Looks a good deal but just be careful, that lathe has ‘sold’ twice on eBay in the last couple of months. Photo has been cropped but definitely the same photo, bisley drawers alongside and metal strip on floor.

Dunno about this particular lathe but far easier to get on with compared to the machinemart lathe.🙂

The GH600 lathe on the WARCO site may be a close relative. Selling at 2 1/4 grand at present?

Best for you to compare the two machines + the condition of the offered lathe and decide.

Nor do I know if this machine was over-priced at auction or not. **LINK**

You will be the buyer. Check things out on the internet, for yourself, is my advice.

My advice is to stop fretting about equipment and prices until you know what you need. Cut lots of metal and then decide.

On paper, and assuming I had space for it, given a straight choice between the Clarke and the Warco, I'd incline to the Gear Head Warco. But both lathes will do much the same work; it's just that the GH has extra controls that speed up setting changes. They're essential when working piece-rates in a Victorian sweat-shop, but speed advantages are less important to most hobbyists. What's your lathe for? Are you an occasional tinkerer, or do you intend churning out components as fast as humanly possible? Are you the kind of worker who is frustrated by tools that take time to re-set between operations? If the latter, the GH is better choice (assuming it's in good condition.)

You mention just having bought a Clarke CL500M which you are very happy with but go on to say a variable speed motor is under consideration. Is that because the CL500M has been found deficient, or because variable speed is generally known to be a 'good thing'? I ask because trying to fix problems before you have them is a bad habit. (Don't ask how I know!) I don't think the GH610 is variable speed either, so buying one won't fix that particular problem. Beware! Buying better machine tools is a hobby in itself. The man who has a mini-lathe discovers Myford Super 7s and lusts after a Connoisseur. Then he finds even better lathes are available, perhaps a Boxford. Having saved up for a nice Colchester, he discovers tool-room lathes, before a well-wisher tells him about Dean Smith & Grace. As all these are inferior to a modern CNC machine centre costing half a million he faces a lifetime of misery.

Personally, I enjoy getting the best out of what I have. I'm happy provided I can make what I want to in my workshop. I change tools only when they don't do what I need. My approach isn't for everyone!

Making things reveals what's good and bad about tools like nothing else.

Dave

I thought even a Boxford was too big for your space.

From Durham in October to Peterhead yesterday to where ever it is now and £80 dearer.

The advert lower case words are not true since it left Durham.

There was a previous post from someone having suspicions about a seller on eBay. I can’t find it now , but since then I have noticed a few lathes (Harrison M250 or 300 for instance) for sale with the same details and photos, showing sold then for sale again a few days later by a different seller in a different part of the uk . Mostly northern Scotland but also other parts of UK. It seems dodgy to me but I can’t see what the scam could be. This Warco lathe matches that pattern.

Stuart

Sod, Reminds me of the man who went looing in the woods for a good walking stick.

He rejected each sample he came to, thinking he might find a better one further on.

Before he knew it, he was out of the wood, with no walking stick !

I have a Chester machine, similar to the warco but belt driven, plain, simple, but very little to go wrong.

Would I like to upgrade ? of course I would, just not worth it, machine does all I want, no point in having a machine I dont need or dont know how to use.

Horses for courses , as my Granny used to say.

Pity!

If the seller is genuine, they should not object to you visiting to examine the machine, (as long as it is within a sensible distance of you ) Talk of cash in hand, and collect may be a persuasive suggestion.

Or would they let someone knowledgeable of your choosing go and examine?

If not, could they provide a video of the machine in use, preferably performing tasks that you specify, to reduce the risk of it being a scam )?

If the answers are "No", "Don't know how to use it" or "Covid" then be suspicious and prepared to walk away.

Warco had at least one used machine like that for sale until recently.

Other secondhand machine dealers may have one or something similar (BH600, Chester Craftsman perhaps? )

Have a look at the sites of those who advertise in MEW, even the.Classifieds on here, or even place an ad in the "Wanted" section, but don't be too specific or you could miss a machine that would suit your needs, but not be to exact spec.

Howard

There are endless high priced items on eBay that are pure scams. The seller located in remote areas of Scotland is the norm. Photos are lifted from other genuine sales sites, sometimes ones overseas.

For instance vertical machine centres in the £10-40k area are prime scam territory, pics from a genuine USA machinery dealer, the bright daylight from somewhere very sunny, the US pattern sockets on the walls, yet it’s always located in a sparsely populated area of Scotland, maybe in Lairg, or Tongue, or Durness, or Applecross.

Delivery ‘on a pallet’ is say £200, where it would cost several times cost that for a vehicle and a rigger.

A request for more photos, or a request to view always goes unanswered.

Always do a reverse image search on Google or tineye and the original auction photos reveal all, maybe even the serial number which the scammer won’t have.

Beware that PayPal will disown any and all liability for payments associated with ‘industrial machinery ‘ it may be in their terms and conditions but a scammer would probably prefer a bacs or swift transfer.

Edited By Martin 100 on 28/12/2020 23:37:35

Gavier

How do you report suspicious sellers to EBay?

I tried to find out how to do it, but couldn’t find the info on the EBay site.

Stuart

There is also a 'help and contact' tag at the top of the ebay home page. Click this and search a key word, such as 'fraud'. Scroll down and click and /or fill in the relevent details. You used to be able to write longhand exactly what your suspisions were, but unless I'm doing something wrong, you can't do this anymore.