Used Lathes Prices

[vtgaryw]

Living in a fairly rural area, opportunities for used equipment are kind of scarce. Are any of these worth pursuing? The prices all seem high based on what I see people in here getting used lathes for. This would be a 2nd lathe for me, I have a small pen lathe right now that's not much good for anything else, although I have turned a lot of bottle stoppers and some vases on it.

Delta LA 200 with a bed extension, claims only 4 hours of use, $ 300.
Delta 1014, $ 300
Turncrafter Commander 10" VS, $ 235.

Assuming condition is good on these, are any of them worth it?

Thanks,

Gary

 

[low_48]

Not a fan of any of those. But no idea of your financial situation, or budget. Parts for Delta are basically nonexistent from the company.

 

[magpens]

If you are anywhere near the Canadian border, try shopping for a Canadian made lathe such as a General or a Oneway. With the CDN dollar being so low, you just might get a real bargain. It may not have to be a Canadian *made* lathe .... just a lathe for sale *in* Canada. Used, of course, could be your best bet.

 

[monophoto]

I have a Turncrafter Commander 12"VS and am very happy with it. Great for spindles; I've also used it for face plate work up to 12" with no serious problems.

The catalog price for that lathe today is $349. $235 might be a good price, but you should check the condition. The obvious things are that it should work, the range of speeds approximates the specification (it is possible to tweak the speed range so what you actually see probably won't match the specs exactly). Listen for any noise in the bearings. Check how easily the tailstock ram works. Also, check the indexing wheel - you can't easily see it, but it's made of plastic and is intended ONLY for indexing, so if someone has tried to use it as a spindle lock, it may have lost some teeth (DAMHIKT).

 

[KenV]

Gary

Benchmark is probably the Rikon 70-220 in the Woodcraft flyer for $549.

Estimate that they will take $50 less than asked price.

They are all smaller than the 12 inches on the benchmark, and are probably on the high side for out of date gear.

All have more capacity than what you have.

Decide what it is,worth and be prepared to walk away.

 

[SteveG]

Be sure to consider "Asking Price" as just a starting point. Most people expect to bargain a bit. You might want to stay away from low-ball offers, but do not be afraid to make a lower offer with the anticipation that the seller will counter with something between asking and first offer. You get him to come down...he gets you to come up...sale is made and all are happy.

 

[Wildman]

If can make an in store purchase these lathes should be a bench mark when looking at used lathes. While warranty not long, you do have access to parts if need them, not sure if extended warranty worth it or not but worth looking into. Not sure how coupons work anymore these lathes do go on sale often.

10 in. x 18 in. 5 Speed 1/2 HP Bench top Wood Lathe

Benchtop Wood Lathe - 5 Speed

12 in. x 33-3/8 in. 3/4 HP Wood Lathe with Reversible Head

Wood Lathe w/ Reversible Head - 12'' x 33-3/8''

Might be worth buying a new Turncrafter either thru PSI or Amazon. Amazon says free shipping but not so sure did not look at shipping from PSI. You will get a 3 year warranty buying new.

https://www.pennstateind.com/store/TCLC10VS.html

Without seeing and hearing lathe run impossible to tell you if a lathe is a bargain. As already stated cannot get parts for those Delta lathes so would not consider them.

 

[vtgaryw]

Thanks for all the advice. I'll probably end up buying new, I was expecting to spend in the $ 500 range or so anyways, I was just thinking that if I bought a new lathe, I could dump the savings into accessories like chucks, etc.

I like having a warranty. I've read a lot of reviews on Rikons, Novas, Turncrafters, etc., and it seems like people have had bad out of the box experiences with all of them, even though the lathes performed well.
And a 3 year warranty is good.

I *do* live close to the border, only about 35 minutes, but I'd probably have to go close to Montreal (about 1-1/2 hr) to get to a good woodworking store. Exchange rate is $ .77 to $ 1.00 right now, so I'd consider buying a lathe there if I could find a good deal.

-gary

 

[Old Codger]

Gary...I have both a Rikon 12" X 20" VS lathe and a Jet 1221VS and couldn't be more pleased with both although the Jet is a little heftier plus has the reverse function and indexing, plus the beways are a little beefier... Sooo you might be able to pick either of these two up for less than your $500 limit... You might be able to buy a new Rikon 70-220VSR Midi Lathe from Woodcraft at $549, maybe less on sale... Both are excellent midi lathes and you might take into account turners who want to upgrade to a large lathe with their current lathes still under warrenty (i.e.; 3 - 5 years...) which might be transferrable... Good luck with your new lathe and safe turning to you!

 

[jallan]

Gary, I have the Rikon 70-220VSR and just a great lathe and the speed is very easy to change. Got it mail order from Craft Supply when they had it on sale.