14" Cleveland Lathe Value?

It's worth whatever somebody wants to pay for it. Among the options:

• Local paper
• Model engineering magazines - home hobby approach
• Does anyone there want to buy it and take it home?
• On-line auction site(s) (name(s) withheld).
• "Weigh it in" for scrap.
• Dismantle for parts and asset-strip it one by one.
• Give it to a local charity/not-for-profit group - model engineering clubs, etc. - and reap some value from the publicity gleaned from the act.
• Etc.

Presumably anyone that takes it away has to load and convey at their insurance and expense (rhetorical question - NNTR)?

I think it would help if you clarify what type of value you are looking for.

• Resale value
• Auction value
• Insurance value
• Machining value
• Parts value
• Scrap metal value

Once you choose which value you want it should then be obvious who should be offered this machine.

Before I forget, all but the last two options requires knowledge of how well this machine still functions. If the bearings or motor is shot then contacting the scrap yard might be your best bet.

Resale value. Gap bend is in great condition. I just find it strange that I can't find any Cleveland lathes for sale on the web.

It seems Clevland tool and machine now makes HVAC sheet metal machines and custom machines. This means you might have a purpose built tool. If you don't know that purpose then the value will obviously be less than ideal. You might try contacting Clevland tool and machine with the exact model and serial number to find out both precisely what you have, if you have all the accesories and if it still meets their design specifications.

Thats all fantastic, but again, no model or serial number.

Here's a bigger one, cnc lathe...

https://clevelandmachinery.com/lath/3593.htm

Here's another...

https://clevelandmachinery.com/nmc/2729.htm

The may have been bought out, and go under a different name. Or even it may be made from another manufacturer and Cleveland puts their name on it.

I'd say about $4-5k depending on what kind of shape it's in....maybe more depending on features and accessories....but it's only really worth what somebody will pay for it, and you never know that until you sell it....

"Gap bend" ?

Are you referring to the ways of 'gap bed' as in a gap bed lathe? Doesn't look like a gap/extension lathe to me from the pic....but maybe I'm not looking at it correctly.

Also, that lathe is probably older than 1996, so you might try searching 'Clamco' for the old Clevland Lathe and Machine Company, as Clevland tool appears to have started around 1996...

I suggest you go on ebay or Used Tools and Equipment sites, and get pricing for similar sized lathes. Keep in made some of the preferred differences (such as the Spindle Nose Size Norm is a D1-5, some are D1-4) and price accordingly to your comfort level.

It's a bit unlikely that a commercial workshop would purchase such a small second hand machine like that, and the fact that it is 3 phase limits its appeal to many home workshops.

The geared head is in its favour, but if it doesn't have a 4 jaw chuck, steadies, face plate, etc, then that again limits the appeal as these are necessary items for most machinists, can be pricey and need to be compatible with the particular machine, ie chuck and face plate mounting method and centre heights of travelling and fixed steadies. All of these items come standard on new machines these days.

If I were seeking one of these and was willing to forego the missing bits, I would still want to ascertain the accuracy of the existing chuck, the spindle bore diameter and spindle bearing slack, plus how much slack is in the cross slide etc, these tend to get a fair bit of stress due to older type knurling tool use etc.

Many of the Asian ones now on the market are equal to the home made stuff at a fraction of the price.

I would expect that $2K would be tops if what's there is in good nick.

$2k! more like $500, it's old & the only people that would be interested will be hobbyist or someone who would use it once a month or less, I don't want to rain on your parade but I bought a Colchester lathe with a 8ft bed and loads of chucks and accessories for £800 & it was in top condition, so I think he must be realistic.

Bazzer.

Unless you are emotionally attached to it, and/or you plan to exhibit it in a museum, you could alternatively put it up for sale (on the internet) as a single lot and/or in parts, and the (feedback/inquiries) may tell you more about what its' going-rate is, and who made what parts... (and then, use the proceeds to help buy a new one, in order to avoid the unknown costs of fixing its' old problems ...)

Also, consider shopping-it around to area community/technical schools, as a charitable contribution, for a possible tax deduction... Their in-house employees may already have the particular expertise/experience/interest needed to (become able to) operate it effectively...

In the UK you can buy new similar sized machines for about £3000. The more popular Colchester lathes in that sort of size are about £1500 for a used machine.

Do you ever watch the American auction programs where they sell storage units? when the people have bought them and start going through the stuff it always makes me laugh when they have a crappy old machine and think that its worth a fortune, I've seen a compressor which in the UK would fetch between £30--£50 but they think they will get $500 for it, totally unrealistic.

Bazzer

After viewing the information provided by Solar Eagle, I would say it is a pretty good lathe, probably made in Taiwan (not China). I think $1500 to $2000 would be a fair price, provided it is in good condition.