Hi gang,

I again want to thank all that provided feedback $2500 question
over last few days. I am looking at 2 Clausings at basically same
price (tooling about the same, one has 34 5c collets and the other a 4
Jaw, both have collet closers). This is the issue.

The 5914 has a 36" c.c which I prefer, a bit more tooling, but, I can't
see the machine in person. He states that the machine has "New Cross
Slide Screw & Nut, Variable Speed Block Rebuilt & New Pulley Bushings"
and that his man with 50+ years of experience works on them and gives
them a thumbs up prior to sale

I might be able to get the guy to lower price to cover shipping, not
sure, but, he states it is in fantastic shape. His track record looks
great (feedback is 100% and has sold Harding, etc... lathes to others
with feedback = very honest, etc...)

The 5903 is 30 miles from me, looks to be in great shape, 3 jaw, 34 5c
collets with closer, same basic tooling, shows no wear on bed at all,
only 24" c.c (only issue with me).

So, what I am looking for are any "under the surface" known differences
between them that I should be made aware of? There is not a lot of
data out there, but, there does seem to be more tooling and user input
from the 5914 crowd.

Any thoughts or pointers would be well appreciated. Also, it might
just be that I am insane to thing 2500 is ok to pay and I should sit
back and wait for a better deal....

thanks again for this and past input all.

John

In article .com,
CAMCOMPCO wrote:
Hi gang,

I again want to thank all that provided feedback $2500 question
over last few days. I am looking at 2 Clausings at basically same
price (tooling about the same, one has 34 5c collets and the other a 4
Jaw, both have collet closers).

Are both collet closers lever style? You'll find that to be
very nice for working with bar stock with repetitive production.

As for the 34 5C collets -- that is a nice starting point, but
do you know how worn they may be? You may want to plan on replacing the
most frequently used sizes with new ones, if the accuracy is of great
significance.

This is the issue.

The 5914 has a 36" c.c which I prefer, a bit more tooling, but, I can't
see the machine in person. He states that the machine has "New Cross
Slide Screw & Nut, Variable Speed Block Rebuilt & New Pulley Bushings"
and that his man with 50+ years of experience works on them and gives
them a thumbs up prior to sale

That sounds nice to me.

I might be able to get the guy to lower price to cover shipping, not
sure, but, he states it is in fantastic shape. His track record looks
great (feedback is 100% and has sold Harding, etc... lathes to others
with feedback = very honest, etc...)

The 5903 is 30 miles from me, looks to be in great shape, 3 jaw, 34 5c
collets with closer, same basic tooling, shows no wear on bed at all,
only 24" c.c (only issue with me).

So, what I am looking for are any "under the surface" known differences
between them that I should be made aware of? There is not a lot of
data out there, but, there does seem to be more tooling and user input
from the 5914 crowd.

What is the spindle nose on these machines? Are either equipped
with a threaded spindle nose, or are both L-00? If both are L-00, then
that is not a deciding point.

My only knowledge of the 5900 series is from the postings of
others, and from the headstock which my 5418 wound up with.

Interesting that the "18" of my 5418 is 24" center distance, and
your 5903 choice has the same center distance.

I can't say don't worry about the center distance, because I
have had to work around the limitations of that distance, and to avoid a
project which I otherwise would have done because of the limits of the
center distance. But for most rifle barrel work, I think that you can
handle things with part of the barrel swallowed by the spindle. (I just
couldn't do that with some 4" OD aluminum pipe being used to make
circular waveguide antennas for wireless ethernet ("wi-fi"). :-)

Any thoughts or pointers would be well appreciated. Also, it might
just be that I am insane to thing 2500 is ok to pay and I should sit
back and wait for a better deal....

Well ... I don't know enough about the 5900 series to be sure,
but these seem to both be nice machines, and the eBay one appears to be
from a good vendor. I know nothing about either vendor, nor even which
auction number this is.

I do know that I am quite glad to have gotten my 5418 (12x24")
for $1700+ a few years back, and think of all the things which I could
not have done without it.

Good Luck,
DoN.
--
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

CAMCOMPCO wrote:
snip
Any thoughts or pointers would be well appreciated. Also, it might
just be that I am insane to thing 2500 is ok to pay and I should sit
back and wait for a better deal....


A lot of machinery pricing has to do with where you are located. I
looked at a Clausing 5900 series lathe at a dealer in Tucson, AZ about a
year ago. I am not sure which model, but it didn't have the usual
continuous speed control. It had at least a spraycan overhaul (maybe
more) and a 3 jaw chuck. He wanted $2800 for it. I thought he was nuts.
After looking around for six months and watching similar machines bring
more, I am thinking he was not nuts. Good machinery is expensive here in
AZ. $2500 for a 5914 in good shape seems like a decent deal. You might
check to confirm that you can live with the speed control on the 5903
you looked at. From net traffic, the speed control is a weak part on
these machines anyway.

Bob

"CAMCOMPCO" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi gang,

I again want to thank all that provided feedback $2500 question
over last few days. I am looking at 2 Clausings at basically same
price (tooling about the same, one has 34 5c collets and the other a 4
Jaw, both have collet closers). This is the issue.

The 5914 has a 36" c.c which I prefer, a bit more tooling, but, I can't
see the machine in person. He states that the machine has "New Cross
Slide Screw & Nut, Variable Speed Block Rebuilt & New Pulley Bushings"
and that his man with 50+ years of experience works on them and gives
them a thumbs up prior to sale

I might be able to get the guy to lower price to cover shipping, not
sure, but, he states it is in fantastic shape. His track record looks
great (feedback is 100% and has sold Harding, etc... lathes to others
with feedback = very honest, etc...)

The 5903 is 30 miles from me, looks to be in great shape, 3 jaw, 34 5c
collets with closer, same basic tooling, shows no wear on bed at all,
only 24" c.c (only issue with me).

So, what I am looking for are any "under the surface" known differences
between them that I should be made aware of? There is not a lot of
data out there, but, there does seem to be more tooling and user input
from the 5914 crowd.

Any thoughts or pointers would be well appreciated. Also, it might
just be that I am insane to thing 2500 is ok to pay and I should sit
back and wait for a better deal....

thanks again for this and past input all.

John


Is it this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/CLAUSING-MODEL-5...QQcmdZViewItem

If so, it seems at least a little encouuraging that the seller knew to
rebuild the puuley (assuming that's what he meant). It looks to have been
repainted to me, which can be a good or bad thing. Good if the seller just
does that as a matter of course when re-conditioning a tool to sell; bad if
their only intent is to make it look better than it is. It looks like it
has most of the basic tooling you would need to get started. There's no
clutch kick out but that's only around $100 from Clausing if you think you
need it, less if you wait for one on Ebay. The 5C closer is manual and you
might prefer a lever-type. There are no closeup pics of the ways or
leadscrew. I'd ask for those if you can't inspect in person - leadscrew
pics right below the HS and about a foot toward the TS end might give you
some idea on screw wear.

This one has a 3-phase motor, which some knowledgeable folks think will give
a better finish. I used a VFD (around $225) to power mine and have been
very happy with teh performance. Didn't want to mess with building a rotary
phase converter, but others like those.

Shipping could be a killer, though - have you had an estimate on that yet?

You might try emailing some recent buyers from the seller and see what they
have to say about their transactions with him. They can sometimes be a lot
more honest in private email than in feedback and they will now have had
more time to evaluate the items bought.


For DoN. - I'm pretty sure that all of the 5900-series lathes had L-00
spindles. At least, that's what a 1960's catalog indicates.

over last few days. I am looking at 2 Clausings at basically same
price (tooling about the same, one has 34 5c collets and the other a 4
Jaw, both have collet closers). This is the issue.


Tough call. Very tough call. Personally I would discount the value of
the collets. Import collets are cheap and a new import collet is much
better than a worn out USA collet. Many times you will get a 4 jaw with
a machine that has hardly been used. A good 4 jaw chuck for a machine
this size is worth a couple hundred.


The 5914 has a 36" c.c which I prefer, a bit more tooling, but, I can't
see the machine in person. He states that the machine has "New Cross
Slide Screw & Nut, Variable Speed Block Rebuilt & New Pulley Bushings"

This could mean the machine was well used too...
However I found it necessary to replace the jachshaft bearings in
my prestine condition rockwell becasue the grease had dried out and
the bearing were noisy. I also have a very nice rockwell vertical
mill that had the nuts replaced and is very tight now.

I might be able to get the guy to lower price to cover shipping, not
sure, but, he states it is in fantastic shape. His track record looks
great (feedback is 100% and has sold Harding, etc... lathes to others
with feedback = very honest, etc...)

I have bought machines sight unseen and I have been very happy with them.
BUT I knew the seller (Dick Trimstra) well and was a repeat customer.
Even before I bought the first machine, I knew and talked to others
that could provide feedback.

The 5903 is 30 miles from me, looks to be in great shape, 3 jaw, 34 5c
collets with closer, same basic tooling, shows no wear on bed at all,
only 24" c.c (only issue with me).

There is a lot of value in being able to look at the machine so that
you really know what you are getting. I have bought stuff off ebay
that was suppose to be "new" but could have been cleaned up and sold
as new too.

I have a short bed (25 inch I think) rockwell 11 inch. The 36 would
have been nice, but I really don't need it and I think the extra
weight would have made moving it into my basement much more difficult.

Like I said, this one is a very tough call. Any way you can go look
at the other machine?

Another option. Call Dick Tremistra and tell him what you want. HE
is good at finding nice machines and he even delivers within reason.
phone number. 313-366-1060 Dave is his partner. Dick is the MAN!
Dick is in Detroit.
Last I heard, he had some nice rockwell 14 inch machines for about 2k.

chuck

Yep Mike, that was/is the one. Has I-00 spindles. In discussions with
the gentleman now..

I took Chucks advise and called Dick and Dave, talked to Dave for a
good 15 min, seem to be a real good guy...recommendations from others
makes me feel more comfortable.

Guess, I should almost sit back and collect my thoughts here. I get
caught up in the "I don't want to miss this deal" mentality and I think
in reality, deals are like trains...wait around long enough and another
will come buy...in coming days I will continue to research the lathe
choice issue. One nice thing is I have met new fellow metal-folk and
you all seem like good guys...again, thanks for the input to me and
other readers.

Cheers

John

"CAMCOMPCO" wrote in message
oups.com...
Yep Mike, that was/is the one. Has I-00 spindles. In discussions with
the gentleman now..

I took Chucks advise and called Dick and Dave, talked to Dave for a
good 15 min, seem to be a real good guy...recommendations from others
makes me feel more comfortable.

Guess, I should almost sit back and collect my thoughts here. I get
caught up in the "I don't want to miss this deal" mentality and I think
in reality, deals are like trains...wait around long enough and another
will come buy...in coming days I will continue to research the lathe
choice issue. One nice thing is I have met new fellow metal-folk and
you all seem like good guys...again, thanks for the input to me and
other readers.

As Chuck S. mentioned, talking to Dick Triemstra would be a good idea,
especially if you are anywhere near Detroit. If he has nothing appropriate
in stock and you can afford to wait a bit he will usually come up with
something. Dick seems to get around quite a bit in the great Lakes region
and his price for delivery is very reasonable. He's very honest to boot.

If you are near PA you might also want to contact Dave Ficken
(www.mermac.com). He was a dealer that specialized in home shop-sized
tools. Making a decent living in that business turned out to be too
difficult and he's gone on to other things, but I hear that he still has
some tools to sell off. Dick and Dave are two dealers that get virtually
universal recommendations.

Researching vs impulse buying can both lead to frustration. The folly of
impulse buying should be self evident but waiting too long can also have
it's problems. I lost out on two good deals by waiting too long. Something
comparable was found for both tools eventually, but one was at much greater
cost and the other at much more sweat equity. Finding the right mix is
often a matter of luck and tolerance to risk. FWIW, I think it took me over
a year of fairly regular looking to find my 5914, but I limited myself to
the Clausing brand and something in the Chicago area that was close enough
to my home without spending more on delivery than the tool.

Good luck with the search!

Mike

CAMCOMPCO wrote:
Guess, I should almost sit back and collect my thoughts here. I get
caught up in the "I don't want to miss this deal" mentality and I think
in reality, deals are like trains...wait around long enough and another
will come buy...

Good simile.
Just stay close to the tracks, though




Similarly, I recall someone discussing ebay.
"Ebay is like a big river. Sooner or later, anything you can imagine
will float by. If you miss it, there will be another."