Originally Posted by Mcgyver tonofsteel,
DaraBee, can you quantify giants - what sort of machine are you talking about? bport or xlo size is ok, but if i came home with something larger than my house i would suffer domestic grief. This approach has a lot of merits, but with the price of manual mills in decent shape going up and up can you really get a good one for 1500? |
One of the smaller units that comes to mind is a Maho and they kinda (very loosely) look like a bridgeport style but about 3 times the size of a 9 x 42.
Another machine I see going cheap here (when you can find them) are the Excello CNC knee mills (for you Americans these machines were a Canadian designed and built kneemill that were very common in the 80's(at least in Ontario)). I have seen these sell for under 5G, only problem is you can't get parts for the head and if it goes you have to make an adapter plate to fit a Bridgeport style head, the Excello head swivels are opposite to the Bridgeport.
Tonof...I've never built a VMC before but IMO (and automation experience) 1 of 2 things will happen:
1- You will build the machine for less than the cost of used one but it will be somewhat subpar (compared to lets say a Fadal (mine weighs 10,000#) with 40x20x28 travels a 10,000 RPM spindle, industry standard tooling, rigid tap, 4th axis, coolant and cooling systems, 21 tool ATC).
2 - You will be able to incorporate all the necessary and time proven features but it will cost you WAY more than buying a good used machine.
I would think shipping could be arrainged for less than 1G (from S Ontario)on machinery.
Here is a link of PRIME candidate for what you are looking for.
http://www.machexch.com/specfs/htm/7905? A 24" Y axis is something you will not find in a purchased machine without being a very large machine.
I point to point CNC'd a 1m cubed (travels) boring mill a few years back. This machine had a central drive motor that selected individual axis via clutch packs. This machine only has ACME screws but it was originally an NC machine built in '77. The original PANELSSS had 100s of porcelin fuse holders anf these massive leaf steel relays etc LOL), anyway, I was stuck with this machine my *#%$ partner bought it and it was either scrap it (20G bye-bye) or make it usable. I didn't want to spend the 20+G it would cost to servo and ballscrew the axis so we made a point to point system using the original drivetrain and glass scales. I guess my point is that this system cost us over 50G by the time we were done.
I do not want to discourage anybody, I absolutely love the pride I feel in a job well designed and built by myself.
I just want to share my experience and say that it is really hard (if not impossible) to top what a factory makes -in cost effectiveness as well as the amount of years they have spent improving there 1 and only product.
