Not a 10EE But Similar Quality- Holbrook C 16

Hey Guys,

just acquired this Beautiful Holbrook C 16 Lathe. It seems Like it may be very special, has some Placard tags on it that seem Like a may have been #2 owned by Alfred Herbert LTD. If anyone on here knows what these Placards signify I would love to learn more about this machine!

KnoLimitz said:

Hey Guys,

just acquired this Beautiful Holbrook C 16 Lathe. It seems Like it may be very special, has some Placard tags on it that seem Like a may have been #2 owned by Alfred Herbert LTD. If anyone on here knows what these Placards signify I would love to learn more about this machine!View attachment 229731
View attachment 229732View attachment 229733

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Most of us start with this site- this may not be your one - you can enjoy browsing all them.



Holbrook B No.8 Lathe

Alfred Herbert is another whole library of books. Google will open that door for you.

Cheers!

Alfred Herbert ,as shown on one of the plaques were the agents for Holbrook and later owned the company ,given the condition I wonder if that machine was an exhibition /showroom machine ,it looks mint.

I always fancied one of those ,must be one of the most complex lathes ever produced. You are a lucky fella.

sable said:

Alfred Herbert ,as shown on one of the plaques were the agents for Holbrook and later owned the company ,given the condition I wonder if that machine was an exhibition /showroom machine ,it looks mint.

I always fancied one of those ,must be one of the most complex lathes ever produced. You are a lucky fella.

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One of our most experienced of members, sadly departed from our midst some time ago, had done a thread on a Holbrook Major that touched on some of those features.

I'd rate it is feature-rich, but executed in a conventional, not obtuse nor confusing, manner.

Among the other more complex lathes, the French Cazeneuve HBX-360-BC. Complex, but not as easy to fathom the how and why of. My HBX has at least been keeping me out of pubs and brothels.

This Holbrook will do the same faithful service for its assigned minder, I am sure!

Thanks for the reply guys! I think this lathe may have some special history like you say, I can't believe how clean it is! I only paid 5k for it, I have to believe it could easily be worth a lot more. My last lathe was a 1940 Monarch 10ee and I loved that thing, It was pretty clean, did a bunch of work on it, new drive and control. I had posted it up here back a few years ago! But this thing here is 100% Original from what I can tell, its got all the original drives and controls, its really quite something! Anyone know what this thing might be worth for real? Im not trying to sell it by any means, but would be interesting to know what someone thinks it is worth. It really seems like a special piece and I am so exited to have found it, and only by chance. Im in Washington, near Seattle, and I came across it in the Vancouver Canada area. So I went and looked at it, and bought it right away!

Looks like a nice one you got there, did it come with a decent kit? (accessories)?

I think it’s safe to say it’s worth what someone was happy to pay for it, use and enjoy!

I'd pay $10,000 for it.

KnoLimitz said:

Anyone know what this thing might be worth for real?

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Any product or service - is "worth for real" exactly what a buyer with the money will pay, so it isn't a useful exercise to speculate until you actually liquidate.

If.. a "company" were told they had to purchase an all-manual lathe with comparably useful capability and were not ALLOWED to buy used? I'd say $15,000 and up, and it would have a larger work-envelope, but would not be assured of "quite" the same level of precision. Something like a Hwacheon/Webb or a ToS. Not as good, but "good enough", IOW.

A remanufactured to full OEM specs or even a skosh BETTER than new?
Monarch Lathe LP can do that. Price is about a full order of magnitude higher, though. It has to be. They don't just make it LOOK as new. They make it BE and PERFORM as new.

Otherwise, no one MAKES uber-high-grade all manual grand lathes new these days. The survivors who could do that from raw, fresh, castings moved into CNC years ago, and there were not all that many who even DID "survive".

No volume left in the high-end manual. No money in it. It was go CNC... or go pound sand.

I and I do NOT mean pounding a drag of Michigan green.

KnoLimitz,

It looks like a nice lathe but it has been re painted hasn't it? I can see deep scratches that have been painted over. You really can't describe it as original if re painted.

The price sounds fairly high, but it depends on the condition of the ways etc. and if all the accessories are there. And a re-paint lowers the value in my opinion.

"No. 2" looks like the inventory number, it doesn't mean anything really (in my opinion).

Hey, not trying to rain on your parade, a Holbrook in nice condition would be a beautiful thing, original paint even better.

Here is a photo (taken by Asquith) which shows what I would expect an original lathe would look like, though even this might be miss-leading.

I have a C13 Holbrook and love it, accurate, easy to use, cuts any thread, just a rock solid machine. you will love using yours.