Came into some unexpected cash, any current Tormach users here?

Thanks @RJSakowski
I don't think there are many machines out there that are flawless, that owners couldn't give you a laundry list of nit-picks. Some of yours are concerning, some are, just caulk it up to normal wear and tear. I don't want to upgrade to the 770. My reasoning is, the 440 which is advertised as $5400 end up being 7k+ not even decked out. The 770 would be 12k plus. I do have 14k after taxes, but I have other goals with the leftover. How opposed are you to the 440? I don't know what the future holds, but for the last few years and foreseeable future, I tend to end up with parts under 3"sq. Titanium and stainless are a must and d them well. I know very little about cnc, this is my "get my hands dirty" stage.
It comes down to, I want a capable machine for the 3"sq sized projects and stainless/Ti ready machine. I might even sell my pm727 which would fetch a solid 2-$2500 which I would dump into this in after the sale upgrades. Its too bad their stand and enclosure are so damn expensive, but they are nice and a must really.
I should jump on those other sights but its tough being the new guy and I like it here...
 
GunsOfNavarone said:
Thanks @RJSakowski
I don't think there are many machines out there that are flawless, that owners couldn't give you a laundry list of nit-picks. Some of yours are concerning, some are, just caulk it up to normal wear and tear. I don't want to upgrade to the 770. My reasoning is, the 440 which is advertised as $5400 end up being 7k+ not even decked out. The 770 would be 12k plus. I do have 14k after taxes, but I have other goals with the leftover. How opposed are you to the 440? I don't know what the future holds, but for the last few years and foreseeable future, I tend to end up with parts under 3"sq. Titanium and stainless are a must and d them well. I know very little about cnc, this is my "get my hands dirty" stage.
It comes down to, I want a capable machine for the 3"sq sized projects and stainless/Ti ready machine. I might even sell my pm727 which would fetch a solid 2-$2500 which I would dump into this in after the sale upgrades. Its too bad their stand and enclosure are so damn expensive, but they are nice and a must really.
I should jump on those other sights but its tough being the new guy and I like it here...
Click to expand...
I paid over $14K for my setup in 2011. Some of what I bought like the 4th axis, I have barely used but I wanted that capability at hand if/when I needed it. I bought their computer/controller because I wanted a single sourced, no hassle machine. If I were to do it again, I would probably leave the stand and flood coolant setup. For the cost, I could do a better job myself. The TTS system isn't necessary but IMO it is one of Tormach's better innovations. I use it on my mill/drill as well. The jog/shuttle is handy and I use it a lot,for setup and for running the machine in manual mode. I use SprutCAM almost exclusively for my cam software. Fusion didn't exist at the time and if it had, I might have gone that route.

The 440 may be a bit light for stainless and titanium. that said, I have little experience running stainless and no experience running titanium on the 770. If it were me, I would keep the PM727. There will be times when you will not want to tear down a setup on the CNC. Also, the additional horsepower can come in handy. I don't know what the minimum spindle speed is on the 440 but on the 770, it is 175 rpm. At that speed, it is practically useless, having difficulty countersinking in aluminum. Contrast that with my mill/drill with a 2 hp motor geared down to 100 rpm with available torque approaching 100 lb-ft.
 
+1 on RJ's comment about keeping your existing PM727 if you have the budget and space. So nice to leave a set up on one machine and go to another for prep work. Especially with the limited table size on a 440. I've got two vises on my 1100, recently ran a job where I prepped a block of UHMW PE in one vise (spot and drill two holes for attaching to an aluminum plate) and ran the part in the other vise (block screwed to the aluminum plate). If I didn't have the two vises, I'd have prep'd the block on my Bridgeport or Jet.

Good luck on the search. I'd never seen a CNC mill run until I bought my BP with a 2-axis CNC. Such a game changer, you're only regret will be not buying it sooner.

Bruce
 
I kept a 440 for 2 years and loved it, very capable machine and can easily do 3" parts in all materials I don't know of another machine available that can do what the tormach's can do for less than double the costs.

I got into CNC because I was in the market for a new manual mill after selling a G0704. To get what I wanted with power feed, power head, DRO, and a decent work area, the cost was well over $5K for that & the $8000 for the 440 was a stretch on my budget but made it a no brainer, I could manually machine with the shuttle or keyboard was my initial thought but with PathPilot and Fusion 360, CNC was perfect fit and the learning CNC was fast and easy, and I was doing more complicated parts everytime I designed a new part, it wasn't long before I out grew the 440 and wanted an 1100 or larger but this is a hobby and $25-30K just isn't in the cards for me. Good luck with what ever you decide, I have a few video's up on youtube of the 440 machining some parts too.
 
@burtonbr What is your youtube link?
When you say "3 inch parts", what are you referring to? 3" deep..that's excellent. If you mean 3 in on X or Y, even though I may rarely do that, that seems....small? It will be 10K minimum as their add on's are SO EXPENSIVE! A stand and enclosure is like almost 3k! I really want to do this, but with my wife's 2nd cancer diagnosis in 8 months...I'm worried to say the least. A person has to have a passion in their life and I know this will be mine in my golden years. CNC is really necessary IMO, gotta get on that train now.
 
Here’s link to 2 videos of the 440 , I must have deleted a few.
&
.
the first one is a tray I was goofing around with just to run a program 3 hrs long to see how it went, the tray turned about great.
parts 3” square in X,Y or Z is no problem, I did many that were larger than the 440 travels, just have to have a reference point for Sliding or rotating the part in X or Y to do other quadrant. Biggest limitation for me was the 6 1/4” Y travel, with a 1/4” endmill if you get your stock exactly centered you may be able to machine close to 6” part but probably only 5.95” for a little cushion to lead in etc. but even with that it makes a lot of parts and the 7 1/2” of my 770 isn’t much better but it does let me nest multiple parts more.

The enclosures are expensive & if you could do without an enclosure I used a clear shower curtain for a year and it did work pretty well. I think that cost like $40 to rig up and there’s lots of DIY enclosures that can be made

I think these are the necessities to get started, $9095 + a few tool holders maybe another $200. There are many less expensive options for work holding and Tool measuring or setters that can be added later, they all make CNC more enjoyable .
 

Attachments

  • 33018680-223D-4005-A1FD-CD0B07389F5C.png
    33018680-223D-4005-A1FD-CD0B07389F5C.png
    584.7 KB · Views: 29
I know where there is an unused 770 that has been sitting in the corner in my buddy's shop. You might be able to get it reasonably priced. I know he does not have any plans to power it at all. It might be worth a trip for you to come down to Austin.

If interested send me an email, O will put you in touch with the owner. 81stfacp@gmail.com


Nez
 
For chip and flood coolant control, I use a 30" x 12" piece of 6 mil vinyl held in place with magnets on the head. Zero cost and adaptable to any milling situation. I've been using the same piece of vinyl for five years now.
Tormach Curtain .JPG
 
Well...I'd be interested if his price makes it worth following up on. Like that 440 on craigslist, might be worth it to someone, but at that price, I'd buy new ya know?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top