$2,500.. Lathe and Mill..

[BellyUpFish]

Ok guys,

I'm hobby machinist.

I am "making it" on my HF Mill/lathe combo.

I'd like to upgrade. The plan is to keep my HF lathe to get by, upgrade the mill and then upgrade the lathe.

I've decided for my purposes, to set a budget of $2,500 EACH before tools and shipping.

I was all set on a G0602 and a G0704 combo, but I'm leaning a little outside of those items now..

I'm really eyeing the Precisions Matthews 11x27.

Any suggestions?

 

[Andre]

Do you have to buy new? Ask around, post some WTB ads and keep a sharp eye out. Deals are out there on used machines, and even used can be great machines. Could you also sell your old machine to boost budget for new ones? How much space do you have in your shop? Do (or can you) get 3ph power?

 

[stupoty]

Do you have to buy new? Ask around, post some WTB ads and keep a sharp eye out. Deals are out there on used machines, and even used can be great machines. Could you also sell your old machine to boost budget for new ones? How much space do you have in your shop? Do (or can you) get 3ph power?

Used machines can indeed provide good deals, worth keeping an eye open whilst deciding. New does have the whole guarantee and supplier support and delivery advantage.

Stuart

 

[rmack898]

$2K can buy a mighty nice used mill or lathe in the northeast, and $500 will ship it to you. Don't be afraid to look in other places that aren't close to home. If you find something you like, perhaps a HM member that's close to the machine can check it out for you, before you buy it.

 

[BellyUpFish]

Do you have to buy new? Ask around, post some WTB ads and keep a sharp eye out. Deals are out there on used machines, and even used can be great machines. Could you also sell your old machine to boost budget for new ones? How much space do you have in your shop? Do (or can you) get 3ph power?

I don't have to buy new. Had been thinking about it, simply because the market for used items near me isn't so great.

I could sell the old machine, but the $300ish I could sell for wouldn't boost me that much, I'd rather keep it until I replace it and then just part with it or give it to someone local looking to learn.

I have plenty of room. I'll be building a new 40x40 or 30x50 this summer. 3 phase, may or may not happen. Not sure. Kinda doubtful, our property is 1,000' off the road and it might be prohibitive to run it.

$2K can buy a mighty nice used mill or lathe in the northeast, and $500 will ship it to you. Don't be afraid to look in other places that aren't close to home. If you find something you like, perhaps a HM member that's close to the machine can check it out for you, before you buy it.

That's definitely an option.. I just don't want to buy a fixer upper. I'd like to buy something in working order.

 

[Andre]

3ph power to your shop is called commercial power, but there are other ways to get 3 phase. VFD's, static and rotary converters. I have a 5hp motor and RPC kit from WNY supply just waiting to get hooked up to finally run my surface grinder. Just connect some wires and your all set.

 

[BellyUpFish]

3ph power to your shop is called commercial power, but there are other ways to get 3 phase. VFD's, static and rotary converters. I have a 5hp motor and RPC kit from WNY supply just waiting to get hooked up to finally run my surface grinder. Just connect some wires and your all set.

Yeh, outside of a VFD, I most likely won't have 3PH power run to the shop.

I'm going to be building a GIB soon, it'll be 3PH with a VFD.

 

[brav65]

I just bought a Precision Mathews PM-25MV with a DRO is under you budget, but is a small machine. A PM-45 or PM-932M are options that fit in your budget as well including shipping. The Grizzly machines are very similar and share many parts with the PM machines. Dealing with Precision Mathews you deal with Matt who is the owner. Some have mentioned having a tough time getting in touch with Matt. I have not had any difficulty, in fact I called him the day after Christmas with a question and he answered second ring. Keep in mind that any of the new machines are not ready right out of the box. I have had mine since the end of October and I am still tweaking thing and refining the set up. I would say that the Chinese machines are more like a kit than a complete package. None of the issues have been huge, just a large number. I have replaced striped bolts, re-threaded holes, honed gibs, cleaned and greased the whole machine, added lighting (not required), upgraded cheap screw/nuts/bolts with higher grade hardware, tightened loose electrical connections. I am a complete noob to machining, so this has been a valuable experience. A quality used machine may require a similar amount of time investment, so don't count it out.

A third choice would be a Charter Oak machine. I don't know much about them, but there are a number of Posts about them. Bill (wrmiller) has owned both a PM and a Charter Oak, so check out his posts.

I think you would not go wrong with a PM or Grizzly machine, I can't speak to the Charter Oak. Call Grizzly and Matt to see what they have in stock as lead times have been running 5 to 8 weeks and sometimes more for popular machines. You can discuss a package deal with Matt and maybe get some discounts or some added tools or upgrades. When I spoke to Matt last week he said he is expecting more PM-25MV's in January. I originally ordered a GO759 (G0704 with DRO) but it was out of stock and I would not have received it for 9 weeks, so I cancelled and ordered a PM-25MV from Matt and installed a DRO myself. I am very happy with my choice as the machine has a 3 year warranty, brushless motor, digital motor control and standard belt drive. I was planning to add the belt drive and brushless motor and digital control, so the two machines were with in $100 or so all fit out. The upside was getting the 3 year warranty, and a better DRO (DRO Pros 3M).

Good Luck!

 

[Rbeckett]

I would definitely give the precision Mathews a good long and hard look. I am partial to Matt and his bunch, but they do an excellent job with customer service and support after the sale. They will definitely make sure you have a good deal and get the biggest bang for your bucks when you decide to pull the trigger. Ray is also a mod on this site and is involved with Matt providing service and answers so you can always get in touch with them even on a weekend.

Bob

 

[cvairwerks]

Need to define your max intended work volume before you start shopping. If you are never going to work on anything in your wildest dreams more than a cubic foot (for example), then you need to look at machines that will satisfy that. No fun and an effort waste if you buy a machine and then figure out real quick that it's too small for your needs. It's better in the long run to save up a bit longer and wait rather than having to upgrade a second time in the near future.