What's this worth? - Logan 922

(Hope this is the correct place for this question...)

I was wondering if someone could let me know (provided everything is in decent working condition), roughly what this Logan 922 should fetch? It comes with an assortment of tooling, some of which can be seen in the pictures provided below. I'm asking because I don't want to low-ball the person. Just looking for a fair price.

I'm also asking because I would like to get into machining as a hobby. I want machines that I can grow into. As is normally the case, I don't have a lot of room at my current place so I'd like to try to find something I can learn on before I upgrade down the road and have a designated shop.

I've watched some videos of these machines, as well as general videos of what to pay attention to when buying a used machine, but if someone could also point out what I should watch out for with these machines in particular, that would also be very helpful.

Thank you,
-Garrett

I assume you have not bought this yet from your post. All I can tell you is my Logan story. I bought one, I can't remember the model, but about the same as yours except it had a turret. I got it for my boys to use and paid about $800 for it. Then I found a south bend 13 for a good deal. When I went to sell the logan I advertised it on craigslist and ebay and here for $800 no luck and no offers. I wound up auctioning it on ebay with a no reserve auction that started at $1 and it went for about $150. I think the value of a logan is not nearly that of a decent south bend. And, this logan lathe was in excellent condition. Not pretty paint job but the ways were great.

Also, with machines like this I generally tear into things and give them a good cleaning since most 50 or so old machines seem to need it. I can tell you having had the apron off and apart on the logan and having worked on several south bends the logan is not near as well designed. It is sort-of a real lathe wannabe.

Condition and tooling is everything.

I live in the Northeast and have two Logan 920's, similar to the one you've got pictured. I love them (hence bought two). These are light, serviceable machines with decent through-spindle capacity and quick-change gear boxes. Their size and weight make them ideal for basement or home shops and that size contributes to a demand from hobby machinists which contributes to their going quickly. They can be broken down into subassemblies easily for transport.

I purchased my first one off Craigslist. Reasonable amounts of tooling and paid $2k. Probably on the high side but it was in excellent condition.

My second one was purchased from a dealer for $1,200. Much more reasonable price as it came with a ton of extra tooling (including two full sets of 5c collets in 1/64 increments, multiple faceplates, steady rest, micrometer stop, cross feed stop, light, tailstock chucks, quick-change tool post, 3 and 4-jaw chucks, chuck wrenches, etc.) On a lark I tallied up the cost of the tooling and it exceeded the price I paid for the lathe, so a bargain.

If it's in decent working condition and comes with the basic accessories I wouldn't hesitate to pay $1-1.5k. Would have to be a special machine or exceptionally well-tooled to pay $2k.

YMMV

The location and local abundance of similar machines would be a key factor in the market value, of course, on the top of conditions and tooling.
If all and only what's pictured comes with the lathe, I'd say that a fair price could be $800-1000. It looks like that there are a 4-jaw chuck, a steady rest and a set of collets complete of spindle adapter and threads protector. I don't see any drawbar for the collets, But, building one is a relatively simple project, once you learn how to operate the lathe.

Yes, South Bend lathes are somehow the Harleys of the lathes: a huge name recognition for something built to a budget with a few quality touches and many cheap solutions.

I do not have much direct experience with Logan lathes. However, for what I've seen, especially 10" and larger swing (this one is 11") are fairly robust hobby machines with similar capabilities as their more recognized cousins.

Two things I would make sure, before buying it: 1) that all the gears have all their teeth in good shape and 2) that the spindle runs smooth and the bearings are not noisy or, even worse, rough.

As Pete has mentioned, keep in mind that it will be harder to sell it, or will sell cheaper than an equivalent South Bend (but, definitely, for much more than the price at which Pete sold his one).

Paolo

A decent lathe to start with. This one has the larger (1 3/8") spindle and will take 5c collets. I'd be sure there's the adapter and drawbar to hold those -- it adds to the utility of the lathe.

You need to check it all out - gears, bed, spindle bearings etc. to make sure there's not a show stopper.

This has a flat belt which will limit the cut -- not necessarily bad to start. It looks pretty beat. With the accessories shown, you could sleep soundly at night offering $750 to a friend. $1000 would be a fair price. Unless it's somehow in much better shape than the pictures suggest, $1500 is too much. Don't know if there is an adjustment for where you are in Washington -- it might be harder to find lathes where you are.

I'm assuming the chucks shown are in good shape, the thing that looks like a center rest lying down is actually a center rest, and the lathe is in all working condition, except for some wear to the cross feed etc.

I paid $1700 for mine (also a Logan 922) in January and feel like I got a fair deal. I bought it from a kid who was going to college and had upgraded to a 14" Logan. I probably could have squeezed him a little harder on the price, but he was a nice guy and he loaded the lathe in my truck for me. I'm in New York, about an hour north of NYC. Things are a bit more pricey here.

Here's the lathe and the tooling I got with it.

I sold one for $650. It was in good condition but had very little tooling. I listed it on Craigslist and it sold quickly.

Look very closely at the back gears.

The shifter and retainer on these are flaky and the gears slide out and often the teeth on the left side break off.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337Z using Tapatalk

Having experience on both Logan's and small SB's I'll take the Logan every time.But do check the back gears for damage. I suspect lathes don't grow on trees in your area so if in decent condition $1200-1500 would be a reasonable deal.

Thank you everyone for your responses. They are very (VERY) appreciated. I've been a lurker on this forum off and on for awhile trying to learn what I can. Lots of experience bundled up in an easily accessible location and it's comforting to know that there are those willing to help.

Comments regarding finding decent machines are true in Washington. They don't pop up very often. A co-worker's father-in-law owns the lathe. He bought it and used it for little odd jobs and custom parts for the cars he builds so I know that, at least for what he used it for, it's in working condition. He no longer uses it (other interests and such) and told my co-worker he'd be willing to sell it for the right price. I just wanted to make sure I did my research so I don't low-ball him.

Personally, I'm not too worried about the resale value as the way I look at it is the purchase cost and resale loss are the price of the education. As long as the lathe is robust for what I want to use it for (small custom pieces for project cars,my hobbies, and most importantly, learning), and isn't totally clapped out, I'd chalk it up as a win.

It does come with more tooling than what is shown (as far as he says; how much? I won't know until I check it out). I'll see if the collets come with an adapter and drawbar -- if not, that'll be my first project.

I'll make absolutely sure I check the back gears (as well as the other gears) for damage; I did see on one of tubalcain's YouTube videos that one of the gears in the QC tumbler were broken so I figured to "check" that, I'd check it in all configurations to see if any "fail to catch." I'll also be sure to check bed/way wear (vs. twist) as indicated on the Logan FAQ website. Bearings are also on the list.

Thanks again for the help,

-Garrett