Thread: Best way to get rid of a small machine shop?

Originally Posted by CarbideBob

I do not want to say this.

Given rent prices in Ca I'd be looking at calling in a scrap yard.
Maybe put the package on Craigs for 5000 and the buyer has to rig?
Nice stuff but the selling costs and time vs rent?

I have much more that this. Orders to the wife are if I go deep six this the scrap dealer who will pay the most.
A) call my friends and have them take toolboxes, gauges, special tools and any. B) scrap all that is left per pound and do not look back.
Bob

Some areas in Riverside are cheap I lived there for 15 years. The scrap dealer is a stupid suggestion, WTF is wrong with you? There are a few items that could fetch $500-$2000 on CL there, a scrap dealer would charge him to haul it off. Maybe you should shut your mouth when you don't know what your talking about. The biggest chunks of iron might get $60-$75 if you hauled it to the scrap man, what do you think they would give to pick it up? The scrap yards in that area aren't typical of other locations. You have advised someone to throw away thousands of dollars, are you trolling again? For the others do note the guy is in California a lot of stuff will fetch double what it would in other areas.

As someone who lived in Riverside for 15 years before heading east 10 years ago who sold off excess equipment before leaving, as others have I recommend Craigslist to sell. For reasonable moving of machinery in that size I recommend G.M.C. Machinery Moving, Gabriel Ceballos 626-915-6156 someone in here has used him in the last couple years, he is probably still in business. If that Hardinge is an old CNC can it be demonstrated running? You might put that on E-bay.

Originally Posted by guest

Nothing in those pics should be hard to move.

For someone who has done rat on a budget small machinery moving, nothing there I couldn't move with an engine hoist a floor jack and some pipe or a couple HF furniture dollies. For someone with no prior experience they could badly hurt themselves. That guy I recommended would come out to Riverside and move 2500# items for $200-$300 up to 75 miles. He might be a little more expensive now, who knows.

sorry for your loss.

as to the dilemma, whats the monthly rent, who's on (and/or guaranteeing) the lease and are you otherwise full time engaged/employed?

Originally Posted by Dualkit

As someone who lived in Riverside for 15 years before heading east 10 years ago who sold off excess equipment before leaving, as others have I recommend Craigslist to sell. For reasonable moving of machinery in that size I recommend G.M.C. Machinery Moving, Gabriel Ceballos 626-915-6156 someone in here has used him in the last couple years, he is probably still in business. If that Hardinge is an old CNC can it be demonstrated running? You might put that on E-bay.

Gabriel is still going strong.

I posted this a few months ago to help a friend sell his machine

Milltronics Partner IVe CNC knee mill for sale $5kobo

I recommended the buyer should use GMC.

I told my friend that Gabriel is fast and efficient. The machine was in the middle of the garage with a post in the way. My friend called and said "you were right, it took Gabriel and his helper 10 minutes to get the machine onto skates, around the post and out of the garage" I think he said Gabriel was there no more than 45 minutes from arriving to leaving.

To complicate matters the machine was going to Hesperia from Lake Perris, it was late in the day, so Gabriel took the machine back to West Covina, and delivered it the next day to Hesperia.

The other machine mover I've used a lot is North American, their very good, but only have semis, so not price competitive on small machines.

I do not know about the laws in cali, in Texas an individual can auction their own equipment once every 2 years (iirc), no need for an auctioneers license, I've done it twice myself. Advertise on cl and fb, saturday morning will get the best crowd, either rent a forklift or have a rigger onsite to load it out that day, sweep the floor clean on Sunday.

Originally Posted by triumph406

Gabriel is still going strong.
To complicate matters the machine was going to Hesperia from Lake Perris, it was late in the day, so Gabriel took the machine back to West Covina, and delivered it the next day to Hesperia.

Looks like he hasn't changed, he always wanted to be home for dinner. He only wanted local jobs.

Not sure of the details on operation, I can look into it.
A family member of mine helped my dad run the machines, so he'll know the details.

I don't think they ever really programmed anything with it, I think they basically used it
like a manual lathe for the most part.

Thanks for the suggestion!

Rent for the shop isn't the worst, 650$ a month in my name, and we had a few grand in the business account that's been covering rent.
We had a few small jobs that paid the rent, but COVID basically killed off the customers.

I work for northrop grumman as a software engineer, but this shop has just been in the back of my mind and figured it's time to let it go.
I'm on unpaid leave until December so I can use the time to get things in order and get this shop taken care of once and for all.

Originally Posted by nickg140143

Rent for the shop isn't the worst, 650$ a month in my name, and we had a few grand in the business account that's been covering rent.
We had a few small jobs that paid the rent, but COVID basically killed off the customers.

I work for northrop grumman as a software engineer, but this shop has just been in the back of my mind and figured it's time to let it go.
I'm on unpaid leave until December so I can use the time to get things in order and get this shop taken care of once and for all.

Price the stuff right on Craigslist and you can probably clear it all out in a month in that area. Do not bother to list it here, I learned that lesson quick. If you want to private message me your contact information I would be more than happy to help you out over the phone and or by e-mail. I still know people in that area, unfortunately the two that knew machinery passed away over the last couple years. From what I see depending on condition an easy $5k, possibly $10k or a little more. What controller does that Hardinge have on it? Sometimes going the part out route can score some decent money, that can be 4-5x the as is whole price, but you would have to have some knowledge.

Originally Posted by nickg140143

Rent for the shop isn't the worst, 650$ a month in my name, and we had a few grand in the business account that's been covering rent.
We had a few small jobs that paid the rent, but COVID basically killed off the customers.

I work for northrop grumman as a software engineer, but this shop has just been in the back of my mind and figured it's time to let it go.
I'm on unpaid leave until December so I can use the time to get things in order and get this shop taken care of once and for all.

The Milltronics I posted the link to here was advertised by friend on FB marketplace, CL and offerup. I advertised it on PM

He got a tire kicker a few days after he started the advertising. Then nothing for about 4 weeks. He was moving to PA, so it had to go. If it didn't sell I was going to take and store it, make some room then use it.

2-3 days before he was due to move he got a flurry of calls, I think he had started at $5k, but took $3.5k in the end, which for somebody was a screaming deal.

I guess my point is patience might be required to sell the machines, 'specially in the current climate.

Hobbyists like package deals, as in Mill+Vise+toolholders, something like that.

Have you thought about moving the Lagun into your garage? Always usefull having a mill handy

Originally Posted by Dualkit

What controller does that Hardinge have on it? Sometimes going the part out route can score some decent money, that can be 4-5x the as is whole price, but you would have to have some knowledge.

That doesn't haved any 'controller'. It's an AHC, "Automatic Hardinge Chucker", they work with limit switches and hydraulics, make straight-line moves to a switch, rapid back. It's all hydraulics and relays. Those little thumbscres on the lower front of the machine set needle valves that control feedrates.

They are similar to the AC or AB line of chuckers, or a pegboard machine.

Still, for minimum hassle, a local auction house or dealer will clean the place out, handle all the moving and selling chaos, and bring in slightly more than a scrap yard but with the least amount of work.

Put it all on C/L, buyer to load, at least your stuff is all small home shop stuff. I have sold 2 machines in the last 6 mo, 15 more to go.....Phil

Originally Posted by Phil in Montana

Put it all on C/L, buyer to load, at least your stuff is all small home shop stuff. I have sold 2 machines in the last 6 mo, 15 more to go.....Phil

He should have better luck, the city of Riverside and surrounding areas has a decent amount of small manufacturers and multi-unit industrial complexes, the city proper has over 300k residents, just in the ones that are legal and turn in census forms. The county it is in has almost 2.5 million people. When I was there I unloaded a half dozen mills, 2 CNC, 4 manual in 2 weeks on CL and that was in the middle of a recession.

If you were to sell individual machines I might be interested in the vertical bandsaw if the specs are near what I want.

Originally Posted by vanguard machine

what!? if sold individually that's easily 15-20k anywhere on the east coast.
plus you have tooling that would likely do well on fleabay


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Without any further argument, I pray that you will never find out just how incredibly wrong you are!
Unless something changed in the last 3 years, that has got to be the absolute worst advise one can make!

Originally Posted by Phil in Montana

Put it all on C/L, buyer to load, at least your stuff is all small home shop stuff. I have sold 2 machines in the last 6 mo, 15 more to go.....Phil

Well, no one wants your stuff because of rigging and loading.

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Thanks for all the information everyone!
This definitely points me in a direction I can start working towards.

I'll focus on basic cleanup first, then getting all the relevant tooling for these machines in one place.

Originally Posted by rke[pler

If you were to sell individual machines I might be interested in the vertical bandsaw if the specs are near what I want.

Shameless bump from this thread:
WTB Vertical metal cutting bandsaw