Old Machine Tools Transformed to new Technology in the USA at Bourn & Koch

Here is a great history lesson and transit to modern machine tools here in the USA at Bourn and Koch in Rockford IL.
I get a plug in the last minute of the 60 minute show. I have taught several scraping classes there and have taught the interviewer John Saunders of NYC CNC on You Tube. John has also hosted some classes and has an excellent you tube shows on what is scraping on You Tube. The following is EXCELLENT! Enjoy.
Bourn & Koch Factory Tour: Iconic American Manufacturing! - YouTube

I watched this the day he posted it, great stuff. I could spend days in their archive just looking at old drawings and reading purchase orders of who bought what, when and where. A lot of great history in that building.

Cool video. I requested a quote from them for a little 31T bronze toggle gear on my mid-seventies Sheldon lathe. $970.00! I wasn't trying to be rude, but I laughed at the guy. I told him if they didn't really want to sell such parts, why do they advertise them?

Gordon Heaton said:

Cool video. I requested a quote from them for a little 31T bronze toggle gear on my mid-seventies Sheldon lathe. $970.00! I wasn't trying to be rude, but I laughed at the guy. I told him if they didn't really want to sell such parts, why do they advertise them?

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When quoted an outrageous price for some leveling screws from LeBlond I told the guy "I think I'll use my Leblond Lathe and make my own." Really? These guys are selling parts to guys that make parts? At some point I would think that crazy prices would scare all your customers away?

They are selling parts to government agencies and big corps (you know, the ones that won't pay us when we make parts). Not to us, no interest in selling to us.

The buyers at these places have no frame of reference. $970 for a part? What's new machine or downtime cost?

Mebfab said:

They are selling parts to government agencies and big corps (you know, the ones that won't pay us when we make parts). Not to us, no interest in selling to us.

The buyers at these places have no frame of reference. $970 for a part? What's new machine or downtime cost?

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For true. It's not their money; they just fulfill POs. Sooner is better than less expensive.

An unsurprising side hustle is spending thousands of dollars to rebuild a machine which had been sitting surplus for years and then seeing it sold for scrap price to a manager.

jack vines

Gordon Heaton said:

Cool video. I requested a quote from them for a little 31T bronze toggle gear on my mid-seventies Sheldon lathe. $970.00! I wasn't trying to be rude, but I laughed at the guy. I told him if they didn't really want to sell such parts, why do they advertise them?

Click to expand...

So it is all perspective I think.
I was restoring a Colchester 17" round head lathe.
Dreadful thing, I know, but the ways were in really
good shape. Anyhow, it needed a power feed gear
in the apron. The teeth were stripped. It had a
helix angle to it. I could have brazed it up and
hobbed or single point planed it, yes I know.
But I got a price from Frank Kleinworth in Texas.
The gear from him was $1200. That is the same that
I paid for the lathe. I figured, this is really
the only part I need to make the lathe basically
operational again, so I bought it. Just like that.
Got my lathe cleaned up and working. Perfect.
Now gears are not really all that complicated,
but they are not something I have played with much
making them in my shop. In my case, I was fine with
spending the money. Other people have other views
and other resources. For sure. It just depends on
the investment and the circumstances.

--Doozer

Doozer, at least your gear had some character! Mine was an ordinary 14.5pa spur with a 3/4" face width.

Think the problem with prices is the fact that no one likes to pay, prices over here are doubled or tripled to offset the 60 day or 90 day plus that customers take to pay ( funny true story, there was a tool hire company just outside the works I lived, all sorts of kit on hire, welding sets, generators etc, there was a sledgehammer that had been on hire for 16 years at £40 a month!, I was in hysterics when I went through the list, a new sledge was duly returned to cancel the hire, the guy that hired it had died of old age)
Mark