Gunsmithing Forum

I bought a Grizzly gunsmith lathe and taper attachment. The used lathe thing is just a big impediment to getting where you want : to work on guns. I also bought a grizzly mill/ drill. If I could only have one tool it would be the mill.
 
I picked up my gunsmith lathe from a gunsmith on one of the shooting forums. Had to drive to go get it. I picked up my mill from a local used machine tool dealer. I picked up my big lathe from a used tool dealer and had it shipped. I picked up a lot of tooling off the Practical Machinist forum. Lots more tooling came from networking with machinist and fabricator friends and word of mouth on local estate sales, local shop closings, older guys selling off their shops, etc….
 
Where do you folks buy used machines?….besides Facebook


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If you have about a quarter million bucks you can buy the late, great, Jerry Fisher's entire shop.



That includes a George Hoenig duplicator (George is a genius and a very fine gentleman).

It's about as turn-key as turn-key gets - but it ain't cheap.

Baxter
 
Where do you folks buy used machines?….besides Facebook


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There are used equipment brokers around the country that have a lot of used industrial lathes. Every year old guys kick the bucket and their wife or kids don’t know much about how to get rid of it other than Craigslist, fb marketplace, or even eBay. A good deal will have have guys from out of state ready to pounce so it helps to have an idea of what type of machine would work well for you. I’ve seen the most being sold by local businesses on Craigslist as they either go belly up, or upgrade. If a machine is worn out make sure you can afford new headstock bearings - some are ridiculously expensive.

Often just looking locally for years won’t turn up a single good machine, or a bunch will fall out of the sky all at once. If the economy tanks a number of them will pop up as folks try to pay bills and it’s a big toy rarely used.
 
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