RE: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Grizzly G8689 mini-mill CNC retrofit kit

I can speak only for myself on this matter. My main hobby is model
railroading, and the metalworking stuff is only a sub-hobby to the main. I
started by purchasing a Sherline Lathe and Mill as my "retirement gift to
myself" with the intention of doing everything by "hand"

Then, I found this list and started thinking that perhaps CNC would be
useful. (Wanlicker hooked another one!) So, with the help of this list and a
now limited income, I started looking for the cheapest way of coming up with
a quality system. Price was not the highest priority, but was certainly near
the top. Also, my background was as a project manager who actually did some
work developing machine vision systems for automated machinery. So, I wasn't
afraid of debugging software or putting hardware together. So, this has
become somewhat more of a hobby than a sub-hobby simply because I enjoy it.

Do I intend to make money on this equipment? Most likely, NOT. Is my time
worth $12.00 per hour? If I look at my last pay-check, it's worth a lot
more. If I look at the enjoyment that all of this putzing around has been,
you couldn't pay me enough to do it. Would I do the same thing if this were
a business - absolutely NOT. Then, I'd be interested not in the
retrofitters, but in the resellers that would sell me a complete unit,
guaranteed to work.

To me, any hobby can be a combination of things from the person who spends
the most money to get the "absolute best" to the person who cobbles up the
proverbial silk purse from the sow's ear. I've also appreciated the other
hobbiests here that make their information and advice freely available.

-- Jerry Jankura
Strongsville, Ohio
So many toys, so little time....

| -----Original Message-----
| From: FIK [mailto:vrojas@...]
| Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2001 11:30 AM
| To: CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com
| Subject: Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Grizzly G8689 mini-mill CNC retrofit
| kit
|
|
| I see one common theme among the messages on this group and it is sort of
| like the snip below. IS everyone on this list trying to build the absolute
| cheapest machine they can get?? I am missing something but if
| you want good
| stuff everything I see asked for is available retail, so the
| motive here is
| to get it done for free or cheap or surplus, is that the hobby,
| building CNC
| machine that work flawlessly, have ultimate accuracy and so all
| that out of
| junk yard scrap or surplus used parts.?? Than is okay and this s a non
| judgmental question but I find it amazing that those expectations are
| publicized and people actually admit that they are cheap, want
| the best and
| al for free or nest to nothing. Then I see responses to people who offer a
| quality product and expect and deserve to paid for it as derogative or
| attacks.