Valuation

I’ve been asked if I can help with the sale of a couple of machines. I don’t yet have the full details but thought I’d start a thread anyway with a couple of pictures. First is a Warco lathe and the second is a Bridgeport style Mill. Further details when I get them. Machines are located in the New Forest.

The lathe looks like a BH600 or the earlier 12x24 type. I'm not sure if the buttons on the left of the headstock are standard or indicate it has a VFD. Value from £1500 to £2500. Make sure you get all the original equipment sorted out.

The BP looks clean and probably similar price, I think identifying the head type is important to BP owners.

As always do some research on ebay for current selling prices, not the inflated BIN prices.

No idea what your particular machines are worth but research on sold items on ebay might put you in the ball park.

A photo isn't enough to price anything up. Price is effected massively by condition (both your lathe and mill appear in good condition) and accesories. Price is also effected by accessability, location, ease of loading (do you have a forklift or other means to load onto a truck or traier). Willingness and ability to palletise for delivery will also bump the price up. If access and removal are complicated, you may have to settle for dealer prices which could be a fraction of their true value.

If I may suggest....

A photo is good for the initial information, but let down in this instance. Although taking pictures in a cramped home workshop can be very difficult, items photographed for sale should not be partially hidden by extraneous clutter and poor lighting, as in those two examples.

Why is that mill table buried under irrelevant boxes? Why is there a pretty picnic-basket in the lathe chip-tray? The lathe headstock is not the place to store loose, large boxes, for safety. Nor should there be electrical leads wrapped around the saddle.

These sort of things do not show the goods to advantage and worse, however wrong they may be, viewers might worry what is really there. I'm afraid that however tidy the machines underneath look, and these do, points like that can question the owner's general approach to his workshop equipment nearly as much as if they were covered in swarf and over-run scars.

They’re not my machines and I’ve only been passed the pictures. If the owner wants I’ll take some decent pictures. It’s Not a Bridgeport, just that type. At least that was what I was told verbally.

The 'Picnic basket' is a tin, possibly once contained biscuits. Kind of funny that you brought it to my attention as I have had one for decades in my workshop. I think mine contains old 12v incandescent light bulbs.

If the lathe is a BH600, it is very capable machine. If it has a 4 jaw chuck, Faceplate and Steadies it should be worth quite a bit (At a wild guess possibly £1500 - 2000? )

A big machine by model engineer standards, but not many come on the secondhand market, so scarcity may add to the value. Lacks the electronic worries that sometimes concern owners of more sophisticated machines

12" swing (18" in the removable gap ) Separate Leadscrew and power feeds for both axes.

It weighs about 300Kg so lightweight to move!

Make sure that the 5 - 3MT sleeve for the Spiindle is there.

Howard.

I’ve been invited to have a quick look at the machines and to take some better pictures. I will note access for removal and supply voltage if I can. Thanks for the comments so far.

I have a bit more information. Both machines seem to have been bought around 1985 from Semco in Southampton. The Mill is a Long Chung LC11/2VS with a 42” x 9” table. It’s three phase but connected to an inverter. Not sure of spindle taper but it’s got a Titanic chuck fitted.

The lathe is a Warco 1127 which is I believe single phase.

Various other bits including a horizontal head and support and a 30cm Rotary table for the mill.

Nice looking mill, looks to be a close copy of a Bridgeport mill & has even got power feed to the quill, X power feed,spindle brake, a horizontal milling attachment, rotary table, spindle tooling. As to value I guess slightly less than a genuine Bridgeport mill of the same condition, look on eBay advanced search for sold items to get an idea.

Tony

I haven’t spoken to the vendor yet but I’m thinking £600 for the Lathe and £1,100 for the Mill. What do folks think?

I don’t want to get too involved in the sale and I don’t think the vendor is in a position to put them up on eBay or the like.
Machines are in a garage with easy access although the house is in a fairly narrow lane so backing a large lorry into the drive could be a problem.

Failing a private sale they’ll be offered to a dealer.

Top of my head £2500 for the mill is more like it, some one else can chip in on the lathe. If not eBay try Facebook market place, Gumtree or Lathes UK website, a dealer will give you rock bottom prices.

Tony

Interesting. There have been Bridgeports on eBay that have gone for much less. I’ve told the vendor that a dealer is the last resort.

There are some more photos in my Warco 1127 album if it’s of interest.

Just had a look on eBay sold items and yes there are machines that went for less than £2500 and there are some that sold for more, it is all about condition and yours look pretty good, I wouldn't cry if I bought it for £2500 if the slides had little wear, but would need to see it in the flesh. Unfortuanateley I don't need another mill.

Tony

Thanks for the extra pictures of the lathe, Vic.

At 1985, it is older than I thought.

Not a gap bed, as I had thought.

Howard

It’s a very nice mill. A dealer will give you next too nothing for anything. However for a private person the problem is always moving these big machines. If I was you. I would take lots of better pictures, give more details on the milling machine bed size, single or three phase. How easy or not to get too the machines with a van etc. and look for any name plates and photo. Then stick on eBay and see what happens. But this is not a great time to sale anything with fuel costs being so high.but worth a try and costs nothing.

I agree with Michael C but to be fair most of us are wedded to our cars so we will pay anything to use them and a few pence extra per gallon [sorry litre] wouldn't stop me travelling. Bloody hell the more I look at that mill the better it looks.

Tony

Edited By Tony Pratt 1 on 01/08/2022 17:33:35

I already mentioned the mill is three phase (with invertor) and the table size in an earlier post. To add, the mill is in a garage with easy access although the property is in a fairly narrow lane.

I have begged the question if any of the vendors siblings have eBay accounts but not got a reply yet. Agreed that might be the best course of action for the machines.

Small update. The question of putting the items up for sale on eBay has been suggested. It’s a bit awkward as it’s a friend of a friend so I have not direct contact but I can forward any serious offers. If they go on eBay then it’s tentatively £1999 for the mill and £999 for the lathe but obviously I won’t be involved in the sale. I can however put forward any serious offers. Failing that they will be offered to a dealer.

Lathe comes with the items in the latest picture which includes 3 Jaw SC and 4 Jaw IND chucks. Fixed and travelling steadies, thread indicator, two faceplates and a couple of tailstock chucks. As far as I can see there are NO additional change wheels or Morse adapter.

There are various others bits and pieces including these and another set of collets. Some appear to be MT2 finger collets but I’m not sure what the others are. They look similar to R8 collets but are much too small. I couldn’t find a collet Chuck for the lathe so I don’t know how the previous owner used them. I’m guessing they could have been used with an adapter in either the Lathe or the mill but I failed to find anything obvious whilst I was there. Any ideas?