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Milling & Machining
- Thread starter MVI
- Start date
And how! Was doing a job for a friend last weekend, I found it needed an 8mm tap (cue feeling of doom whats the closest sae thread that I can cut so it'll work- hours and hours) I checked the tap drawer, in the metric section and salvation! a nice sharp 8mm tap sitting there used on one job probably 10 years before :)
Punkinhead
Well-known member
If they've been banging around loose I wouldn't offer anything.
Alan F.
Well-known member
I'd start with $50 and end at $75, show cash and don't be afraid to walk away.
Alan F.
Well-known member
In 06 I used to visit a used equipment supplier a few towns over to search through their endless drawers of end mills for appropriately sized pieces for my tiny HF mill, I made 2 visits & bought 20 pcs for $20 both times, the next year I was there only once, the friendly older Gent wasn't around and the price was $30 for 20 pcs. Soon after that I noticed another business had moved into that building.
Milling the compound angle onto the face of the bracket for the Garmin Montana on my GSX-S1000 handlebars. 1st time I've used the Tsudakoma angle/rotary table. The total height is too much to be really efficient on the machine but worked fine for this small part.
nzrian
Renegade
Got this a few weeks ago, RF 45 clone.
In the process of tearing it down, cleaning and checking.
Pretty good so far.
Also making a stand or base for it. I am just going to use some steel I have lying around, so nothing fancy.
In the process of tearing it down, cleaning and checking.
Pretty good so far.
Also making a stand or base for it. I am just going to use some steel I have lying around, so nothing fancy.
DRO is a nice touchGot this a few weeks ago, RF 45 clone.
In the process of tearing it down, cleaning and checking.
Pretty good so far.
Also making a stand or base for it. I am just going to use some steel I have lying around, so nothing fancy.
Stormdog
Well-known member
There is a 1970’s Atlas 6” lathe with milling attachment for sale on my local CL For $950.
The seller claims it’s been refurbished, what kind of things should I look at before the purchase?
I understand that it is a small hobby machine, and that suits my needs for now.
The seller claims it’s been refurbished, what kind of things should I look at before the purchase?
I understand that it is a small hobby machine, and that suits my needs for now.
The “milling attachment” for those units was essentially just a vertical slide so you can put an end mill in the chuck and move the work around it. That attachment fetch’s good money sold separately though.
It’s quite difficult to take precise measurements with that setup, but if you’re just hacking stuff apart it will get the job done.
If it comes with a lot of useful tooling it may be worth that. Tooling can easily cost more than the machine itself when bought separately.
Small machines do go for good money though. Lots of guys always looking for one in their hobby shop.
if you want digital, that does MM and IMPERIAL, that is $19.99 IIRC
Punkinhead
Well-known member
I suggest buying quality used tools off eBay rather than new Chinese. Retired toolmakers sell them for pennies on the dollar.
The problem with the cheap indicators, is that they work fantastic. They’re repeatable, and measure identically to name brand indicators.
Until the day they don’t.
Usually, within a year or so, they just stop being repeatable, or measuring accurately. But after a year of using them, you’ve come to trust them, and you won’t realize you’re screwed until it’s too late.
Punkinhead
Well-known member
I learned this lesson with a pair of HF digital calipers. Before retiring I travelled a lot to do machine installations. I bought the HF calipers with the idea that I wouldn't be too torn up if they got stolen. I also wanted some that I could use for scribing Dykem without caring if I messed up the jaws. When I first got them they gave the same measurements as my Brown & Sharpes and I didn't plan to use them for anything too critical anyway. A few weeks in they started to be inconsistent in a way that was sometimes hard to spot - they'd be off about .01". Not enough that I could always spot it by eye but enough that I could no longer trust them. But being obstinate I kept them for scribing. Within a month they'd sometimes be off by over 0.1". That's when I pitched them.