Re: Expectations, bridgeport

Marcus wrote:-

>Hi John:
> Did you know that tooling for a big mill costs a LOT!!?
>You can kill your budget very quickly at $600.00 for a vise, $500.00 for a
>collet chuck and collets, $500.00 for a turntable etc, etc, etc.
>You also need to consider the cost of power, and coolant, and chip disposal.
>Getting into a big machine can be frightfully expensive, and it is usually
>the hidden costs that really hurt.
>Next problem; you've now got this big machine that can hold a 500 lb block
>on the table.
>Have you considered how you are even going to hump that block up onto the
>machine???
>How do you propose to chop off your lump of steel to roughly the right size?
>Now you need a saw!
>Any machine shop owner can tell you, that the machine is the least of what
>you will have to face in order to work with any efficiency at all.

Marcus, with all due respect this is a lot of bollocks. <g>
Don't frighten the poor little lad off.
True tooling does mount up but a vise well suited to a big knee mill in a
HOBBY environment can be bought new for about 100 pounds. Secondhand they
are about 40.
Collet chucks new from J&L are 35 pounds each, collets are 10 pounds each
and you need 4.
Why do you need a turntable on a CNC? - play records ??
Cost of power, coolant and chip disposal is directly proportionate to use,
don't use it much and you wont have much waste etc.
True big machines can hold a big block on the table but you may not need to
hold one. You can do smallish work on a big knee mill as well.
I run three knee mills, a Beaver 10 x 54 and Bridgeport series 1 and a
massive Acton 12 x 58 with a 8" quill travel. This beast weighs in at
around 4 ton. In the time I've been running these I have never had a single
part heavier than about 20 lbs on the bed.
John is looking for a hobby machine, OK so it's a bit big but it's still
hobby and not commercial.

John Stevenson
--

Regards,
John Stevenson
Nottingham, England