Used lathe price question

I am on a limited disability income so I wasn't looking to upgrade my Jet 1642 to something else. But may have an opportunity to upgrade to a used Powermatic 3520B. It had light use by an older guy in his late 70's and has not been used in three years due to his health issues. Yes, I know price can vary depending on what he is including. He does have miscellaneous gouges and tools., grinder, wolverine jig, etc. But, I already have all that and don't have the budget for the extras. So if he decides to part it all out what would be a good price for a used 3520B manufactured in 2009?

Thanks
Ricc

Ricc,

I'm not good with prices because I haven't been looking for or watching what used lathes sell for. But I have some limited experience with both lathes.

Price will also vary based on the area and the seller, of course, and how tired he is of it not selling! There have been a several threads not too long ago which discussed used 3520b and 1642 lathes. Maybe try a google search. (site:sawmillcreek.org [key words])

I bought one 1642 used in good condition, perhaps 5 years ago. It was $1600. I've heard of them selling for less more recently.

I bought my 3520b used a few years ago. It came with the bed extension and some tools and wood. $3000. I thought this was reasonable based on the price of a new lathe and extension at the time. I've heard of some selling for considerably less without the bed extension. (If you get one, you will love it! For what I do I can't imagine needing something larger or newer.)

BTW, I moved the 3520b 600 miles with a closed u-haul trailer. I was able to unload, get it into the shop (no stairs), and set up by myself. That was no big problem but was challenging - I recommend getting a person to help if possible!

JKJ

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Originally Posted by Ricc Havens

I am on a limited disability income so I wasn't looking to upgrade my Jet 1642 to something else. But may have an opportunity to upgrade to a used Powermatic 3520B. It had light use by an older guy in his late 70's and has not been used in three years due to his health issues. Yes, I know price can vary depending on what he is including. He does have miscellaneous gouges and tools., grinder, wolverine jig, etc. But, I already have all that and don't have the budget for the extras. So if he decides to part it all out what would be a good price for a used 3520B manufactured in 2009?



Thanks
Ricc

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Here's my 2 cents, and worth every cent... I have a PM3520b that I've been dreaming of upgrading. In my mind I think I should be able to sell the 3520b with bed extension and tail stock swinger for $3,000. With the list price for a 3520c over $4k, and having the bed extension I'd like to think that is reasonable. Have not really looked at used lathe prices, but feel that's where I would start if I was selling mind. Hope that helps a bit.

A few months ago I saw a pm4224 in nice shape being offered for sale for $2400 in the Philadelphia area (and of course this was just a few weeks after I bought my new lathe). I've seen sales on new 3520C's for just shy of $4K. Through my club discount, I think they were selling at $3700 or so. To me a 10 year old machine with no accessories would be worth about $2400, but then I'm cheap. If buying used only saved me $700 or so, I'd probably just get new. The savings has to be compelling given no warranty and more trouble to get home. But we all have different thresholds.

I think this is more of an emotional purchase that you also need to justify the cost. I would normally say just do it and be happy but you have indicated that the financial aspect is also a priority. Has your Jet limited you, say having to cut blanks down because it didn't have enough swing? Has it failed you in some other way and/ or you believe it will fail you in the future? Do you think it's going to need to have parts, like the bearings, replaced in the future (future expense)? Here's the big question. Can you afford to buy the PM before selling your Jet? And if so how long could you wait before funds would be an issue if you couldn't sell your Jet for the price you want?

I'm sure most of what I asked was already going through your mind. But sometimes writing them out helps. As I see it I think you can expect to spend about $1500 or so difference between selling your Jet and buying the PM ($1000 to $1200 for your Jet and $2500 to $3000 for the Powermatic). The longer you could hold out the more likely you could get more for your Jet. But if you need to sell it quickly then I would expect to take a bigger loss. You could buy the whole package and then sell the extras with your Jet making it more likely that someone either wanting to get into turning or someone who has a mini and only uses carbide tools but wants to upgrade and needs more than just a lathe.

I think prices totally depend on your area and the supply/demand locally.

In Chicagoland area, I had been looking daily for 2+ years and only saw a couple PM3520s come up - one was an older 3520A for $2500 and the other was a 3520B for $4000+. I also only saw 1 Jet 1642 come up for sale for around $2200. Maybe there was more that were for sale that went by word of mouth, but there just aren't many large lathes for sale, and when there are, they are usually close to full price (right now in Milwaukee a 3520B with some gouges/minor accessories just posted for $5500). Needless to say, I got tired of waiting for a deal and for this area, decided to buy a Laguna 2436. So far I'm very happy with my purchase and feel I got way more for the money than if I'd bought a used PM or Jet.

I'm with Alex on this. I went through that choice when buying my lathe. Less swing Jet (save 1000 bucks or so) or more swing PM. I opted to get the less capacity Jet and spend the 1000 bucks or so on tools. The Jet can swing just about anything I want. There was a couple times that I thought I should have bought the PM. Not many. One of those times, I got a 14" diameter 3 foot Norfolk pine log since I figured I could get it on the lathe. I could have grabbed an 18" log IF I had gotten the PM. Trying to get that smaller log on the lathe was a challenge. I don't think I could have gotten an 18" log onto a PM. Just saying, after further thought I was glad I didn't opt for the extra swing. So end of story, my worthless $0.02 is spend that extra money on more tools. Unless, as Alex mentioned, the lathe is actually too small for you.
I also do have to mention that it would depend on the PM price. A friend that wanted to start turning found a used PM with tools for 2K. He asked me for the ride along since I know about lathes. I told him, if you don't buy it I will. Even if the funds weren't available. THAT was too good of a deal to pass up. He did buy it, so I didn't have to.

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Originally Posted by Thomas Wilson80

In Chicagoland area, I had been looking daily for 2+ years and only saw a couple PM3520s come up - one was an older 3520A for $2500 and the other was a 3520B for $4000+. ...

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That was kind of my point in an earlier post about hauling the PM 600 miles - it's not too difficult or expensive to haul a lathe so maybe search in a wider area.

Thanks guys for continuing to provide input. As I mentioned earlier my 1642 Jet does do about all I want. But I do get access to some burl caps with natural edge that are just a little too large and I don't wabt to cut away some of the natural edge just to make it fit.

I don't actively look for a larger lathe but this just came up. I also don't search much for tools outside my local area as I don't drive due to a vision issue. So, finding someone with a truck to give me a ride to pick up a large machine is not easy.

Ricc

I have used a Jet 1642 quite a few times over a few years and noted that it has the ability to slide the headstock. If your particular lathe has that feature, then you may consider sliding the headstock to the end of the lathe and mount your tool rest(s) on a tripod tool rest mount. This would allow you to get some pretty impressive burls on the lathe with ease.

I cannot remember if the particular Jet lathe I used had the ability to attach a bed extension in a lower setting, this may also be a possibility. But, you would need a tool rest riser of some sort; or a tool rest extension.

Whichever way you go, a sliding headstock with a tripod mounted tool rest, would more than likely be a workable and most likely, a cheaper solution allowing you to keep your proven lathe. I have seen some fairly agricultural looking home made tripod tool rest units, but they really do work well.

https://www.google.com/search?q=wood...NP4VFheSlGfiM:

Mick.

Mick, yes the headstock on my 1642 does slide and I have done that a couple times. But, this eliminates being able to have tailstock support. Also, even with 300lbs of sand bags on the base under the bed of the lathe the Jet is a lighter weight lathe compared to the PM 3520. So turning outboard like this still causes lots of shaking with out of balance blanks compared to when you can center the piece over the center mass of the lathe. The heavier mass of the 3520 and being able to turn larger items over the center of the bed would have some benefits. But no, I don't really need the PM3520 but if the price is within my budget I'd upgrade. That's the reason I started the thread so I could get opinions of lathe value.

Ricc

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Originally Posted by Ricc Havens

Mick, yes the headstock on my 1642 does slide and I have done that a couple times. But, this eliminates being able to have tailstock support. Also, even with 300lbs of sand bags on the base under the bed of the lathe the Jet is a lighter weight lathe compared to the PM 3520. So turning outboard like this still causes lots of shaking with out of balance blanks compared to when you can center the piece over the center mass of the lathe. The heavier mass of the 3520 and being able to turn larger items over the center of the bed would have some benefits. But no, I don't really need the PM3520 but if the price is within my budget I'd upgrade. That's the reason I started the thread so I could get opinions of lathe value.

Ricc

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As I think I mentioned, I have a PM3520b and two 120v Jet 1642s. I far prefer the PM, even when turning things well within the swing of the 1642. I rarely turn things unbalanced enough to benefit from the extra weight, but the feel of the PM is better - the banjo and tailstock are more massive, lock down better, and the controls feel smoother. The extra 2" above the bed lets me get the banjo closer to the headstock, helpful at times. The minimum speed on the PM is lower than the Jet. The PM has more power. And the length of the PM with the bed extension is great for long spindles!

Here I'm turning a replacement handle for my favorite shuffle hoe, hickory:

Attachment 415026

I did have to add a 240 volt receptacle when I moved one 1642 into storage to make room for the PM in that spot. The power requirement may be an issue for some.

JKJ