A NEW LOW! Straight line rip saws are worth less than grizzly jointers!

[Dev Emch]

For many industrial machines, its a buyers market! Today reached new lows. I went to the Hy Q auction today held by Roller Auctions. (Google Roller Auctions for address). First of all, my shop may be a tad untidy, but at least I take care of my machines. This place was a pig stall.

I was VERY LIGHTLY interested in a Mattison 202 straight line rip saw. Really, I would have to think where to put it and what I would use it for. The saw had been put out to pasture. Literally! It was in a tiny field out back and the weather had rusted it beyon orange. IT was brown. Paint was in tact but flaking. The saw was very much restorable. No cracked castings anywhere.

But the saw must weigh at least 6000 pounds. And I am being over optimistic. If it weighs 10,000 pounds, I could easily believe it. The table was about 4 feet wide and six feet deep. The motor was direct drive and was a 10 horse power westinghouse. Not sure about the chain feed. These are often the weakest areas.

So I had about 5 minutes to think about it before the group showed up. Nobody bid on it. Finally I offered twenty bucks. Then it began moving upwards. At 40 bucks, I realized that someone wanted this and it could get out of hand. More importantly, I am wondering how the heck to rig this thing out today and haul it home. My trailers are in use and not available for a couple of weeks. Thinking about rigging costs, I decided to let this slide.

So the guy won a project machine that needs about a gallon of naval jelly and some new paint for a whole 50 bucks. FIFTY BUCKS for a mattison 202 straight line rip saw. Now I am wondering what I was thinking. I could get almost that for just scrap iron. But I am not into architectual moulding and this saw really needs to be setup as a front end station for a full bore moulder. So I would have bought it for 55 bucks if I could figure out a practical use for this monster.

Of course, I am sure grizzly sells these for a bunch more money. Speaking of grizzly, they had a modified 8 inch jointer go for 150 bucks. A couple of grizzly sanders went for 50 bucks each. So now a modified grizzly 8 inch jointer is worth more than a 6000 thosand pound mattison straight line rip saw. How the mightly have fallen!

[Jarrod Nelson]

I suppose it could be a result of people not having a way to haul a machine that big, or have the knowledge to restore it.

[Barry O'Mahony]

Well, you can buy houses for a dollar, too. But then you have to pay $$$ to move them. For the saw, too, the total transaction cost would be $50 plus the cost of moving a 6K-10K pound lb. out of a field and into your shop. That could add up.

[Dev Emch]

Well, you can buy houses for a dollar, too. But then you have to pay $$$ to move them. For the saw, too, the total transaction cost would be $50 plus the cost of moving a 6K-10K pound lb. out of a field and into your shop. That could add up.

Yup! That is why I did not jump on this deal today. I have another table saw deal I am working on which is much more important so the 202 had to slide.

[Bill Lewis]

Reminds me of a time when a friend of mine bought a $3000 lathe for $35. Metal lathe, not a ww one. Come to thinkof it, he also bought an old Delta lathe and duplicator at the same auction for $200. But definately the real deal was the lathe, The reality was that he could have bought it for less as no one wanted to bid on it. He just threw out a price and the auctioneer said "sold". Of course I got to help him move it the next day.

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

I see it all the time here in Japan as well.

Some amazing HEAVY old steel, with 3-phase HUGE motors on them, they often go for a very small percentage of the new price.

The thing about the 8" Grizzly jointer is that thousands of guys could use it, while the ripsaw, well, not many guys are going to be putting that in their two car garage

Cheers!