Well I did it.

[Steve Seebold]

I recently became a traitor to the Tormach group.

All of a sudden my RC boat parts business has just exploded.

I can no longer keep up with orders on my PCNC1100 so I took the plunge and bought a Haas VF 3 and a ST10 lathe.

The new mill has a 10,000 RPM spindle and 30 horsepower. The ATC holds 20 tools and it changes tools in about 8 seconds.

The ST 10 lathe has a 6 inch chuck, 15 horsepower and a 6,000 RPM spindle. I got a collet closer for 3J collets and a 6 foot bar feeder.

Next month I’ll be moving out of the garage into an 1,800 square foot industrial building.

Now the fun begins.

I started making model boat parts as a hobby and as I said, all hell has broken loose. I make high quality parts and I put a warranty on my stuff.

[Jim Dawson]

Good for you Steve. Best of luck.

[kstrauss]

Congrats!
Do you have a website showing the stuff that you make? Do you sell direct or via dealers or...? How do you connect with potential customers?

[cncoperator]

Steve,
I think Tormach would be pleased. From their Our Story page: "Tormach is dedicated to helping people enter the world of CNC manufacturing".

Mission accomplished.

[Steve Seebold]

Congrats!
Do you have a website showing the stuff that you make? Do you sell direct or via dealers or...? How do you connect with potential customers?

I don’t have a website yet. So far all sales are by word of mouth.

Up till recently, most of my sales have been in Europe and Australia. It seems they don’t mind paying a little more for a quality product.

[Steve Seebold]

Steve,
I think Tormach would be pleased. From their Our Story page: "Tormach is dedicated to helping people enter the world of CNC manufacturing".

Mission accomplished.

Only problem with that is I’m 73 years old.

[KH0UJ]

Does age matter in a CNC world? I guess not sir...

[oneineight]

Good for you, better to move ahead at 73 than fall by the wayside.

I hope you continue visit this forum.

Your comments here have been helpful to me.

[al010964]

Best of luck with the venture Steve ! Post some photos of your new kit when it arrives.

Cheers,
Adrian

[CadRhino]

Congratulations Steve
Life begins in retirement!
Keep us posted as to your learning curve.
As mentioned, Tormach’s goal is to help hobbyist as well as those wanting to enter the world of cnc.

Only problem with that is I’m 73 years old.

[GLCarlson]

Steve,
I think Tormach would be pleased. From their Our Story page: "Tormach is dedicated to helping people enter the world of CNC manufacturing".

Mission accomplished.

As best I can put the story together from various posts, Steve S is a founding member of the world of CNC machining. He "entered" at least 50 years ago, back when the Bridgie was the latest word in mills, sold his big-boy shop 10-15 years ago, and has been a dismal failure at retirement ever since. On several occasions he's reminded us that he's run the big stuff for a living. And now he's back at it again. I don't even think this qualifies as a "re-entry". He never left. A situation we hope continues for a long time!

And I can tell you for sure that he's been a mentor to a bunch of us here. All we have had to do is ask.

Great news.

[popspipes]

Congratulations Steve! I wish I had your prior years of experience............

[C*H*U*D]

Very cool Steve! I'm about 22 years behind you in age, but you are living my future plan. I also make RC parts, and I'm currently figuring out how to swing the purchase of larger machines for retirement.

Keep us all updated on how things go!

[IMT]

Congrats on going back to a "real" shop. Did you buy new? I'm curious to know how you ended up choosing the VF3. Your RC parts are small enough to fit on a smaller machine (obviously fit on an 1100). Primarily aluminum parts? The DT1 with 15K spindle, insane rapids and cut speed with <2sec tool changes would seem pretty attractive for those kind of parts, and it's $10K less than a VF3.
Not saying you didn't pick the right machine for your business, just curious what factors drove your choices.

[mcphill]

Awesome! Looking to offload the "old stuff" for cheap

[Steve Seebold]

Awesome! Looking to offload the "old stuff" for cheap

NOPE. My Tormach will make a great 2nd op machine for making rudders.

[Steve Seebold]

Very cool Steve! I'm about 22 years behind you in age, but you are living my future plan. I also make RC parts, and I'm currently figuring out how to swing the purchase of larger machines for retirement.

Keep us all updated on how things go!

I made a lot of model boat parts on my Tormach. The only reason I bought the Haas is because I had a patent on a medical product that I sold and I was able to write a check for the new machines.

[wrastu]

Congrats,

[jcposada]

Congratulations Steve and thanks for your many contributions to this forum

[kstrauss]

I forgot to ask: are you keeping your 1100? If so, how do you plan to use it to augment your new toys?