Lathe help - I need a price!!!

[storm monkey]

I'm after your help again. I have been offered a Colchester "Schoolmaster"?? lathe, and been asked to make a fair offer. I cant find any info on a schoolmaster, and have no idea what to offer. I do know it has had little use (about 20 hours), is 3ph and is coming out of a school workshop. I have no idea what will come with it, how old it is or anything else about it. I'll try to get more info, but in the mean time, any ideas???

I already have a pillar drill from them, a big 3ph unit, for nowt, so won't mind paying a bit extra for the lathe.

Thanks,

Phil

 

[hareng]

Stand a very good chance it will be either a Bantam or a Student. Now they did various models in each of these, the flat tops sell so do the high speed 1800 rpm+.

Although 16 years ago i was offered a flat top Student £400, just needed two hand wheels, 3ph off a buyer who bought two.
Have a look on here http://www.lathes.co.uk/ and other machine dealers, to give you a better idea. Usually very dear above, half price elsewhere and only part time.
Parts are available but the prices will turn you off.

 

[HasBean]

Could be a 'Chipmaster', highly prized by model engineers (who have the space for one). Has a very usefull variable speed controlled by, if I remember right, a large dial on the headstock. Nice piece of kit.

 

[hareng]

Anything bigger than the Chipmaster dont usually fetch a lot ie 50" Triumpth flat tops A1 £400 can be had, but from dealers £2k plus.
You will be bidding with others, wish i had the chance of getting on the list

All the same we need to know more. Also dont take it granted that its fine, 20 hrs is nothing on an English, but it only takes a second to almost scrap a lathe or warrant serious expenditure, you need to view!

 

[storm monkey]

Ok, i have some more info........Its a Student. The guy selling thinks £2-4K, and there is one on the bay for £3k, but no bids. There is also one on for £50. I'll keep looking, but I think £3k is way over odds.

Phil

 

[rtbcomp]

Ok, i have some more info........Its a Student. The guy selling thinks £2-4K, and there is one on the bay for £3k, but no bids. There is also one on for £50. I'll keep looking, but I think £3k is way over odds.

Phil

Is that price payable by cheque to the school or in used readies to your contact? If the latter start from scrap value (10p per kilo) and work up.

 

[yarpap]

I have a student paid £500 with 3and four jaw chucks face plate etc mine was an ex training schoolone and had a 3ph 1.5hp motor,it is comon to find school machines with a lower hp motor so check it over at 2-4k i would want a nice transit thrown in to carry the lathe home!!

 

[hareng]

To give you an idea.
http://www.lathes.co.uk/advertphoto/080421m300/ Not bad similar size and a lot dearer when new.
http://www.lathes.co.uk/advertphoto/080210student/ Flat top.
http://www.lathes.co.uk/advertphoto/071113m250/ Smaller and a dealer price!

Colchester mark 1 http://www.lathes.co.uk/colchester/page2.html
Colchester 1800 flat top http://www.lathes.co.uk/colchester/page15.html
Colchester 3100 http://www.lathes.co.uk/colchester/page19.html
For £2k i would want an 1800 in good nick, no bed wear with most extras off a dealer, private £1400. As said before £400 upwards for mark 2, a mate paid £550 about 6 years ago direct from college with a lot of extras, its just dropping on them.

In saying that if as good as sounds it will outlast a ****** £3k+ machine about 12 times over, they are built in England made to last.

 

[MrFluffy]

WAYY over the odds price wise if you ask me.
G&M tools is a good place, theyre not the cheapest but theyre good people to deal with. Theyve got a roundhead student in at the moment for 600 notes, and I was going to buy a chipmaster with a seized variator from them last year for 500. Even home and workshops inflated web prices are sub 1500 quid for one, and 900 for the other. Its been my experience with home and workshop if you arrive on the day with transport and have some cash, they are a lot more flexible on price.

http://www.homeandworkshop.co.uk/colchest.htm
http://www.gandmtools.co.uk/cat_branch.php?sub=1

Remember these guys are dealers, buying privately you should be expecting to pay a much smaller price, but have to offset that against condition.
However, that lathe will have been used by students, so might have suffered a crash or two as they don't tend to treat them properly. Lots of worn out lathes in schools a few years back, and they always disposed of the worst of the lot first, so if theyre not having a total close down you might be getting the doggie of the shop.

If you think its pristine and want to pay for that, at very least buy a test bar and learn how to use it to check the bed isnt twisted or the like. Google for "rollies dads method of lathe alignment", its how to check a bed for twist and alignment without taking a cut. You will want to see it under load too, to make sure it makes no unusual noises, it shifts gear ok, and when you take a deep cut you dont suddenly find the pins are missing from the toolpost that stops it rotating and it is free to revolve on the compound under load or other such bodgery (as happened on *both* my harrisons when I bought them).
By far the best way is to find a good local machinist/engineer, ply him with beer and get him to go along with you and bring his assessment gear...

 

[snowcat]

2-4k, If its the 2000, (better top end speed), It'll be worth more, but as a guide I bought a master, 3/4 jaw, Colet chuck, 10 Colet's, quick change tool post, with 6 or so holders, in 99, for £1800, from the university of london... My Mastiff £800......

walk away from that price tag....he is taking the preverbel.......

Oh yes along with fluffs test's, wind the bed guides up until the saddle runs nice and tight at the chuck end, then wind along the bed, If it jams further up the bed, shes seen lots of action, how far you have to back the pinch bolts off will let you know how much...

BTW IMHO triumpth 2000 was the best machine colchester made.......I find the student/masters, could do with a few more KGs of weight..

 

[DeepThought]

FleaBay would be a good start look at it as if you were buying one in the same condition for a quick sale take the lowest price, collection only as £45-£100 for delivery on a pallet is about the norm, dealers will ask for all and give nothing.

 

[hareng]

The lathe and miller prices on ebay are usually way over the odds, plus a lot of junk is off loaded. Seen numerous ****** items years old and sold for almost twice the current new price, mugs.
Think i will slap my 43 year old Harrison on there run it to the ground and make £600 on it after 8 years even after paying more than necessary as i needed something pdq, was losing money.

Think my next lathe will be a fair bit larger nice flat top Triumpth 50" bed, superb machines can put a cut on and happy with large and small intricate work. Hold a bit of swarf as well.
Thing that turns me on with most of the Colchesters is simple switching from metric to imperial, no change wheels to mess around with etc.
In saying that the Harrisons are true metric machines for screw cutting no need to line up thread indicator and engage feed, you can even disengage wind carriage out and re engage screwcut any where, it lines up.

Prices may or may not have gone up recently, test the field with £500 you probably would find a private punter willing to cough up £1800. Scrap steel value about £110.
Try before you buy, as above but at various points of travel grab hold of the slides and carriage and give it a good rock, lift it up etc- any play walk a way beds worn unless around £500.

 

[storm monkey]

Thanks for the above guys. I'm going to try and get over to see the lathe this week, and see what condition it is in. It is very much like this, but has the gearbox cover, splash back and a chuck guard fitted, and a little less grubby (as far as I can tell from images on the wifes phone). Am i right in thinking this is a mk2?

Cheers,

Phil

 

[snowcat]

yep, refered to as flat tops, by laymen such as myself, honestly if its very tidy £1800 tops, but id rather pay a £1000.......

 

[storm monkey]

I bit of a blast from the past, but I finally agreed on £475 for the lathe, with 3 and 4 jaw chuck, traveling steady (needs new bushes) quick change tool-post and 5 tool holders. Should pick it up in 2-3 weeks. Just need to work out how to get it into the trailer now!!

Phil

 

[MrFluffy]

Lots of big bars as rollers, steel ramps and a cheap electric winch to pull it up the ramps on, with someone moving the bars from the back of the lathe to the front as it progresses.
You can move some *really* big machinery like that, and I personally like it a LOT more than using a lift which can pop a seal and drop the machine. If the winch fails it just stops when the rollers run out.
Nice price with the qctp especially...

 

[hareng]

Nice one Phil, parts are available at a price.

How far out was i with this
"Prices may or may not have gone up recently, test the field with £500 you probably would find a private punter willing to cough up £1800. Scrap steel value about £110.
Try before you buy, as above but at various points of travel grab hold of the slides and carriage and give it a good rock, lift it up etc- any play walk a way beds worn unless around £500."

Any more going?

 

[Luke]

Any more going?

ditto!!

 

[storm monkey]

sorry, only 1. Most of the stuff left was taken by one of the teachers and sold on Ebay. He made a tidy sum for himself and ****** off a few other staff along the way.

Phil