New Acer E-Mill 3VS. Oh, She's Purdy!

[frostheave]

This is the most expensive tool I have ever purchased. So far, I am glad I did! Based on fit and finish alone, I doubt I'll ever buy another Chinese piece of machinery. I'll wait and save the money until I can afford the extra cost. This mill's quality from Taiwan is definitely head and shoulders above.

Here is the bottom line. The mill cost $7,575. Acer ships the mill on an over sized pallet. I paid an extra $375 to have it crated. The shipping cost to barge the mill from Anaheim CA to Fairbanks Alaska was $1,608. Total cost was $9,558. Many thanks to Todd from Nevins Machinery Concepts. He did me right!


Brought The Mill Home:





My 35 HP tractor did not have the umph to lift the crate. Thankfully, my neighbors Cat skid steer did!





The Box in the Shop:





So Far No Shipping Damage:





Two Layers of Plastic Wrap. Nice!





The First Good Look:





Time To Move:





So, the pallet is too big for an engine hoist. Time to adjust:





The Mill in it's Permanent Spot:





I rented an Engine Hoist for $25. I should have known it wouldn't handle 2400 Pounds Plus!





Time for Plan B. Start Blocking it Up:





Finally got the Pallet removed:





Time to use Egyptian Pyramid Building Methods:





Half Way There:





The Eagle Has Landed! And, No Damage or Injuries!




Now it is time to clean, lubricate, and wire it up. I'll do a post when it is up and running.

I could find very few good pictures of this mill when I was making my buying decision. You would think manufacturers would post pictures to help market their products. With the net, I can't figure out why they don't publish hi-res pictures of their products. Anyway, I will post a lot of pictures of this mill in the future.

Bob

 

[hvontres]

Nice looking setup you have there

I remember playing "jenga" with my brigeport when I got it home. I wish I had thought of using 2x lumber.... I uses some bricks. So each layer was quite an adventure ...

 

[chuckorlando]

Very nice

 

[frostheave]

Nice looking setup you have there

I remember playing "jenga" with my brigeport when I got it home. I wish I had thought of using 2x lumber.... I uses some bricks. So each layer was quite an adventure ...

Jenga, I like it! Yeah, I started by removing 1 piece of 7/16" OSB for each lowering. That went well so I tried removing 2 pieces each time. That worked but the mill tended to slide forward or back on the down stroke. I can see where a full brick could cause some real puckering!

Bob

 

[itsme_Bernie]

Wow that looks like a sweet machine! I look forward to seeing more pics of it..

Thanks for the pics. Great to show the steps to move big heavy things- and what to do when things don't go as planned.. I always bring three or four ways to move a machine, since every one is different.


Bernie

 

[xalky]

Congrats on your new mill! That machine will outlive you! )

Marcel

 

[frostheave]

Thanks for the replies guys.

One question. Should I bolt the mill down to the concrete floor? It feels REALLY stable right now as is.

Bob

 

[xalky]

Thanks for the replies guys.

One question. Should I bolt the mill down to the concrete floor? It feels REALLY stable right now as is.

Bob

No need to bolt it down unless you're in a severe seismic zone. I have mine up on levelers because my floor is uneven and having the machine table a level plane can be very helpful with certain setups.

Marcel

 

[frostheave]

No need to bolt it down unless you're in a severe seismic zone. I have mine up on levelers because my floor is uneven and having the machine table a level plane can be very helpful with certain setups.

Marcel

Good point Marcel. We had a magnitude 7.9 earthquake 95 miles south of Fairbanks back in 2002. My place rocked and rolled for a solid 45 seconds. Fairbanks is also past due for a 7.0 or greater earthquake. I wonder how intense an earthquake would have to be to tip over my mill????

Below are a few of pictures from the 2002 earthquake.


40 Million Cubic Yard Landslide Across Black Rapids Glacier:




11' Road Offset where the Denali Fault Crosses the Richardson Highway:




Road Collapse on the way to Tok Alaska:




Trans Alaska Oil Pipeline Damage. No Oil Spilled. The Pipeline is Designed for a Magnitude 8.6:

 

[itsme_Bernie]

That's pretty serious looking earthquake damage... How close are you to any of that big, large movement damage?