What can your Tormach NOT do that you thought it would before purchase?

[mcphill]

I am looking in to getting one, just want to be aware of any "gotcha's" that might be out there, and learn from other users' experiences.

[joeybagadonuts]

Mcphill,

It wont jump rope or chew bubble gum very well.

JoeyB

[mcphill]

Originally Posted by joeybagadonuts Mcphill, It wont jump rope or chew bubble gum very well. JoeyB

And you thought it would prior to purchase? I think you had some high expectations!

[zephyr9900]

mcphill, my "gotcha's" have all been fit-and-finish. Slipping Z-axis stepper motor coupling, AC wiring fast-ons in the control cabiniet that were "fast-offs" (and which I replaced), a sneeze-welded door hinge on the Deluxe Base that broke off (and I'm not using that door any more--I can't weld), and my Deluxe Base still leaks from an unknown location and drips on the floor. There were a couple of software glitches, which John P. quickly fixed, when the machine software was updated from Mach2 to Mach3.

Functionally, the only real problem was the Z-axis slipping. Once fixed, the machine has been totally reliable. I would not hesitate buying it again.

EDIT: It is very accurate and "tight". In the Distance Rings thread you can see some machining I've done with down to .009" endmills with the Proxxon high-speed spindle. That is something even beyond what I was expecting to be able to do when I bought the Tormach.

Randy

[mcphill]

Thanks for the comments, and the links, zephyr9900 - Very Informative! Glad you got your z-axis issues sorted, I am sure you were getting pretty frustrated along the way ; )

[kevperro]

Wish it had a bigger table. That is about my only real wish.

[300sniper]

my tormach has done everything i expected it to do. i do wish i had about 6 more inches of x travel and table width but i knew what i was getting when i bought it. it has proven to be a great machine for me to learn cnc on.

[justgary]

Mcphill -

Table size has to be my only surprise as well. The work cube is roughly 18" X 9" X 18" or so, and that *sounds* plenty big until you have a 20" long or 10" wide part you want to mill. I suspect that no mill is really big enough. They might exist, but I've never seen one.

I actually saw mine jump rope once, and I thought I heard it chewing gum while I wasn't looking, but what it won't do is know that it's about to break an endmill and stop itself.

Regards,

- Just Gary

[TT350]

The table is very soft, if you bump it with anything like a hold down clamp
or a wrench it will have a ding in it.

I have a Enco 9x49 vertical mill and the table is VERY hard and smooth as glass.

I can wipe it down with a paper towel and WD40 and it has a shine and no where
can I find a mark of any kind where work was held.

It will do what you tell it to do.

[BlueFin]

It doesn't do a very good job at brewing beer , and when you pull out a picture of it at the night club it doesn't impress the girls a whole lot. Other than that the only thing I wish it had was only about .0005" better accuracy on the Z axis. The rest of it is spot on for it's price point and you can't beat the customer service Tormach has to offer.

[300sniper]

Originally Posted by TT350 The table is very soft, if you bump it with anything like a hold down clamp or a wrench it will have a ding in it.

i dropped an 8" diameter, 1" thick piece of steel while removing it from the 4th axis and got a nice ding in my table. it was frustrating but my fault. i was kind of surprised that it dinged the table though.

[R.DesJardin]

My Tormach does everything I hoped, and the more I use it the more I like it.

Originally Posted by 300sniper i dropped an 8" diameter, 1" thick piece of steel while removing it from the 4th axis and got a nice ding in my table. it was frustrating but my fault. i was kind of surprised that it dinged the table though.

If it isn't dinged it isn't getting used. When I went through my machinist apprenticeship I was told there only only two kinds of machinists those who have milled the vise or table and those who will. I see photos of home shops that look like it's in the kitchen, probably not much work going on there.