Depends upon the condition, a decent one with all the bits £3-500+

ML7s can command silly money but the buyers market is there

One at a good price always pops up eventually but you have to check daily then pounce

My first knackered one was 125, my 2nd fabby one was 350

Edited By Ady1 on 11/09/2023 19:00:04

My Drummond Roundbed was £25 on eBay with a cracked saddle.

A replacement saddle spotted on eBay a couple of months later before I got chance to have the original welded was £21 so the bare lathe with a small 3 jaw and a full set of change wheels stands me at £46 so there are bargains out there if you are prepared to wait.

The problem with ebay prices is that people who know nothing about what they have see a good condition machine with a ton of accessories sold at 500 and think ,YES , it's the same as mine. What they have is clapped out , abused , missing parts and rusty to boot. A good Drummond M Type is better than an ML7 but just try finding a good one. My Drummond Admiralty Bs Type of 1913 is great fun to use and capable within its limits. Tweeking it to get it on song takes time but twice the time is twice the fun to me.Not for some but we all pursue the hobby to please ourselves.

I like to think about Requirements before buying anything. In this case, a dirt cheap lathe to 'play with'.

I guess the desire for a Drummond is simply that they are a well-known make, a cut above the many cheaper British hobby lathes sold before WW2. Many alternatives to Drummond if the requirement is for cheap lathe to play with – don't box yourself in. Well-known names tend to push prices up when all that really matters is condition. The availability of spares and accessories is also a concern.

Second-hand lathes sell for whatever people are prepared to pay for them. £200 is a problem because plenty of people are prepared to pay more. At auction stuff only goes for a song if no-one else wants it, and £200 isn't much when others are bidding. Deceased workshop sales are a good bet, because executors are often in a hurry to clear the house to sell it. Not having the time or inclination to sort grandad's much loved tools means the whole lot can be sold very cheaply or even dumped.

My chief regret about getting into the hobby was the time wasted dithering about which lathe to buy. Eventually I decided I was serious and coughed up for a new mini-lathe. I never regretted it. It's vices and virtues taught me a lot. Chief failing was it turned out to be too small for the type of work I wanted to do. Had I bought a WM250-sized machine, I'd probably still be using it. As is I replaced the mini-lathe with a WM280, which is the biggest I could get into my workshop.

I suggest learners are better off starting on a lathe in reasonable condition. Second-hand is risky – the lathe may be too far gone. It's the machine's history that matters, not who made it. Not all owners take good care of their tools, and many lathes were worked hard in the past.

A Chinese Lathe bought in the UK from a reputable supplier may be somewhat rough, but can be sent back if a lemon turns up.

Dave

All of my lathes, mills and shapers are "old" – although most not as old as I am.

They were mostly acquired at a time when they were the best I could afford. I've spent a considerable amount of time fixing some of the problems or making tools and accessories for them. These days (with children long left home and the mortgage paid off) I can probably afford better. But in many ways, I've already made my "investment" (e.g. in the time and effort spent) and there is not so much to be gained by replacing anything now.

Plus, I will admit that working on my machinery has probably become something of a hobby for me in it's own right. I also know my machines pretty well by now and can work with any limitations. So a very battered Super 7 purchased from Myford (after some haggling with Mr Moore) at Guildford many years ago for a few hundred pounds, is now perfectly useable but it has quite a few parts on it now that weren't there back then. But that was time and money spread out over 20 plus years…

But for others new to this hobby, your tools will normally just be that, the means to make what you actually want. So if you can, buy new or quality used machinery. Don't waste your money (and more importantly your precious time) on cheap tools that will distract you from your ultimate goals.

Regards,

IanT

The Raglan may be a good buy. I am presently watching it – just to see if it gets any bids. If it were not to get any bids (snd I had any space left🙁 ) I would have considered making an offer It is also encouraging offers – so might well settle for less. Again, condition is everything. That it is equipped withva QCGB would be an added attraction for any would-be Raglan user.

I bought a lathe – much like that – to replace what I considered to be a previous poor-choice chinese lathe. I was quite content with the Raglan but eventually upgraded to the 5” Raglan. The 5” will be my last lathe – it has several improved attributed but I enjoyed my Mkll, all the same. Streets ahead of a fymord, IMO.

There is a Drummond M type on a stand with motor and chucks on the Lathes UK site, it's being sold for charity at £300 or offers, and it's been on there a while. Obviously depending on your location could be worth a phone call over budget but the money goes to a good cause.

FH,

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