Seven fields to record for every used machine tool you consider, so you compare candidates on evidence.
When you shop for a used machine tool, every listing starts to blur together. One looks clean, another is cheap, a third is close by. A machine file keeps you honest. It’s a simple record, one per candidate machine, with the same fields filled in for each. Compare the files, not your memory of the photos.
Set up the file
A spreadsheet row, a notebook page or a folder per machine all work. What matters is that every machine gets the same headings. Here is a set that covers the essentials.
Field 1: Identity
Make, model, serial, build year, control and software version. Photograph the nameplate. If the serial on the plate doesn’t match the paperwork, find out why.
Field 2: Source
Dealer, auction, private seller or closing shop. Note whether you can inspect, whether it can be powered, and what the terms say about returns, which is usually none.
Field 3: History
Who used it and for what. Heavy steel roughing wears a machine differently than light aluminum work. Record which records the seller provided and which were missing.
Field 4: Condition
Results from the inspection checklist: backlash readings, spindle runout, way condition, changer behavior, electrical cabinet notes. Use numbers where you can. Write good, fair or poor when you can’t.
Field 5: Test run
Did you see it run under power? For how long? Any alarms? If you made a test cut, how did it measure? Leave this field blank rather than guessing. A blank is a risk. See why the test run matters.
Field 6: Total cost to running
- Asking price and buyer fees
- Rigging out and in
- Transport
- Electrical work at your shop
- Missing tooling and accessories
- Likely repairs from your inspection
- Your time to get it cutting
Price alone misleads. A cheaper machine with a long repair list and an awkward move can end up costing more than a dearer one that is ready to cut.
Field 7: Red flags
Note anything that made you uneasy: evasive answers, a freshly painted machine with worn ways, no power available, missing manuals, a seller in a hurry. One red flag might be explainable. Several together usually aren’t.
Compare and decide
Lay the files side by side. Rank by total cost to running, then by risk. The best buy is rarely the cheapest listing. It’s the machine whose file has the fewest blanks and the fewest surprises.