Re: Lathe/Mill Purchase

in my quest for a mill and a lathe i found my knee mill from a rigger
who was storing machines for customers.And the storage fees had not
been paid so they become property of the rigger.I paid $800 for a
nice knee mill and they dilivered it for no additional cost.iam in
the learning process of converting this machine to ballscrew and cnc.
As harbour freight goes I own items from them, an inexpensine bandsaw
that needed some modifications to make it worthy!
--mark



--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, "Raymond Heckert" <jnr@a...>
wrote:

> My free advice (and since it costs nothing, is worth no
> more than that): look for some good used equipment. Take
> out an ad in a local 'shopper' magazine, or talk to the
> instructor at the local Tech School. Maybe, sign up for
> some classes at the Tech. Or, call some local business that
> use that kind of equipment, and ask the shop foreman, (or
> someone else in that capacity) for the name of a reputable,
> local Used Equip't Dealer. Almost anybody willing to sell
> you used equip't will turn a 'test bar' (in the case of a
> lathe), or machine a test piece (in the case of a milling
> machine). You may also get some helpful tips, etc. That
> being said, I have not have had any 'really bad' problems
> with HFS. I also have had some good experience with ENCO.
> You'll get pretty much what you pay for. Best of Luck,
> and keep us posted! As for CNC conversion (that puts you
> 'on-topic'), again, it's more of "you get what you pay
> for". If you don't replace the leadscrews with ballscrews,
> you usually have sloppy backlash to deal with. If the
> machine, itself, is not rigid enough you'll get
> inconsistent parts, even with CNC.
>
> RayHex
>
> ----------
> > From: jdbunn2002 <jd_bunn@m...>
> >
> > Harbor Freight 12" X 36" Lathe (item #33274) On sale for
> $1699
> > Mill Drilling Machine (item #42827)On sale for $999
> >
> > Are these machines good for learning and give pretty good
> accuracy?
> > Would they convert to CNC pretty easy on down the road?
> > Anything else in this price range any better?
> >