PDA

View Full Version : What do I do?



arjacobson
03-21-2014, 06:52 PM
I have to make a decision. A buddy of mine has hooked me up with a VERY nice leblond lathe. The lathe is an 18". It was rebuilt 20 years ago but hasn't been run for 15 years. The lathe was never used for production and comes with tooling and a DRO. I already have some nice machines in my shop and really do not need another lathe but I can get this for less than 3 grand. Its palletized-works perfect-it's LOCAL...... I have the money to buy it but don't want to spend the cash right now... I KNOW I will regret it if I don't buy it.........:-( What do you think???

Love Life
03-21-2014, 06:55 PM
If you an make money on it by reselling, or if it can add income to your pocket, then I would buy it. If the spending of the money will put you in a bad bind, then I would not buy it.

frankenfab
03-21-2014, 06:59 PM
Buy that lathe, make it pay for itself in the next 3 to 6 months, and then it doesn't matter what you do with it. It's a paid for asset, and a good one.

wv109323
03-21-2014, 10:01 PM
If it is more desirable than your present equipment buy it and then sell one of your present machines. I don't think you would ever lose money if the machine is as you described.

MaryB
03-21-2014, 11:17 PM
Wish my cash flow was better, I have been thinking of getting some machine tools to build some antenna stuff for ham radio.

starmac
03-21-2014, 11:28 PM
My twisted way of thinking is, if you are asking here, you will regret it forever if you don't buy it. Do you really want to deal with that kind of regret the rest of your life????

I don't know anything about them, or the cost of them, but it sounds like you think that is a deal you won't be running across very often, if so then I would think it wouldn't be hard to get your investment back when and if you ever want or need to, so really what do you have to lose.

Frank46
03-21-2014, 11:44 PM
Hate to say this but it sounds like a very good lathe. Especially if you have an appreciable distance between centers and a nice large hole through the headstock. And if I may, if you don't get it you will feel like a one legged man at a rear end kicking contest. You would think that here in Louisiana in the oil industry you'd be able to find a decent lathe for decent money. I found exactly one sitting alongside the road in the weather. rust aplenty,wires looked to have been ripped out of the wall. So went over to the machine shop and asked what they were asking.Should have stayed home. $4000 with no extras. Frank

Bzcraig
03-22-2014, 12:08 AM
Wow, what I heard was 'I don't need it and don't want to spend the money' it seems to me the real question is do you make a rational decision or an emotional decision? I haven't had great luck with emotional decisions for the most part.

geargnasher
03-22-2014, 12:10 AM
A buddy of mine hooked me up with a very nice Blonde once.....oh, wait...

Gear

MBTcustom
03-22-2014, 12:24 AM
Sir, the LeBlond was the best lathe that american manufacturing ever came up with.
My personal Lathe is a LeBlond Regal 17" with 8 foot ways. It's the only lathe of that size that is as easy to use as a small one.
All the levers engage with finger pressure, it has reverse feed on the gearbox and on the saddle (and can be reversed on the fly) and its just all together a pleasure to use. The only one I have used in my career that I would even consider as a replacement for my lovely snookems is a Clausing, but it gives up a lot to the LeBlond. Other than that, it would have to be a CNC.
LeBlond is a diamond I tell you. A diamond.
I built my whole business on that lathe!

TXGunNut
03-22-2014, 12:35 AM
A buddy of mine hooked me up with a very nice Blonde once.....oh, wait...

Gear

At least it wasn't a redhead.

Jim Flinchbaugh
03-22-2014, 11:05 AM
Do you have 2 lathes now? If not, how many times have you wished you had a second machine to avoid
multiple set ups?
By it, American iron is a pleasure to use

uscra112
03-22-2014, 12:10 PM
What Goodsteel said. I was in the machinery remanufacturing business for a dozen years, back in the '70s and '80s, and we often got LeBlondes to rebuild because their owners couldn't buy a better lathe at any price. Monarch might dispute that, but frankly the only Monarch I ever owned was a piece of junk.

Tom Myers
03-22-2014, 12:21 PM
I have to make a decision. A buddy of mine has hooked me up with a VERY nice leblond lathe. The lathe is an 18". It was rebuilt 20 years ago but hasn't been run for 15 years. The lathe was never used for production and comes with tooling and a DRO. I already have some nice machines in my shop and really do not need another lathe but I can get this for less than 3 grand. Its palletized-works perfect-it's LOCAL...... I have the money to buy it but don't want to spend the cash right now... I KNOW I will regret it if I don't buy it.........:-( What do you think???

Buyer's Remorse can always be made to go away by selling the item.
The only thing that can replace the regret of not buying the item it to buy another of the same item. (If you ever do find one to buy)

HeavyMetal
03-22-2014, 12:41 PM
Every time I pass on a deal I kick myself forever.

I've used both LeBlond and Monarch and the Le Blond was by far the easier better machine to use.

Not on the same scale but 9 years ago I had a small Sears / Atlas with out the quick change gear box, it's only claim to fame was a 53 inch bed and a $190 price tag at yard sale in 1991.

I stumble across a 9 inch Southbend with tooling and quick change for $500 at a yard sale 9 years ago, don't need two lathes!

Obviously the Southbend was a huge upgrade and it went into the BIL's pick up pronto!

The Little Atlas/sears machine? A week later I had been doing some "prospecting" for a new home for it and found a used machine sales place in Long Beach that was willing to give me $400 in trade toward a small Clausing mill because the guy knew someone looking for a lathe to make Q- Sticks with and had a need for that 53 inch bed!

My out of pocket for the Clausing was an additional $500 and I would do it again in a heart beat!

Buy the Le Blond and then sell or trade what ever your "back up" lathe is for cash or some other equipment you can use, do you have a surface grinder?

How's that for food for thought!

arjacobson
03-22-2014, 08:09 PM
Well I am going to buy the old girl in the next week or so!

Frank46
03-22-2014, 11:36 PM
good decision, now you well know you have to take some pics of your new toy. Cause if you don't it didn't happen. We like lathe porn. Frank

DLCTEX
03-23-2014, 07:36 PM
A buddy of mine hooked me up with a very nice Blonde once.....oh, wait...

Gear

Isn't your wife a brunet? Does she still get on here? Be careful. friend.