Re: monarch eee!!yikes

Howdy,

Just strolling by and seen your post requesting info on buying a
machine and how not to get taken. Hmmm, well, unless you buy new it's
a throw of the dice. The first place to look would be Ebay. Search
for "CNC". I don't know if I would ever buy something for $10K over
Ebay but it's a great place to see what is on the market and for what
price. Just don't look at the asking price, watch the auctions and
see what the highest bid was. A lot of times the seller will not get
what they are asking for and they never sell.

Check some of the surplus machinery dealers in your area and used
dealers. Here you can do the touchy feely thing and actually see what
you are buying. This will also cut down on shipping. If you buy
local, you can get a towing company with a flat bed truck and a
pallet jack to move it for you way cheaper than if you hire a cartage
service. If you have a pickup and flatbed trailer, then you saved
again.

The best piece of advice I can give is BE PATIENT. Don't buy the
first boat anchor that comes your way just because it's in your price
range. Check for auctions in your local paper and liquidations. Get
it known in your area that you are looking to buy a good used
machine. A lot of times a local machine shop may be upgrading or, I
hate to say it, closing its doors, and if you're in the right place
at the right time, then you can get a good deal.

I lucked out and the company I work for bought out a competitor and
liquidated them. The one and only piece of equipment they kept was a
CNC knee mill. Once they shipped it back to our area of the country,
they decided that they didn't want it anymore. Just before they
listed it on Ebay, I put a bid in on it and got it for a really good
price.

As for checking the machine out, have the current owner power it up
and see if they can program a big circle, something around 6" in
diameter at least and have them cut that into a piece of aluminum.
Then measure it. How close to 6" is the circle. Measure it in at
least 2 places 90 degrees apart to check for out of roundness. Then
cut a square. Check it for size and parallelism. This will tell you
if the machine, the control and the drives are functioning properly
and can keep their accuracy.

There is always new. For around $20K you can get a brand new 3 axis
Knee mill. The best thing about new, most of the time they will
deliver it, set it up and give you training on the system. Then if
you get stumped, you can always call them. With used, you're pretty
much on your own.

Happy shopping!

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@y..., Dennis Dunn <dunn@c...> wrote:
> DK:
> I'm a lurker who has been following this list for sometime
now. I've
> done some machining in the past and own a few hand tools (indicator,
> mics, gages, etc.) but no machinery. I would like to get a lathe and
> mill someday, but am at a loss as to how to buy a machine. You seem
to
> be knowledgeable in this area. What do you recommend? Look for an
> auction? Where are there advertised? How can I tell if a machine is
> worth bidding on? How much to bid? I'm sure these are tough
questions
> but any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
>
> -Denny
>
> dkmachine@a... wrote:
> >
> > I still say..........
> > DON'T DO IT !!!!!!!!!
> >
> > Not 4 TEN GRAND!!!!
> >
> > Hold out for the NEXT auction (to be held next week in your
locall)
> >
> > Please have some common sence here?
> >
> > I'm appauled and (guess what) it's not even my money !!
> >
> > There ARE BETTER deals coming..........
> >
> > trust me.
> >
> > dk
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
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