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



## frostheave (May 4, 2014)

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 (May 4, 2014)

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 (May 4, 2014)

Very nice


----------



## frostheave (May 4, 2014)

hvontres said:


> 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 (May 4, 2014)

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 (May 4, 2014)

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

Marcel


----------



## frostheave (May 4, 2014)

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 (May 4, 2014)

frostheave said:


> 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 (May 4, 2014)

xalky said:


> 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 (May 5, 2014)

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


----------



## RandyM (May 5, 2014)

WOW! Brand spanking new and out of the box. Get her wired up and running. We need to see chips flying Bob.

Oh, I really like where it sits also.


----------



## zmotorsports (May 5, 2014)

Nice looking mill.  Congrats on the new toy.

Mike.


----------



## Sandia (May 5, 2014)

I think you will really like it. I bought mine a little over a year ago and love working with it. Very quite and holds close tolerances. Unless your floor is really uneven I don't see any need in bolting it down. 

Let me know if you have any questions on it.
Congrats, Bob


----------



## frostheave (May 6, 2014)

itsme_Bernie said:


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



Bernie, I live in Fairbanks/North Pole, about 95 miles north of where the pictures were taken.

Bob

- - - Updated - - -



RandyM said:


> WOW! Brand spanking new and out of the box. Get her wired up and running. We need to see chips flying Bob.
> 
> Oh, I really like where it sits also.



Thanks Randy.  I work a 2 on/2 off schedule and just went back on shift today.  So, I won't get much done during the next 2 weeks. But then...

Bob

- - - Updated - - -



Sandia said:


> I think you will really like it. I bought mine a little over a year ago and love working with it. Very quite and holds close tolerances. Unless your floor is really uneven I don't see any need in bolting it down.
> 
> Let me know if you have any questions on it.
> Congrats, Bob



Sandia I looked at your posts and pictures before I bought the mill.  Thanks for the info.  One thing that is different on mine is the 3PH motor is made in Taiwan and is not a Baldor motor, which I believe you have on yours.  Hopefully it will hold up ok.  Mine does have a 5HP rated Toshiba VFD.  I probably will take you up on the "asking questions" offer.

Bob


----------



## marrtw (Jun 3, 2014)

Man, that is a beauty.  I'm thinking about getting an e-mill and e-lathe.  Acer stuff seems to have a great reputation.


----------

