Well i have had about all i can take with reguards to the PT-185 VS the sync 180 battle. But my question is about the other fabrication tool and tooling, specifically Mills, Drill presses, Lathes, pan and box brakes. I am currently in the market for those products. I have looked at grizzly products and other online sources but haven't gotten any feed back from actual users of these machines. By feed back i mean how well or how bad the tools works, has it lasted a few years, or any horror stories you may have about a particular piece of machinery. Thanks in advance.

 

With all the quality used equipment on the market I would never buy new.I've been to many auctions that would sell a lathe for a dollar if you would take it away.I've seen Haas 3 axis go for the price of a new off-brand vert. mill.
Glenn

 

I had not given the used market a thought, thats good advice thanks. any one else have info on brands to get or stay away from.

 

yea dude there is no way i would buy machinery like that new. my dad spent 200 bucks for a 4 ft lathe with no slop and auto feed.

If i could have any one machine, I would go with a L head bridgeport, with digital readouts and autofeed on all ends. You can do so much with a bridgeport mill it is insane. Pretty much eliminates the need for a drill press, plus you can do just about anything else that is reasonable simple with a mill. Lathe would be my second need because it just ******* sucks when you could use a lathe to fix something and you have to buy a new part.




Modified by snoochtodanooch at 11:42 AM 10/24/2005

 

buying used manual machines is ok- if something needs replacing it is usually something you can do yourself. chances are for the stuff you want to do you won't need anything fancy and even if there is some back lash, it probably won't matter to you. if you aren't very knowledgeable with CNC machines, i'd be wary of buying a used one. when you buy new you always have warranty and support from the company you buy from. i'm planning on picking up a small CNC vertical mill in the next year or two so i can go full time into fab work. i bought my miller 180sd new and don't really have any experience with used welders, but i can't see it being a problem as long as you know it works before you buy it.

 

the markup on replacement parts for cnc machines is incredible, also.

Alot of fadals that wind up on ebay need spindle bearing replacements, which is not job for a slouch. things get mighty expensive, and if you dont know what you're doing you can wind up putting the machines accuracy at risk as well..

 

our fadal at work needs new spindle bearings. not something i'd tackle, that is for sure. i think the tech quoted something like $3k to do it. glad it isn't my machine.

 

I think the biggest prob I have with used machines is that i lack the experience in what to look for. As far as how the machine should sound, what should have play and what should not etc. etc. but i could not agree more with buying used, i have recently searched and there is alot of money to be saved by buying used. but there is also a risk involved. just for the record i dont think we are looking to go CNC. Any good sites for used med size machines?? thanks for all your help.

 

to be honest i couldn't understand buying a cnc machine without going into production, i think a simple bridgeport would get the job done well enough for someone just looking to do basic machine work

 

bump

 

Try this place http://www.penntoolco.com/main.cfm

just send them A email for a catalog, I have one here and they have everything your looking for at decent prices or you can stop by and get the catalog from me.

 

My point is that there are alot of good deals on used equipment especially at auctions.Bridgeport type mills are the first to go.There are tons of Bridgeport clones.Many used actual Bridgeport heads and a variety of cast and fabricated bases.If you have the room the bigger lathes tend to go for less than the smaller hobby size ones.I'm lucky enough to have friends that are addicted to machinery auctions and will always find time to go and spend someone else's money.And you would be amazed what you can bring home on a ramp truck.Lots of big company's have been down sizing there conventional machine shops and updating to cnc.Alot of this stuff gets auctioned.