I stepped up! Wells-Index 847

T. J.

T. J.

H-M Supporter - Gold Member
H-M Supporter Gold Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2015
Messages
469
I’ve actually been sitting in this a while due to other projects - new house, new shop, new job - you know, life ;) But I’ve finally gotten to use it a bit, so it’s time to show it off.

This is the beast as I received it
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Most of you who frequent this sub forum know that I had an Index Model 645. I was fairly happy with it, even though it had its share of issues. I wasn’t really shopping for a new mill. However, a local auction company was selling some machine shop equipment and I was “watching” out of curiosity, and because this kind of stuff doesn’t come up for sale much around here. As the closing time approached, I was amazed that this thing (and most other stuff in the auction) wasn’t being bid on much. So, I thought “I can’t let it go that cheap”, and put in a ridiculously low bid. I then watched incredulously as it never even approached my max bid! So I brought this baby home, buyer’s premium & sales tax included, for the princely sum of $192 :cool: I tell this, not to gloat (much), but to tell those of you longing for affordable machinery to not give up hope. Even a blind hog finds an acorn every now and then!

I’ve known Ford men, Chevy men, and even a handful of Dodge men. Now it seems that I’m a Wells-Index man :grin:. Stay tuned!
 
Fantastic score!

Deals like that never seem to come along if I am actively looking for something. If I am not really looking for something that is when these deals seem so show up and you have to be ready to just go for it when they do. The problem I have with fantastic deals is I find myself spending more time working on the fantastic deal than I do using all of the fantastic deals I have acquired. ;)

P.S. I appreciate knowing how much people spend on their machines even if they are "you suck!" deals.
 
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Another suck! And you got that angle head, too!

Parts are still available, if expensive.

Did you get the X and Y feed handwheels? I found a couple on Ebay for mine, which had been replaced with plastic import ones. So you have two options if they are missing.

My X lead screw is worn to a point in the center of it's travel. I got a new nut from the factory, and a piece of alloy 1-1/4-5 Acme to splice into my existing end, instead of $1,500 and an unknown wait for a factory screw. I haven't got around to that project yet, since the machine works well enough for me now.

I put an import DRO on mine, and highly recommend doing so. I put mine to work on a couple of bolt circles which turned out perfectly, in addition to making precise table movements easy.

You will find that the power and rigidity put a Bridgeport to shame, but the R-8 taper allows some flex with larger cutters. The fellow who sold me mine included a 1-1.4" end mill holder, which explained why he was disappointed in its productive capacity! You have probably noticed how heavy it is. It has lots of power.
 
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