Yes or no on this milling machine?

2K$ for a mill, lathe and 3ph converter... A whole shop for 2K? I just spent 2.5K on a mill - 3ph, no converter.
 
Dabbler said:
2K$ for a mill, lathe and 3ph converter... A whole shop for 2K? I just spent 2.5K on a mill - 3ph, no converter.
Click to expand...
And even THAT's a deal.
 
I found a deal in January.

1. A beautiful 16" South Bend lathe with taper attachment, 3-jaw and 4-jaw chucks, a 5C collet set with closer-bar, and a center rest.
AND:
2. A 42" Bridgeport mill complete with vice.
AND
3. A Taft Surface Grinder.

All at the same location for $2,500.

Unfortunately I was broke at the time and the clutch was slipping in my truck so I couldn't pick them up anyway,

What a bummer!

So I'm still shopless,... kind of,... I actual do have a nice 17.5" Lathe/mill combo, so I guess I can't really say that I'm "shopless" :grin:

But no candy for me! :cry:
 
I'm definitely faced with some decisons. The Induma has more potential upside, assuming the DRO and power feed can be easily fixed (as well as the back gear). Plus, I like the 3phase converter setup with it a little bettee than the other. On the other hand, the LaBlond is in much better shape, and comes with a lot more stuff....plus, I can get the smaller Atlas as a bonus. Good thing about the Enco is parts should be far easier to source, and it has the variable speed drive.

Decisons, decisions...
 
A lot more stuff sounds good too, unless it's redundant for what you already have.
 
that LeBlond is a very nice machine but that enco mill doesn't have a DRO and a good one will cost you $1500+ I say go back and buy the first mill. A mill with a DRO is amazing to have almost everything becomes very easy to do....
 
Problem is, I have no idea if the DRO even works on the other mill. The previous owner has stated it never worked for him, so it's difficult to say whether it can be fixed or not.
 
Jason280 said:
I'm definitely faced with some decisons. The Induma has more potential upside, assuming the DRO and power feed can be easily fixed (as well as the back gear). Plus, I like the 3phase converter setup with it a little bettee than the other. On the other hand, the LaBlond is in much better shape, and comes with a lot more stuff....plus, I can get the smaller Atlas as a bonus. Good thing about the Enco is parts should be far easier to source, and it has the variable speed drive.

Decisons, decisions...
Click to expand...

Buy both!
Build a bigger shop.
Go in business as a job shop.
You'll be glad you did.

Just kidding.

I'm afraid I have no sympathy for you at all. You get to suffer the pain and agony of choosing between two GREAT DEALS.

But I'm sitting here suffering from the pain and agony of having no deals to chose from at all. :frown:

So weep for me
and let it be
choose the LaBlond
with tooling for free!

A DRO is unimportant
if you can read a dial
with an Atlas in the corner
your shop will have some style. :grin:
 
I looked again at the Induma today, trying to convince myself to buy it. I initially thought that the back gear wasn't engaging, but I was mistaken...the back gear is currently engaged, and will not disengage. Basically, its stuck in the absolute lowest speeds the machine offers, so the max speed currently (even with belt change on the pulleys) is maybe 300 RPM.

I played around with it for a good 30 minutes, trying to figure out what *might* be the issue. When you switch it from "Low" to "High" on the side of the head, it doesn't engage. The motor will spin, but nothing else happens. When you move the lever on top, nothing is happening. There is a cammed slot on both sides of the ring attached to the lever, that is supposed to raise and lower two pins that stick out....apparently whatever it is supposed to slide up and down is stuck or broken. I have no idea how difficult it is to tear the head down, but looking at it, none of it looks easy.
 
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