Machining equipment.

[ericjon262]

I've been thinking about my long term goals in life lately, and I have decided that I need to set up a budget, and plan for what I want if I ever intend to get it. I would like to start saving up to buy tools and equipment for a legitimate workshop.

Some of the tools I'm thinking would be necessary, at least for a good foundation, are as follows:

• Lathe
• Mill
• Welders(TIG and MIG)
• Cutting torches
• Plazma cutter
• Car Lift
• Big compressor

*additions:

• horizontal band saw.

Does anyone see anything major not listed?

Does anyone have any recommendations of equipment to look for? Features? $$$ to spend?

I've been piddling on fleabay and see Milling machines starting (used) at about $1275, so I'm figuring 6-7K for something accurate and reliable,

I know prices fluctuate over time, so I'm really just trying to get a ballpark figure to run off of. so I can start setting goals to achieve.

All thoughts are appreciated.

-Eric

[JerryRigg]

Tooling. For both the late & the mill. The machine itself is just the start, you'll find yourself spending just as much if not more on the tooling to be able to use the machine. Boring heads, rotary tables, indexing heads, power feeds, digital readouts, quickchange toolposts... etc. The list builds up quickly and the $$ even quicker. If you can take your time, find an old machinist clearing out their shop, get the tools & the tooling theyve already collected.

Don't bother with the newer chinese machines. Find an old Bridgeport or Index or similar machine. Same with the lathes - look for something older, and bigger is often relatively 'cheap' due to low demand for big lathes. People want something they can fit in a basement

Might also want a horizontal band saw for cutting metal stock into project sized parts

[ericjon262]

I'm just in the planning phase right now, this is a long(ish) term goal, somewhere around 8-10 years out, depending on how things go in the Navy, could be 15-20... so looking for a machine shop closing their doors isn't too worthwhile at the moment, but when the time comes, it will be a good option.

Bridgeport was one of the few tool names I knew, so they were one of my first searches. I like all of the older stuff better, because from what I have seen, they are usually built heavy and tough, like my late 50's craftsman drill press. All cast iron, lots of bearings. compared to new stuff, which will have some iron, and then lots of sheet metal and plastic.

starting to collect tooling isn't a bad idea, I can pick up alot of that kind of stuff and store it more easily than I could a whole machine, and piecemeal a kit together.

[Mars]

I don't know if you want to get into off-road rig building, or whatever, rollcages, ect I'd put a pipe bender on your list.

I wish I had one...

[JerryRigg]

Hop on the Practical Machinist forums and have a look around...just lurk/read before posting too much. There's a lot to be learned there

[geoffinbc]

Well the welders I can help you out with. Number one recommendation is buy used. Unless you need to buy new for a taxable deduction then you can save thousands. I bought my Miller Dynasty 200DX for $3400 and it came with a full tank, cart, tungsten, filler metal, ground, SMAW stinger, TIG torch, gas cups, collets and extra replacement parts. Then I got a Miller welding station for $200. If I bought all this stuff at retail price I would be into it for an easy $10,000. As for the welder itself. Buy Lincoln or Miller whatever floats your boat. Just buy and inverter machine. They will pay you back in power bills alone in just a few short years. Plus you can get all the work done with much less wall current so you don't need major wiring upgrades or sub panels if you are working in a home shop. If you have any welding questions feel free to ask. I have used virtually every welding machine common to North America in the last 10years. I have never used any of the European, Japanese or UK brands but I hear they are good. You just have to worry about purchasing replacement parts and consumables.

These days you wont need an torch outfit unless you need it for heating stuff. Torches can only cut ferrous materials but plasma does a better job anyway.

[AleroB888]

How about one of these for light duty, automotive hobbyist projects:

http://www.millerwelds.com/products/...p?model=M00337

http://www.eastwood.com/tig-welders-...dc-welder.html

I'm wanting to do intercooler end tanks, intake manifolds, aluminum tubing. And space is limited!

[geoffinbc]

Don't bother with the Eastwood machine. They are nothing in comparison to a Miller or Lincoln. The Miller welder would work fine and for steel or stainless steel you most likely could not tell it apart from a Dynasty series machine. But the Aluminum/Magnesium AC side is lacking in features. You could weld 1/8" to 1/4" aluminum plate and things no problem but when it came to thin material or very precise welds then you must have pulse and waveform control. The Dynasty machines also have a higher duty cycle. For instance the Diversion 180 can only weld for 2 minutes at 150A power and then needs a 8 minute break to cool its components. The smallest Dynasty machine as a 60% duty cycle at the same power rating. At full power the Diversion has a 10% duty cycle while the Dynasty has a 20% duty cycle.

If space is limited but your budget is not then the Dynasty series is the way to go. The Dynasty 200 and 280 are both small enough to carry with one arm. My 200DX is only 45lbs and I believe the 280DX is only 10lbs more. These are the best machines I have ever used.

[ericjon262]

and so it begins...



Steinel SV4 Mill.



Intake manifold from PFR on the table.



Note the "made in Western Germany" tag... LOL.

it's a little stiff, but everything moves, I'm gonna keep cleaning and oiling and see what I can get out of it. later this week, or maybe this weekend, I'm gonna wire in a 220 V outlet, and my 3 phase converter and see how this puppy rolls.

[Xnke]

You're going to hear a lot of chinese-produced machine hate. Don't listen. It's only garbage when you buy garbage.

Your west germany mill...what collets does it use? R8? No? Going to be hard to get tooling. Sorry bout your luck there.

Buy an Enco Tool catalog, start your wish lists there. Emco, Hata, Haas, Enco's house brand, all are equal to a worn out, beat up old Bridgeport that you're considering. And they're ready to use NOW, with tooling that is readily available NOW, not in five years when you can find it.

I have a Jasic Inverter TIG. It's every bit the machine that the Miller Dynasty 200DX is...And I know because the Miller Welding instructor for the southeast region lives across the street. He's used it, I've used his, they both work. Difference? Mine was 924$ from writing the check to welding, his 200DX setup? 9,900$. I've used mine in a full production environment for five years now. Yes, it's Chinese built. No, it won't last until the end of time. But I can buy 10 of them for the cost of one Miller, and the Miller will be left in the dust for more advanced gear by the time I've bought my second welder.

I have an old US built Atlas-Clausing lathe. It's nice, not really heavy enough but it's nicely built. Tooling is easy to get, but there are a lot of parts that just aren't made anymore and I would like to replace the very worn parts on my machine. If I had it to do over right now, I'd go straight to grizzly and buy a chinese built lathe. Perferably Sieg built, as they are the best I've used out of mainland china. Again, every bit the equal of the US-built machine for far less money, and tooling is very available-unlike older US-built machines.

The quality of a US built product isn't what it used to be. Yes, you can get old-US quality still, but it comes at a price, usually equal to buying three to four of the equivalent imported machines. That's about the same as buying a good quality import AND all your tooling for it.

If you're dead set on US-made machinery, buy it at a tooling auction. You'll pay three-four times what you will for equal quality imported machines.

[34blazer]

You're going to hear a lot of chinese-produced machine hate. Don't listen. It's only garbage when you buy garbage.

Your west germany mill...what collets does it use? R8? No? Going to be hard to get tooling. Sorry bout your luck there.

Buy an Enco Tool catalog, start your wish lists there. Emco, Hata, Haas, Enco's house brand, all are equal to a worn out, beat up old Bridgeport that you're considering. And they're ready to use NOW, with tooling that is readily available NOW, not in five years when you can find it.

I have a Jasic Inverter TIG. It's every bit the machine that the Miller Dynasty 200DX is...And I know because the Miller Welding instructor for the southeast region lives across the street. He's used it, I've used his, they both work. Difference? Mine was 924$ from writing the check to welding, his 200DX setup? 9,900$. I've used mine in a full production environment for five years now. Yes, it's Chinese built. No, it won't last until the end of time. But I can buy 10 of them for the cost of one Miller, and the Miller will be left in the dust for more advanced gear by the time I've bought my second welder.

I have an old US built Atlas-Clausing lathe. It's nice, not really heavy enough but it's nicely built. Tooling is easy to get, but there are a lot of parts that just aren't made anymore and I would like to replace the very worn parts on my machine. If I had it to do over right now, I'd go straight to grizzly and buy a chinese built lathe. Perferably Sieg built, as they are the best I've used out of mainland china. Again, every bit the equal of the US-built machine for far less money, and tooling is very available-unlike older US-built machines.

The quality of a US built product isn't what it used to be. Yes, you can get old-US quality still, but it comes at a price, usually equal to buying three to four of the equivalent imported machines. That's about the same as buying a good quality import AND all your tooling for it.

If you're dead set on US-made machinery, buy it at a tooling auction. You'll pay three-four times what you will for equal quality imported machines.

I looked up the Jasic 200P. Seems nice, but not much out info out there for it, and it doesn't seem to contain a foot pedal which is another 300-ish according to my searches.

I like the eastwood TIG, seems OK for small projects. But I don't know for sure


Thoughts on the Harbor Freight TIG? Seems to have some decent reviews, and can be modified to work with a standard foot pedal.

[ericjon262]

I bought a tig a while ago, went with a miller diversion 180. it's a pretty awesome machine, I really enjoy it. as far as the mill is concerned, I picked it up, along with a Clausing Atlas 5400 lathe for $1100, it may not be perfect, but $1100 for a mill and a lathe is hard to beat by any standard.

[ericjon262]

Well, after wiring in a 220 V outlet, and a 1-3 phase converter, and way too much shenanigans, the mill lives... and I'm happy to say, I only shocked myself once(JK), and I still have all my fingers. I haven't tried cutting any metal yet, as the table isn't fully re-assembled from my cleaning and re-greasing operations.

There are two layers of paint on the machine. I really hate whoever did the top layer, as they just painted whatever the hell they wanted to, whether they should have or not. both layers are grey, one layer darker than the other. I noticed most pictures of the Steinel mills show green, I have yet to see any green paint. a repaint is planned, but very low on the priority list.

The quill lock right now, is a bolt shoved through the hole where the handle goes, thankfully it's not frozen. I plan to fix this, ideally by getting a new lever. I also need to replace the belts, they are in terrible shape.

[Xnke]

I looked up the Jasic 200P. Seems nice, but not much out info out there for it, and it doesn't seem to contain a foot pedal which is another 300-ish according to my searches.




Thoughts on the Harbor Freight TIG? Seems to have some decent reviews, and can be modified to work with a standard foot pedal.

The foot pedal for the Jasic is 80$, and mine came with the machine. The foot pedal is built like a tank, too-about the size of a shoebox.

There isn't much info on it out there because it's not sold in the US by a retailer-Look for the CyberTig or BOC TIG welders sold in Austrailia-they're mostly Jasic machines.