Are there any Canadian owners here?

[Viroos]

Honestly, I have no idea. Maybe this may explain the 5%:
https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-age...s-exports.html
"Imports

Most goods imported into Canada are subject to the federal GST, which is calculated at the rate of 5% of the duty-paid value of the shipment. This tax must be paid at time of entry and is collected at the border, unless the goods are going directly to a bonded warehouse. In this case, the GST is collected when the goods leave the warehouse and become eligible for sale in Canada.


Several provinces have combined the GST with their provincial sales taxes on various categories of goods, thus creating a Harmonized Sales Tax (HST). On most commercial imports, however, only the federal (GST) portion of the HST is applied to the sale."

[kstrauss]

Is your import to for a business registered to collect GST (annual sales >$40K if I remember correctly)? If not then I believe that the PST portion of the HST is also collected. Certainly it has been on my importations.

[Viroos]

Yep, I'm a sole proprietor, but for a while all of my job is mechanical design.

[kstrauss]

I don't believe that the exact nature of your business (only gross sales) matters. You collect the HST on Canadian sales, deduct any HST paid and remit the difference. I mostly do things as a hobby so something like a Tormach is considered a personal use item and is therefore fully taxed -- just like a boat or a car.

Standard line: "Consult your accountant to ensure that you are doing things right."

[Viroos]

Sure.
Anyways, I'm surely planning to use the machine for business and not for hobby. But it will take time, the learning curve may be pretty steep. I only design parts, never been from the other side of the mill

[Viroos]

If the machine breaks down who provides the service in Canada? Or it supposed to be DIY?

[kstrauss]

DIY in my case. Tormach support will assist if required.

[Viroos]

Hope nothing breaks down

Do you keep your machines warm in the winter?

[kstrauss]

My shop has a gas furnace and is well insulated. I keep it around 65-degrees all winter.

[Viroos]

Actually, is there a real reason to keep the workshop warm? Can some serious frost damage the machine or other precise equipment, like indicators, calipers etc?

[kstrauss]

I doubt that cold will damage mechanical indicators or calipers. Minimum storage temperature for SR44 batteries (commonly used in digital calipers and micrometers) is quoted as -20℃. If you use flood coolant it can freeze and damage the pump and plumbing. Dimensions change with temperature so for accurate work you will want to warm your machine and warming a heavy lump of cast iron takes quite a while. Also lubricants such as way oil is very viscous when cold and my cause problems if you operate a machine prior to warming.

It is rather hard to work wearing gloves and a heavy coat!

[Viroos]

Haha, I mean, is it safe to leave the workshop to freeze if I take a long break? I have only fog buster, no flood coolant system. Will Kool Mist 77 freeze? Found only the boiling point in the datasheet...

[Warren_3Deee]

Just a fyi; the Tormach's are incredibly easy to replace/repair parts should the need arise. They are built to be easily disassembled and reassembled, and the design lends itself to fairly easy maintenance.
I have a SlantPro lathe and a 440 mill, and have had various components apart on both, upgraded motor driver, replaced stepper motor, added some custom modifications for coolant options, and for a person with basic mechanical skills it is very easy. The instructions that Tormach provides with parts are good, and tech support has always been very quick to help when I've asked any questions.
The only recommendation I've give is during installation, make sure to give enough room to get behind the machines (if room allows).

[ccski]

Regarding electrical. If for home use no real issues. I use mine in a factory setting and safety rules there say all eqpt must be CSA compliant. Studica did do electrical changes to comply and supplied a statement showing it was ok. No reason it won't work perfectly fine without those changes. Anything you come over and buy at Home Depot isn't CSA either chances are, but works the same.


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[kstrauss]

You wrote "I use mine in a factory setting and safety rules there say all eqpt must be CSA compliant." Is that a legal requirement or simply a rule made by factory management?

[ccski]

I am unsure so can't really comment but imagine it is a liability to NOT have it in case something happened. If you are running a business I would say go the legal route why ask for problems down the road.



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[Warren_3Deee]

... CSA compliant." Is that a legal requirement or simply a rule made by factory management?

It is a legal (mandatory) requirement in Canada for qualifying equipment (basically anything operating above 30V more or less.. so anything that plugs in for example). Covers electrical shock, insulation, overheat/heat generation of motors, and many other items depending on the equipment.
If you don't get it CSA certified, for a home hobby situation, I doubt you would have any issue, even if it caught fire and burnt down your house.. people do that with home-wiring and Christmas trees all the time and insurance still pays out; but in a serious (non-trivial?) commercial setting it is generally required that all equipment is certified.
I just bought a laser cutter from Epilog (manufactured in the USA) and it was shipped to Canada and was required to be CSA certified before it was delivered to my home shop (was not even an option to not have it certified - bought through a authorized Canadian dealer). Had I bought and imported it myself I could have circumvented that step, but may have had a problem if I ever tried to resell the laser cutter to a business down the road.

[Saqwer]

Hey guys, thanks for your thoughtful comments! I currently live in Europe, and I've been weighing in the possibility of moving to Canada for the last couple of years. As a young entrepreneur, I am thinking about opening a small shop in the eastern part of the country. Therefore, I find threads like this to be priceless. Unfortunately, my tax education is still weak. I've just learned the most effective and rapid way to create a paystub, so there is still a long way to go. I'll keep an eye on this thread. Cheers, guys!