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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Finally got a mill (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 11/25/2011 6:43:30 PM EDT
I just bought a 1984 Hitachi vertical machining center from work. Everything works, except one side of the tool changer tends to drop tools. Excellent condition. The tape reader looks like it's brand new  . Fanuc 6 control.
Now I gotta figure out how to get it home and into my barn, not to mention how to make 480v three phase  Oh yeah, my winning bid: $400 
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Jeez-and I was happy when I scored my J Head for $300.00. I feel so violated now
Nice score. You should be able to rework your motor wiring for 240V-look at the data plate and see if it gives you 240 V amperages. If so a RPC will get you your 3 phase, you just have to make sure you dont use the manufactured leg for control circuitry. |
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Are you even serious? $400, im going to be fucking sick. Im looking for something very similar. If i found something for much less than 8 or 10,000 i would have been delighted. Not now, thanks alot.
Anyway, good job. Even if you spend $2000 or more wiring and tooling it up, its a smashing deal! |
There she sits. Towing company down the road brought one of their semi tractor wreckers out. "You guys have a boom that will lift 8800 lbs?" "Oh yeah, no problem." They weren't kidding. This thing didn't even grunt when it pulled it off the trailer. Now she sits oiled and tarped for the time being, since I won't be able to build the garage until this spring probably. $300 for the 20 minutes this took, which I am not complaining about. So: $400 for the mill $300 for the setting $1800 for a 25hp rotary converter $300 for service to the barn (currently running in from the house, only 100 amps) -$250 for the NMTB tooling I sold ______________________- $2550 for a real CNC mill, up and running there abouts. Probably a little more in the end since I need to run air and pull some wire, but that's not bad considering it's tooled up and ready to make parts once it gets power. |
| I have an Autodesk suite at work and Delcam FeatureCAM, but for at home, I'm looking at this. Downloaded the trial but haven't had much chance to play with it. |
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I have an Autodesk suite at work and Delcam FeatureCAM, but for at home, I'm looking at this. Downloaded the trial but haven't had much chance to play with it. see if you can track down a version of gibbscam, it's awesome. |
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http://www.harborfreight.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/370x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/i/m/image_11518.jpg http://www.harborfreight.com/10-ft-x-15-ft-portable-garage-68217.html
For god's sake yes. You need SOMETHING from Harbor Freight next that thing! |
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Since we are on the topic, I have been eye balling this manual vertical milling machine (PM25MV),seems like a decent buy on a basic all around mill
that is accurate and has good features w/ a decent warranty from a American company...and it offers free shipping and is upgradable. I think It would make for a really nice mill for 80% builds and build parties  ...I would like to teach my kids on a mill like this so they can "roll thier own".
Speaking of 80% builds, is there a sub forum section on 80% builds here ? If not there should be 
Thoughts ? Here is the link/pics: http://www.machinetoolonline.com/PM-MV-BenchMills.html 
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Since we are on the topic, I have been eye balling this manual vertical milling machine (PM25MV),seems like a decent buy on a basic all around mill that is accurate and has good features w/ a decent warranty from a American company...and it offers free shipping and is upgradable. I think It would make for a really nice mill for 80% builds and build parties ...I would like to teach my kids on a mill like this so they can "roll thier own".
Speaking of 80% builds, is there a sub forum section on 80% builds here ? If not there should be
Thoughts ? Here is the link/pics: http://www.machinetoolonline.com/PM-MV-BenchMills.html http://i742.photobucket.com/albums/xx65/Doc69er/PM-V-Mills_-Tilted-Heads.jpg I've looked at those machines, too, and I've been tempted to drive out to Pittsburgh to get a first hand look at these and the lathes. MSC has the RF-45 mill on sale right now. It's the father of the square column mills, made in Taiwan, and the price was in the mid $2000's. I'll get a link ... http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNPDFF?PMCTLG=03&PMPAGE=1 Check page 74. Here's my two cents about machines of this pattern, and that's all it's worth because I have not had a chance to use one - the head can't be trammed in the "nod" direction. That means the column and table have to be dead square in the YZ plane. Or square enough, and I think everyone has to answer what that means for themselves. The Rong Fu machines are made in Taiwan and have a good reputation. All the rest, the Chinese machines, include horror stories about requiring rework to get everything working square to the world. I've just about come to a point where I believe almost nothing in the form of a review about anything on line that I can't verify first hand, too. There's one more machine that is a little obscure, IH CNC. These are Chinese based machines that are rebuilt in the US and have a heavier table than the Rong Fu. If nothing else, there's lots of great information at the web site. This company was called Industrial Hobbies, but I see they have made a name change. |
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[snip] Thoughts ? I agree 100% with what Aero posted. Other thoughts: You would be better served spending 2k on a used Bridgeport. It will take some work finding one and knowing what to look out for, but they are way more machine than the Asian mini-mills. There is a place for the Asian mini-mills: Cheap CNC. Do you need CNC? If you want make parts with complicated profiles, then you do. For 0%-80% lowers, the Bridgeport is the way to go. |
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[snip] Thoughts ? I agree 100% with what Aero posted. Other thoughts: You would be better served spending 2k on a used Bridgeport. It will take some work finding one and knowing what to look out for, but they are way more machine than the Asian mini-mills. There is a place for the Asian mini-mills: Cheap CNC. Do you need CNC? If you want make parts with complicated profiles, then you do. For 0%-80% lowers, the Bridgeport is the way to go. I wish I had the space and capacity for a full size Bridgeport Knee Milling machine...I was taught on the Bridgeport Mills and South Bend Lathes during my time at the University way back when I was woking towards my Engineering Degree...I also found this HD "compact" Knee Milling machine...Just throwing It out there for all... http://www.wttool.com/index/page/product/product_id/14821/product_name/6%22+x+26%22+Knee+Milling+Machine+%28WT%29&update_continue_shopping=true |
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Quoted: I wish I had the space and capacity for a full size Bridgeport Knee Milling machine...I was taught on the Bridgeport Mills and South Bend Lathes during my time at the University way back when I was woking towards my Engineering Degree...I also found this HD "compact" Knee Milling machine...Just throwing It out there for all... http://www.wttool.com/index/page/product/product_id/14821/product_name/6%22+x+26%22+Knee+Milling+Machine+%28WT%29&update_continue_shopping=true If you have room for that, look for a Clausing 8520. And really, you can put a 9x42 B-port in a really small space. Put it on a pallet and get a pallet jack to locate it in a corner. 10'-15' of 10/3SO cord so you can pull it out if you really need to utilize full table travel. |
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$400 for the mill $300 for the setting $1800 for a 25hp rotary converter $300 for service to the barn (currently running in from the house, only 100 amps) -$250 for the NMTB tooling I sold ______________________- $2550 for a real CNC mill, up and running there abouts. Probably a little more in the end since I need to run air and pull some wire, but that's not bad considering it's tooled up and ready to make parts once it gets power. I have less than $700 in the 25hp RPC I built for my cnc lathe. The expensive bits are the motor and the enclosure, mine is pony started with an air drill. |
[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Finally got a mill (Page 1 of 2)
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