Are 10" Baldor grinders a good tool to flip?

[johannesc]

I'm considering buying a Baldor 1022w grinder + stand and cleaning it up. The seller is asking $250, which based on what they sell for new seems like a pretty good deal. It's 1800RPM, 1HP, 115/230 volts, and I think it's from 1987. I enjoy cleaning/restoring old tools, but this grinder is big enough that I wouldn't really want to mess with the functions or internals of it. I would scrub it down, maybe paint it, and try to flip it. Probably wouldn't even turn it on. Grinders just kind of scare me.

Are big grinders like this something that are worth flipping? Do people actually seek these out on the secondhand market? Every post you hear about them is like "I found this Baldor for $20!" But I'd have to sell this for $400-$500 to make it worth the effort. EDIT: I should add that it appears to be in decent condition for its age, and both the tool rests and spark shields are intact. Stand may not be Baldor-branded.

 

[The Cobbler]

The seller is asking $250, .......

I'd have to sell this for $400-$500

I don't know the value of the grinder all prettied up, but to make potentially $100 and spend 3 or 4 hrs on it, doesn't seem like a money maker.

 

[johannesc]

I agree - I'd be doing it mainly for enjoyment. The hours involved don't justify the return. It's cathartic for me to clean up old tools. But I don't want to spend $250, invest the time, and then never be able to sell it.

 

[wantedabiggergarage]

I have an 8" baldor. I picked it up at a garage sale, and from memory was between $100-150. 6 or 8" are what I see people looking for and single phase (see more three phase for sale). $250 to $300, is the price I see them listed on CL (don't have FB marketplace), that tends to sit for a while. Also the larger ones sit, because much harder to get stones/brushes, etc.

 

[LopezBart]

Radical question: other than for enjoyment, are large heavy wheeled grinders still really useful? I'm certainly going to get either an 8" or 10" w/ white wheels for sharpening HSS tools... but that's kind of a specialty use. It seems like a 2 x 72 or similar belt sander w/ a 2 or 3 hp motor might be a more flexible and overall useful tool for general purpose fabrication, especially if the belts can readily be changed.

 

[seber]

I sell a lot of Baldors. Ten inch is a very slow seller. Most people want eight inch, then seven inch and six inch third. If you are willing to sit on it, you might see $350-$400 in my area. Like any big ticket tool, location is a big factor. In any case, it needs to look like new to get a decent return. That means disassembly and paint plus any repairs such as switch and bearings. It will also need very good wheels. If any of these are less than very good, you need to figure the cost of them into your work.
Edit: You say you don't want to turn it on. That is a non starter. You need to demonstrate that it not only runs but does so without vibration. It must run well enough so you can put a coin on it and not worry about it falling off while it runs. Anything less is going to be impossible to sell for a decent price.

 

[RMERR]

If the stand is cast iron, that would increase the value. If it's the cheaper round tube w/three splayed legs or shop built welded type, much less so. Agree with LopezBart, I think belt sanding machines have nudged out grinders for usefulness these days, I don't even own a stone wheel grinder anymore, though I have 4 metal belt sanding machines. I'm a CL junkie and I see big grinders sit a long time too. If it had a wire wheel or deburring wheel that would help a little for usefulness, but those are expensive in that size. If it's just for flipping, personally I think I'd pass.

 

[cvairwerks]

Keep in mind that if you have to replace the wheels, it's going to set you back between 125$ and 200$ per wheel.....Not many home shop people want to work with that much rotating mass either.

 

[RTM]

Couple of years back, a monster sat at a hoarders estate sale. It finally left with the scrap metal guy. None of the flippers wanted it, too big n heavy to move.

If you can't keep it to use it if it doesn't sell, not sure i'd go down that path.

 

[Davefr]

I'm considering buying a Baldor 1022w grinder + stand and cleaning it up. The seller is asking $250, which based on what they sell for new seems like a pretty good deal. It's 1800RPM, 1HP, 115/230 volts, and I think it's from 1987. I enjoy cleaning/restoring old tools, but this grinder is big enough that I wouldn't really want to mess with the functions or internals of it. I would scrub it down, maybe paint it, and try to flip it. Probably wouldn't even turn it on. Grinders just kind of scare me.

Are big grinders like this something that are worth flipping? Do people actually seek these out on the secondhand market? Every post you hear about them is like "I found this Baldor for $20!" But I'd have to sell this for $400-$500 to make it worth the effort. EDIT: I should add that it appears to be in decent condition for its age, and both the tool rests and spark shields are intact. Stand may not be Baldor-branded.

If you go that route, clean up but don't paint it unless you do a very high quality paint job which can be very labor intensive.

 

[MushCreek]

I picked up a 12" three phase Baldor at auction for $150. I really never used it; just too big. I sold it pretty quickly for $250. The guy that bought put it up on FB right away for $350. I have no idea if he had any luck or not.