Replies

1. 
   Michael | Aug 23, 2005 09:32pm | #1

   Do you have the means to put some pictures on the site?

   Would assist in determing where you could go next.

   http://www.owwm.com is a great source also.

   michael

2. 
   RickL | Aug 24, 2005 02:18am | #2

   Think you will find more value in a user than a collector. Owwm would be a good palce to look but bear in mind they are "bottom feeders" so price is on the low side. Make could play a part in value but I would expect prices to be in a few hundred dollars at best. Old bandsaws usually have no guards and babbitt bearings. Nothing wrong with babbitt but they will usually beat down the price saying the babbitt will have to be replaced or upgraded to ball bearing. You will need to provide a lot more detail on specs to anyone to ascertain any kind of value. Older isn't always collectible or valuable in a monetary sense. The folks at Early American Industries might have an interest historically. Do a google search on the Early American Industries site.

1. 
   PeteBradley | Dec 14, 2005 11:43pm | #3

   The "bottom feeder" comment is fair, but the beating down comment really isn't. The value is going to be affected (fairly in my view) by the fact that Babbitt bearings are much harder to replace than ball, and the fact that not everyone has room for a 1000+lb 9 foot tall band saw. That said, there are definitely people who would be interested, especially in the OWWM community.Ebay is a good place for machines like this to find their price.Pete

1. 
   RickL | Dec 18, 2005 12:39am | #4

   I've been dabbling in restoring and rebuilding machines long before owwm and have seen countless babbitt bearing machines and folks kicking the tires so to speak and for the most part babbitt has a bad rap among many folks. It's not really that hard to repour babbitt bearings but the first thing among many folks is subtracting the cost of converting them to ball bearings in figuring what the value of a machine is. There are a few folks who collect such machines but they know what's involved. Take for instance the fellow on the back cover of the last FWW. I'm sure he paid very little for the machines shown but it takes a fair amount of work to restore them to original condition. Not so much work really if you know how to repour the bearings and can have cast iron welded. There's lots of old iron sitting in sheds and even fields that is restorable by the right person. Without the proper knowledge that screaming deal can be a money pit.

1. 
   PeteBradley | Dec 18, 2005 06:02am | #5

   >> Without the proper knowledge that screaming deal can be a money pitAin't that the truth. One of the things that pushes down value of older machines is exactly that -- risk. I recently bought a 1950s Yates-American J-Line jointer in not-quite-working condition. The seller looked a bit shocked at my firm offer, which was about half of what he was asking. I explained that I wasn't trying to rip him off, but the machine was clearly going to need a lot of work, and there was still a chance that it could be costly to fix. As it turned out, the price + parts that I replaced were just about right on what it would go for in good working order, and that's not counting the hours that I put in. I see a lot of vintage machines on Ebay that go for nearly as much as a similar quality new machine. It's a guarantee that most wind up being more expensive in the end. That said, my "new" jointer is the youngest machine in my workshop, and there are some great machines out there.Pete

1. 
   RickL | Dec 19, 2005 01:54am | #6

   In my opinion and experience of 30 plus years of setting up, running and rebuilding machines, one must be aware of all the pitfalls and options of used machines in auctions and such or stick to dealers who offer warrantys or you will get stung. Having access to electricians, machine shops is a valuable assett. I know of one guy who brought a motor in to have gone through a motor shop and after having bearings changed and such they mentioned...oh! By the way you can't run this motor...it's 550 volt and that kinf of service isn't availabe in this area. Transformers are more expesive than swapping the motor out and knowing all the ins and outs of phase conversion is a must with old iron.