considering a cnc mill - what do you think?

[Flatfendershop]

Hello all, I'm new here and hope to come around plenty. Right now I don't have a cnc machine but am looking at a cnc mill that is for sale. I need a little help on this one, let me know what you think please.

I am looking at a used but never turned on cnc mill. That's right, never a chip thrown, but the machine is a few years old.

It comes with the mill, stand, all cnc equipment including computer, vise, chuck, arbor, face mill, clamp kit, and a couple of other doo dads.

The asking price is $2200. The machine "new" is close to $6000. My struggle is that I really don't know that I need cnc for the tinkering I do. I know, if I had it, I'd use it...but explain that to my wife!

Here is a link to their web page. Does anyone have any experience with this particular set up. I've seen it in person, it looks fine but I'd like to talk to someone that is actually running one.

My intent here is to get an introduction to cnc and be able to learn to run the machine without selling my only child. I don't do production work and strictly tinker in the back yard shop. I have a South Bend 10K lathe that this set up would compliment.

http://www.microkinetics.com/express/

Thanks in advance! Flatfender.

[budP]

The WIFE? Be a man dont let a woman decide what is good for you.

Now what kind of mill is it? Why has it never been used?
Have you seen this machine? I personally would have a hard time believing the unused story unless I knew it to be the truth.
It costs a bunch of money to get a old machine running no matter what.
A little more info and the advice will be right here on the Zone

budP

[TOTALLYRC]

Originally Posted by Flatfendershop Hello all, I'm new here and hope to come around plenty. Right now I don't have a cnc machine but am looking at a cnc mill that is for sale. I need a little help on this one, let me know what you think please. I am looking at a used but never turned on cnc mill. That's right, never a chip thrown, but the machine is a few years old. It comes with the mill, stand, all cnc equipment including computer, vise, chuck, arbor, face mill, clamp kit, and a couple of other doo dads. The asking price is $2200. The machine "new" is close to $6000. My struggle is that I really don't know that I need cnc for the tinkering I do. I know, if I had it, I'd use it...but explain that to my wife! Here is a link to their web page. Does anyone have any experience with this particular set up. I've seen it in person, it looks fine but I'd like to talk to someone that is actually running one. My intent here is to get an introduction to cnc and be able to learn to run the machine without selling my only child. I don't do production work and strictly tinker in the back yard shop. I have a South Bend 10K lathe that this set up would compliment. http://www.microkinetics.com/express/ Thanks in advance! Flatfender.

Be a REAL MAN and have a conversation with your wife and explain that you will be in the work shop, not in the bar or chasing other woman. CNC is a great trade to learn and have in your resume in case of hard times.
It is also a great skill to pass on to your children.
I would also present it as a buisness oportunity/investment that will pay for it self in the next 2-3 years.

When you get good and your buddies find out that you can do cnc, you will make money on the side doing odd jobs. Don't be afraid to charge for your work. It would cost a fortune to go to a real machine shop. If anyone balks about being charged, remind them about the cost of electricity and the upkeep on the machine.
There is one guy here on the zone that is making a bunch of his christmas presents on his cnc. He is doing custom clock faces and making clocks to put them in. Really cool.


I went to the link provided and it looks like a nice machine for the money.
Having ball screws is a huge plus over a Taig or other non ballscrew machine in the same price range. WHile many would say it is not a square colum mill, and I would agree if you were starting from scratch, there are many people using the round colum mill with great success and you will not be doing major production runs of parts.

If the "asking" price is any way negotiable, try $1500 and work your way up.
Hopefully someone with more knowledge of the electronics will chime in. If you can get it for around $1500, it would be woth it even if the electronics are no good because you could go gecko and mach3 for ~$500-600.

You would have a real hard time buying a non cnc machine and converting it to the same level of quality for any where near the same money. Not to mention the time it would take to convert something else.
While I am not familiar with the software, the fact that it industry standard G-code is a plus.


I have an Atlas 10" and a manual bridgeport. I then got a Taig, not big or rigid
enough for me.
I am putting the finishing touches on my BTC-1 retrofit and I am loving it. 3k lbs of cast iron, definitely not a desktop machine.

Mike

[dertsap]

it takes a "Real Man" to show respect for his loved ones

if you can justify the expense to yourself then it shouldn t be that difficult to justify it to your life partner
you can t beat that kind of price if you compare it to the new crap people are buying at the same price range

[TOTALLYRC]

Originally Posted by dertsap it takes a "Real Man" to show respect for his loved ones if you can justify the expense to yourself then it shouldn t be that difficult to justify it to your life partner you can t beat that kind of price if you compare it to the new crap people are buying at the same price range

derstap,

Well said!!!!!

[Geof]

Originally Posted by Flatfendershop ....The asking price is $2200. The machine "new" is close to $6000. My struggle is that I really don't know that I need cnc for the tinkering I do. I know, if I had it, I'd use it...but explain that to my wife! .....

$2200 is a less than what I call a 'Latte Factor'.

Most days of the week I visit Starbucks and buy lattes for me, my wife and daughter (we all work for our own business); that is about $11 per day, 5 days a week, about 45 weeks a year, for a total of $2475.

Anything that costs less than a Latte Factor I buy without a qualm; I figure if push comes to shove I can always stop buying lattes for a year to make it up.

[dertsap]

latte factor
thats some pretty good logic
I'll have to see how that logic will work for me concidering i save nearly $10/day because i had to quit smoking

[TOTALLYRC]

Originally Posted by Geof $2200 is a less than what I call a 'Latte Factor'. Most days of the week I visit Starbucks and buy lattes for me, my wife and daughter (we all work for our own business); that is about $11 per day, 5 days a week, about 45 weeks a year, for a total of $2475. Anything that costs less than a Latte Factor I buy without a qualm; I figure if push comes to shove I can always stop buying lattes for a year to make it up.

In my case it would be a food factor. I figure I eat about $2000 a year more than I am supposed to. I should run right out and buy something expensive and then start eating right. I would lose weight and have a new machine to work on.

I have already reduced my beer consumption so I don't feel too bad about buying the Kurt 688 as opposed to a chinese copy.

Back on topic Hey flatfendershop, wake up and go buy it already. Let us know how you make out.
Mike

[Flatfendershop]

Sheesh, I'm getting a whole slew of advice here! First of all I tried the Latte factor, I quit caffeine and decided life wasn't nearly as fun. I don't smoke and I'm skinny and don't overeat. My wife is wonderful, my shop is bigger than our house and full of my toys. All because I respect here enough to run purchases past her.

As for the milling machine, I bought a sailboat instead. Some may ask "why?!?", my answer here is that my wife likes it, I love it, and my ulterior motive is that she is very easy on the eyes when it comes to bikini wear!!

Flatfender.

[TOTALLYRC]

Originally Posted by Flatfendershop Sheesh, I'm getting a whole slew of advice here! First of all I tried the Latte factor, I quit caffeine and decided life wasn't nearly as fun. I don't smoke and I'm skinny and don't overeat. My wife is wonderful, my shop is bigger than our house and full of my toys. All because I respect here enough to run purchases past her. As for the milling machine, I bought a sailboat instead. Some may ask "why?!?", my answer here is that my wife likes it, I love it, and my ulterior motive is that she is very easy on the eyes when it comes to bikini wear!! Flatfender.

That's what I call taking one for the team.

[Geof]

Originally Posted by Flatfendershop ...As for the milling machine, I bought a sailboat instead. Some may ask "why?!?", my answer here is that my wife likes it, I love it, and my ulterior motive is that she is very easy on the eyes when it comes to bikini wear!! Flatfender.

A fantastic approach; I think you must take yourself just as seriously and non-seriously as a lot of us here.

Enjoy the boat.

[dertsap]

doesn t everyone who owns a sail boat have a cnc mill for maintenance reasons