What's a General 260 worth these days?

[Phil Pratt]

I bought this General 260 with 10' riser blocks and the old variable speed dial which activates the expansion/contraction pulleys back in 1993. I know some other owners did a conversion to DC power on these very rugged lathes. Mine is all original.

My question is: what should I ask for it if I wanted to sell it?

Thanks for any advice, Phil Pratt

 

[Phil Pratt]

My mistake: I should have said 4" riser blocks to achieve a 20" swing.

 

[Odie]

and the old variable speed dial which activates the expansion/contraction pulleys

Hiya Phil.....I assume you're speaking of a Reeves drive. For those who are aware of the current lathe offerings, your General 260 is not very desirable, but the riser blocks help. If you're not in a hurry, you might want to start around $1000 and drop the price until someone bites. My honest opinion is it's worth no more than $500.

-----odie-----

 

[Mike Johnson]

Some of the older cast iron machines that are in operating order have increased in value.
The riser modification also adds value to the lathe capacity and value.
You never know, you might have someone in your area looking for an old American made machine.
Are the reeves drives still available? This also determines the value of the older machines.
If parts are hard to source, this can drag the value down.
The reeves pulley system would be the parts most likely to be needing attention.

 

[Bill Boehme]

The General is a Canadian made lathe. The right price is highly variable and there's no magic number. However, I definitely agree with Odie that you shouldn't expect many takers unless it is seen as either a bargain or a diamond in the rough by a General lathe aficionado. While it might be in very good mechanical condition, it's 24 years old and critical parts aren't available.

 

[Guy Scronce]

Check out your local Craigslist for comparison. In my area it seems that used woodworking equipment is getting more expensive. Even old craftsman lathes are being listed for twice what I would expect. The price would also be affected if you have a chuck or extra tool rests or tools to go with the lathe.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Many prices listed on CraigsList are the "asking" price, a large number of sales on CraigsList
turn into a negotiated price, plenty of lowballers on the internet.
EBay is a good resource to see actual sell prices on particular models.

 

[Phil Pratt]

Thanks so much for all the great advice. I'll ask around at the local AAW chapter.