# Brand new machine arrives in used condition.



## Firestopper (Feb 1, 2018)

So last Christmas/Anniversary my wife of 30 years approved the purchase of a new lathe as she knows how much I enjoy and use the shop. I purchased a new Acra 1640 TE just in time before the 10% price increase slated for January 2018. The machine shipped from Taiwan to LA then onto Acra Machine in Rancho Cucamonga near Riverside, CA. I had originally planned on driving out to pick it up as I'm set up to do so with a couple of trailers to chose from and a more than capable Duramax. I have made this round trip before back in 2008 to pick up a plate roller and all went well despite the pouring rain and 19 hours later. A couple of weeks ago I got the flu and took two weeks to recover and diesel prices started to rise close to $3/gal in AZ so figure $4.50 in CA. Acra said for another $500 they would have the machine delivered to my location. I felt this was more than reasonable but my gut told me otherwise. As a shipper myself, I only trust one company with my products but they don't run flat bed open trailers. Acra ran full operational test and provided video's to me adding excitement to receive the newest member to the shop. 

Acra called me yesterday to inform me the trucking outfit had picked up the machine and should arrive today sometime in the morning or early afternoon. The driver also phoned me a short while after Acra informing me he has a drop off in Phoenix first then he would head to my location (about 2.5 hour drive). The driver could hardly speak english but I figured if he has a CDL all should be good. Today at 13:30 I called him using my phone log only to get a generic message indicating his voice mail was not set up so I couldn't leave him a message. Well this knucklehead must have been screening his calls because he phoned me right back and told me he was still in Phx and had been there since last night. I asked him what the hold up was and he told me he was waiting for them to unload his Phx delivery. What!?? All day, REALLY!?? I guess he thought I fell off the turnip truck and would buy his BS. He then tried to reschedule for tomorrow and I told him no as I'm back on shift (24 hour).  I then informed him that he needed to get here before sundown as I was not comfortable unloading a 3700 pound machine in the dark. By now my gut was telling me something is not right with this guy.  Sure enough,he called right back and said he was on his way, this would get him here around 17:30 at the earliest. Then he called back around 17:15 and said he was lost, so there I go to find him. I escorted him to my location and see the machine on the upper deck of the flat bed sitting transverse over his drive axels. The heavy end (head stock) furthest from my pick and the only way to unload was with the use of fork extensions. No freaking way!! I asked him to drop his trailer so that I could approach the machine perpendicular from the front of the trailer and balance the load . He reluctantly agreed. It only took him 3 minutes to disconnect and pull forward but had a bad attitude about the whole deal. The second red flag for me was the cheap shredded harbor freight tarp covering the expensive machine. The bungee cord S- hooks had chewed right through the tarp and worst yet he had the S-hooks at the corners. WTH!? A professional trucker doing this? The first thing this idiot asked me was, "how much is your house"? REALLY!? I replied, "it's not for sale"! And thought to myself stupid a**hole. After I unloaded the machine, he asked me to escort him back out to the main road so I did. When I got back I found this:

Minor damage to the back splash from said S-hook. A few locations.


Front of machine, lead screw, feed rod and power lever end block damage.


Lower base back base (headstock end). S-hook damage.


Front base (headstock end) S-hook damage.


I am beyond angry over senseless BS like this. I called my sales guy at Acra and sent him these photos and informed him I was not going to unwrap the  machine at this point as this was simply unacceptable. He's a real nice guy and told me he would set another machine aside for me and test run it prior to shipping. I told him I would be driving this machine back and picking up the replacement myself. If you want something done right you need to do it yourself.
This is what I get for trying to do my part in stimulating the economy. Some of you might say it's just a machine, let it go, but I go the extra mile for all my customers, friends and family and now for myself.
The machine is a beast and I look forward to see it unwrapped (different one).
Oh, the idiot left his tarp by the side of the road, I disposed of it.


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## woodchucker (Feb 1, 2018)

Wow, I hope ACRA gives you money back for that shipment. They should, return your money and deal with the idiot on their own.


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## brino (Feb 1, 2018)

Paco,
I am sorry you had to deal with this. It's just not right when someone that always does his best and respects others is treated like this. Hopefully that driver/shipper will lose future business over this. It is well deserved.
-brino


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## Firestopper (Feb 1, 2018)

Yea, I spoke to Tom, He's making it right and handling the claim. I just need to do the driving like I initially intended.
Bummed out a little as this delays the whole enchilada.  Sad how a machine can fair across the Pacific only to sustain damage on its last 450 mile journey. I still have a lathe in service so thats good.


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## Firestopper (Feb 1, 2018)

Thanks brino,
It will work out in the end. Just kind of sucks but theres others with real issues such as poor health and such.
I get angry, vent and then reset. 
I hope I wasn't too harsh describing the trucker but everyone has the ability to do stellar work if only they cared.
"Its not how much one knows, its how much one cares that counts".


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## f350ca (Feb 2, 2018)

Bummer,
Its getting harder and harder to find people and businesses that want to do things right. Good enough is fast becoming the norm.
Look at it on the bright side, you get a road trip.


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## Firestopper (Feb 2, 2018)

So true Greg, 
Pride and professionalism has been eroding little by little with time.
Yea, the road trip will be good so long as no rain is encountered.


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## middle.road (Feb 2, 2018)

Also, there's the simple fact that there are not any mentors showing them how to do it properly, and some don't want to learn.
And then they're the lowball hot-shot delivery service. And then they also don't care. All they see is a big hunk of iron.
Neighbors treated themselves to a hottub they'd been wanting for years. The tub showed up in a 24' box truck with only the driver.
Driveway has a slight incline to it and the driver parked nose facing up hill. I called my neighbor, who was recovering from emergency surgery and told him not to lift anything or to do anything.
Not having a good feeling about it, I went inside grabbed a cup of coffee and the keys to the skid steer. Went back out to the shop and planted myself on the stool. A couple of sips later there was the interesting sound of a 6'x6' spa hitting the pavement. Followed by the pallet jack. I wandered over.
The youngun' was trying to talk my neighbor into accepting delivery, I suggested that it should go right back on the truck - problem was that the spa blocked the truck. Me I like to use mechanical means for heavy lifting or moving - anything to save my back & muscles.
This dumb arse kid just plain didn't want to listen to gray beard wisdom. Frustrating. I wanted to help - not have to explain myself.
You'd think at that point the driver would just want to get it loaded back up and continue his runs. I went back to my place and my neighbor called (5) mins later. Grabbed the tractor and a Jo-Bar, some blocks and wandered back over.
And the driver _still_ wanted to disagree with my plan, which was simple. Block up an end of the spa, place bucket under it, it fit nicely in the bucket, strap it good and tight and place it back on the truck, bypassing the liftgate.
What should have been 15-20 minutes took an hour. Couple of problems with the whole situ.
The company running the trucks only sends out (1) driver without a helper? I've seen machinery movers handle large equipment one man, but a 6x6 spa on end on a liftgate, nah. The dufas kid did not want to listen, just wanted to 'gorilla' it. He didn't understand how to park the truck, didn't grasp the limits of the liftgate, and sure as heck did not realize the effects of gravity.


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## kvt (Feb 2, 2018)

Yea,  Young, dumb and do not care,   Part of the reason insurance and delivery are so expensive any more.  Oh, the insurance will cover it and they just add that to the cost of shipping,   rather than do thing right.    And figure as long as they do not get hurt,   every thing is fine.   
What ever happened to the good old American pride with a lot of people today,   Most on this site work hard to do that, have met to many others that do not seem to care, just want you to give them money.


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## f350ca (Feb 2, 2018)

Rain's beter than snow Paco, and your not THAT sweet, you won't melt. lol


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## Firestopper (Feb 2, 2018)

Hahah, I'll take rain over snow, I'm a wimp when it comes to cold weather. I shiver worse than a cat sh*ting razor blades at 40ºF


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## Firestopper (Feb 2, 2018)

middle.road said:


> Also, there's the simple fact that there are not any mentors showing them how to do it properly, and some don't want to learn.
> And then they're the lowball hot-shot delivery service. And then they also don't care. All they see is a big hunk of iron.
> Neighbors treated themselves to a hottub they'd been wanting for years. The tub showed up in a 24' box truck with only the driver.
> Driveway has a slight incline to it and the driver parked nose facing up hill. I called my neighbor, who was recovering from emergency surgery and told him not to lift anything or to do anything.
> ...



Stupid comes in all colors and age range, The driver was a couple of years younger than me. I think most of it boils down to simply caring. Hard to teach an adult to care. They either do or they won't.
Too bad the young man didn't follow your lead, he could have used the knowledge throughout his life.


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## woodchucker (Feb 2, 2018)

kvt said:


> Yea,  Young, dumb and do not care,   Part of the reason insurance and delivery are so expensive any more.  Oh, the insurance will cover it and they just add that to the cost of shipping,   rather than do thing right.    And figure as long as they do not get hurt,   every thing is fine.
> What ever happened to the good old American pride with a lot of people today,   Most on this site work hard to do that, have met to many others that do not seem to care, just want you to give them money.


Too many people ,older too, feel they have something coming to them.


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## kvt (Feb 2, 2018)

by the way when are you going to pick it up.   That will be a fair hall there, and back.


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## Firestopper (Feb 2, 2018)

kvt said:


> by the way when are you going to pick it up.   That will be a fair hall there, and back.



kvt,
I just took a vacation day/shift for the 8th of February. I'll head out around 3 am arriving at Acra around 11 am. Package up new machine and hopefully be back on the road by 13:00 arriving home around 9 pm. Tomorrow I'll be repacking the axels bearings on the 20' flat bed and swapping four new tires off the dump trailer. Working Sunday, then going over the Duramax on Monday. 
Since I'm hauling the return machine, It'll cost a little more in both time and money but at least I'll know what I'm getting in the end.
I hope the next batch of photos you see will be of a pristine machine.


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## David S (Feb 2, 2018)

At least I am glad that Acra took the high road and is making good on the screw up.  Can't wait to see it all home and set up.  Take care.

David


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## Firestopper (Feb 2, 2018)

David S said:


> At least I am glad that Acra took the high road and is making good on the screw up.  Can't wait to see it all home and set up.  Take care.
> 
> David


Me too David, on both accounts.


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## middle.road (Feb 2, 2018)

I'd like to think that when I was young I listened and paid attention to the 'Gray Beards'. 
As I often lament, probably not enough when it comes to machining. I'm pretty sure I did around my father's friends and acquaintances. 
I remember a couple of old timer's that I spent time around and still use their advice & lessons to this day. 

IMO, Acra should have sent a dedicated delivery with the replacement machine and picked up the damaged one. 
Not a low-bid hot shotter off the web this time. Paco shouldn't have to burn a vacation day to do properly what should have been done
correctly in the first place. </end-rant>

When I picked up the 1440 at the auction, the two younguns' doing the equipment loading slung it correclty asked me where I wanted on the trailer and after it was placed they both grabbed the tiedowns from me and tied it down.
When I picked up the Bridgeport it was the opposite. They attempted to handle it like they were loading busted up concrete from a demo site. Had to force them to stop and get proper slings to lift it correctly. They were going at it with the forks around the pedestal under the ram & head. er, NOT...
Care to hazard a guess which one cost more?


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## Firestopper (Feb 2, 2018)

middle.road said:


> I'd like to think that when I was young I listened and paid attention to the 'Gray Beards'.
> As I often lament, probably not enough when it comes to machining. I'm pretty sure I did around my father's friends and acquaintances.
> I remember a couple of old timer's that I spent time around and still use their advice & lessons to this day.
> 
> ...



I've learned/learn from both young and old, the latter more frequently. As a juvenile, I always looked up to older folks and always demonstrated respect even when they where short with me. In the end they always had knowledge to offer even if only by observing. My dad demanded I respect all elders and wouldn't hesitate to set me straight early on. His discipline was "Old School" until my preteen years. I notice a lot younger guys at the fire house lack this and don't hesitate to insult a guy with 25+ years of service. I once had a fellow get smart with me over a call involving a drunk. He was mistreating  an older man whom I was very familiar with who had served in Korea. This old man was a PITA but I never walked in his shoes so always displayed respect. I sent the kid out to the truck and concluded the call. On the way back the kid with two years of service was ****** off at me for sending him out. When we got back to the fire house I pulled a tape measure from my duty bag and pulled 23" out and said to the pouting punk "this is me (pointing to the 23" mark) and this is you (pointing to the 2" mark) he was speechless as this was profound when you see it put like that. I then sat him down and explained Mr. Baily's situation (the Korean vet) and advised him to rethink his attitude. This young man now works at one of the busiest stations and from I understand treats folks with more care then required. I can't say I  had a direct effect on him, but he's a fan of mine and I of him. That was four years ago, he's now a medic and is sitting at the six inch mark. haha.

On Acra, 
I hear you, but at this point, I have zero faith with a third party to handle the transport the way I will. Your absolutely 100% correct I should stay back and and play in my shop and not take a 24 hour vacation. Tom would probably cover all the cost, but again, I have the means and its all about piece of mind at this stage. I'll make the best of it, jamming to classic rock and reflecting.

As for the knuckleheads rigging (or lack there of) you mill, I'll guess that machine cost more. Those dudes didn't care, while the lathe riggers did.
Am I right?

I see your in Tennessee, I went to Non Commission Officer Academy (NCOA)  academy in McGhee Tyson near Knoxville back in 89 while in the USAF. I drove a Toyota P/U with a 86 Harley sportster in the bed. I cruised the bike all over the Smoky Mountains on the weekends. What a blast I had. Beautiful country man.

Take it lite Dan,
Paco


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## aliva (Feb 5, 2018)

I think some of the blame for this fiasco is Acra the machine should have been is plywood box to reduce possible damage. I find it hard to believe that this unit was shipped overseas without being in a dedicated enclosure


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## f350ca (Feb 5, 2018)

Larger machines need to be tied down to the trailer so they can't be crated. Summit Machine Tools would not release my lathe unless the truck was a flat bed where it could be tied from the top of the machine, said they had them fall over in vans.

Greg


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## Superburban (Feb 5, 2018)

middle.road said:


> Also, there's the simple fact that there are not any mentors showing them how to do it properly, and some don't want to learn.


One of my main pieces of advice to all the new officers, and even the old NCO's reporting for duty, was that the only thing you cannot do, is make someone care. Search for and mentor those that do care. Teach them why things are done, and they will carry the ball the rest of the way. Those that don't care, teach them everything in the book, and hope they do the right thing at the right time. Give me 1/2 a company of untrained soldiers that care, and I will accomplish more then any other unit.


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## Firestopper (Feb 6, 2018)

aliva said:


> I think some of the blame for this fiasco is Acra the machine should have been is plywood box to reduce possible damage. I find it hard to believe that this unit was shipped overseas without being in a dedicated enclosure



Aliva, 
Like Greg stated, larger machines do not come crated and only shipped via flatbed. Acra shipped a mill to my location that arrived in pristine condition with it only wrapped in shrink wrap, but the trucker was squared away using the correct tarp and he cared. Sure you could crate the lathe and leave the bottom open for strapping down, but it's just not feasible or cost effective. What can be done is use heavy cardboard on all flats and corners between wraps of shrink wrap providing protection. I'm sure Acra has had past issues and will continue to have issues if they don't add a little protection. Like someone else mentioned earlier, It easy file a claim with the carriers insurance, but an ounce prevention goes a long long way in customer satisfaction.That said, yeah Acra is culpable to a degree.



Superburban said:


> One of my main pieces of advice to all the new officers, and even the old NCO's reporting for duty, was that the only thing you cannot do, is make someone care. Search for and mentor those that do care. Teach them why things are done, and they will carry the ball the rest of the way. Those that don't care, teach them everything in the book, and hope they do the right thing at the right time. Give me 1/2 a company of untrained soldiers that care, and I will accomplish more then any other unit.



Well said! a team of caring folks can not only be trained, but improve with time and experience. 


Paco


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## Firestopper (Feb 7, 2018)

Heading out tomorrow in the wee hours of the morning. Two spare trailer tires and two spare tow rigs tires. Hoping for smooth sailing. God willing, the next time I post should be of a new lathe sitting in the shop bay.








Night fellas.

Paco


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## mattthemuppet2 (Feb 7, 2018)

fingers'n'toes crossed. Have a safe trip Paco!


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## middle.road (Feb 7, 2018)

I'm not quite sure, but it looks to me that this time around on it's return to CA, it IS properly covered and protected - just saying...


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## Silverbullet (Feb 8, 2018)

No ethics or respect taught anymore, it's the I don't give a crap mindset . They all want big pay without earning it. And being a delivery driver his butt should be fired and fined . Have a safe trip , good luck with your new lathe , they're great machines usually.


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## Firestopper (Feb 9, 2018)

Well, WE made it home unscathed. We meaning the lathe, truck/trailer and myself. I ran that truck a little hard as some of those passes are steep. The EGT temps where kissing 12- 1,300 requiring  down shifting to increase the RPM's and dropping the temps. Man those CA drivers are d**k's. Once into Indio I-10 opens up into multiple lanes and turn these idiots into Nascar wanna bees. I gave the rig a break and hid between two 18 wheelers trying to survive the traffic. I encountered three nasty crashes on my return.
Acra is a giant tilt-up concrete construction warehouse of over 1MSF.  A skeleton crew of thee warehouse folks one secretary and Tom the big cheese operate this business. One of the three warehouse guys is the machine mechanic that test runs and builds custom orders like direct drive mills, power feed and such on milling machines. I spent a limited amount of time wondering the floor, but saw claim sheets on several machines for Sterling Machinery among other machine venders found on the web who offer the ACRA brand. Clearly ACRA is the hub for distribution. Tom is busier than a two peckered billygoat, a thin Asian man who talks fast and walks faster than I do!, and I've been told to slow down my pace by much taller friends.
As promised, they had another 1640TE ready upon my arrival and provided a young lad to help me ready the machine for transport. At first, Tom only offered to reimburse me my $500 plus $250 ($750) for returning the damaged machine and was set to send me a check next week. I did eyeball a few machines with taper attachments installed and tried to work a  trade deal for the $750 but no go. As I was washing up and heading out the door, I pulled out my checkbook and said "if I leave you a check for $500 can I leave with a taper attachment"?, he said "OK,OK,OK" in rapid fire!
In the end, I got paid the $500 to deliver the machine back to him and now have a taper attachment. They sell for $1,500.

I left at 2am and returned home at 10:40 pm, only stopping for fuel and Autozone for a replacement fuel cap. Yeah, I left it on a pump that was giving me grief . Thank goodness for smart phones, I found a Auto zone 1.5 miles from I-10 in Indio. I took shower and went to bed around 11:30  and up at 05:30. I slept in and the ruffians let me know their displeasure as they like to eat no later than 5. I have a long day today unloading all the stuff I didn't need but look forward to unwrapping, cleaning the new machine.

A couple of inside Acra:
This is the readying an test area.


Someone's getting a big lathe.


Trip stats:


Actual driving time.


Fuel burned. Average if 14.5 MPG pulling a heavy load.


I'll get some shots of the machine later.
Thanks for the well wishes guys, Its nice to know you all care.

Paco


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## f350ca (Feb 9, 2018)

Glad to hear you and your new baby made it home safe. 
Good score on the taper attachment.
I drove through LA in the mid 80's, have to agree back then the drivers were d**k's. Was back again about 2000 with a crew cab one ton pulling a 30 foot travel trailer, forgot about the time zone coming from Arizona and hit the city about 5:30 heading for a camp ground on Anaheim Blvd. The drivers were incredible, if I put on a signal they'd make room for me to change lanes every time. Maybe they were afraid to cut off a crazy Canadian,

Greg


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## mhagadorn (Feb 9, 2018)

As much of a pain in the tail this experience was, you will be looking at a nice machine for years to come and the memory of the shipping fiasco will fade. Wise move swapping it out. My wife always complains about me insisting I do stuff myself. This is why. Congrats.


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## Alan H. (Feb 9, 2018)

Paco, great trip report!   Glad you got your new machine plus the taper attachment at a bargain!   

Thanks for the photos of Acra.   I see a shelf full of Align Power Feeds behind that lathe.  I wonder if they are a distributor for those?

Look forward to some photos of the new lathe.


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## middle.road (Feb 9, 2018)

And, And, looks like you didn't need any of the spare tires - Good!
Now if you hadn't taken them along then what would have happened is . . .


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## Robert LaLonde (Feb 9, 2018)

mhagadorn said:


> As much of a pain in the tail this experience was, you will be looking at a nice machine for years to come and the memory of the shipping fiasco will fade. Wise move swapping it out. My wife always complains about me insisting I do stuff myself. This is why. Congrats.




Mine doesn't.  In the past she would hire somebody, and then I would fix it.  Now she just asks me.  I wouldn't mind paying people if they did it right the first time, and didn't try to slap a bandaid over a bullet hole when they get called back.


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## Robert LaLonde (Feb 9, 2018)

So how do you plan to unload it? Looks like a 10K (or bigger?) forklift rental may be required.


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## mattthemuppet2 (Feb 9, 2018)

nice work, glad to see you got back in one piece with no drama. Seems like it worked out well despite all the hassle.

BTW, if you want more crazy drivers you're welcome to come to San Antonio any time. My driving motto here is "ask for forgiveness, not permission", otherwise you'll get nowhere.


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## Silverbullet (Feb 9, 2018)

Nice machine and some fancy dancing too. Glad to here the trip went well. I like the acra line of machines. Good luck get some rest , then get back to your new baby. Pure envy yupp


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## Alan H. (Feb 9, 2018)

Bob La Londe said:


> So how do you plan to unload it? Looks like a 10K (or bigger?) forklift rental may be required.


No worries, Paco has a monster forklift.  He's likely out there on it as I write this.   

Paco, waiting anxiously for the evening report!


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## Firestopper (Feb 9, 2018)

Well fellas,
Thanks for all the well wishes.  After walking the "booqies" (yes I have many names for them) I unloaded and put everything back like it never happened. Mark's (mksj) timing was impeccable as I was just starting to remove the shrink wrap on the machine.  Mark wasted no time in heading for the electrical cabinet and motor housing. I started cleaning off the cosmoline with minimal spirits. All I can say is WOW! this is one very nice machine. The fit and finish is second to none. Heres a short video of the manufacturing plat that makes many higher end machines in Taiwan, this one included.




 .

The end cover removed. The blue gear is a sacrificial gear incase of a crash. I have never crashed a lathe but probably a good idea to have.
The three drive belts are powered by a large 5HP motor. The spindle bore is 2-1/16"


The motor area was extremely clean and smooth with no casting flashing or remnants of sand, primed and finished well. The brake drum is incorporated into the drive pulley. Nice belt tensioning system.


The electrical cabinet has plenty of room for expansion, very clean and organized.


The blue finish is a textured powder coat.


The machine measures 7' in length. and 51" tall at the headstock. Look at the paint finish on the cast. Absolutely flawless with a beautiful shine.


The 8" 3 jaw chuck has a beautiful ground finish as does the exposed surfaces. The 10" 4 jaw is still in the box. ran out of time to check it out.


The headstock, look at all those thread/feed options.


The dials are very nice as well. The collars rotate 360º for english/metric readings with an indexing ball for a nice click.




The apron is equally impressive. Single shot lubrication(brass knob) for the ways, cross feed, and compound. Push and lube, very cleaver feature.
The round lower push/pull knob reverses the carriage and cross feed direction while the spindle remains in motion. The engagement lever also has a brass flip top oiler. A large site glass to monitor oil level.


One of four ball oilers. Each dial has one and two found on the tailstock. the rest is done from the single shot system.


The tail stock is is a 4 m/t with very sharp readable graduations and extends 6". It also hd alignment graduations on the base below the hand wheel.


The lead screw (1.125") feed rod and switch rod terminate into a large lube block.


The induction hardened bed measures 10.125" in width.


The flood coolant feed is all metal flex hose with a regular ball valve.


A shot of the top of the carriage, super nice fit and finish.




The steady and follow rest are also nice quality. The steady is equipped with roller bearings and the follow rest is designed to rotate onto the bolts without the need to remover them completely. The same paint quality on both.


Didn't have time to check out the taper attachment. Notice the table indicated its for a RML 1640. Same machine Sun Master builds for Kent machines. The Micro carriage stop had the same tag.


Have'nt had time to peruse the manual yet or tolerance sheet but I think I'll be pleased based on the overall machine quality.
The box under the manual is a 10" 4-jaw. The tool box had carbide tip centers, tools and cast iron foot pads for leveling the machine.


While cleaning the machine, Mark modified the light to take an LED bulb.


I need to order a 48" LED light bar for the back splash. These can be found inexpensive on eBay. I used one on the 1440 and love the light it puts out. Aside from Marks control system, we will also install an hour meter, 3 axis DRO, and tail stock DRO. It looks like the machine will remain in the center of bay #1 for a spell. I still have the 1440 in service and will machine a spider for the tach and SFM readout combo. Gonna have to design a spreader bar system for locating the machine in place.  At last she's home!


Thank you all for following along and warm blessings.
I think I'll need to start another thread for the modifications unless you guys think it should remain here. What say you?
Take care amigos.


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## Firestopper (Feb 9, 2018)

f350ca said:


> Glad to hear you and your new baby made it home safe.
> Good score on the taper attachment.
> I drove through LA in the mid 80's, have to agree back then the drivers were d**k's. Was back again about 2000 with a crew cab one ton pulling a 30 foot travel trailer, forgot about the time zone coming from Arizona and hit the city about 5:30 heading for a camp ground on Anaheim Blvd. The drivers were incredible, if I put on a signal they'd make room for me to change lanes every time. Maybe they were afraid to cut off a crazy Canadian,
> 
> Greg


Thanks Greg, apparently some CA drivers have a distaste for Arizonans! hahahah. If and when I drive back to CA, I'll need to use a Canadian plate
Paco


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## Firestopper (Feb 9, 2018)

mhagadorn said:


> As much of a pain in the tail this experience was, you will be looking at a nice machine for years to come and the memory of the shipping fiasco will fade. Wise move swapping it out. My wife always complains about me insisting I do stuff myself. This is why. Congrats.


It already faded! Still tired but then again it was a full day with only 5.5 hours of sleep since the trip.
Thanks amigo!


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## Firestopper (Feb 9, 2018)

Alan H said:


> Paco, great trip report!   Glad you got your new machine plus the taper attachment at a bargain!
> 
> Thanks for the photos of Acra.   I see a shelf full of Align Power Feeds behind that lathe.  I wonder if they are a distributor for those?
> 
> Look forward to some photos of the new lathe.



Hey Alan,
Its all good now. Acra is a neat playground, you'd be right at home as much coin as you spend on machines and tools.
They had all sorts of goodies, I cant say for sure if they sell individual items, but give them a call to see if what Tom can do.
They stock and build machines to order for many other machine distributors. You should see the shelves of motors they stock!

Take care,
Paco


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## Firestopper (Feb 9, 2018)

middle.road said:


> And, And, looks like you didn't need any of the spare tires - Good!
> Now if you hadn't taken them along then what would have happened is . . .


 Thats right! Better to have it and not needed, than, well you know how I think by now.
Paco


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## Firestopper (Feb 9, 2018)

Bob La Londe said:


> Mine doesn't.  In the past she would hire somebody, and then I would fix it.  Now she just asks me.  I wouldn't mind paying people if they did it right the first time, and didn't try to slap a bandaid over a bullet hole when they get called back.


Yeah, seems I have the same luck when service in involved. My wife wasn't crazy about the idea of driving there and back, but she know I prepare to the hilt. Its the other drivers she worries about.


Bob La Londe said:


> So how do you plan to unload it? Looks like a 10K (or bigger?) forklift rental may be required.


The Hyster 50 made some creaking noise but handled the load just fine. I did have to rev a little to side shift.
Paco


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## Firestopper (Feb 9, 2018)

Close Alan, At 12:51 I was already unloaded.

But thanks for the vote of confidence non the less. 

Have you TIG welded with that sweet machine yet?

Paco


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## f350ca (Feb 9, 2018)

Congratulations Paco, a very impressive looking machine.

Greg


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## Firestopper (Feb 9, 2018)

Thanks Greg, worth the trouble in the end.
Paco


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## middle.road (Feb 10, 2018)

Oh, the heck with the lathe, I Spy a Toyota FJ lurking there in the background of the pictures!


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## Richard King 2 (Feb 10, 2018)

For those of you that don't have a trailer and truck to pick things up for yourself.  I highly recommend a company called "Long Haul Trucking"   Their home base is in MN, but they haul all over the USA.  The have hubs on the east and west coasts too.   Their men are well dressed and speak English.

Their truck and trailers are new equipment and they use Conestoga flatbed trailers .  If you not familiar with that sort of trailer.  It looks like a regular semi trailer but it's a canvas top that is attached to a rolling frame so no tarping is needed.  Weather proof.  I also know Tom Dou at Acra personally and he is a good guy, but he also uses LTL truckers for the best price.   Long Haul isn't cheap, but you get your monies worth.

I used to own a used machinery company and we always called Long Haul to haul the machine anywhere in North America and never had a problem or complaint.   Rich


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## Bill Gruby (Feb 10, 2018)

North East Riggers out of CT> are also good. Long hauls as well as short hauls.

"Billy G"


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## Firestopper (Feb 10, 2018)

middle.road said:


> Oh, the heck with the lathe, I Spy a Toyota FJ lurking there in the background of the pictures!



Dan, that would be my 1982 DD. Originally sold at Camelback Toyota in Phx. Been a desert rat its whole life
She only gets 12MPG on a good day, but I love that rig.


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## Firestopper (Feb 10, 2018)

Richard King 2 said:


> For those of you that don't have a trailer and truck to pick things up for yourself.  I highly recommend a company called "Long Haul Trucking"   Their home base is in MN, but they haul all over the USA.  The have hubs on the east and west coasts too.   Their men are well dressed and speak English.
> 
> Their truck and trailers are new equipment and they use Conestoga flatbed trailers .  If you not familiar with that sort of trailer.  It looks like a regular semi trailer but it's a canvas top that is attached to a rolling frame so no tarping is needed.  Weather proof.  I also know Tom Dou at Acra personally and he is a good guy, but he also uses LTL truckers for the best price.   Long Haul isn't cheap, but you get your monies worth.
> 
> I used to own a used machinery company and we always called Long Haul to haul the machine anywhere in North America and never had a problem or complaint.   Rich



Hi Richard, 
Good information there, I would have paid a little more from the get go knowing that. I will keep Long Haul in my memory bank for future needs.
Tom Dou is a nice man and didn't hesitate to make things right. 
 Thanks for the contact info.

Paco


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## Richard King 2 (Feb 10, 2018)

That show of the Taiwan factory was out-standing.  I have a lot of pride in their scraping as I taught scraping classes for the Taiwanese machine Industries on and off for 30 years.  I worked with TAMI and PMC.  They presented me with an award for changing their scraping quality industry.  The machines Tom Dou buys in Taiwan are Industrial grade A machines.  If you see that the machine was made in Taiwan you will be good, but the ones made in China...be a bit more cautious.

I have known Tom Dou the owner of Acra for 20 + years and he is a straight shooter.  Next time you talk to him say hello from me.


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## mksj (Feb 10, 2018)

Modified the micrometer stop for this lathe, the stop was beautifully made and about twice the size of of the one on my 1340GT. It required a new design for adding a proximity stop mechanism, the floating hub was also slightly different and I went with some 1" round naval bronze for the hub. Designed a new control system with a few more VFD tricks, will be ordering in parts next week for the build. Look forward to getting this beast up and running. The build quality is truly impressive.

I also bought my knee mill from Acra, Tom Dou, and have been very happy with it.


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## BROCKWOOD (Feb 11, 2018)

Most excellent read!  The liftgate delivery Grizzly sends my way is top notch. So I tried an Order from ENCO, just to spread the wealth a bit. Local warehouse lacked in every way. I had to go to the warehouse to help ID my package. It wasn't there. But what I did see was a full 30+% of items in that warehouse damaged. My item arrived the next day with damage on every part. It's no wonder ENCO sold out to MSC within a month. A company is only as good as the weakest link. Shipping is every bit as important as fit & finish.


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## Firestopper (Feb 11, 2018)

mksj said:


> Modified the micrometer stop for this lathe, the stop was beautifully made and about twice the size of of the one on my 1340GT. It required a new design for adding a proximity stop mechanism, the floating hub was also slightly different and I went with some 1" round naval bronze for the hub. Designed a new control system with a few more VFD tricks, will be ordering in parts next week for the build. Look forward to getting this beast up and running. The build quality is truly impressive.
> 
> I also bought my knee mill from Acra, Tom Dou, and have been very happy with it.
> 
> ...


Wow! once again, outstanding work Mark. That looks purrrdy . Apparently you don't sleep either, that stop wasn't in your hands more than 24 hours before you reworked it and designed the schematics. I got some catching up to do!
Thank you Mark.


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## Firestopper (Feb 11, 2018)

BROCKWOOD said:


> Most excellent read!  The liftgate delivery Grizzly sends my way is top notch. So I tried an Order from ENCO, just to spread the wealth a bit. Local warehouse lacked in every way. I had to go to the warehouse to help ID my package. It wasn't there. But what I did see was a full 30+% of items in that warehouse damaged. My item arrived the next day with damage on every part. It's no wonder ENCO sold out to MSC within a month. A company is only as good as the weakest link. Shipping is every bit as important as fit & finish.


It's really unfortunate that failing to spend a few minutes protecting a load negates all prior efforts in a quality product.


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## extropic (Feb 11, 2018)

I forgot to "Watch" this tread so, I just caught up.
Glad to read that your trip was without problems and the machine is looking good.


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## Firestopper (Feb 11, 2018)

extropic said:


> I forgot to "Watch" this tread so, I just caught up.
> Glad to read that your trip was without problems and the machine is looking good.



Thank you, 
yes, the trip was a bit long but worked out in the end. I had to avoid looking at the lathe today if I wanted to get anything else done. She's soo puuurdy.
Looking at DRO's tomorrow.

Paco


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## ddickey (Feb 12, 2018)

Great looking lathe Paco.
Did you buy this direct from Acra?


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## Firestopper (Feb 12, 2018)

mksj said:


> Modified the micrometer stop for this lathe, the stop was beautifully made and about twice the size of of the one on my 1340GT. It required a new design for adding a proximity stop mechanism, the floating hub was also slightly different and I went with some 1" round naval bronze for the hub. Designed a new control system with a few more VFD tricks, will be ordering in parts next week for the build. Look forward to getting this beast up and running. The build quality is truly impressive.
> 
> I also bought my knee mill from Acra, Tom Dou, and have been very happy with it.
> 
> ...



I wanted  to show the quality of Mark's mill he purchased from ACRA sometime back. Tom Dou does sell top notch machines, this mill being an example. After Mark designed and installed his ultra custom control system on this machine "its over the top". 


Look at that beautiful table. I think Richard King 2 would agree its nicely done.


Direct drive head is very quiet at 4K RPM.


I thought you guys would appreciate this. I still find myself mesmerized by its beauty and quality when I visit Mark.
BTW, the truck driver that delivered this machine was a true professional and prideful of his work.


Again, just wanted to show the quality ACRA has to offer.

Warm wishes,
Paco


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## ddickey (Feb 12, 2018)

I just emailed them to get a price list.
Those machines look great but you get what you pay for, no?


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## Firestopper (Feb 12, 2018)

ddickey said:


> I just emailed them to get a price list.
> Those machines look great but you get what you pay for, no?



Yes, no free lunch, but you might be plesantly surprised at the cost difference. Tom has the ability to add options to your inquiry to sweeten the deal. You could find ACRA machines sold by Sterling machinery and alike but I would go right to the source first and compare price. Remember, Tom sells massive amounts and has wiggle room IMO. I'm not the haggling type but managed to pay $2K+ less for the same machine offered by other distributors. Like Richard King stated previously, Tom is a straight shooter and will support your machine into the future, something very important to me. 

 I purchased my first lathe new back in 2001 for $5k with a tapper attachment. That was a lot of money for me considering I was only welding/fabricating (side work) at the time and still had a child in school. The Brimingham 1440 (ML China)  has served me well over the years without breaking. It has done everything I have asked of it knowing its limitations. After seventeen years, the time was right for me to purchase my last new lathe. I spend all of my free time in the shop and want to continue to do so into my golden years. I'm a working stiff like the rest of you fine men and blessed with plenty of side work to feed my addiction and more importantly a supportive wife. I don't watch sports as I feel theres too much to learn in life and my fire career  has has exposed me to very ugly scenes I rather forget. The shop is my sanctuary from the hassles life throws at us and I'm at peace during this time. Simply put, shop time feeds my soul and I'm thankful every minute in the shop.

So ddickey, buy what you can afford and enjoy yourself as life is too short.  I know from reading many other posts on this site that others share the same passion for shop time as I. 
Sorry for the long reply, but my heart was controlling my fingers.
Keep us posted on your machine hunting.
Take care,
Paco


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## ddickey (Feb 12, 2018)

Couldn't have said it better.


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## ddickey (Feb 12, 2018)

I asked for a price for the Taiwan made 14x40 labeled as the 1400SVS. I'm assuming shipping is included, $12,500.


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## Firestopper (Feb 12, 2018)

I would not assume anything without talking with Tom. Your price is from a list right? If your ready to buy, give him a call and dial in the specifics to include shipping.  Maybe send him an email first to see what he’s willing to work out with you, then call. I waited a little while after fist contact and he reached out and worked a deal. I think where you can come out ahead is on accessories for your machine.
Paco


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