Replies

1. 
   2x4 | Feb 28, 2005 02:21am | #1

   Woodweb is a good site for lots of heavier used equipment. Good to hear that there are people other than myself who will drive long distances for tools.

   Brian

1. 
   Christop | Feb 28, 2005 03:37am | #2

   I had luck with EBAY but you need to be patient.  Last fall I lucked into a great 20" delta.  It's a year or 2 older then I am but works great.    Got it from a professional shop that was about 6 hours from home (but near some of my family that justified the trip).  I needed to do some standard maintenance but it works like a champ.  All for less than a new Delta 14 inch.

   I just passed on a delta planer that was being auctioned on EBAY. The guy who owned it got it a few years ago but he had never turned it on.  Couldn't even tell if it was 110 or 220.  The pictures showed rust.  Could have been surface rust only.  But I wasn't about to take a risk on an unknown like that.

   If your in the used market be patient and have access to a truck.  I rented a 1000 pound capacity dolly, used a set of ramps for my pick-up and had some good straps.  I wouldn't think twice about doing it again.

   Chris

2. 
   flipstuff | Feb 28, 2005 04:26am | #3

   right off the bat i'd say one word: craigslist -- if you don't already know about it, go to their main address now:

   http://www.craigslist.org

   and you will be able to select a craigslist for the city you're in, or ANY city listed, and look for machinery.

   i live in san francisco, where it started, and i have bought all kinds of things including tools and furniture. it's a pretty amazing community offering all kinds of info and opportunities -- and it's free to post an ad, and free to browse. i'm not affiliated in any way, but craigslist to me is one of the cool authentic places on the internet -- that hasn't been corrupted yet by advertising and rampant scamming.

   PLUS it's very different than ebay in that you can often talk to the person on the phone, go visit, try the tools, negotiate, etc. the spirit of the place is great, and people are pretty cool to deal with, i've found. you can often get referrals too.

   [ for example (this is a mini "tool gloat"): today i bought a delta contractor's saw, delta compound miter saw, drill stand, and porter cable profile sander -- all for $165, and all in decent condition -- PLUS, the guy helped me move the stuff to my house in his pickup.

   try THAT with ebay. ]

   but back to your BANDSAW:

   i've seen some some occasional bandsaw deals on craigslist, but you have to check back every day. and i have even seen some older, SERIOUS machinery -- but it's far less common than the typical consumer range stuff ($150 - 750 typically).

   you're willing to drive, you said -- so i'd look to see if there's a craigslist city within a 200 mile radius of you. then just do a search under "all items for sale/wanted."

   in the SF bay area there have been a few large tools listed lately like stationary planers -- grizzly, williams-hussey, and foley-belsaw -- and a few lathes (oliver) -- but again, just bookmark the sites and check back every day. that's KEY.

   the SEARCH function on craigslist is pretty limited, so here are a couple of tips:

   1. don't put a dollar value in the "min" and "max" fields -- and you'll get more listings that way.

   once you've scanned through all the items, THEN you can reduce your results by putting in "max" numbers. oftentimes a word like "saw" will bring up any text from an ad -- like "i SAW this same Mercedes at a dealership for $22,500"

   2. since most people don't spell consistently, try different mis-spellings or variants of the same word -- eg, try a search for "band-saw," "bandsaw," and "band saw" separately -- you may see more items that way. also putting items in all caps "BANDSAW" sometimes kicks up ####few extras.

   --------------------

   another source i've read about on this forum (and elsewhere) is to contact old school districts that used to have shop or "industrial arts" classes, but have phased them out due to budget cuts. i haven't tried this myself because i have limited space for old monster tool -- but give the school district a call.

   --------------------

   another source would be to find an auction company or a liquidation company and ask them for info -- they may have a lead on the type of stuff you're looking for. if you aren't asking about something that cuts into their business or gives up valuable secrets, they may be willing to help you.

   you could also try asking a woodworking or uphostery frame manufacturer if you have any near you. they may know how to find exactly what you need, and may share the info. there are a couple in san francisco, and i just walked in one day and spoke to the manager/owner. he gave me a few names of businesses.

   i think people can be remarkably helpful and will share info, again, if it's not going to cut directly into their livelihood.

   ---------------------------

   yet another possible source are places called "builder's recycling" lots, where demolished building parts and supplies are sent to be re-used and resold. we have 2 or 3 near me in the city area.

   sometimes they have old machinery. look in your yellow pages. it's a great resource, and if not, they may have some ideas for you.

   (for example, i've found marble, granite, furniture parts, old wood beams, glue-lam, pressure-treated posts, table bases, windows, mirrors, solid-core doors, fixtures and older doorknobs etc.)

   well, that's all i've got. happy hunting -- and let us know what you find!

   cheers
   philip

1. 
   Stuart | Feb 28, 2005 04:41am | #4

   "right off the bat i'd say one word: craigslist -- if you don't already know about it, go to their main address now:

   http://www.craigslist.org

   and you will be able to select a craigslist for the city you're in, or ANY city listed, and look for machinery.

   i live in san francisco, where it started, and i have bought all kinds of things including tools and furniture. it's a pretty amazing community offering all kinds of info and opportunities -- and it's free to post an ad, and free to browse. i'm not affiliated in any way, but craigslist to me is one of the cool authentic places on the internet -- that hasn't been corrupted yet by advertising and rampant scamming. "

   That's interesting.  I've been watching the local Craiglist here in Minneapolis for some time.  I suspect it's partly because it hasn't caught on as well yet as it has in other cities, but I haven't found hardly anything on there worth looking at.   It seems like most merchandise is either overpriced or junk, plus every fifth post is some offer for a 'free' television or 'free' email.

1. 
   flipstuff | Feb 28, 2005 04:55am | #5

   really? sorry to hear that. keep trying.
   maybe it's because it started here in sf that i've had so much luck, who knows.right now, for example, there are truly great deals on unisaws and several other cabinet saws in sf craiglist, plus several planers jointers, and tons of cordless stuff. if you have the money, there really is a lot of quality to be had, and for me, these are far better deals than ebay with no waiting and less risk.the usual crap is there too, of course, like anyplace else -- but for two reasons this is not an issue: 1) you learn to ignore postings that look and sound a certain way, and 2), there is a pretty active "flagging" function with live human monitors, so scammers are soon identified, and their posts deleted quickly.hope it catches on soon for you there, as i've saved many hundreds on great tools.cheers
   philip

3. 
   JeffHeath | Feb 28, 2005 09:27am | #6

   http://www.irsauctions.com

    

   Jeff