- Joined
- Jun 12, 2014
- Messages
- 5,068
I think one needs to put this all in perspective as to time, ability, knowledge and cost. In almost every scenario individuals have been looking for months, or years for their unicorn, so for the most part one would assume one has operating machines and is looking for an upgrade or a specific machine. It assumes you can wait, drop everything at the a moments notice and drive hundreds of miles, or wait for someone to become senile and sell their machine. There is also a knowledge curve to knowing what to look for and the ability to do repairs, sometimes requiring other machines and an extensive knowledge/ability/cost to do so. When I was working my average work week was 60+ hours and on-call on the weekend, so finding a unicorn was more fairy dust. Yes, I have more time now that I am retired, but I only got into metal machining about 12 years ago and everything had to fit into a 1 car garage. Heck, if I had big old American iron, it would have taken up the whole garage.
I briefly looked at the used market when I was in Tucson when I wanted to upgrade my mill, and fortunately had a seasoned machinist to guide me through the process. At the end of the day, and looking for several months, I was disappointed a the cost of used equipment, the condition and trying to find/cost of parts to repair them. I ended up buying new, and without his help I couldn't have gotten it delivered. When you start looking at machinery in the 2+ ton range, you need both the shop space and the ability to get it there. Getting a rigger to do it on short notice, and depending on the distance can cost as much or more than the machine you are buying. My current lathe a around 2400 lbs and was offered a bigger one (3400lbs) at the same price but I couldn't manage the additional weight to get it delivered. The initial costs to get the lathe from the local freight terminal and offloaded to my home was going to be between 1.5-2K. I ended up working out a deal with the local equipment rental yard to have it delivered to them, they put it on the bed of a truck with a forklift and brought to my house for $250. It was fortunate that it worked out, but just shows that there are a lot of other obstacles and costs involved unless you have the means to get it home.
I did not, and still would not want to be searching years for a particular machine unless it was more lust then practicality of the situation. I have more than made up the cost difference by using the machine and occasionally making/selling parts. The machine does not make the machinist, but there is an enjoyment for the individual in using a particular machine. As previously noted, there are more used market options for bigger and heavier machinery but this typically falls out of the realm of hobby machinist, if one looks hard and long enough you will find what you want. The big clock on the wall is ticking down, and I would rather be using my machines then dreaming about them. Don't get me wrong, I was thought about buying my current knee mill for years, and couldn't justify the cost at the time. I looked at many other mills and was disappointing, and finally got a great deal on the one I wanted new. So it is all timing and opportunity. The one thing I have learned, is buy the best you can at the price point you can afford (buy once, cry once). Just about every time I purchased something cheaper than I wanted, I ended up being disappointed and ended up getting what I should have in the first place (and costing me more buying cheap). Part of this is a learning curve, knowing what you need and working within your budget.
I briefly looked at the used market when I was in Tucson when I wanted to upgrade my mill, and fortunately had a seasoned machinist to guide me through the process. At the end of the day, and looking for several months, I was disappointed a the cost of used equipment, the condition and trying to find/cost of parts to repair them. I ended up buying new, and without his help I couldn't have gotten it delivered. When you start looking at machinery in the 2+ ton range, you need both the shop space and the ability to get it there. Getting a rigger to do it on short notice, and depending on the distance can cost as much or more than the machine you are buying. My current lathe a around 2400 lbs and was offered a bigger one (3400lbs) at the same price but I couldn't manage the additional weight to get it delivered. The initial costs to get the lathe from the local freight terminal and offloaded to my home was going to be between 1.5-2K. I ended up working out a deal with the local equipment rental yard to have it delivered to them, they put it on the bed of a truck with a forklift and brought to my house for $250. It was fortunate that it worked out, but just shows that there are a lot of other obstacles and costs involved unless you have the means to get it home.
I did not, and still would not want to be searching years for a particular machine unless it was more lust then practicality of the situation. I have more than made up the cost difference by using the machine and occasionally making/selling parts. The machine does not make the machinist, but there is an enjoyment for the individual in using a particular machine. As previously noted, there are more used market options for bigger and heavier machinery but this typically falls out of the realm of hobby machinist, if one looks hard and long enough you will find what you want. The big clock on the wall is ticking down, and I would rather be using my machines then dreaming about them. Don't get me wrong, I was thought about buying my current knee mill for years, and couldn't justify the cost at the time. I looked at many other mills and was disappointing, and finally got a great deal on the one I wanted new. So it is all timing and opportunity. The one thing I have learned, is buy the best you can at the price point you can afford (buy once, cry once). Just about every time I purchased something cheaper than I wanted, I ended up being disappointed and ended up getting what I should have in the first place (and costing me more buying cheap). Part of this is a learning curve, knowing what you need and working within your budget.
