Union Graduate

[Echo-Star]

Good evening all

Could anyone give me an estimate or rather current price. off the union gradute short bed lathe. I've been on the lookout for a while now, and there's one on thhe bay at the moment, with bidding still going at around the grand.

Is this a fair price for this machine.

Kind regards

Rob

 

[wallace]

For a grand I'd want a Wadkin RS. Looking at previous selling prices on ebay they go for around £5OO and one sold for just £147

 

[Echo-Star]

For a grand I'd want a Wadkin RS. Looking at previous selling prices on ebay they go for around £5OO and one sold for just £147

Hi Wallace, thank you for your advice.

I just missed out on the union gard "small bed" I was bidding on today on the bay, I went 1190 and It sold for 1210, I have seen a wadkin rs for sale, though thaught It may be a little long for my WS, I my look again and see if i could make room for it.

cheeers

 

[wallace]

I see theirs a few listed on ebay from £45O to £75O, and some with best offer.
The prices of RS's has gone up alot in the last few years, Still very reasonable for the best production lathe around. A few years ago you could pick one up for £5OO.

 

[minilathe22]

£1000 for a Union Graduate is not too bad, as long as it is in good condition, and comes with a fair amount of accesories. The Wadkin RS can be had fror a similar price, and is clearly a more robust lathe, but is much harder to transport and move around and much larger footprint.

I managed to get a Union Graduate into a hatchback with the seats folded down.

 

[okeydokey]

I know nothing about graduate lathes
Just looked on ebay the 30" bed ones seem to be selling for £600 and will do carriage for about £120 if you cant collect. Is one of these an option and then buy a short bed later or is this a daft idea?

 

[pe2dave]

Hi Wallace, thank you for your advice.

I just missed out on the union gard "small bed" I was bidding on today on the bay, I went 1190 and It sold for 1210, I have seen a wadkin rs for sale, though thaught It may be a little long for my WS, I my look again and see if i could make room for it.

cheeers

Which is why I signed up with gixen.com - let it do the bidding, just set a max price.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Good as they are I think I were spending anything like a grand I'd be looking for alternatives.

 

[okeydokey]

There is one for £998 in Saxmundham variable speed -- dont know if its too far to travel but will fit in a car -- go to Gumtree search for
Wood turning bowl lathe 240v Union Graduate

 

[minilathe22]

The long bed can be removed and a short bed fitted to the same headstock. However the shortbed is in more demand due to its compact size. Personally I found the long bed pretty good, and the tailstock is a bit more solid than the shortbed one. Why not get the long bed and see what you make of it?

 

[Echo-Star]

Thanks very much for all your replies lads.

I see theirs a few listed on ebay from £45O to £75O, and some with best offer.
The prices of RS's has gone up alot in the last few years, Still very reasonable for the best production lathe around. A few years ago you could pick one up for £5OO.

I had a look at the wadkin RS, and can see that It would be oversized for my small modest ws, as I'd have to give up half my longest wall, which I was hoping to keep clear as much as I could for pushing other machinery up against when not required, so the RS is not really an option for me, though looks a cracking machine.

Thanks Wallace

£1000 for a Union Graduate is not too bad, as long as it is in good condition, and comes with a fair amount of accesories. The Wadkin RS can be had fror a similar price, and is clearly a more robust lathe, but is much harder to transport and move around and much larger footprint.

I managed to get a Union Graduate into a hatchback with the seats folded down.

The small bed I was bidding on had single ph motor fitted, with variable speed and reverse, 2 or 3 face plates of various sizes, an axminster 4 jaw chuck and what looked like a nice set off tools, ready to plug and play. Very clean, and would have suited my situation better at this time.

I'm kind off gutted that I missed out on it actually

Thanks mini

I know nothing about graduate lathes
Just looked on ebay the 30" bed ones seem to be selling for £600 and will do carriage for about £120 if you cant collect. Is one of these an option and then buy a short bed later or is this a daft idea?

No that Is not a bad Idea at all okey, I wasn't aware that the bed could be removed, I can see that as a big benefit as that would also solve a storage issue for me, when not requiring the bed in use.

I'm up in Scotland, and Ive used this guy to bring me a couple off pieces up from down south. I contacted him about the lathe i was bidding on, this guy takes orders and only goes down to England on a Tuesday once a week, and he was going to collect from kent for a £100
I was quoted rediculous prices from couriers during lockdown, and dont think I could ever find better, who also helped get the machines into my ws.


Thanks okey

Which is why I signed up with gixen.com - let it do the bidding, just set a max price.

Thanks pe2dave, I will look into that gixen.com very shortly.

Thank you

Good as they are I think I were spending anything like a grand I'd be looking for alternatives.

Hi Phil, I've read through many post from you guys regarding all aspects of our craft/hobby and machinery, and from what I've picked up, the consensus off opinion has been to go for old, over new when it comes to buying machinery, or am I missing something here.

I am open to all options and advice from more informed members, than I am myself. As I am still fitting out my WS at this time, and I'd like to get It right 1st time, If I could. Or rather not buy twice. Alternatives would be nice to look over.

Thanks Phil

Rob

 

[minilathe22]

There are some good new ones, but the modern market for quality lathes is pretty small, whereas back when the Union Graduates were being made they would be used in production environments as well so had to be built to a good quality, and as you can see with the Wadkin RS were often over engineered!

There is also a similar lathe to the Graduate, called the Denford Viceroy. I have not used one myself.

Also keep a lookout for the smaller Wadkin/Bursgreen lathes, and of course the Union Jubilee.

 

[Davyc]

Hi there. Hopefully not hijacking your thread. I noticed minilathe22 mentioned the viceroy in his reply and I actually have a longbed one for sale if you are interested. It can come with either a single phase motor allowing you to change the speed by using the belts or with a 3 phase motor and speed control. Price is negotiable and certainly cheaper than the one you were bidding on. Can send pics if interested. Cheers.

 

[Trextr7monkey]

I had a Graduate at work which was a lovely machine, when I retired I had to leave it behind To save space I picked up a Jubilee which has a similar feel to the Graduate and is often much cheaper. Also easier to move about. Graduate values do seem to vary according to location- being on Scottish border usually means we are a long way from southern bargains
I also picked up another which has a bigger motor and a Union graduate spindle which was used as a buffer machine mostly but these have been augmented with a Union polishing machine and the time is coming whereI need to clear some space to get an old car in the garage I imagine the value of both jubilees to be the same as one good graduate

 

[hairy]

I'd love a lathe at some point, looking on ebay this one says it can be posted for £9.02

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/22448292...rentrq:f5342a9e1790ab8cc81f5bddfff9c125|iid:1

 

[clogs]

I was looking for a Graduate but ended up spending just a little extra and got the Wadkin RS......
my turning banks will start at 1/2 ton...perhaps a bit much for a Grad.....
anyway.....
As I see it, a grand for a decent Grad is not so bad.....everyone thats sells looks on eBay for price guidence......
the best I found for £500'ish was a machine that needed bearings etc and or 3phase.....for a grand it's just plug n play.....
It's a bit like the Myford metal lathe...not the best but certainly v/v/good....
the other thing with a Grad etc is it will keep it's value and still be working when u'r grand kids inherit it.....
as for new lathes u'd need to spend a grand or more to get anything decent but still wont be a s good as the old Grad/RS.....
once u've spent ur money u'll soon forget the pain.......hahaha.....
Been there before, bought the cheaper machine and hated it.....even looking at it drove me nuts.....
so more agro getting rid and finding what ya want.....
it's a bit like owning a Fiat when you really wanted Cadillac..........
just go for it if u can afford it....

 

[Fergie 307]

Which is why I signed up with gixen.com - let it do the bidding, just set a max price.

Have never understood how that differs from just setting your maximum bid on e bay. What am I missing?

 

[Keith 66]

I sold a Union graduate on here a couple of years back, iirc correctly it finally went for £850 after starting at £1200. That lathe went with a host of faceplates, chuck with 4 sets of jaws & more tooling & a large box of chisels. They are a quite big machine, lot of them about & more being chucked out of schools every year. I agree that without tooling its around £400- £750 for one, same goes for a lot of other machines, price of older machinery has been going down for a while unless its a Myford!
Many people buy new even if it comes from the far east.

 

[akirk]

Have never understood how that differs from just setting your maximum bid on e bay. What am I missing?

it bids in the last few seconds giving others no time to up their bid
bidding your maximum on ebay means that ebay emails the other bidders telling them they have been outbid and would they like to bid more…

people will often bid the amount needed to secure the item, not their maximum, so by giving them no time to increase the bid you win at a lower price

if everyone always put their maximum bid in then it wouldn’t matter, the highest bid would win, but they don’t so it works…

lots of alternatives - I use snip.pl and have done for many years with no issues, you buy credits but only spend them when successful

 

[pe2dave]

Have never understood how that differs from just setting your maximum bid on e bay. What am I missing?

The software used by Gixen doesn't actually bid until the last seconds of an item closing, hence 'humans' don't get time to get in?
More chance of your bid winning then.
Modified of course as more and more ebay users use sniping tools such as Gixen.
For me, I reckon it's paid for itself over the few purchases I've made.

oops, sorry, just seen @akirk answer.