What's this worth (lathe)

[DRM]

Enterprise 15x40 lathe, 240v/3phase

Up for auction from a local technical school - replaced with a newer machine. Pics make it look like a pretty clean machine.


No bids yet, 11 days left, $500 min. starting bid.



I have no clue how to work a lathe, but if I can get this for $500 (yeah, plus the money to work up a converter), I'm thinking I might just figure out how to work a lathe :p

Thoughts?

[shopteach]

$500-1500 is pretty reasonable

[BumpyDodge]

I don't know anything about Enterprise specifically, but 15" swing says it's a pretty big lathe & 3 phase makes it a hard sell. Most production size shops don't want to buy obsolete machinery and most hobby size shops can't handle the logistics and expenses involved in transporting and setting up a 3000 lb machine. If you can move it, you can probably get it for $500. If it's going to cost you another $1500 in parts and tooling before you can make anything useful with it, you aren't getting much of a bargain.

[DSW]

I'd be real tempeted to make an offer at $500 for it. I'd love a lathe that size. I'd see how much the converter will cost you though befor eyou commit. And as said you need the space.

Once you have it you could always take classes at the votec school to learn what to do with it!

You might also talk to the instructor or whoever is running the auction. My Votec ran a sale about 5 years ago. They lost money on the deal since very few people made bids. Now they aren't even going to bother with a sale. All the older welding gear from the weld shop is just going in the scrap dumpster. I talked to my instructor. He can't "sell" any of it. He can give me the name of the guy that is buying the scrap and I'll talk to him about getting a machine. The instructor said he'd be careful and put the one he thinks I should get on top and let the scrap guy know that I will call about the machine. Since the guy rebuilds machines, he can make a quick buck with no effort and I should be able to get a big machine at very little cost. Just something you might think about.

Oh and I did ask if they just left the dumpster sitting there over night. The answer is no for liability reasons. (some kid climbed up one and fell last year) The scrap guy will come, load up and leave. Damn! No midnight shoping!

[Realsquash]

I could be wrong, but isn't Enterprise a Chinese manufacturer? How old is it? Pix?

Andy

[TB76Bronco]

I was looking at an enterprise as well and it looks like they are really hard to get parts for. Something about they stopped importing them to the US.

But for $500 I'd prolly buy it anyway if everything is in good working condition.

[fj40guy]

Enterprise and "shop students" do not go together.

If the machine is under power, and the shop teacher can demonstrate it.... might be worthwhile. If not powered, I'd stay away from it.

3phase.... just use a PHASE_A_MATIC. About $90 on sale. Buy a larger 3 phase, 3600 rpm (3450 rpm) as an idle motor so you can start and stop the lathe... you're in business. I was at an auction, and they sold a 5hp three phase motor that someone sawed off the end shaft... everyone was like "what idiot did that". Fellow HSM (nice guy) asked me about my old mill and how I ran 3 phase stuff.... he snagged it for $1. :)

Tom

[stainless steal dave]

Enterprise 15x40 lathe, 240v/3phase

Up for auction from a local technical school - replaced with a newer machine. Pics make it look like a pretty clean machine.


No bids yet, 11 days left, $500 min. starting bid.



I have no clue how to work a lathe, but if I can get this for $500 (yeah, plus the money to work up a converter), I'm thinking I might just figure out how to work a lathe :p

Thoughts?

i don't know what the market is for used machine tools on the east coast but here on the west coast in the bay area that lathe would probably sell for 1500-3500 dollars depending upon condition and tooling included with the machine. as already stated test run it to make sure it wasn't crashed and has a damaged headstock or threading/feed box. indicate the spindle nose on the machine. t.i.r. should not excede .0005. on a chinese machine you might see more run out may be .oo1 i dont know. if it is excessive and you have a chuck mounted on it that weighs 70-110 lbs you may have some vibration problems and this can affect surface finish. not good for the spindle bearings either. if every thing works and you can get it for 500-1000.00 dollars buy it. you can find used tooling on craigs list/e-bay/machinery dealers. you can make your own rotary phase converter out of a "y" wound electric motor i made my own and ran it for over 5 years with no problems. if you bargain shop for components for the lathe and decide later on you want to sell it provided you got to purchase it for 500-100.00 dollars i bet you would break even or maybe even make a little money off it. is there a specific reason why you are considering purchasing a lathe? just curious.

[PTSchram]

Blah, blah,blah, tooling will cost you a fortune, the sky is falling.

Buy the damned thing. Even if it was beaten on by students, it's still gonna be good enough for the majority of stuff that denizens of Pirate will need it for. We ain't making space shuttles boys!

Tooling for a lathe, C'mawn! You do NOT need a quick change tool post for a non-production shop. Learn to grind your own bits, they are cheap. You'll need a chuck, a live center, maybe a knurling tool. 99% of the turning I do (and we all know about my machinery addictions), I use a hand ground HSS bit.

Even if you wanted to put a new motor on it, places like Grizzly have Chi-Comm motors fairly cheap, porbably cheaper than a built phase converter or VFD.

[BumpyDodge]

I took a peek at the one I think you're looking at (Google is a wonderful thing). It doesn't come with anything except a 3 jaw chuck. No toolpost, no cutters, No steady rest, not even a live/dead center for the tailstock. That lathe is stripped to the bare minimum so there's not a whole lot you can do with it as it sits. Notice the cover on the end of the leadscrew. It's being help on by one screw - was it retired because of of a problem there? DoveBid has a similar one and they list the specs: The spindle through-hole is 1 1/4"

Something similar to this (http://cleveland.craigslist.org/bfs/631282493.html) would probably be a better deal if you have the shop space and electrical service to provide "room and board" for a lathe that size and the means to move it. Parts are much easier to find for a common American-made machine too. (I am in no way affiliated with seller- just came up in a search for 16" Southbend to check pricing)

For a small shop, I think versatility is more important than size. You don't need a big lathe to make simple bushings and spacers -that's mostly what I use one for.

[DRM]

Thanks guys for all the advice - I think I'll pass on this one.

[guy,sxj]

Here's a link of a used machinery dealer. You may find something close to compare prices to get an idea of it's value.
http://www.hgrindustrialsurplus.com/