just got this mill last month,
seems to be a good piece of metal,
post your machines ITT
Run of the mill Bridgeport with a 48" table hooked up to a Prototrack MX2 2 axis controller.
I also run a 42" brideport with a Prototrak EMX 2 axis controller and a 48" Prototrack DPM2 with the SMX 3 axis controller.
Look what I just got guise! It's pretty much my first power tool, except a Dremel. I'm chuffed and can't wait to use it!
>>956858
That looks pretty handy actually. How much did it set you back?
>>957456
Ya got me beat for now. I've a nice old round ram Bridgeport but the price was right (a grand with a pile of useful tooling and a cheap solid state phase converter).
Lurking for an open knee mill CNC setup needing work.
>jelly, I wish I could afford equipment like that, also because my workshop is small and in a basement with steep stairs its impossible to get anything heavier than 200 kg into there
You can move impressively heavy objects with some planning. That includes steep stairs. Some people fab stair-length rails from wood and winch their load down using a "comealong" (Tirfor make some beauties since by your Metric Units I suspect an EUAnon. I use Wyeth-Scott because Americuck and they are outstanding too.)
I discovered once you get good grasp of rigging you can score used industrial equipment and place it without too much suffering. I use two shipping containers joined as a shop so handling is relatively easy. The metal tiedown loops on ceiling and floor make great winch points. Pic is a tool and cutter grinder I scored for fifty dollars. Hook at bottom picked the base, and blue cargo strap (which I wrapped AROUND the column after taking pic!) tilted the column upright. Lift base, slide into container. tip column vertical as base is lowered to floor, and done. It will get two pieces of angle underneath base so I can move it using a pallet jack, but a castered base or rollers or whatever work fine too.
Most people don't move milling machines safely. Even so-called "professionals" drop 'em off forklift tines because they fail to place wood or rubber between the ram and tines. (Dry steel is slick!) I see no reason for muh mill to tip and the solution was cheap (scrap channel and free casters) but would have been worth buying new metal and hardware since it's easily reusable.
Pick is outriggered castered dolly setup I've used for two mills and a lathe so far. Casters unbolt for future use on skids if surface unsuitable for casters. You can pry under the outriggers easily to steer or if not using winch. It fits on a car trailer. Angles under B-port are typical for pallet jack clearance. I'm tall so I like the extra height. Google "moving a Bridgeport" for MANY ways to move machinery.
You can have the gear you want if you've a system for moving it.
Problem:
Bro scored ~6000lb lathe for $375 at auction because no one else bidding was ready to move it. (Ignore the dirt, it ain't hurt.)
Borrowed rather tired trailer and drove it home carefully, but that's not the interesting part.
Next part of problem, drag lathe safely over rotten (surprise!) trailer deck into shop with wooden floor without tippy smashy death.
I brought cut off truck axles from a Chevy 14bolt to stick in da tubes under the headstock (take the drums off and you can roll on the spindles if no want wheels), but the trailer wood on the apron was too weak so I made skids as shown. (They are inspired by oil field equipment skids.) Removed drip pan an pump from lathe, jacked it up a bit (forklift jacks are wonderful) then bolted scrap orange channel to lathe. Slid pipe underneath and welded in place. Old forklift tires etc not required but eased turning the fucker because we had to winch it in then make a hard right into place over well-supported floor.
Ownerbro is happily making chips and we had good fun. Not enough people post HOW to move your toys. I do so others won't be confused or intimidated.
>>956858
>>960159
Not mine, but i use it among other cnc machines at work. The bridgeport is more fun desu, pushing a button and letting the machine do the work is lame.
Anyone outfitted their machines with caliper dro's?
I feel like buying a bunch of cheap plastic digital calipers from ebay.
>>960195
My Mitutoyo scale (scored cheap on Ebay because it wasn't a caliper) looks at me every time I walk by it but I've been too lazy to make quill brackets just like I've been too lazy to install the nice X-Y DRO that I got with the mill.
Given the shitload of hobby machinists who use them I'd say go for it. DROs are superb for dealing with backlash on old equipment.
>>958212
Bench grinders are fucking awesome, I love mine
>>960311
technically it's a buffer but yes, yes they are! pic relates to this
>>960284
>Be 35
>Been machining in a jet turbine overhaul facility for 18 years
>The thought of trying to relearn how to use a lathe or mill without an Anilam gives me the cold sweats
If I ever buy myself a wee mill or lathe, it'll be getting some cheapo calipers butchered to jerry rig a readout pronto.
>>960350
My machine shop instructor insisted no DRO until we could cope. Of course I promptly brought a couple different mag bases and long reach indicators from home!
We learned on new-ish Acer manual lathes whose fasteners appear to have been machined by drunk children. I had fun repairing them and they taught valuable lessons on how to approach a machine one hasn't used before because each behaved differently. Our older Clausings were much better.
The mills were Bridgeports and Sharp clones. Equally good though the Sharps needed Loctite on the handle spinner knob screws. I had fun repairing what students trashed as I'm a mechanic.
Beware "wee" lathes and mills since most exist to enrage anyone who is used to industrial equipment. If you see a deal on a small professional machine grab it because they aren't getting cheaper.
Hardinge made a slick line of small mills which are surprisingly capable. My gunsmithbro has one and it takes up about half the space of a Bridgeport while being much shorter.
You can find quite decent older (1980s or so) Taiwanese belt driven lathes which fit the home shop and turn out accurate work. They are made under various brand names. Hang out in the Practical Machinist and other machinist forums to get a good idea of what to look for.
>>960365
I have no plans to get one at the moment, since I basically have a full machine shop at my disposal at work, lol! Ideally if I was, and had a suitable place to install them, I'd aim for a bridgeport and a colchester student or similar.
I was at a training school at British Aerospace for the first year, Basically bumbled into the trade at the end of school, lol, and the machining part of the training (you did a few months machining, sheet metalwork, electrical and fitting) had a bunch of small colchester student lathes, with no DRO's at all, didn't even know there was such a thing.....
>>960850
How many BAE people post here?
>>959841
1400 euros
