Old lathe. Anybody have more info for me

Its a rockford belonged to a family member who passed. Any idea of how much its worth. Specs or how old it is?

Although I used to run a Rockford lathe which was a terrific machine, I can't offer any idea of value except that groovy light fixture may be worth pretty good money.

Your machine appears to be about 14"-16" swing, with about 32"-38" between centers. The drive system suggests that it was manufactured pre-1920. Depending on condition, it may be capable of useful work. If it has tooling, Tool holders, boring bars, steady rests, drill chucks, or drills, it might bring $500-$600. With no, or little tooling, $300-$400. Moving it will be the main factor in it's worth. Regards, Clark

Thank you both for your information

OSHA is a big factor in destroying the value of these lathes.

If your company had ten (10) or fewer employees at all times during the last calendar year, you do not need to keep OSHA injury and illness records unless OSHA or the BLS informs you in writing that you must keep records under § 1904.41 or § 1904.42.

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That said, for shops with less than 10 employees, any one of these might take it upon themselves to "drop a dime" on something they consider an unsafe condition. And older lathes with exposed belting and gears would be a prime candidate for complaint.

Most small shops choose to NOT keep the vintage iron going - and this limits your market to the single user/homeowner user.

And most homeowners would rather go skiing, or do road sports, or simply watch television on their time off from their real employment.

Consequently your market is limited to collectors/aficionados of vintage iron. Such as those who hang around here.

With such a limited market, one's pricing is governed by law of supply and demand. It is not unusual for a plug & play lathe to exist on Craigslist for 6 months or a year waiting for a buyer.

A certain vintage lathe of discussion here is incomplete, parts only, but hails from the period before 1874. Normally a collectable, it poses a conundrum for a collector because it is missing some very essential parts. To get past this, the seller is listing it as a "woodworking lathe" this despite the fact that it is missing ALL the necessary woodworking adjuncts: things such as T-rest, outboard stand, even a faceplate or chuck. And the lathe does not conform to Morse Taper standards which is an additional hurdle in the way of its recycling to woodworking service. It is set up on a roll-around pallet which may ease removal.

He started at $400 for the pile of parts. Now four months later he's dropped to $350.

I sense this one will be a long time in selling. I imagine at $400, you might stand a better chance - more so if it has chucks, rests, tool-holders, and is truly plug & play on 120VAC.

Anyway, good luck. Plug & Play is in your favor. Current situation (it looks like a basement) may not be.

Joe in NH

Looks fairly heavy and in need of a good rebuild. Might be a nice lathe for somebody looking for that sort of project, certainly few commercial ventures in this day and age. Agree with the above on pricing, but that's highly location dependent. There are lathe-starved places where you might get $800 and a bunch of other places where you'll have trouble moving it at all. $400 might be typical. It helps if you can show it under power and can get it out of wherever it is.

Replacement attachments or missing standard items are difficult if not impossible to obtain for vintage or antique equipment. The more complete the machine is, the greater its value. Your picture shows a three jaw chuck, and it would be to your advantage to scout the area around the lathe to locate and itemize any additional items which belong with it. It does appear to be a descent sized lathe in usable condition with a quick change gear box, which would add value. As others have noted, the machines physical location (home basement?) will have a significant role in its value due to the complexity and labor involved in moving it. I acquired a lathe that was disassembled and removed from a city basement piece by piece, which worked out fine, as it needed a thorough goings over from years of standing idle. From what I’ve seen offered on craigslist, this lathe, assuming additional standard items are located (steady/follower rest, additional chucks, chuck keys, etc.) in my opinion, would be closer to the $800 range.
The work light did attract my attention as well as another poster. After a closer look at the picture, it appears the fixture was shop fabricated using pipe fittings. If the light fixture was genuine, vintage factory made, it probably alone, would have significant “steam punk” value. Arttech.

Its in a garage. There are extra parts with it. As far as i know its been used within the last year to make things. Gonna put in in my barn to tinker with. Just trying to figure out what a fair offer would be to my cousins. Sounds like offering about 500 or so if i can move it with my own truck and trailer

I live in Michigan. Offer them $400.

Edit: If you are SE Michigan I can stop by and help evaluate it.