Sheldon 11x24 Value and tooling??

New to all this. Please pardon the ignorance and silly questions. What are these worth? I hear nothing but great things by the way. It's blue with a 1 3/8 spindle bore and heavy cast iron base. I understand they had great bearings. Looks to be in great shape and runs well. What's a decent buy and resource for parts? Thanks again!!

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I have a similar one, mine is a model L, I'm feeling too lazy to look up what model your is right now, but Tony's is fairly helpful.

http://www.lathes.co.uk/sheldon/

Parts are much rarer than south-bend, but it's a pretty simple machine, so not too difficult to just make what you need.

I like mine, but it's not perfect. Only 1500 rpm top speed (or 1200 rpm, cant remember right now). Pathetically short tail-stock stoke, back gears are very loud, and entire end gearing is pretty growley as well. .050 per side at .005 per revolution in 4140 is all mine wants to do, so you won't set any metal removal records with it.

I paid 1400 for my 11x36, it came with a 3 jaw, and Yasua tool post. Also a bunch of other stuff, vice, buzzbox welder, wasn't too bad a deal with all the other stuff I got.

Spindle is too small for 5C with a lever chuck, so you have to use a collet chuck, not bad, but lever style would be nice (much faster).

Also has a slightly odd size spindle thread, Shars has the rough threaded blanks, but finding used chucks that thread straight on is rare. I just buy a rough backplate and just replace what ever came with the used chuck.

light and easy to move, I'd pick it over a South Bend, partly just to be different.

That one has a cam lock spindle much nicer than threaded. forget the pretty paint and look for wear on ways cross slide screw/nut etc. Price depends on what tooling comes with,as it sits with normal wear $1500 . 4 jaw chuck,steady rest,drill chuck,follow rest etc. adds value.

I have had 2 students who owned them. Both liked them. I ran one of them and it was a sturdy machine. The motor and speed belts seemed well built for a small machine. Just look at the Asian crap out there and compared to that, $2000.00 would seem like a deal. So offer low, you can always go up :-) Also get all the extra tooling, centers, chucks, manual...etc. thrown in. The only thing I didn't like about them the cross-slide was down in a hole and a pain to get a straight-edge in there to scrape. But if that one is in fine shape...no need to worry about that, Yet...lol Rich

I had an 11x36 Sheldon that I sold to go to a bigger lathe, but always thought it was a pretty well built machine. Mine was variable speed, doesn't look like this one is, sold it a couple years ago for $2800 without much in the way of tooling.

Picked it up. Solid old lathe with minimal wear. ES-46-P is the catalog number. V belt drive, 16 speeds, 1 3/8 spindle bore and an incredibly sturdy machine.

Good luck with your lathe. If you have any questions about it there is a guy who used to work for Sheldon (can't remember the name right now) on the Yahoo Sheldon group. If you go there you wont have any trouble finding him (assuming he's still around anyway), very helpful and knows the machines inside and out.

That would be John Knox...wonderful fellow, but the yahoo groups format not so much..for literature and such join the yahoo group but to communicate with John just call him..

http://www.leatherdrivebelts.com