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Seeking advice for lagun vertical mill

Kody

Plastic
Joined
Oct 20, 2022
Location
Olivehurst, CA
Good evening everyone,

First, I would like to preface by saying have been lurking these forums for years now at this point and I love the knowledge that is freely shared here among fellow tradesmen.

I am looking for some advice on a potential new to me machine. I will be providing more specifics as it becomes available to me, but for now, all I know is it’s a lagun vertical mill. Now, on to my question… the ways and table have been re surfaced but it apparently needs the gibs replaced. The guys is asking 1500 for it. The variable speed head according to the seller works perfect and the table is 42”…does this sound like a can of worms, or a potential bargain on a good machine? Thanks for your time.
 
I would be very suspicious of someone having the ways and table resurfaced. To have that done properly often costs more than a machine is worth. Gibs are easy to replace but rarely go bad. I suspect the seller ruined the machine and is trying to palm the thing off as just having an easy to fix problem with the gibs.
 
Yeah that’s a fair point! The pics of the table and ways look good, but I know that means absolutely nothing without it being checked proper.
 
Good evening everyone,

First, I would like to preface by saying have been lurking these forums for years now at this point and I love the knowledge that is freely shared here among fellow tradesmen.

I am looking for some advice on a potential new to me machine. I will be providing more specifics as it becomes available to me, but for now, all I know is it’s a lagun vertical mill. Now, on to my question… the ways and table have been re surfaced but it apparently needs the gibs replaced. The guys is asking 1500 for it. The variable speed head according to the seller works perfect and the table is 42”…does this sound like a can of worms, or a potential bargain on a good machine? Thanks for your time.
As @Superbowl has stated, having the ways and table resurfaced is a big red flag if they were not done by a reputable shop or someone with a pretty good knowledge base to work with. A good indicator that they were not done by a professional is that the gibs are not fitted to the newly surfaced ways. If you feel that the resurfacing of the ways is able to be trusted and doesn’t look to be all scratched up from bad scraping, gibs can be shimmed and re-fitted to the machine. The main factor is the amount of effort and time that you would be willing to put into this machine. If the head is working well the worst case is that you now have a large drill press.
 
As @Superbowl has stated, having the ways and table resurfaced is a big red flag if they were not done by a reputable shop or someone with a pretty good knowledge base to work with. A good indicator that they were not done by a professional is that the gibs are not fitted to the newly surfaced ways. If you feel that the resurfacing of the ways is able to be trusted and doesn’t look to be all scratched up from bad scraping, gibs can be shimmed and re-fitted to the machine. The main factor is the amount of effort and time that you would be willing to put into this machine. If the head is working well the worst case is that you now have a large drill press.
I really prefer a machine that’s G2G but this one is significantly cheaper than others . I figured I would see what people more knowledgeable than myself would advise. I’m probably better off saving a bit more for one that hasn’t been fooled with.
 
I really prefer a machine that’s G2G but this one is significantly cheaper than others . I figured I would see what people more knowledgeable than myself would advise. I’m probably better off saving a bit more for one that hasn’t been fooled with.
$1,500 is suspiciously low anyway for a good mill
 
I really prefer a machine that’s G2G but this one is significantly cheaper than others . I figured I would see what people more knowledgeable than myself would advise. I’m probably better off saving a bit more for one that hasn’t been fooled with.
That’s probably the way to go on this one, I often see Bridgeport and Lagun mills go for around $3,000 or less at machine auctions. If you’d like I would be happy to keep an eye out for the next machine that comes along.
 
You just joined this forum today and your "lurking"? Are you sure your not an employee of Morall Machine? Lets see some photo's of what your talking about. If it's on Craigslist pm me the ad so I can give you some real advise and not a guess. I would be happy to call and talk to the owner of the machine and find out why they worked on it. Where is the machine? Lagun is a a decent machine. I have never seen a Lagun with a 42" table. Lets see some pictures.
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You just joined this forum today and your "lurking"? Are you sure your not an employee of Morall Machine? Lets see some photo's of what your talking about. If it's on Craigslist pm me the ad so I can give you some real advise and not a guess. I would be happy to call and talk to the owner of the machine and find out why they worked on it. Where is the machine? Lagun is a a decent machine. I have never seen a Lagun with a 42" table. Lets see some pictures.
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Hahah I have been reading these forums for years yes. Until now, I have always found the information I needed in previous threads. This one finally made me create an account and ask for help! It’s not a Craigslist ad but FB market place…I am located in Northern California in the sacramento area.
 
The big question in my mind is ---do you need a mill for immediate use- or do you have the desire for a mill you can use at some point and are willing to work on one to get there?

I am a little more optimistic. about the mill. If the table work was done by a professional rebuilder the gib would have been fitted- as previously noted. This leads me to believe that the owner undertook this themself. My guess is that another mill was obtained and finishing the Lagun dropped in priority. Space is now a factor- and its time for the Lagun to find a new home. How do you sell a mill that needs work-- you lower the price. That the seller is upfront about the gib is a good sign. They could have reused the old one with some shims and not mentioned it.

What determines the value of a mill? Its the ability to do accurate work in the present and the odds that this will continue in the future. Lagun has a good reputation and has had for years.

In a worse case--- I would rather have a poorly rebuilt Lagun than a newer poorly built machine from China or India.
 
I apologize for accusing you of being a troll. I hate seeing company names in here. It's ok to talk about your company, but to have your company name as your handle. I don't know anyone who does that. I guess it is allowed now on the new PM. I facebook texted the guy with the Lagun. Something is odd about that machine. Here is what I wrote " I am asking for a friend. What is your phone number so I can call you and ask some questions. I am a Professional machine rebuilder."
 
Jim - The table is small, I have never seen a 42" Lagun. I have only seen 48" . The table and scraped knee top is ground in the pictures. No X feed screw and bracket are shown. Lets see if he writes me back. The VS head is worth that much. Kody could link it in here if he wants.
 
The big question in my mind is ---do you need a mill for immediate use- or do you have the desire for a mill you can use at some point and are willing to work on one to get there?

I am a little more optimistic. about the mill. If the table work was done by a professional rebuilder the gib would have been fitted- as previously noted. This leads me to believe that the owner undertook this themself. My guess is that another mill was obtained and finishing the Lagun dropped in priority. Space is now a factor- and its time for the Lagun to find a new home. How do you sell a mill that needs work-- you lower the price. That the seller is upfront about the gib is a good sign. They could have reused the old one with some shims and not mentioned it.

What determines the value of a mill? Its the ability to do accurate work in the present and the odds that this will continue in the future. Lagun has a good reputation and has had for years.

In a worse case--- I would rather have a poorly rebuilt Lagun than a newer poorly built machine from China or India.
I would prefer one for immediate use however, I have to be honest with myself here. I have never used a mill, nor will it come with the tooling required to undertake the jobs I want one for in the first place. It’s not that I mind sinking time and money into it, but I would rather spend that time becoming proficient with it and the money on tooling. But it seems the good machine like sharps and bridgeports that are between 3 and 4k in my area…and not so easy to find.
 
You just joined this forum today and your "lurking"? Are you sure your not an employee of Morall Machine? Lets see some photo's of what your talking about. If it's on Craigslist pm me the ad so I can give you some real advise and not a guess. I would be happy to call and talk to the owner of the machine and find out why they worked on it. Where is the machine? Lagun is a a decent machine. I have never seen a Lagun with a 42" table. Lets see some pictures.
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My circa 1978 FTV-1 has a 9"x42" table. I had it checked out by A&D Machine Tool Rebuilders before buying it, and they didn't see any funny business with it. A quick web search shows at least one more here. https://surplusrecord.com/listing/l...-table-r-8-taper-one-shot-lube-system-296426/
I think a 9x42 was pretty common on the very early FTV-1. Then they went to a 10x44, and then even larger still on the newer machines.
 
It sounds as if Kody isn't interested, so here is the facebook link. I haven't heard back from the seller. The table looks like it is on backwards. Drain hole... can't see the feed screw or table brackets. The gibs would be a pain to make, so buying them wwould be the way to go, unless they are super $$. Anyway I guess your right about the table size. oops. I see Colton changed his name. As I said to him in private message's I talk about my company in my posts, I just don't put it in my handle. Thanks and welcome Colton. It will be nice to have another pro helping answer questions. There are a few others on here who I consider pro's as people pay or paid them to fix or scrape machines. I try to help people learn to scrape then offer my services in every post in the forum. Go up to the top Sticky under "Studer" and I helped Bruce learn to scrape over the forum as he is in Germany. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/636574734667657/
 
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