Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Monarch 10EE Lathe

I'm thinking on buying this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/181919707101?ul_noapp=true

Problem is it is 1700 miles from home. Talked with the owner and he was very forthcoming. I trust him and believe it to be as represented.

Comments and advice please.

Can only comment, that's a nice looking piece of equipment! I'd be one happy camper with that in my shop.

What do you think on the price? I offered 7k and he came back with 7.8k.

Well, just a quick glance shows four other 10EE's priced $12.5K to $29.5K so he's not out of the ballpark. I didn't compare feature for feature, but the condition of the one you're looking at looks pretty nice. The logistics of transporting it is sure to add to the price, but it looks like he has the capabilities to load it correctly though.

Well cared for lathe but the short bed and small spindle bore will limit the usefulness as far as a gunsmithing lathe at least when it comes to barrel work. A great value for the asking price but a more useful lathe can be had for half the price. If it's what you like then go for it.

What was said about spindle bore size and length of the bed.

It all depends on what you plan to do with it.

~ 2001 Seattle public works put out in the parking lot a lathe just like that [sans new paint] to be scrapped. I posted on rec.crafts.metalworking and a guy showed up to save it.. just minutes after it went to the scrap yard.
Seattle replaced the Monarch with a Jet lathe.

Two years ago I saw a mill on ebay I wanted, but it was local pickup only. It cost me $2k in shipping and took a month of phone calls and hassles.

What does it all mean?
Each time you get a new piece of heavy equipment, it is like getting divorced to marry someone else.

I have a 13x36 Clausing/Colchester for big stuff. I'm just a hobby machinist and don't intend to make any real money. I just do small jobs for friends and neighbors usually for trade or free.

We are at $7,800.00 now with me to pay the freight. I have a trucker friend that could haul it for about $600.00

Well, I've had a 10EE for a while. A good one is well worth the money. Mine came with a lot more tooling and other misc. tooling and parts. Is it a WIAD or what year is it? Remember some models have old time tubes and electronics. Some of the tubes are almost unattainable and are in the $200-$400 range if you find used ones. I was lucky and received an extra set of tubes. Parts are readily available and expensive. There is still a Monarch USA company. Go to The Practical Machinest forum and they have a very big active forum on Monarch lathes. A lot of very knowledgeable people are on it.
PM me if you need a lead on one. I personally think he is a couple or $3,000 high.

Thanks for the tip you gave me on the Texas machine. Still waiting to hear back from him.

If it hasn't been converted to a VFD, and still has those tubes, I'd avoid the thing, myself. Those tubes, and other parts are in the same price league as the Hardinge stuff.

Gunwizard never learned how to fit a spider to a tailstock, and indicate both ends, apparently.

....the 1 13/32 spindle bore's pretty skookum for most blanks, and can be opened up to an honest 1.5, with a little toolroom savvy.

GTC

Assuming that the spindle bore is sufficiently large enough to chamber through the headstock for the barrels you'll want to use, it concerns me that the headstock might be too long to do so. I don't see that dimension on the list of specs but I would certainly check and don't forget to add the additional room for a spider.

One of the finest tool room lathes ever made. Rock solid and a joy to use. The downside is depending on the year the variable speed drive can be an incredibly complex and expensive unit to deal with.

Not the best choice for chambering barrels as mentioned due to the short bed length, relatively small headstock bore and long headstock length. But if you can deal with the shortcomings, you'll love it.

The 10EE that I recommended to him is much newer than mine. It is called a modular machine Mine is a WIAD unit. Mine runs perfectly and I'm lucky to have extra tubes if they are ever needed. The only way you can chamber in the headstock is to machine precision bushings to fit in the spindle to slide your barrel blank into. I don't use mine for chambering and the OP has a lathe already that will work great for chambering.
Greg, if you have a good one, it will last you a lifetime. They are heavy, extremely accurate, and can make a heavy cut. The variable speed drive will allow mine to go from around 40rpm to 4000 rpm with full torque. They come with 50 millionths bearings in the headstock.
The Practical Machinest has a great forum on these machines and a tremendous amount of knowledge for anybody that needs any kind of help.
I believe Monarch will make your old machine like new for around $80,000.

Just closed the deal with Uncle Bill. Check in the mail tomorrow.

Good score. The 10EE is a very desirable lathe.

Won't know until it gets here. But I think I got a fair deal and the seller the same. Time will tell.

Any truckers here wanting to haul 3,700lbs from Texas to Oregon? I pay cash.

Something I saw in the description does not seem right. He says the thru hole in the head stock is 1 13/32" but has a #2 Morse taper. The large end of a #2 is only .700 of an inch. That seems like a small taper for the head stock. Most lathes have a #5.
I will be the first to say I have run a lot of different lathes in my life, but have never had a chance to run a 10EE.

One last note, I am looking for a lathe myself and found one in CA that I am thinking about. I was quoted $550 to truck it all the way to TN. You might shop around a little on freight.

Good luck and let us know what you do.

If the spindle bore is too small to let a barrel blank fit thru it indicating with spiders is a moot point. Shows how little you know mister expert, I learned how to indicate parts using spiders when you were still pooping in your pants.

Is that pullet like a chicken? "Chuckle". A 10EE measures 27" from a faceplate to the end of the spindle. If you manufactured a cathead for both ends of the spindle, I believe would put a 28" blank flush on both ends if you were lucky. A 1.375 barrel blank will fit in the spindle. I believe the #2 Morse is the tailstock taper, it ain't the taper in the headstock as a 5C collet wouldn't work. All 10EE will use the 5C collets.

Pullit, I'm just kidding about the chicken.