Opinions on this guy please:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=44142

ITEM 44142-9VGA

3-IN-1 METALWORKING MULTIPURPOSE MACHINE WITH MICRO FEED

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3-IN-1 METALWORKING MULTIPURPOSE MACHINE WITH MICRO FEED

It's a mill, drill and a lathe all in one machine—perfect for small shops where space is limited. Built tough for non-stop everyday use and loaded with all the features you need. With 16 easily adjustable spindle speeds you can tackle almost any job.

The Drill Press with its 7/8'' drilling capacity can easily drill large holes through metals, woods and plastic. As a Milling Machine, you can take advantage of the four way power driven milling table for slotting. The Lathe features a quick change gear box for a wide range of inch/metric thread cutting.

Standard equipment includes a 5'', 3-jaw lathe chuck, JT33 taper drill chuck, two dead centers, double-end wrench, Allen wrenches and flat head screwdriver.

* Mill/Drill head swivels 360°
* 16 spindle speeds—120 to 3000 RPM
* 12 power feeds
* 22 metric and 38 SAE threads
* Thread gauge indicator
* 18-11/16'' x 6-1/4'' table size
* 62'' x 24'' x 39'' overall dimensions
* Overall base size: 45-1/4" x 8-1/4"
* Four hole mounting pattern: 44-1/4" x 6" on centers
* 640 lbs. shipping weight

Lathe Specifications:

* RPM: 160 to 1360 RPM (7 steps)
* Swing over bed: 17''
* Cross slide travel: 7-3/4''
* Tailstock travel: 3-1/8''
* Distance between centers: 31-1/2''
* Spindle taper: MT4
* Tailstock taper: MT2

Mill/Drill specifications:

* Motor: 3/4 HP, 110V, single phase
* Spindle nose to table: 12''
* Spindle center to column: 11-1/4''
* Spindle travel: 4-1/4''
* Longitudinal travel: 30''
* Spindle taper: R8 with JT33 drill chuck taper
* End mill capacity: 1-1/8''
* Drilling capacity: 7/8''

Hi,

I can't comment on this machine, but Chinese machines in general. I look for a lathe in the 70-100 cm class, with good precision. Not great, but good. I live near a store which sells a lot of them, and have had the opportunity to look closely at some of them.

There is usually bad paint-jobs, backlash, handles and wheels does not operate smooth, there is stains from corrosion and the lack of quality feel is somewhat absent. But when you compare price/weight, and in this case, price/functionality they can't be beaten by any Japanese, European or US made tool.

I would say, if you don't need great precision, and can live with the not so perfect quality, go for it. The time you spend with this machine will most likely be fun, and you will discover your need for precision as you work. In the end you may upgrade to a better mill, better lathe or both, but if you are happy with this, you have saved a lot of cash.

Good luck! :)

Thanks for the reply.

Can the things you mention about precision be corrected? Do you think it is mainly from the backlash?

I do plan making the mill portion cnc at least. I should have mentioned that in the original post.

Is it worth it? I mean, I see X2's turned into cnc mills, and people have good success. Surely the same can be done with this, right?

Thanks for the reply.

Can the things you mention about precision be corrected? Do you think it is mainly from the backlash?

I do plan making the mill portion cnc at least. I should have mentioned that in the original post.

Is it worth it? I mean, I see X2's turned into cnc mills, and people have good success. Surely the same can be done with this, right?

I think you have to chose backlash or higher friction in the nut. I had the same choice on my Optimum BF20L mill, and decided to buy ball screws, but that was also because of the large and heavy table and headstock. Backlash can be corrected in software by the way.
If the dovetail design is made adjustable, which it almost certainly is, I think you might tighten it to get close to perfect fit for the table.

If you compare it with the X2 you will notice that the Z-axis on the 3in1 is located far away from the table. I think runout might be a problem when the drillpress-style Z is at its full length. The advantage of the X2, and most other dedicated mills, is that the headstock and thereby the spindlebearings can be lowered down close to the workpiece. You might be able to lock the Z-axis and run CNC on X/Y with OK results.

I can think of uses for this machine as a manual tool, but for a XYZ CNC mill I think there are better options. IMHO a small lathe and a CNC X2 would work better.

Jan

Wow, That is great input. I very much appreciate it.

I will probably go back to the original plan and look at the X3s..... again.

Buy this machine or not, you will probably end up owning a mill and a lathe. All 3 in 1 machines are a compromise. Save some time and some money.
Ozzie