Thoughts on 3 in 1 machine Smithy Granite 1324 (1 Viewer)

[alia176]

Fellas,

My company will be getting rid of this Smithy unit to an auction house and I was wondering if I should try to snag it. I have a little history on which dept it came from the sounds of like, sounds like it's been well cared for. I'm kicking myself for not taking better pics

 

[e9999]

I don't know anything about it but I would look to see if it's a made in china unit. If so, it's still probably a step above HF, hopefully, but probably not a whole lot better. So, if your needs are not high precision it is probably OK to get if the price is good.
OTOH, if it's a made in USA machine, I'd jump on it if the price is reasonable.
If it's Taiwan, which is more likely than US if it's not very old, well, it'd be kinda in between.

If you are interested, I would talk to the company and snag it before it's sent out, if that is possible. Maybe you could even offer to do something extra for them in a trade so you're not out of pocket on it. And I would most definitely talk to whoever used it in the shop to ask about quality and condition.

 

[alia176]

Thanks Eric, it doesn't work the way you're suggesting, unfortunately. It already went to the auction house, and I'll follow through.

 

[firestopper]

Those are made in China. Do yourself a favor and buy individual machines. Those combo units are a pain to get any accurate results. A simple google search will answer any questions you have. It seems your interested in machining so start looking at CL for used machines and save yourself some heartburn.
my .02

 

[alia176]

Those are made in China. Do yourself a favor and buy individual machines. Those combo units are a pain to get any accurate results. A simple google search will answer any questions you have. It seems your interested in machining so start looking at CL for used machines and save yourself some heartburn.
my .02

Space is a huge issue for me in my tiny garage, hence the looksie at this combo unit. Accuracy is an issue that I've read about but I'm not looking for anything that tight. I simply want to make round things, slot things, shave off things and take a class at the local comm college, if possible. I got a drill/mill machine but also wanting a lathe and simply don't have the space for a decent, dedicated mill or a lathe

 

[e9999]

well, ultimately it's always a question of $$ paid. If the price is below or at true market value, and you don't mind a bit of hassle moving it and installing it, then it's no big loss to try it out, play with it for a while and then decide if it's good enough for you given your needs. If not, sell it at a profit or being even. If it is, enjoy.
OTOH if the price to pay is high for the market, well then maybe it's better to go with a better machine cuz you may be stuck with an overpriced turd that will be hard to resell.

With an auction house, there is always a possibility of snagging something for a song, but it's probably rather unlikely since there are probably pros hanging there just to snag those amazing deals for resale and they likely know the values better than you. But me, I'd enjoy the time at a tool auction regardless, so I'd decide if it's something I can use, determine a good price, and go just for the odd chance of getting it for that. Then of course the hard part is not get taken in by the frenzy...

 

[firestopper]

I understand your space issue. I've seen some really nice shops in tiny spaces but they were a dedicated shop. Home shops need to share space with home goods too.
There is plenty of reading on this machine on the web. I like you'r considering enrolling in a machine shop class at your local community college. This will be very beneficial in the long run regardless what machines you have.
Best of luck!

 

[alia176]

Thanks, I'd like to learn more about machining as it intrigues me. There are dozens of machinist at my facility of 10,000 employees but unless I work in the same dept, learning through osmosis isn't going to happen. Couple of fellas took kindly to me and answer questions via email and that's good enough for me.

 

[e9999]

you are then in a much better position than usual to buy a used piece of equipment, since you can probably talk to a pro who actually used that very machine and tell you if it's worth buying or not. I'd take advantage of that. Normally it's just guesses.
What's different about this is that I would hope that if it was used in a professional environment it may not be as bad as the usual offshore cr@p. (Or it was so bad they wanted it out...) Either way, worth knowing.

 

[rick_d]

If you can find a decent deal on a Clausing 8520/8530 think about it. I got mine 11 years ago and has served me well for milling operations- and it is light and breaks into 3 pieces. If the unit has not been serviced (like mine) it will take a little time and money- $400 for bearings and a $400 if you need to replace the bronze adjustment nuts from Clausing.

I had a HF for 10 years prior-the only thing good was the former owner had a DRO on it and I got it as a gift.

 

[alia176]

Thanks, that is a cool little machine.

 

[e9999]

funny, there was an older Clausing mill that just showed up on my local Craigslist a couple of days ago. First time I've seen one of those there. Looked like a beefy drill press with a table. Looked a lot like a 8520 in fact, now that you mentioned the model. Maybe was. I think they were asking $650 from memory. Was gone after a day or 2 on there.

 

[alia176]

Well, the auction was yesterday and it sold for $1900

 

[e9999]

wow. I was thinking that this is the sort of $$ this kind of machine sells for new. Must be behind the times...