Sherline Products, the California company that built small precision lathes and mills for more than 50 years, is shutting down manufacturing. The announcement went up on the company’s own site, so this one is confirmed, not rumor.
The timeline
Sherline says it will keep building and selling machines, tooling, and parts “through the end of October 2026.” Operations that depend on larger production equipment end sooner, so some products will disappear before others.
One co-owner was blunter in a Facebook post: by the end of the year at the latest, Sherline will no longer be in business.
There’s also a 25 percent off blowout sale running on machines and accessories, and machine orders currently carry a 2 to 3 week lead time. If you have been putting off a purchase, the window is measured in weeks, not months.
What the company said
Co-owners Karl Rohlin III and Charla Papp, who bought the company in 2017, pointed to COVID’s aftereffects, rising manufacturing and operating costs, and a customer base that shops differently now. Their conclusion: continuing manufacturing “is no longer sustainable.” Equipment is already being removed from service, which reads like liquidation rather than a pause.
Not everything disappears. Existing owners keep real support for a while:
- Warranty claims handled per the company’s warranty obligations
- Replacement parts sold as inventory permits
- Technical resources and how-to videos staying online
Sherline also serialized every machine with a certificate, so current owners have documentation that helps on the used market.
Why it happened
Sherline built desktop lathes, mills, and small CNC machines in Fountain Valley, California, serving model makers, gunsmiths, and education shops. That is a niche the industry has been squeezing from both sides.
Cheap imported mini lathes undercut the entry level, while capable desktop CNC machines took over tasks hobbyists once did on a manual mill. One of the owners reportedly admitted the market had simply grown too small to support the company.
It is the same pressure behind other small-tool-industry exits this year, including Teknatool’s US retreat and Nova’s later return under new ownership.
Small US manufacturers with high overhead and a narrow product line have little room when demand shrinks.
What this means for buyers
If you own a Sherline, nothing changes tomorrow. Parts and warranty support continue while inventory lasts.
Used values also hold up because the install base is loyal.
If you have wanted one, the 25 percent sale through the end of October is the last realistic chance to buy new from the factory.
After that, your options are the used market or imported alternatives.
For shop work that a Sherline used to cover, our bench grinder guide and bench grinder wheel and RPM chart cover the general-purpose side of a small shop bench. And if the closure pushes you toward CNC or engraving work instead, our engraving pen guide is a low-cost starting point.
Sources: Sherline customer announcement, ToolGuyd, September 16, 2026