Whyemier link=topic=3189.msg23318#msg23318 date=1314322185 said:
Thanks Guys, I'll fill you in on what happens tomorrow. I'll tell him I saw his ad and had never seen one of these Taiwanese/Chinese machines in the flesh (true) but his price was above what I'd bugeted for one. If he budges I'll haggle.
If he won't haggle I'll tell him to call me if he doesn't sell it. I might not have purchased another by then.
I sure would prefer a bridgeport type, its what I got used to way back when. But then...I'm not used to anything anymore so this may be the way to go.
Hello again.
I finally got onto the H.F. Site. It wouldn't open for me yesterday. See the link below. That machine is the same or similar to the one that they presently sell for $1,199. As I mentioned earlier, I paid $750 for mine in the mid 90's. The one that I had was rated at 2 hp and had an excellent motor. I think they are all made by a company called Rong Fu, unless the Chinese are copying themselves. LOL.
http://www.harborfreight.com/1-1-2-half-horsepower-heavy-duty-milling-drilling-machine-33686.html
If you buy the one mentioned, there are some nice modifications that you can do to make life easier for you. The thing that bothered me the most was the hand crank on the left side which would raise and lower the head for different tool heights. I made a three-handled crank which relieved the problem considerably. Here's a picture of that.
On the right side, there were two draw bolts which had to be loosened each time the head was moved. I added some extensions with levers to make this easier and remove the need for a wrench. Another picture.
Also, I got tired or raising the plastic cover each time to change belt positions. I removed the covers and added a quickly removable stainless steel belt guard on the right side. That made changes of speed much easier. Pictures.
Guard off:
Guard on, notice knurled nuts to permit quick removal.
In order to remove the cover as mentioned above, I first had to remove the step pulley from the spindle. It wouldn't come off. Nope. Not at all. I was fearful that I would damage it. After examining the problem, I decided to make a puller......that only took two days and some lathe work and welding. Ha. Picture.
One other issue that I had to tackle shortly after I bought the machine was the metric set screw that was used to keep the R-8 collet from rotating. It was a standard metric screw (forgot the size, maybe 5mm) that was simply run through the side of the spindle. After a short while, it got peened and the collets wouildn't go in. I was forced to remove the spindle and address the problem. I found an old Harley crank roller (I forget the size other than to say it just fit the slot in an R-8 collet. ). I measured it for a tight (did I say tight?) press fit and I drive it in with my Chinese 20 ton press. It never moved or wore at all after that. There was room inside of the cavity around the spindle to permit some of the bearing to stick out so I didn't even grind it off. Problem solved.
After all of these changes, it was fairly easy to use and did a rather good job on most things. I had a 6" vise on it which was the only one I could find cheap and it was too big but it worked. The machine would be better served with a 4" or 5" vise. CDCO and ENCO have these at reasonable prices.
So when people talk about round column mill/drills, I've been there and done that! LOL.
Good luck. Hope this helps!
