05-18-2012, 08:16 PM
I bought the lathe for my dad because he was retired from working as a toolmaker/moldmaker and had built a shop. We (my next-younger brother, older sister and mother) had pitched in to buy him a Bridgeport, he had bought a 7x12 bandsaw, and I bought him a 15" Enco drill press. The lathe was the next logical piece to add, but the others were tapped out and the task fell upon me to find & buy because I knew what he'd want and had the funds to buy an old 9x12 or something.
At that time I was working for a machine tool sales company and had installed a new CNC screw machine for a guy in Ohio. A year later, he bought another because he was making so much money with the first I put in. When I got there he had a lathe, a Bridgeport clone and a clapped-out bandsaw in the middle of his floor. I asked the owner what his plans were for the surplus lathe. He told me he was putting it in the local paper for $500, so I told him I'd buy it.
The owner tried to discourage me from buying, saying "my guys beat the craps out of it, you don't want it." I insisted I could fix it up. The next few days I installed his new machine and trained his guys on it. We got the first job running well, and he was making far better time on it than he quoted. When I was ready to leave I asked him how much I should add to the $500 for the cost of throwing it on a wooden skid. He told me simply "Just send the truck, it's yours."
He refused to take my money. I called the owner of the company I was working for to get an OK, and all my boss's boss told me was that I couldn't accept the machine. :(
However, my dad COULD! My employer agreed to let me store it in his warehouse until spring. I had it trucked there for $545. The guys at the warehouse found shipping damage, so I filed a claim with the trucking company. Their insurance asked my for a repair estimate, including parts, so I got a quote from my employer. I got a check for $400, and spent $275 of it on parts. I replaced the broken handles and installed the new cross slide screw & nut myself.
It cost me $450 to get it moved from the warehouse, into my dad's shop, and leveled. My total expense for a 1974 era Victor 1640 with Mitutoyo DRO, Dorian CA40 QCTP and 3 holders was about $840, and it runs like new. I've since added a new-old-stock 250mm Pratt Burnerd Super Precision 3-jaw scroll chuck, a 300mm Atlas 4-jaw independent, a 15" faceplate, replaced the coolant pump and one of the DRO scales. I still hadn't reached the $2000 mark.
I got a LOT of well-tooled machine in a good all-around size for less money than many pay for a stripped 12x30. That's why I bought a lathe!
At that time I was working for a machine tool sales company and had installed a new CNC screw machine for a guy in Ohio. A year later, he bought another because he was making so much money with the first I put in. When I got there he had a lathe, a Bridgeport clone and a clapped-out bandsaw in the middle of his floor. I asked the owner what his plans were for the surplus lathe. He told me he was putting it in the local paper for $500, so I told him I'd buy it.
The owner tried to discourage me from buying, saying "my guys beat the craps out of it, you don't want it." I insisted I could fix it up. The next few days I installed his new machine and trained his guys on it. We got the first job running well, and he was making far better time on it than he quoted. When I was ready to leave I asked him how much I should add to the $500 for the cost of throwing it on a wooden skid. He told me simply "Just send the truck, it's yours."
He refused to take my money. I called the owner of the company I was working for to get an OK, and all my boss's boss told me was that I couldn't accept the machine. :(
However, my dad COULD! My employer agreed to let me store it in his warehouse until spring. I had it trucked there for $545. The guys at the warehouse found shipping damage, so I filed a claim with the trucking company. Their insurance asked my for a repair estimate, including parts, so I got a quote from my employer. I got a check for $400, and spent $275 of it on parts. I replaced the broken handles and installed the new cross slide screw & nut myself.
It cost me $450 to get it moved from the warehouse, into my dad's shop, and leveled. My total expense for a 1974 era Victor 1640 with Mitutoyo DRO, Dorian CA40 QCTP and 3 holders was about $840, and it runs like new. I've since added a new-old-stock 250mm Pratt Burnerd Super Precision 3-jaw scroll chuck, a 300mm Atlas 4-jaw independent, a 15" faceplate, replaced the coolant pump and one of the DRO scales. I still hadn't reached the $2000 mark.
I got a LOT of well-tooled machine in a good all-around size for less money than many pay for a stripped 12x30. That's why I bought a lathe!