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NOS 1984 South Bend 10k (light) - Value?

mmoe

Plastic
Joined
Sep 10, 2014
A friend has acquired a completely unused 1984 vintage South Bend light 10 lathe with collet set (german made), milling vise attachement, 3 and 4 jaw chucks, 10" face plate, 6 in one (or something like that) toolpost holder, standard lamp holder, steady rest (no follwer rest), dead centers, live center, and my favorite; a graduated tailstock. Bed length is 4 1/2 feet. Most other attachments are there, with the exception of a tapering attachment (might be there, but I didn't see one without snooping too closely. He already has a heavy 10 of older vintage in like new condition as well, so he has no need for this lathe and we're trying to figure out what a fair market price on it is if I were to buy it. Of course, I'd get a bit of a discount since it's between friends, but I also want to be sure that it's fair both ways.

Condition is basically 100% new and the machine has never, and I do mean never, made a single cut. It's difficult to tell if it's ever even been turned on since the wiring is not connected at the switch. All of the attachments are also in brand new condition, bought at the same time as the lathe. The lathe is one of the Korean made variety, but seems to be very well made. It also has the stand since it's a under the cabinet motor version. The lathe is still coated in cosmoline. It does not appear that a chuck has ever been fit to the head.

If it were a standard used South Bend from the 80s, I'd be pretty comfortable with the typical $1500 or so as the value, perhaps more given the tooling that comes with it. What I don't know, is how much is the fact that this is literally a new old stock lathe worth? It may very well be the oldest South Bend lathe in existence that has not made a cut. I never saw the 80's South Bends as collectible, but they do seem to be up there with old Atlas/Craftsman in price. Plus, a new and likely inferior Southbend (with motor top mounted) can be bought with a shorter bed and stand for close to $5000 with less tooling.

I'd appreciate some opinions on what it's worth. Thanks in advance!
 
I bought mine two years ago, 1978 SB made in the USA in the same condition minus :follow rest and steady rest, Face plate, dog plate, Collet stand, milling attachment and chucks,, taper attachment, for $10000. I bought, later, almost all missing accessories in new condition. I paid this amount of money not because I was going to do hell of a lot of work on it but because I fell in love with the SB lathe when I refurbished the old one that I bought before. I suppose it has greater value for me as Iconic American Lathe then just a production machine.
Also, SB lathe in this condition is more rare then mammoth manure on contemporary street:) therefore, I would think, it will commend higher price.
However, the real machinists, the grease covered crowd with dirty hands, might disagree:))) Just joking:) I have great respect for you all.
I hope to hear other opinions on this topic.

Good luck. letlevski
 
Can you take some photos of the lathe.?

If it ends up at my house, I will absolutely do so. Right now, it's at my friend's shop and I did not really think to take photos when I was looking at it. Really, if you imagine a South Bend lathe brand new, that's what it looks like. There is a small scratch 2 inch scratch on the rear left of the head (on a corner) which was painted over by the original owner that I suppose probably happened from something bumping it over the years. Outside of that, it is as it would be new.
 
I bought mine two years ago, 1978 SB made in the USA in the same condition minus :follow rest and steady rest, Face plate, dog plate, Collet stand, milling attachment and chucks,, taper attachment, for $10000. I bought, later, almost all missing accessories in new condition. I paid this amount of money not because I was going to do hell of a lot of work on it but because I fell in love with the SB lathe when I refurbished the old one that I bought before. I suppose it has greater value for me as Iconic American Lathe then just a production machine.
Also, SB lathe in this condition is more rare then mammoth manure on contemporary street:) therefore, I would think, it will commend higher price.
However, the real machinists, the grease covered crowd with dirty hands, might disagree:))) Just joking:) I have great respect for you all.
I hope to hear other opinions on this topic.

Good luck. letlevski

I'm more of a tool user, so if I get it I will be using it. It wouldn't make it through a week before it would be covered in oil and chips!

I'm curious if you think that there is significant or not significant difference between the USA made and the Korean made in the eyes of those who buy them. If it's worth enough, I'll tell my friend that I won't be hurt if he sells it elsewhere and that it may be worthwhile doing so, but my budget will not be anywhere near what it may fetch elsewhere. He most likely will still be happy to sell it well under value, but I just want to be sure that the value is at least considered before hand.
 
I have one of the same model lathe (1984 long bed), in extremely good condition when purchased with a bunch of accessories (no taper attachment) (steady rest, follow rest, three chucks, faceplates, lever tailstock, collets, collet-closer, centers, mt chucks, tools, misc attachments). Paid $2000 about 6 years ago which is what the gentleman was asking, I didn't quibble at all, particularly with all the tooling, and he had several people asking (CL purchase). IMO $1500 would be considerably low for a "new" bare lathe (on the open market, if one is selling between friends, perhaps a different equation), considering just the going rate for the rare very good condition ones that come up, notwithstanding the extreme rarity of a NOS one which might bring a surprisingly high amount, the problem between you and your friend is that you probably wouldn't really know without offering it for sale....

Where'd he find such a rare gooney-bird (we are all nosy about such things and want details).

(FYI, ignore the inevitable unhelpful peanut gallery comments that will appear here stating that they are "toys" and questioning why anyone would buy one). Good Luck! Charles

A family friend of his father's generation had bought it new and finally realized after 33 years of it sitting that he won't ever be getting around to using it I suppose. My friend was the only person he new that he thought would be interested and I don't think he wanted to go through the process of selling it. I'm told he did a lot of nice machining and fabrication, just on anything but the lathe and was more of a woodworker based on the amount of wood dust stuck to the cosmoline. My friend is not sure why he never got to using it, but maybe it was unfamiliar and the idea of learning it was always too much at the times he actually needed it? I can only speculate, but it does make you wonder what's in the various garages and basements around the country.
 
Several years ago I bought a similar South Bend 10K, Korean made from I think about 1978. It was well equipped and included a taper attachment, etc. It had been used to machine plastic parts and was essentially unworn, although not new like the one you're considering. IMHO, the quality of the lathe for what it is, is very good to outstanding. I paid a premium price for it, close to $3K with shipping from Texas to California, and have not regretted it. If you can get a new original South Bend 10K lathe for less than $2K, I'd say go for it.
 
I looked at it today again and took some photos. There is some grey overspray that I am positive is original, as if they sprayed the cabinet after they mounted the lathe. It's minor and could be cleaned off really easily. It is mostly on the motor inside the cabinet (paint would have gone through the louvers, some very light on the belt (plastic feeling with a leather like inside?) and a little on some, but not all, various non-painted surfaces of the lathe. Otherwise it is absolutely mint, not even any surface rust anywhere. Here's a couple photos. Notice the lack of wear near the headstock.

Front.jpg
Rear.jpg
BedNearSpindle.jpg
BedNearTailstock.jpg
 
I don't know if your question about any difference between USA made and Korean made lathes has been answered, but here's my experience. I was initially dismayed to discover that the 10K lathe I purchased online was in fact made in Korea. But that was several years ago and as yet I have not seen any reason to doubt the quality of the Korean made lathe I bought. I can't compare USA and Korean, but I have seen others do so and the consensus seems that there is no quality issue with respect to the Korean made lathes of this vintage. If I was in your situation and wanted a lathe like the one you've shown us, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
 
A 10K SB was my first lathe. Bought it when I was 17. I remember standing in front of that thing all day taking .03" pass after .03" pass. Snapping parting blades. Playing with speeds and feeds and different HSS grinds and carbide inserts to try and get acceptable finishes. I bet I spent a couple hundred hours in front of that lathe making tiny little chips. I remember stalling the spindle a lot and I seized the spindle pulleys on the spindle a few times forgetting to oil in there when using back gear.

Buying a real lathe was so cool. I made more chips in the first 5 minutes than I made with that SB in 6 years. I found it was pretty cool that the dials meant something on the real lathe and you could hit size with whatever depth finish pass you wanted and "tenths" and turned bearing fits became a real thing.

Not sure what I would do with a brand new SB. Probably put on ebay and sell to the highest bidder. Hopefully somebody who thought SB was a good brand name and wanted to collect it rather than use it would buy it.
 
Well, personally, if it were me. I would buy it in a heartbeat, set it up in my garage under a spotlight, and charge admission so people could come look at what a new SB looks like. :gossip:This thing looks magnificent in your photos. Thanks for posting!
 








 
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