FWIW, old iron is cheap enough for machine shops to buy super cheap and fix them up to sell them. I live in a little town in VT and know of 2 places within a 2 hour drive that do this. I'm sure it's a lot easier in bigger towns more than 3,000 people. They completely go through the machine, replace bearings, wicks, etc. They have THE best knowledge about the machine and often sell the refurbished ones much cheaper than a new one.Tyler wrote: Large metal only, used iron: There is no doubt great deals can be found in this category. Remember though, success in this category has a strong regional component. I watched Craig's list fairly regularly for 4+ years and was never successful. My area just didn't have used lathes. Also, in this category you do have to know enough to not get bitten by a worn out lathe. The good news is what we are doing is relatively easy, but buying crap is painful. Plus, I HATE working on tools instead of pipes. I consider myself very lathe ignorant. For those reason I was very nervous about used. Had I found a big name lathe on the cheap that looked clean, I would definitely would have taken the plunge, but I didn't. I watched a LOT. I didn't go this route. It can be a great deal.
But, Tyler's post sums up just about everything else, thanks for taking the time to tell it from all the different angles, Tyler!!!