Yeah, the retooling has taken a large bite out of my tool budget. But I had to tool up to turn the new housing too. I think that dude is 11" long or so, and I didn't have a boring bar or even drills to get through it. I tackled that from both ends to get a rough hole through. Then beyond that, I didn't have precise enough metrology tools to measure the final bores. That project showed me I needed to outfit the shop better in the metrology department, so I ended up buying some nice bore gauges and mics to go up to 6".
That pain is in the past for the most part now. Back when I started buying BT30 tools in 2015, they were lower in cost than what they go for now. But some are tough to find used. My boring head ended up being brand new for the head and shank. Lucked into the new head, but not so lucky for the shank. I even lucked into a real low cost tool setter. Feel like I stole it. But I just paid the man his asking price. I think I got 33 or so BT30 tools now, the goal is 42. I've been following the Haas tool plan with multiples in some of the usual diameter cutters and standard drills and the like already set up in individual holders. I'm just missing some of the dupe sizes.
Bob