Heavy Duty Mann Lathe (Providence, RI) available Craigslist

Ha, ha. EXCEPT for the legs.

$150 worth of scrap anyone? The cone pulley might be of use setting a drive for another lathe. And the little tid-bits and ephemera might be cleaned up and displayed around one's shop to show others what good taste you have in vintage machinery - or to provide parts for other machines missing EVERYTHING BUT THE LEGS.

Is this possible?

Anyway, intriguing in its historical connection - not many Mann Lathes around even on a good day. Now one less.

Vintage industrial metal lathe parts



Sorry. Pet peeve of mine. This lathe from about 1873. It was fine until a "modern" decided to "cash in the legs" and pay for his kids Christmas Presents.

Or one hopes.

Joe in NH

yes, and once this idiotic trend passes, those legs will be tossed into the trash.

It won't be long before those yuppie tables will be out in the trash and you will be able to get the legs back for scrap.

With what some of those tables are selling for I still don't understand why nobody is casting up some legs in aluminum.

rusty old tools said:

With what some of those tables are selling for I still don't understand why nobody is casting up some legs in aluminum.

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They are...

2 Massive Factory Farm Table Leg Base Cast Iron Industrial Antique Farmhouse | eBay



Of course this kinds of goes against the thought of "repurposing." A frugal motivation, repurposed articles carry the label of frugality, ingeniousness, adaptability, and even "green" since in the minds of its adherents, repurposing keeps something from the trash stream and conserves energy and resources in the re-use.

Not considered the fact that a NEW lathe to replace the one disabled/sundered for components will take 4x (estimate) energy to make, store, transport, and later scrap in a few years when this modern "engineered product" has served its useful life. Consider the difference between a Model A Ford made in the days of "durability" and today's essentially disposable automobiles.

Also consider that repurpose driven by fad is STILL a fad - and subject to the same style preference foibles that clothing designers have taken advantage of for YEARS. What is in high style today is tomorrows rag to use to check the oil level on your dipstick.

Consider also that repurpose is NOT driven by classical and timeless standards of beauty and design convention but by a "make do" mindset - a temporary expedient to get the job done and then move on to something better. Consider the difference between a classical Roman Temple and an expedient pup tent to survive a quick storm. And while charming when first seen and some marvel is taken in its ingeniousness, repurposing is still a temporary expedient. And for those who buy in to the styling - an EXPENSIVE expedient.

And perhaps this the greatest attraction? Like the Dutch Tulip Craze, (Tulip mania - Wikipedia) shortage of supply behests high prices. And high price behests desirability. And desirability behests object envy by those without and ego boost by those with and CAN afford.

Joni Mitchell and her "Big Yellow Taxi" comes to mind.

Don't it always seem to go / That you don't know what you've got til its gone / They paved paradise / And put up a parking lot

Right now it is only an old rusty lathe. Will another generation bring it to a rightful place as a mechanical relic?

We may all be servants to a Chinese Owner by then.

Joe in NH

It is absolutely mind boggling who orders parts of poor basterdised machines as the modern apology which is being purveyed to the masses as late twenty/twenty first century art, Not only the arty farty art gurus, but designers for various venues, One of the worst examples of this is certainly some trendy designer over my side of the pond some fifteen years ago revamping a local museum near where i stay, Outside of this venue was erected a glass edifice, containing various parts of machines, displayed in a most weird juxtaposition

In this "display case" are the remnants of what must have been some intresting old machines,One which springs to mind is the bottom cone pulley system from a nice old flat belt Denbigh drilling machine, which looks as though it could have been a machine in pretty good condition, There are other parts of fine machinery welded together, Looking at it one has to ask "What Is The Point?"

Rapidly passing is the museum display where in conjunction with an item of mechanical/historical merit is a printed ticket explaining how it operates, Right enough an old buzzard like myself belongs to the era where students in a secondary school environment had a slight basic smattering of how mechanical things operated , Why the modern Museumologists do not make more use of that wonderfull teaching aid the computerised interactive tool in conjunction with the ancient examples of technology escapes me.

I wonder who the idiot who dreampt up this current trend of steam punking was, He has a sin to answer for, It seems to be universal, I personally own a very fine big pressure guage of a Babcock & wilcox boiler, I have lost count of the number of times I have been asked "Why don't you make it into a quartz chrystal clock?" Good taste is rapidly going down the plughole.

Joe in NH said:

They are...

2 Massive Factory Farm Table Leg Base Cast Iron Industrial Antique Farmhouse | eBay

Of course this kinds of goes against the thought of "repurposing." A frugal motivation, repurposed articles carry the label of frugality, ingeniousness, adaptability, and even "green" since in the minds of its adherents, repurposing keeps something from the trash stream and conserves energy and resources in the re-use.

Not considered the fact that a NEW lathe to replace the one disabled/sundered for components will take 4x (estimate) energy to make, store, transport, and later scrap in a few years when this modern "engineered product" has served its useful life. Consider the difference between a Model A Ford made in the days of "durability" and today's essentially disposable automobiles.

Also consider that repurpose driven by fad is STILL a fad - and subject to the same style preference foibles that clothing designers have taken advantage of for YEARS. What is in high style today is tomorrows rag to use to check the oil level on your dipstick.

Consider also that repurpose is NOT driven by classical and timeless standards of beauty and design convention but by a "make do" mindset - a temporary expedient to get the job done and then move on to something better. Consider the difference between a classical Roman Temple and an expedient pup tent to survive a quick storm. And while charming when first seen and some marvel is taken in its ingeniousness, repurposing is still a temporary expedient. And for those who buy in to the styling - an EXPENSIVE expedient.

And perhaps this the greatest attraction? Like the Dutch Tulip Craze, (Tulip mania - Wikipedia) shortage of supply behests high prices. And high price behests desirability. And desirability behests object envy by those without and ego boost by those with and CAN afford.

Joni Mitchell and her "Big Yellow Taxi" comes to mind.

Don't it always seem to go / That you don't know what you've got til its gone / They paved paradise / And put up a parking lot

Right now it is only an old rusty lathe. Will another generation bring it to a rightful place as a mechanical relic?

We may all be servants to a Chinese Owner by then.

Joe in NH

Click to expand...

Dang, wonder if that's just his asking or what he's actually getting? If he's getting that on those legs I've got a foundry that will make them cheap enough to be quite profitable and still beat that price, and I suppose considering that they're cast they're still partly recycled material, more than likely anyway.

Over here yuppies buy jeans with tears and holes in-maybe I can cash in my old wore out jeans?

I contacted the seller because I could use that steady rest but he only wants to deal locally. Anyone local willing to pick it up and send to me?

Bret Rochotte said:

I contacted the seller because I could use that steady rest but he only wants to deal locally. Anyone local willing to pick it up and send to me?

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Vintage industrial metal lathe parts

Perhaps you could contact him again? He's still listing now at $70 (was $150) for ALL the parts. Your steady rest is still being shown.

Heh. He's finding Craigslist a sort of "negative Ebay." Prices don't escalate in time in this Alternate Craigslist Universe.

Too bad you can't catch him at the end of his driveway in about 6 months when he gets tired of tripping over the (now) deadweight.

But he got his money for the legs - prolly $150 which seems to be about half the retail rate from those who specialize in leggery. So he's been paid in advance for his discomfort.

Joe in NH

rusty old tools said:

Dang ...... If he's getting that on those legs I've got a foundry that will make them cheap enough to be quite profitable and still beat that price......

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Listing says price is for "Two Legs"

Thanks for the heads up, I might try again.

Joe in NH said:

But he got his money for the legs - prolly $150 which seems to be about half the retail rate from those who specialize in leggery. So he's been paid in advance for his discomfort. Joe in NH

Click to expand...

I see one of the legs in the last picture with the white bucket of gears.

Rob

TedinNorfolk said:

Over here yuppies buy jeans with tears and holes in-maybe I can cash in my old wore out jeans?

Click to expand...

And really expensive shoes that come pre-scuffed so they look like they've never been cleaned !

Regards Tyrone.

Robert Lang said:

I see one of the legs in the last picture with the white bucket of gears.

Rob

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I think the pix are from January.

Regardless of "leggery," I do have to wonder about the marketing strategy of "disassembling" machinery prior to sale. Is there hope like Mr. Goodwrench where the buyer will be encouraged to bankrupt himself buying his automobile from the parts counter rather than from a salesman on the showroom floor?

Some of this disassembly tendency I attribute to "pursuit of ephemera." Aligned to the "steampunk genre." I myself have thrown away better looking ring & pinion gears from a Model A Ford than ones I have seen welded together "for display" and sold on Ebay for $100. I say sell, they mostly don't.

The gentleman down in Amesbury, MA who disassembled an 1860 DW Pond wood lathe and scattered the parts a case in point I have mentioned. He seems to be making a career in disassembly. You want a coupler nut for a Detroit/Allison diesel and he will have it for $5. No mention at all you can go to any hardware store and buy the identical nut in the parts drawers for $1.29.

Perhaps this just a seller getting a kick from getting something for nearly nothing and "flipping it" either in whole or (last resort) as parts. Putting something over on someone else seemingly the objective with actual value traded secondary in the deal?

Caviet Emptor seems the best advice.

Joe in NH

I'm not quite in tune with all the outrage at parting out an old machine tool. Keep in mind the thing is nearly 150 years old. It's useful life as a metal working machine was probably eclipsed sometime in the 1920's. Since then it's been a hobby machine at best, and more likely a pile of junk to step over. Just because it's old doesn't mean it's useful, or in demand.

If the pictures are from January as some suggest it should be apparent that there's little or no market for any of the components either as replacement parts for existing machines or "art work" for another generation.

Most people look at it as a pile of junk taking up space that could be better utilized. I regularly see adds posted here for old machines. Seldom do I see anyone willing to spend the time, money, and effort to purchase them, and even fewer reports of one or more being restored.

On one hand it's a bit sad to see some of these ornate machines be hauled off to the scrap yard. On the other hand very few people are interested in saving a building full of machinery that in all likelihood will never make another part, or become a museum piece.

I have several machines in my shop from the early 1900's. At this point all are in good working order, and some have sentimental value. When they cease to be productive a decision has to be made as to whether it's more economical to restore or replace them. The ones with sentimental value will probably be restored even though the economics will dictate replacing them would be the better option. Those with no sentimental attachment will most likely offered up for sale.

Then it comes down to where the most cash can be generated in the least time to purchase a replacement. Will I wait weeks, months, or possibly years for the right "collector" to come along and offer a price I can't refuse, or will it go for scrap price to someone willing to haul it away and make room for a new machine immediately. Time will tell, but my experience has been they will both offer about the same amount. The collector needs to buy at a bargain price so they can afford to spend the money on restoration. The scrap dealer is offering a low price because he needs to make a profit or go out of business.

While it may be nice to hold on to them for posterity the reality of the situation is the upcoming generations show relatively little interest in warehousing or restoring antique machinery. Some may feel "He who dies with the most toys wins" while others feel "He who dies with the most toys leaves the biggest mess for the relatives to dispose of". It's a matter of perspective.

Joe in NH said:

I think the pix are from January.

Regardless of "leggery," I do have to wonder about the marketing strategy of "disassembling" machinery prior to sale. Is there hope like Mr. Goodwrench where the buyer will be encouraged to bankrupt himself buying his automobile from the parts counter rather than from a salesman on the showroom floor?

Some of this disassembly tendency I attribute to "pursuit of ephemera." Aligned to the "steampunk genre." I myself have thrown away better looking ring & pinion gears from a Model A Ford than ones I have seen welded together "for display" and sold on Ebay for $100. I say sell, they mostly don't.

The gentleman down in Amesbury, MA who disassembled an 1860 DW Pond wood lathe and scattered the parts a case in point I have mentioned. He seems to be making a career in disassembly. You want a coupler nut for a Detroit/Allison diesel and he will have it for $5. No mention at all you can go to any hardware store and buy the identical nut in the parts drawers for $1.29.

Perhaps this just a seller getting a kick from getting something for nearly nothing and "flipping it" either in whole or (last resort) as parts. Putting something over on someone else seemingly the objective with actual value traded secondary in the deal?

Caviet Emptor seems the best advice.

Joe in NH

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I am the first one to be critical of someone taking a good and functioning old machine tool apart and selling off the parts and LEGS.

My point on this seller is, does anyone know for a fact that he sold the legs separate, since you can see one in the picture, regardless of when the pictures were taken.
Do we know that he was the one who disassembled the lathe. Maybe he got the lathe that way.
Maybe he rescued the lathe that way from a scrap yard.
Maybe this was a project that he no longer has time for.

We have become to quick to criticize without knowing all the facts.

Rob

Bret Rochotte said:

I contacted the seller because I could use that steady rest but he only wants to deal locally. Anyone local willing to pick it up and send to me?

Click to expand...

I ended up with this pile. Mainly for the chucks and small parts. I haven't checked it over yet but if the steady rest is surplus to me I'll let you know.

cutting oil Mac said:

It is absolutely mind boggling who orders parts of poor basterdised machines as the modern apology which is being purveyed to the masses as late twenty/twenty first century art, Not only the arty farty art gurus, but designers for various venues, One of the worst examples of this is certainly some trendy designer over my side of the pond some fifteen years ago revamping a local museum near where i stay, Outside of this venue was erected a glass edifice, containing various parts of machines, displayed in a most weird juxtaposition

In this "display case" are the remnants of what must have been some intresting old machines,One which springs to mind is the bottom cone pulley system from a nice old flat belt Denbigh drilling machine, which looks as though it could have been a machine in pretty good condition, There are other parts of fine machinery welded together, Looking at it one has to ask "What Is The Point?"

Rapidly passing is the museum display where in conjunction with an item of mechanical/historical merit is a printed ticket explaining how it operates, Right enough an old buzzard like myself belongs to the era where students in a secondary school environment had a slight basic smattering of how mechanical things operated , Why the modern Museumologists do not make more use of that wonderfull teaching aid the computerised interactive tool in conjunction with the ancient examples of technology escapes me.

I wonder who the idiot who dreampt up this current trend of steam punking was, He has a sin to answer for, It seems to be universal, I personally own a very fine big pressure guage of a Babcock & wilcox boiler, I have lost count of the number of times I have been asked "Why don't you make it into a quartz chrystal clock?" Good taste is rapidly going down the plughole.

Click to expand...

"Steampunk" drives me NUTS. You can get random wall hangings made of "gears" at home decor stores now. I think this trend has the Tim Burton vibe.
I can't stand the word steampunk (if it IS a word...) itself; it reminds me of "life hack" or "Brexit".