Should I or shouldn't I

[Jeff Childs]

Gentleman of the Creek......Should I or shouldn't....

Local woodsmith moving and wishing to sell an old monster. 1944 'ish Oliver 25A. 2hp Louis Allis DC motor, inverter to accept 220v, rheostat for speed control. Am told it purrs like a kitten, and runs 'true'...although I haven't seen or heard it run (but certainly will prior to any purchasing). This is one of the pattern making lathes built during WWII. Six foot bed, 16" swing, certainly not pristine...many layers of paint, minimal rust, brushes look brand new. Cross slide works fine, tailstock works smooth, 8 inch step chuck, mulitple rests, a few older used hand gouges (Sorby), and....lots of various left over turning wood of mostly local origin (Pacific NW).

I do not need another lathe, already have a small Delta 46-460 and a large one (VB36), but......am in that vortex that you are all aware of. Would probably do my best to rehab it to make it look pretty as well fine tuning. Would love to see it in my arsenal. My main question is what your thoughts are re a reasonable price...if down the road I should not wish to keep it. I realize it costs money to have fun, but just don't want to go to far in the red. Ballpark figures are just fine. I searched CL and eBay, so have a general idea, but wishing for perhaps someone with a working history of these quality monsters to comment.

Of course, no pics available at this time.



Thanks gents.....should I feel abit guilty if I happen to buy myself a Christmas present? One of those wants and needs issues.

[Doug Ladendorf]

Hi Jeff, When I bought my Oliver 20C from a pattern maker he also had a 25A for sale so I'm familiar with the model. For my money these lathes are a steal - that lathe will not walk on you no matter what you put on it. Most people will enjoy them esthetically but balk at buying as they are not conventional and take different tooling. I bought a spindle adapter from Best Wood Tools and use a Vicmarc chuck and any other modern tooling I need. IMHO fair market price is around $2500 depending on accessories and condition. You have a nice VB36 for bowls, here is your spindle lathe.

Doug

[Doug Rasmussen]

I believe that lathe might be the one that's been listed on and off for what seems like a couple months on Seattle CL. The price has been dropping, last price I saw was $2500, down quite a bit from the initial listing price. The ad is not currently running.

If it's the same one the reason it hasn't sold could be its location, about a 2-3 hour drive/ferry from Seattle. Plus, it looks heavy so it might not fit in a compact pickup. And, how would it be loaded if you had the proper vehicle to haul it? It's fair to say there isn't much demand for it, as is, where is..

The machine has a high coolness factor...but..? Even in Seattle I doubt it could be sold for much profit considering what costs might be involved in moving and refurbishing the paint, etc. There's another lathe similar in capability, a converted metal lathe with a longer bed for $1200 that's been running for many months on Seattle CL.

[Tom Albrecht]

Really? If you have to ask, don't buy it.

[Len Mullin]

Jeff, I think you already know the answer, actually, you provided the answer in the first sentence of the second paragraph. The part that states "I do not need another lathe", if you don't need it, leave it where it is. If you were to purchase it, you have to have space to set it up in your shop. I don't know how big your shop is, but, to install this lathe in the midst of things, probably means rearranging what you already own. I don't know anything about you, but, I know I wouldn't want to rearrange my shop for something I didn't need.
Len

[Jeff Childs]

Doug, Doug and Len...thanks for thew thoughtful responses. Yes...i have enough room with a little bit of ingenuity; i shall reconsider a metal lathe (had gone that direction before...perhps more useful in the long run); live relatively close and have machinery available to move it without too much hassle.

Tom...thanks for the quick retort. And i say that with a smile. You are correct...if i have to ask, then pass on the purchase. But... just maybe. My main intent with this post was to get a sense a 'value' of such a machine in both $ and function. So perhaps i should put more emphasis on the real value...the joy of learning and sharing that wealth with children, grandchildren, friends, and others.

Such a great site. A sincere appreciation for everyone's efforts in keeping it alive and well.

Jeff

[John Grace]

Jeff...

Said with a wry smile, you seem like you 'want' the lathe far more than it's needed and are looking to us to play the role of enabler. Seriously, however, if you want the 'toy' as a project with no serious intent of ever breaking even then go ahead.