Need help with a sell price of HBM

After 50 years of running a heavy machine shop it time to down size, I have a G&L 340T boring mill that has to go, I dont know what price to put on it. Made 1963 hard ways, 48x102 table, outrigers, facing head, obs, 40+ bars, 36 sqr roto table, verthead, 48 inch angle plate. It was unused when I bought it from usaf (1997) It has been a good machine I dont have a clue what its worth, looked on ebay, didnt help most machines were east of the missippi, stripped down with no tooling. This is not a offer to sell just need help what I should price it at, a fair price that will sell in a few months. I saw what it took to sell the collectors machine tools and it scares me a little. Also if you have any ideas were to advertize let me know Montana is a tough place to sell machine tools...Thanks Phil

Some pics would sure help...

These guys in Salt Lake had /have one, get hold of them and see if it sold or how much they are asking?
YouTube

I think demand is pretty spotty so it's hard to put a price on them.

Personally, I have a half dozen personal projects I need my HBM for and when those are done it's going to be real hard to justify the floor space mine takes up. I do repair work frequently and rarely get anything I need the HBM for. I'm the closest shop to numerous lumber mills, plywood mills, steel mill and a dozen or more big logging outfits.

Maybe that will change, but I'm not sure I want to work on 5 ton parts for loggers that don't pay their bills either.

Phil in Montana said:

After 50 years of running a heavy machine shop it time to down size, I have a G&L 340T boring mill that has to go, I dont know what price to put on it. Made 1963 hard ways, 48x102 table, outrigers, facing head, obs, 40+ bars, 36 sqr roto table, verthead, 48 inch angle plate. It was unused when I bought it from usaf (1997) It has been a good machine I dont have a clue what its worth, looked on ebay, didnt help most machines were east of the missippi, stripped down with no tooling. This is not a offer to sell just need help what I should price it at, a fair price that will sell in a few months. I saw what it took to sell the collectors machine tools and it scares me a little. Also if you have any ideas were to advertize let me know Montana is a tough place to sell machine tools...Thanks Phil

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Absolute top of the "food chain" serious bars were. Not much they cannot be made to do.

Challenge? Close-on ninety percent up to the skill of the mill-hand, ten percent the capability built into all that Iron and steel.

Can no longer find the skill? Serious-challenging learning-curve to it?
Best bar on-planet is near as dammit useless.

Somebody who has that skill available and NEEDS one for revenue work ...AND can afford rigging and transport..has to find YOU.

Ergo "fair price" and "will sell in a few months" are a pure BS luck gamble.

Got better odds of selling the entire shop to the next generation of hungry go-getter with it in situ as sweetener.. so it need not BE moved at all.

Next challenge is that anyone who has the resources to actually make a go of it can do a thousand OTHER things well, too. Most of them easier. And more profitable. Sooner. And at lower risk.

So they do.

thermite said:

Next challenge is that anyone who has the resources to actually make a go of it can do a thousand OTHER things well, too. Most of them easier. And more profitable. Sooner. And at lower risk.

So they do.

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You make a very valid point there.

I do a lot of different things in my shop. The HBM is the least profitable and one of the most complex.

This conversation is making me question why I even have it to begin with.

As far as actual value goes in 10+ years of watching, I have not seen a decent manual HBM with tooling and a DRO sell for more than $15k. I'm sure some have, but I haven't seen it.

Does yours have a DRO? I mean, if I was in the market I would not even consider one without a digital. The cost to add a good DRO is a big expense. I can't imagine trying to be productive with one of these watching handwheels. On my Kuraki it only has one handle for fine positioning of all the axis. You get within a 1/8" or so of your destination using the rapid and feed buttons while watching the display. There's no actual mechanical position feedback. originally it had some optical vernier scale thingy, but that was replaced with DRO.

Also list if it has power clamping, power drawbar and what taper. I'd assume 50 taper?

Garwood said:

Also list if it has power clamping, power drawbar and what taper. I'd assume 50 taper?

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Could be #5 morse taper, the one in the video I linked was.

Rob F. said:

Could be #5 morse taper, the one in the video I linked was.

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Most likely, yazz. 1960's when the USAF SOLD it? Gots to be more than just a ten-year-old or they'd not have let it out.

Expect ALL "manual", 5 MT, and the age-old-proven locking drift.

There's a bit of sweat to 'em. SMART sweat, but sweat and the time to raise it, nonetheless.

I did say "skilled mill hand" was the critical path?

I am not he, comes to that level. Not even for openers.

But I consider it a privilege to have known and worked with - and had all of three very intensive days training, but only a pitiful three days, nonetheless - from those who very much were, dawn of the 1960's.

"Gods"? Well.... not QUITE.

But at least a wise Foreman ASKED the full-time master of a five-inch bar more often than TOLD him! Mind.. it wan't exactly lost on "The Eagle" that our Henry was also the Senior USWA Shop Steward, age and scars earned together rather comfortably matched by then...

Let's see some photos Phil

https://www.practicalmachinist.com/...res-south-bend-forum-372508/?highlight=photos

(works forum wide)

Phil in Montana said:

After 50 years of running a heavy machine shop it time to down size, I have a G&L 340T boring mill that has to go, I dont know what price to put on it. Made 1963 hard ways, 48x102 table, outrigers, facing head, obs, 40+ bars, 36 sqr roto table, verthead, 48 inch angle plate. It was unused when I bought it from usaf (1997) It has been a good machine I dont have a clue what its worth, looked on ebay, didnt help most machines were east of the missippi, stripped down with no tooling. This is not a offer to sell just need help what I should price it at, a fair price that will sell in a few months. I saw what it took to sell the collectors machine tools and it scares me a little. Also if you have any ideas were to advertize let me know Montana is a tough place to sell machine tools...Thanks Phil

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Utube machine is just like mine, with the Morse taper, no DRO...I would think all the extras would be worth something...Maybe list it all alone on ebay...It will be a shame if the scrap yard gets it...Phil

My comment is that if is using tooling that isn't mainstream for mills anymore (sounds like it is -> MT#5 rather than CAT40 or CAT50 say) then it's likely easier to sell WITH TOOLING. As in "no, you don't have to search far and wide to source MT5 endmill holders, 'cause the machine comes with 27 of them..."

When I looked at these various old machines, the odd tooling always put me off. Having an FP1 that only uses weird stuff, and then "converting" it to use MT#4 collets (yes that's a thing) with Tormach TTS - that works but it was a hassle. I wouldn't want to go down that road with a major machine like an HBM.