Is this worth $800

[mtb.daily]

Hi there, I have been looking for a used lathe for a while and don't want to waste my money.

I have not problems with cleaning and **restoring** an old one if it is a decent model and has a reputation of being of fairly good quality.

I have found a heavy machinery shop that has a number of used lathes that all seem quite nice.

One in particular is a South Bend 14.5 x 6ft with a serial number that indicates it was sold in 1941. I have looked at it with my own eyes and it has surface rust stains on the chucks and a little on the belt drums but other than that, it seems to be coated in a sticky pasty goo that easily rubs off....

Everything moves fine, turns smoothly and in general, it seems OK.



here are some pics.

[DareBee]

Oh yeah
That is a classic.
Very reputable brand with good support.
IDK what things are like in your area, but $800 is an the top end of what you should pay for a bare-bones very old machine (unless delivery is included).
If it werent for the South Bend name I would say $200.

[Fastest1]

Though 800 might sound reasonable to a hobbyist, it seems alright by me. But most of the people are lucky if they get pound weight for scrap. I see it on ebay pretty often. Make an offer keep it low. My local Craiglist always shows mills and lathes and I shudder to know the price they are getting in relation to what they paid.