Tips for Buying a Used Full-Size Lathe

sed full-size lathes come on the market because of cross-country moves, downsizing for retirement or an estate sale, and scoring one of these can offer a significant savings over buying it new. Older machines that have seen some use can go for as little as 40 percent of their new value. In 2015, I bought such a lathe from a good friend who was preparing to move into an assisted living facility. An avid turner, his paragon machine was the Oneway 2436 shown above. He called me to see if I knew of a buyer. My immediate reply was, “Yes, me! How much?” We settled on $3,500. At that time, a new 2436 went for about $8,000 shipped. What a deal!