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Barrel Lathe used for Gunsmithing, $3500, Rocky Mountain House, AB

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Looks like a Mysore Kirloskar lathe from the mid to late 1970’s. Other than being built for people only 5 foot tall it’s not a bad lathe. Imported by Luke’s Machinery in western Canada and probably others, made in Southern India.
 
Crap. I actually laughed when I read he was selling it for his grandfather. I pictured this old guy hunched over his precious old lathe, surrounded by piles of tools and tooling....... :D

Then I realized that could just as well been one of my grandkids selling my lathe!!! o_O
 
Ironman said:
Luckily my grand kids are only 10 and 12yrs, and would do anything to get out of work.
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My youngest grand sons are money hungry machines. I swear they wait till I go away and then show up to cut grass or cleanup dead trees, and then they want Nona to cough up some cash. They pick tons of rocks too, but for some strange reason, I never see fresh rocks on any of the rock piles......
 
It's me, I'm the grandson. I myself am not too familiar with metal working and anything relative to the gunsmithing field that it was used for.
He asked me to sell it for him because he is no longer in need of it, due to personal heath reasons. He used to run "Don's Gunsmithing" out of Rocky Mountain House.
Anyway, he stated that in it's current condition and usage history that, he thinks it's value is $7,500. I and others that I've talked to think otherwise.
My ad stated that, "It may require 1 or 2 parts to get running"; I was wrong, it just needs a little TLC and maybe to be calibrated.
My main reason of replying to this forum would be to ask some questions about this lathe, and possibly another that he owns (Southbend 9in Model A).
The question being:
Given your experiences with metal working and lathes, what is a fair market value price for a "used lathe" these days?
Thanks.
 
I see that you have sold the big one. The South Bend should fetch around 2500, but it would help immensely if you spent 20 minutes or so cleaning up around it and getting better pictures of the overall machine and the attachments and tools that are included. I suspect that there's more there than the photos and description suggest. If there's enough attachments etc, the price could very well go up maybe another 500. Overall, you are close in your asking price, but the ad could use a little bit of sprucing up, I think that it will go quite quickly with a little more effort.
Good luck with the sale.
Ps, you sure you don't want to learn how to use it? It's just right there, and you've already joined your first machinist forum. .....,. :cool:
 
I just removed the ad for the MK Standard lathe due to my own misinformation surrounding it. I have cleaned them both up and have left the southbend ad up for $2000.
I am just not sure that $7,500 is realistic for the kirloskar. From what I have personally researched, it hits near $2,500. Surprisingly enough I have found the user manuals for it, as well as the spare parts manuals. Truthfully I'd like to talk over everything with the old man, he just wants replacement costs for everything and near new $ values, and won't accept anything less, I understand that it was his lively hood and it is its own form of grief to let go of these items for what they're worth today.
 
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Sheldon said:
I just removed the ad for the MK Standard lathe due to my own misinformation surrounding it. I have cleaned them both up and have left the southbend ad up for $2000.
I am just not sure that $7,500 is realistic for the kirloskar. From what I have personal researched, it hits near $2,500. Surprisingly enough I have found the user manuals for it, as well as the spare parts manuals. Truthfully I'd like to talk over everything with the old man, he just wants replacement costs for everything and near new $ values, and won't accept anything less, I understand that it was his lively hood and it is its own form of grief to let go of these items for what they're worth today.
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I don't think there's any of us that can't relate to the feelings he is having regarding letting them go. A man's tools become an extension of his abilities and there's a lot of comfort in having them near, they are old friends and the likely source of much of his socializing during his business years.
I agree that 7500 is a tad high, I think that you are pretty close in pricing as I said and it's down to presentation.
Hopefully a few more will jump in and either reinforce my estimation or offer a different take on it and we can stimulate enough interest that you can show him this thread and what the used market looks like in our eyes.
 
Sheldon said:
he just wants replacement costs for everything and near new $ values, and won't accept anything less,
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I've encountered this over and over with people selling their businesses. They are basically saying they're having a great deal of trouble letting go. The manifestation of the inner voice saying "I can't".

I haven't found talking about it to be effective. That's just what you think should be, colliding with his deep need to hold on. So sadly you sometimes have to wait it out until the need is greater.
 
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Sheldon, I’m with 140Mower on this. Suggest keeping the Mysore Kirloskar. It’s a good lathe and the pics you showed suggest this one is well looked after. My only quibbles are, as mentioned, it’s too low for comfort- easily rectified by mounting on blocks, and second iirc, the spindle is L00- would have prefered a L0 for this size of lathe.
 
Mcgyver said:
So sadly you sometimes have to wait it out until the need is greater.
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I was tempted to say what you just said. I find myself sympathizing with @Sheldon and wondering what his best approach to his grandfather is. I can easily put myself in his grandfather's shoes and picture myself talking to my grandson - proud of my machines, proud to tell their story, proud of my Grandson pitching in to help me. Wishing he would see their value and embrace the hobby himself. Unwilling to let go of my life-long perceptions.

@Sheldon Your avatar is outdoors ish. Any chance your interests might be a little like mine? I am no professional full service gunsmith, but I do love building precision rifles.

Everyone is different. Maybe you can talk some sense into your grandfather, but what does that serve if you alienate him? Consider other ways to help him.

What the Fk am I trying to say? I guess it's simple. Your relationship with your grandfather is WAAAAY more important than selling his tools at whatever price works. It might be better to embrace them yourself until he cannot intervene in the selling process. Who knows, you might learn to love the tools yourself, and the time spent with your grandfather learning how to use them would be priceless to both of you.

Maybe that helps, maybe it doesn't. Regardless, I feel for your grandfather and for you too. You have even managed to bring a salty tear to a nearly blind old eye.
 
Sheldon said:
I am just not sure that $7,500 is realistic for the kirloskar. From what I have personally researched, it hits near $2,500. Surprisingly enough I have found the user manuals for it, as well as the spare parts manuals. Truthfully I'd like to talk over everything with the old man, he just wants replacement costs for everything and near new $ values, and won't accept anything less, I understand that it was his lively hood and it is its own form of grief to let go of these items for what they're worth today.
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It is a good lathe, solid and accurate, but relatively unknown to people and has no distributors here. I bought mine in 2002 at an bankruptcy auction for $2750, with all the attachments and chucks. I believe it would go for the same amount of money today. These things are like old pieces of heavy construction equipment, they go down to a level and stay there.
The second problem is that any young person trained as a machinist today cannot operate one of these machines. They are only capable of using a cnc machine...push a button to jog .001.
It is generally older, often self taught people, who do any machining these days. That's a sad thing to say, but throw out and buy new is what everyone does.

I would love to have a copy of that manual, and spare parts lists.
 
I appreciate everyone's input, it is good for reflection.
Truthfully I feel like maybe I am in over my head with the tasks that I have been given regarding his care in all manors of the word. Although he is not incapacitated by any means or deceased. He refuses to talk about things that affects him negatively and shuts down around such conversations. I wouldn't be here looking for guidance on what to do with these machines if I didn't care about his perspective. From the managing stand point, I have to make choices now at this point we both dislike. Between battling vultures and family that are of no aid. Pardon my verbal diarrhea.
I do agree with keeping the lathe as not to take an offer so low it just makes me look stupid. I don't want to be anyone's bragging point for how they got something for steal, and have them take advantage of him or I.
 
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