ATT: AO Machinists. I Need Your Opinions. (Granite 1324 by Smithy)

[luke]

Originally posted by steveg

there really are a lot of choices and decisions to make which can be a lot of fun too.

Easy for you to say, you know what your doing!

and remember whatever size of machine you get, the first job you want to work on is too big!

GREAT! Now your saying size does matter!


Great view BTW.

J and Steve, I appreciate both points of view, it's ALL good !

[luke]

Steve, I forgot to ask, why did you choose the mill you have?

[steveg]

OK so i've been a while answering sorry!

the benchtop I bought based on a couple of things
but mostly size and price. It had R8 tool holders
a reasonable table size not much smaller than a bridgeport in fact.
Price, just what I was willing to spend at the time.

the sherline is a bit more complicated, I had actually
bought the software, drive, and motors first, with the thought
of building a machine, mostly for the point of
building it.
However after looking at the sherline at a local store
and seeing all the pretty accessories, (pretty accessories
are a vital engineering concept,and figure high in purchasing decisions )
I decided to order a CNC ready version. I didn't have any
specific tasks in mind, mostly just to experiment(play)
and learn.

[Cristobal]

very interesting thread... I've been working as an assistant in an shop for a little while now, and though I don't have a ton of experience, maybe the the thoughts of someone who also has been learning about all this stuff could be helpful. so here are my two cents:

first off, festus is right about tooling -- it gets expensive CnC software, too.

As far as machines go, I personally love the feel of working on a manual machine -- but when it comes to repeatability, the CnC is great (especially when they let you use the haas super mini mill) But in all seriousness, if I were setting up my own shop for both tinkering and production, I'd want a machine capable of both. And for paintball stuff, I would think that a 4th axis would be a nice thing to have (particularly for marker bodies)

Someone suggested to find an example of the machine (before you buy) to examine and feel how it behaves. If you can arrange it, that'd probably be a great thing to do. Turn the handles... As an example, we've got a couple bridgeports set up both with and without with power feed, and the handles on the former engage with a clutch mechanism which adds a lot of slop -- for shorter cuts I much prefer the "direct" feel you get without the power feed.

Also, crusty oil-coated old-time machinists -- like some of the ones posting -- may not care if a machine doesn't have digital readouts; something which hasn't been mentioned but which you might want to think about. There's a lot to be said about the learning to use the dials properly (without having a readout), and in my experience it will improve your ability to conceptualize the dimensions you're milling. With that said, though, I have to admit that I'm quite partial to having a readout -- they are very nice

Finally, I'd highly suggest finding somebody in the area who's got experience as a machinist and could be a resource for you. I know that in my experience, even though I like to think I'm good with tools, not everything about machining is intuitive, and its nice to be able to learn from guys who have been doing it for a looong while.

And a big thanks to festus, steveg, russ, j-lyte, silver fox and anybody else (I'm sure I missed somebody) who's been contributing their experience. luke and shartley aren't the only ones learning from this thread

[Big'n slo]

While everyones on the subject, I was hoping someone knew of a lower end NC retrofit for my old Enco benchtop. I'm pretty good with the old manual machines when it comes to making car parts (brackets, hangers, etc.) but paintball items don't leave much material for OE. I'm only looking for X and Y axis control for the moment.

[luke]

[Matt_mg]

This topic is really interesting!

Mind that I'm a noob and that except wood tooling (see my fake paintball marker in the workshop forum) I havn't done much...

I'm upping this for everybody to see!

[luke]

[steveg]

Well it's time. I'll be ordering this week or next. Can anyone talk me out of it??

not me! good choice

[shartley]

Cost? (including delivery/setup.. if any)

[steveg]

http://www.grizzly.com/products/item...emnumber=G4027

It's a start , until Luke answers

[shartley]

[steveg]

www.sherline.com have their out-of-the-box cnc machines
out for sale now at~$2500 they look good.

If you like linux they are using EMC which is public domain
stuff (free!)

[shartley]

Originally posted by steveg
www.sherline.com have their out-of-the-box cnc machines
out for sale now at~$2500 they look good.

If you like linux they are using EMC which is public domain
stuff (free!)

[luke]

Steve,
thanks again for all your help. I think I'm making the right choice. If not it's your fault!


Sam,
Size is currently not a problem for me because I can borrow a forklift from work to get it set up, but, I have to say I had nightmares last night about how I would move it if and when I move. It weighs 2000 lbs.