Craigslist "I know everything" ego of seller

[jdh47]

The short bed length might be a challenge to contour and polish on but the m300 is a decent lathe. It would have to be seen and ran of course to figure out how much wear and if there are any issues with it. They will cut metric and imperial threads but take some change gears in order to cut fine threads and coarse threads. The change gears are usually the first things to get lost and they can be expensive to have made but it is not impossible.

Craigslist sellers can be a problem. I have had people that must have been afraid of their shadows and wouldn't answer the simplest questions. A lot of people go on the defensive quick and one wonders why they even list the stuff. It is what it is and the only good advise I can give is go look at it and make the determination if it will suit your needs.

 

[spitfire_er]

Im sure he didnt have a clue as to what you were asking so instead of being dumb, since hes such an accomplished riflesmith, he chose the other route to dodge the question.

That was the first thing that both my wife and I thought.

 

[spitfire_er]

In your original post, you had your answer. The lathe was listed as a “13x25”. The 25 indicated the approximate center to center distance. So 25 inches is your answer. Whether that works for you or not is up to you.

As far as “his attitude” is concerned, all I can say is that “it takes two to tangle”.

That was my guess that it was a 25" center length based on a horrible picture that cut off half the lathe, but it was still a guess. He didn't mention that anywhere or anything indicating a bed length.

 

[spitfire_er]

The short bed length might be a challenge to contour and polish on but the m300 is a decent lathe. It would have to be seen and ran of course to figure out how much wear and if there are any issues with it. They will cut metric and imperial threads but take some change gears in order to cut fine threads and coarse threads. The change gears are usually the first things to get lost and they can be expensive to have made but it is not impossible.

Craigslist sellers can be a problem. I have had people that must have been afraid of their shadows and wouldn't answer the simplest questions. A lot of people go on the defensive quick and one wonders why they even list the stuff. It is what it is and the only good advise I can give is go look at it and make the determination if it will suit your needs.

I've owned (bought and sold 4 or 5 dozen) different lathes, fixed repaired, restored and rebuilt a few. Mainly old South bends, but a handful of Tiwainese, Chinese, and Clausings.

I was fairly excited when I ran across this particular lathe and read up on it. Being made in the UK and being a decent price with some tooling. However, at this point, it's done. I'm not dealing with the guy anymore. I have better things in life to do than to deal with folks that act like that.

Getting back to why I asked the original question was because the machine was 5.5 hours from me. Hate to drive 11 hours for something I really didn't want. If it was closer, I would have just went to look at and not even bother asking about it after he failed to answer in the first place.

I'll find something else. Hopefully nicer. Who knows, the thing could have been worn out anyways.

 

[Link]

Some times strange stuff happens. I went to purchase some items from a member. He must have misunderstood my questions and we got off on the wrong foot. As hard as I tried to explain and apologize He just stopped all communications. I all but kissed his rear but no go. People are funny sometimes. lol

 

[JaoeyP]

In my experience there's no good reason to deal with or worry about people like this. Lots of good folks out there, no reason to waste time, energy, or emotion on a d-bag like this.

 

[helmut in the bush]

It's Craigslist. I've met some real nice decent people, and some real idiots.

 

[DiffEQ]

It's Craigslist, where respectful, knowledgeable and courteous people are the rare exception.
What did you expect?

Edit to add, in these instances, I've asked them to send me a picture of the machine nameplate with the model and serial number. That usually tells you everything you need to know.

 

[Kittitas George]

"You can't make people to order"

 

[Just Say Moe]

Act like a rube. Let him bloviate on how smart he is. Polish his ego. Ask him to be your mentor.

nah.

 

[AccelR8]

I'm intrigued by this contouring and polishing through the headstock, I'm not familiar with that method.

 

[DShortt]

This is an old thread so I'm sure the OP has moved on by now but regarding Craigslist and sellers my only observation is if you've dealt with a poor seller or poor buyer then don't emulate the behavior of either one if you choose to buy or sell on Craigslist.

 

[Brians356]

As far as “his attitude” is concerned, all I can say is that “it takes two to tangle”.

Ditto "tango".
-

 

[acloco]

See this a lot in every atmosphere.

We see this on every website dedicated to our "hobby".

Really like to see the questions for all, asking "what is the best tool ...."

Some of the responses are great. They have tried 3 to 10 different options/brands available, state their valid points, and call it a day.

Then you have..."I have been reloading for 2 or 40 years, and I have only used this _____ and it is the best".

 

[spitfire_er]

I ended up finding a Clausing 6913 I used for a couple years, then found a used Harrison M300 13x40, had it rebuilt and it works great. It is my main lathe now. Currently looking for a 15" lathe to possibly replace my really nice 10L southbend. Some days I wonder at what point does a guy go to CNC? That's a whole other topic though.

 

[joshb]

That’s a neat pic! The high tech modern lathe with an old anvil sitting next to it. I’ve heard there are still guys in Williamsburg that can make a gun using that anvil.

 

[Thud]

Hold up. I just ran out of popcorn need to go get more.
Resume when I get back

 

[spitfire_er]

That’s a neat pic! The high tech modern lathe with an old anvil sitting next to it. I’ve heard there are still guys in Williamsburg that can make a gun using that anvil.

Not me. That is a fairly small one that I got out of a storage unit. Comes in handy once in a while, but I'm no blacksmith. It's been floating around my floor for a couple years, need to find a home for it in my shop. I'm really out of room. I really need about a 40x100' shop to do everything I would like to do.

Here's a better shot of the lathe with a new paint job after it came back from the machine rebuilder. Only thing I forgot to do was shine up the lead screw and the other bars.