[AT] OT Milling machine ?

Thomas O. Mehrkam tomehrkam at houston.rr.com
Sun Sep 10 11:35:16 PDT 2006


You can get a good deal on used milling machines and lathes in our area. 
  Most run on three phase which is a problem. You would have to include 
the cost of a converter.

I good used milling and machine would probably cost less than the combo 
machine.

Of course you need the space for them.

Stuart Harner wrote:
> Since it seems a little slow today, I thought I would ask for input regarding combo lathe, mill, drill machines.
> 
> I seem to always be needing something turned or milled or drilled and the nearest machine shop is 20 miles away.  While they do good work, they are always behind and it is a several day wait, which means a second trip, plus you are not there when the work is done to answer questions.
> 
> There is no way I can justify the cost of a machine in terms of the prices I pay for the work, but in terms of time and effort, it gets closer to viable, especially if I don't have to mortgage the house for a machine.  Besides, in the hobby of restoring old things, it is more about the fun of doing it yourself.
> 
> I am most interested in the Smithy line of machines, but my budget is at the lower end of things at best, maybe during a sale.  I have been watching Ebay, but most are too far away to ship or go fetch.  I actually won a Granite series 40" one in Mpls.  It looked like new and included the tool kit and stand.  Bought it for $2100 and figured the trip to pick it up was well worth it.  When I tried to pay for it, the owner informed me that they had sold it locally several days before and it was already gone.  I was PO'ed!!
> 
> So, here I am still watching Ebay and hoping for a good deal on one nearby, but am wondering if I should be looking at other makes.  The only other one I have seen up close and personal was at a Harbor Freight store and I was not impressed.  It had a lot of backlash in the gearing.  Now maybe that is something that could be adjusted, which would be nice as they are closer to my price range.
> 
> Any advice on makes, models, features, and sizes would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Stuart
> _______________________________________________
> AT mailing list
> Remembering Our Friend Cecil Monson 11-4-2005
> http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/at
> 




More information about the AT mailing list