Machine Shop Auction! Fun Finds & Auction Tips!

[@Abom79]

All good buys and some great prices! Those Starrett back plunge indicator sets average a little more than you paid, and that set still looks new, so good score there. It's a handy indicator, perfect for tramming in a milling vise. I enjoyed hearing your advice and tips for others. I have never been to an estate auction myself, but I did go to an estate sale. I found some very good buys on some big tools. The filing cabinet thats behind me in my videos I got for $40. You did good John! And your right, there's plenty of BP mills out there so one will come up when your not even expecting it. Thanks for sharing! Adam

[@pierresgarage2687]

Hi John, This is called auction fever, only cure, buy more...lol Excellent tips, even some added by other viewers... Thanks, Pierre

[@amandabeck2024]

Yea. The best items you got there were the right angle head at $60. You definitely got a good deal on that. I liked that 8" insert facing tool and again at $60 you hit a nice home run on that as well. Top it off with that 1" insert end mill for $40. Hell. Getting all that for $160 was a home run in itself. It's all high quality capability adding tools.

[@danielwerger5641]

You did real good John...! I've been going to auctions for 20 years, and all your advice is sound and true. Industrial auctions are an excellent place to pick up good tooling at a reasonable price. Gotta watch the buyers premium, 24-25% adds a lot to the final price. Also important is to watch the tool/scrap dealers. When they go for a pee or a hot dog, start bidding.... :-) Also look for lots which are "miss-labeled". I got a 52" 16g electro-mechanical shear for $100 because the auction house labeled it as "shear parts". Truth is it was simply dismantled, and when put back together, worked perfectly.... More or less. Auctions are fun, because of the randomness of it all..... Cheers.

[@JackHoying]

I was at an auction in Dayton, Ohio a month or so ago and scored a lot of nice items at amazing prices. Picked up a nice Dumore toolpost grinder in it's case for $40.00. Mostly non-commercial type equipment, but I got a nice Clausing drill press for next to nothing. Several items (a working Index vertical mill, and a huge non-working planer) sold for $10.00 each. The planer was probably worth about $500.00 as scrap, but nobody wanted to handle it. I had my trailer and van fairly full of items (mostly ones that I will keep for myself), but I sold a set of B&S #9 collets on EBay (that I paid $11.00 for) for more than I paid for all the items I brought home.

[@JackHoying]

This one is a few hours from you, (just into India) but looks interesting. www.auctionzip.com/cgi-bin/auctionview.cgi?lid=2227769 If I wasn't so busy this week, I'd go, but it's on Friday.

[@MAYANPLASTIC]

Name the auction please.. thanks [e-mail]

[@raabsand]

Tool auctions are amazing and sometimes super cheap. Went to one and got a flat of snap on sockets and wrenches for $35! One of those wrenches or sockets goes for that

[@GeofDumas]

Estate sales too. Some guy one town over bought a machinist's house over the summer and sold off the metal at whatever price you wanted to offer first. I got there late and only ended up with an aluminum plate but 1" x 18" x 18" for $5 is not bad

[@wolfstirol1940]

Sure auctions are much better than eBay I would say eBay is sometimes the last way to buy things because sometimes expensive specialy for very rare products they take heavy prices sometimes . . The mill sounded realy good but you can never tell until you have it at home and under inspection. I made some good deals the mill right angle head is cool 👍

[@crazymanmichael8386]

the second hand sale economy can be a great resource, but you are absolutely correct, you need to be prepared. in this category i include garage sales, estate and clearing sales, flea markets, auctions, including online, ebay, craigs list, and classified ads. i think that aside from knowing the rules pertaining to the sale as mentioned by several posters, you must do your research first. get a listing of the sale, find out the prevailing new replacement cost, and the prices on those items of interest charged by used equipment dealers, if relevant. establish your priorities, what is going to contribute to your operation more in both the short and long term. know your sale budget. include an amount for incidental small tool/equipment purchases. keep a portable file, electronic or in a notebook. of the research data, and include the sale prices of items as you drop out or are unsuccessful on. include in your budget incidental, costs such as buyers premium, loading or other sale related fees, applicable taxes, etc. finally, stick to the budget. no ifs, buts, etc.

[@mclarpet]

Why a Bridgeport? The Tormach is a vertical spindle machine. Get a Kearney & Trecker - They are a real milling machine and very versatile with a vertical head attachment (powerful too). You certainly got some nice things at the auction and no junk to clutter your workshop. Some people go mad at auctions and pay much more than things are worth, I've seen this at farm clearance sales.

[@RRINTHESHOP]

You did good. Auctions are fun. Thanks Randy

[@RaysGarage]

Hey John, I think you got yourself some great buys, on some really nice tooling! Thanks for sharing bud! Ray

[@jgcbuscandoelgrande4400]

Ray Caniglia buy.b y hulu

[@raabsand]

Very good tips. The auctioneer is just out to make more money. I assume everything is broken unless you can actually test it yourself. They might say it works and tested but they probably just plugged it in and checked if the lights turn on

[@k5at]

Nice Haul! Thanks for the tips.

[@Buckrun11]

Very cool stuff. I have been finding more stuff around here. Went to one auction where a business went out several years ago. I did a video on my finds last August.

[@JTZshokunin]

That was some real wisdom in your words John, thanks. (must admit I'm jealous of the 90 degree head ;) )

[@JTZshokunin]

Gonna show?

[@CompEdgeX2013]

wow, I'd like to get the chance to go to one of those. Nice stuff!!

[@vdub5818]

That Starrett 196 is an awesome indicator. I really love mine. Anytime I can use it instead of my mitutoyo test indicator I do. Plus it's American made! Btw I am Finncustomknives on Instagram

[@dizzolve]

How can I find auctions in my area? I've tried googling and I feel like I'm spinning my wheels. Do you just use craigslist?

[@nyccnc]

where do you live?

[@dizzolve]

Central North Carolina

[@TheWidgetWorks]

By the way that 90 deg head should work on the tormach.

[@1NRG24Seven]

Nice stuff.

[@bigun447]

I have my max price I will pay already in my mind. When the first bid is made I immediately up the bid. I find after 2-3 times of snap bidding it might scare the other guy off. Plus when I reach my max bid I will not bid one penny more and walk away. That means some guy who is running up the bid prices and ups your limit bid gets stuck with the item. Makes them think twice about going against you if they get stuck with something they did not want other than to drive up the price. What is the value of an item? What the last bidder bid. Next week you might find the exact item you walked away from today in better condition at half the price. Auctions are fun.

[@markrich3271]

Were do you find these place . Shoot I want to go .

[@markrich3271]

NYC CNC I live in Waterbury right now .

[@markrich3271]

NYC CNC I know it is I live 10 mins from the home of the bridgeport. I dont see surplus auctions very often or I just dont know where to look for them. But craigslist is full of great deals here . I just picked up this Grade A .0006 Rock of ages 4ftx6xftx1ft surface plate plus stand with recent inspection for 80$ (eighty) . I want to learn to scrape now. i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/MARK1234SARA/IMAG0841_zpse5ad7b41.jpg

[@thebrokenbone]

L O L next time you`ll be buying... a vespa? . cheers . pete :D

[@mclarpet]

Cyril said, "when it stops waining, I want to wide my vethpa".

[@pstevepsu]

I'm a big fan of auctions, too, but be careful with alliances. I don't think the lawman (Sherman Act, 1890 may apply) will go after you for small potatoes, but it is essentially collusion or price fixing. Regardless of the law, most auctioneers I'm aware of will ban you from their auctions if they catch wind of it. I'm not saying it doesn't go on, but it's not something I'd want to advertise or suggest people partake in. I really like your channel and videos, though.

[@Liberty4Ever]

The up side of a down economy - businesses go out of business and their assets are sold on the auction block for pennies on the dollar. Like the Hindi god Shiva... it's creative destruction. There are good deals for those who know enough to recognize value and bid accordingly. Smart phones have changed auctions because multiple comparable sales are a quick search away. Potential buyers are now more informed bidders. That information is doubly good for buyers. You're less likely to overpay, which is obviously good, and the other buyers are less likely to overpay as well so you are less likely to lose a bid on something you wanted and were willing to pay near market prices when some yahoo pays more than something would cost new. Auctioneers love that. Craigs' List can be a great place to buy this sort of stuff too. It's not as big as eBay, so it sometimes is more of a buyer's market. I got a good deal on a great little Clausing lathe. You can search multiple Craig's List locations in your area at AllOfCraigs.com and similar sites. A good mill or lathe at a great price is worth driving 150 miles each way. I'm an electrical engineer, and was a machine designer/builder for much of my career. I now enjoy doing LinuxCNC retrofits, and the danger for me with auctions, Craig's List, etc., is buying machining tools with good iron and no CNC controls or broken controls and adapting them to CNC or converting them to LinuxCNC. It can be a great way to end up with a very capable machine at a real bargain price, but I don't have the space for these projects, and even though I can do them fairly quickly, I don't have the time for these projects. Maybe if I watched fewer KZbin machining videos. :-)

[@Nodularguy1]

Good deals to be had using of the three "D's". Divorce, death and drug addicts. Not that I advocate taking advantage of someone.

[@rashadglover359]

What part of Ohio?