that have been in say an auto-electrician workshop, used occasionally for truing up the odd commutator. I know one old auto-electrician locally has an ML7 from the 1960s or 70s or so that is in as new condition sitting in his workshop rarely used. He even covers the ways with oiled ricepaper between uses. (Got my eye on that one!)

But of course, examples that have been flogged to death in a production environment churning out widgets by the gazillion are not the same story. Nor machines that have been used and abused by all and sundry in a busy fabrication jobbing shop where everything is covered in angle-grinder grit and plate scale and nobody is responsible for ever cleaning the machines. Seen a few shockers at those kind of auctions.

And as far as bearings go, well most lathes today are taper roller headstocks so no big deal to obtain or replace the bearings. But I reckon a lathe that has worn out a set of properly maintained roller bearings probably has some serious wear elsewhere too.

If you look out carefully and bide your time, the deals are out there. Just don't get sucked into the excitement of bidding on the wrong machine for the sake of getting "something".

I have bought a few small items from these people, their stock is always changing.

**LINK**

Some good links above thanks.

Just bide your time unless want to pay dealers prices, its who you know and being there at the right time.
No way would I have paid £4k for a s/h lathe even though needed daily, got same M300 for £750 6 years ago along with inverter £900 now £1950. Though did sell an RF25 to same chap i bought for £200 in 99 sold £350 in 2014.

I am after a decent mill and find Asian imports brand new price even 6 years ago was (836) £3600, (942) £4500 now find 20 + year old asking £4k on ebay and at dealers worn out.

Noticed quite a few times punters getting sucked in a bidding war paying more than brand new price. Have to know current new prices and helpful if know the price when bought, drastically different to todays.

Heres a heads up for a proper auction...prices are as cheap as they get usually

sorry you dont get much notice

its on tuesday in sheffield

http://www.ewbauctions.co.uk/downloads/catalogue.pdf

lots of lathes and everything else an engineer needs

Great list, Ian

Probably a good job I have no room left.

MichaelG.

I saw an auction advertised for ex military stuff last year. It included mobile workshops, a steel container all set up with benches/cabinets/small mill and a Harrison lathe across the end may have been an L5. Could be worth a look on the ex mil sites.

Nice looking Bridgeport mill in among that lot. Good thing I am several continents away.

There is an M500 with the basic gear in that auction list. Unusual. Ebay isn't that bad sometimes especially for some one that hasn't got much equipment. Sometimes lathes come up with lots of equipment. Generally people just wont bid what the lot is worth. Some will find out what the extra bits will cost eventually. The other problem on ebay is VAT. Ebay is a very cheap way for companies to advertise what ever they are selling rather widely. However if you visit a seller who knows what they might have. It can also worth contacting sellers and making an offers. Come take a look and the listing just ending isn't that unusual either.

On lathes the really silly prices on ebay seem to relate to things like very old cheap small lathes - flexispeeds etc. Ten years ago items like this could be found for 30 or 40 quid and were probably no good really anyway. There must be too many people waking up one morning and wanting a lathe.

Real auctions prices look great but by the time fees and VAT are added that can up the price by 30% or more. Most are on the web now and that aspect has upped the prices a lot. Just about anyone can register with an auction company and see what things actually sell for. They aren't like ebay. Placing a bid extends the bid time. There isn't a definite end time.

Personally I am not keen on buying machines blind.It's best to go look and try. That means setting a mileage limit and being prepared to travel.

It's not a good idea to rush either and be prepared to walk away. Lathes get filthy and the paint chips off. Looks don't mean much really the amount of use does. Headstock bearing will usually wear out well before the bed does. The other aspect is that industrial users don't expect much out of them in terms of accuracy or finish. The best source is probably smaller workshops that have gone bankrupt. They may expect the sort of thing we might out of a lathe. Private sales may be good too.

John

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I generally go each month if there's something that takes my fancy. I have had some phenomenal bargains

This is a proper old school auction in a small unit with people stood around and each lot takes 15 seconds no messing about.

They are distress auctioneers which is why you don't get much notice ...catalogue on Friday viewing on Monday auction on tuesday

The goods are scattered around the room unless they are at a closed down company like the lathe stuff

For example there's a startrite table saw I would expect that to sell for £60 ish going on previous prices I have seen at ewb's auctions

Pity I can't find one like that in B'ham Ian. It used to be possible to get info on all sorts of auctions in Auction News and they were often visit the site where the gear was on and take a look and bid. Looking on the day of the auction as well.

I thought about a bit of buying and selling when I retired but things changed rapidly when they were also put up on the web and some now seem to be web only. Closure sales can be odd as well - lots of people who worked their wanting stuff for themselves. The last one I went to was like that. Train manufacturer. Dealers were walking out in disgust as no scope for their margins. Some stuff was selling for well over retail prices, most for silly money - the high sort.

Don't be helpful. I recollect going to one that was a small workshop closure. A Boxford VSL wouldn't run even though it was wired in. Machines often aren't. I got it running and as a consequence there was more interest. It looked to be in very good nick and the bidding went higher than it normally would. No good for me though. It was more or less in a sort of cellar so narrow stairs in the way and also a limited time to move it. No loading facilities. I had a small flat bed Machine Mart truck thing and did move several loads with that. 2 plus pry bars, wooden blocks etc might cope with a lathe. I saw a listing on ebay where some one had hired a Transit car transporter when he had bought the machine he was selling. Not a bad idea as it has a ramp and should have a winch too.

John

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