"Bolton Tools ZX32GP" reputable mills? (Will convert to CNC)

[Unix]

Thank you everyone for helpful insights.

Alright, Bolton is out from my list, I was originally planning to disassemble it and scrape the ways to make it proper tolerances, I know this will take a lot of effort and time but I think this will be an excellent learning experience for fundamental machining something which I look forward in doing.

I was worried about the spindle, if the runout was extremely bad and if the spindle arrived damaged or something else damaged which is not repairable, customer service is important.

I don't have actual hands on experience but have been reading numerous books and viewing thousands of hours of YouTube, asking hundreds of questions on reddit and forums, researching on the topic for 4 years, so after all this time I feel confident in how to turn on the machine and start basic usage out of it.

So now I think the best bang for the buck would be getting a used Knee mill, particularly a Bridgeport brand or possibly a clone such as an Acer.
I can't find any replacement parts for an Acer, such as lead screws.
I have seen many BPs with great pricing <$1,500, there are numerous excellent rebuilds of BPs on YouTube.
It seems fairly easy to rebuild them if they are in fair condition, scraping it will be interesting.

I now live in a favorable place where I have metrology lab services 15 mins away and "HGR Industrial Surplus" in Ohio is slightly less than 3 hours away. "H&W Machine Repair and Rebuilding" is 6 hours away. Driving is easy for me.
I might as well take the advantage of this and buy used large surface plates, surface grinder, lathe and knee mill from these large companies.
And possibly rebuild everything myself to gain experience of machine maintenance and functionality.

Only thing I worry is if the quill/spindle and everything in it are worn out/damaged which requires expensive replacements.
The lead screw replacement parts for BP from H&W seems to be affordable and usually the common thing being replaced on a rebuild.

I think I will disassemble the knee mill into discrete parts and move them into the basement, very doable:

The garage I have is small and not heated, requires work.

Buying a used knee mill, which I'll repair myself will be a safer bet from "HGR" or from "H&W"?
I guess I should make a new thread on this...

Thanks.

 

[Geswearf]

No idea at all what H&W is like, but having prowled the aisles of HGR, you have to examine the machines closely. The stuff I've seen there has looked (to my unschooled eyes) to be battered, used up, and something your average scrap dealer would buy. Most of the machines are also pretty bare - no vise, chucks, etc. but there are exceptions. That said, I've recently made a new friend who has a ferrous metal scrap yard. He showed me a couple of machines - a huge crawler that would lift 10's of thousands of pounds, and a big loader that they bought to scrap. Their mechanic looked at the machines and fixed the former and has stripped down the latter - he is rebuilding it. While these machines are old and obsolete, and cannot be run steadily all day long for fear of breakdowns, they are eminently useful in a part time capacity. What I see as scrap is obviously not.

The only question I would ask is what is your goal? Rebuilding old machinery or machining metal? Buying old machines can be an end in itself and very rewarding, but it might take so long that you never get around to making things. Either is a worthy objective.

 

[matthewsx]

Best buy on a used knee mill will be one used by a hobbyist or one man shop. You’ll pay a little more but being able to run it and getting some tooling will more than make up for it.

Not saying dealers won’t ever have anything good, but their trade is mostly business that have already used the machines up.

John

 

[Unix]

No idea at all what H&W is like, but having prowled the aisles of HGR, you have to examine the machines closely. The stuff I've seen there has looked (to my unschooled eyes) to be battered, used up, and something your average scrap dealer would buy. Most of the machines are also pretty bare - no vise, chucks, etc. but there are exceptions. That said, I've recently made a new friend who has a ferrous metal scrap yard. He showed me a couple of machines - a huge crawler that would lift 10's of thousands of pounds, and a big loader that they bought to scrap. Their mechanic looked at the machines and fixed the former and has stripped down the latter - he is rebuilding it. While these machines are old and obsolete, and cannot be run steadily all day long for fear of breakdowns, they are eminently useful in a part time capacity. What I see as scrap is obviously not.

The only question I would ask is what is your goal? Rebuilding old machinery or machining metal? Buying old machines can be an end in itself and very rewarding, but it might take so long that you never get around to making things. Either is a worthy objective.

Thanks for the reply.

Indeed HGR does seem to have machines in scrap condition. I did see few that looks promising to be usable in mint condition.

My goal is to machine parts in making high vacuum feedthroughs, I wouldn't mind rebuilding a machine seems to be rewarding and make it look new again.

 

[Unix]

Best buy on a used knee mill will be one used by a hobbyist or one man shop. You’ll pay a little more but being able to run it and getting some tooling will more than make up for it.

Not saying dealers won’t ever have anything good, but their trade is mostly business that have already used the machines up.

John

Thanks for the reply.

I will take this advice into great consideration, going to start contacting on Facebook marketplace and craigslist. I did put thought about the tooling, buying from a hobbyist or one man shop usually provide tooling.

 

[Geswearf]

Thanks for the reply.

I will take this advice into great consideration, going to start contacting on Facebook marketplace and craigslist. I did put thought about the tooling, buying from a hobbyist or one man shop usually provide tooling.

I did see an ad for a PM833 on craigslist w/ everything you need to make it CNC for $7950, or just the mill for $5500...in Phoenix. Use searchtempest.com to find PM stuff. This mill is smaller and more expensive than what you want.

PRECISION MATTHEWS CNC MILL - NEW CONDITION - tools - by owner - sale - craigslist

Located in North Phoenix near the i17 and 303 freeways in north Phoenix. NEW Precision Matthews Mill. I bought this Almost 3 years ago and used it a total of less than 2 hours. I bought all of the...

phoenix.craigslist.org