Sharp - AcuRite 2 axis mill questions

[psween]

My brother in law has an older Sharp AcuRite 2 axis mill he's thinking about selling, maybe to me. First, I don't know much about NC, especially the older machines like this one. In fact, I'm more looking for a manual 9X42 or 10X50 Bridgeport or clone. Can you still do manual work on something like this while learning about the NC? What might a ballpark price be? Anything else I should know? You can tell I'm pretty clueless about this type of machine. Thanks,

Patrick

 

[JimDawson]

Yes, as long as the mill has hand wheels, and DC servo motors you can do manual work on it. The Sharp AcuRite mills that I found on line seem to have that. The bonus is that you have a built in DRO.

All you have to do is not energize the servos, and it will make a very stable manual machine. Machines with stepper motors can be used as manual machines, but the steppers 'cog' when turned so operating manually is a bit problematic.

If the machine is in good shape and is price right, go for it.

I have done a lot of manual work on my CNC.