[Noisebridge-discuss] Mill / Lathe

[Shannon Lee]

Wow, Ian, it sounds like you know a lot more about this than I do.

I agree with all your points that I'm qualified to have an opinion on.  I'm
certainly not wedded to this particular tool, but it's always easier to get
everybody's attention with a specific action suggestion, rather than an
abstract question :)  But maybe, in this case, establishing a fund and then
letting it accumulate is the right way to go.

Actually, having a "Noisebridge Tool Fund" is not a bad idea; it means that
tools are not competing with rent for resources.

In addition to the Grizzly machine that you and Bill pointed out, I've also
looked at similar machines from Busy Bee (http://busybeetools.ca/); they all
seem about the same to me, but the one we're looking at here on CL retailed
for a lot more new...?

Also, I've been looking at the Sherline desktop lathes and milling machines;
they don't have a combo (although the lathe can do double duty somewhat,
aparently), but the machines are compact table-top models that are pretty
cheap (in the $600 range).  http://www.sherline.com/

Ian, would you by chance be free to come along on Monday and see the
device?  I certainly wouldn't know how to check for excessive wear.

--S

On Thu, Mar 26, 2009 at 3:02 PM, ian <ian at sonic.net> wrote:

> That looks like an okay machine, but it does also seem a little
> physically large for NB.  Also, I'd be a little wary of a
> high-precision machine that's been used at a high school.  When I've
> been in the market for used machine tools, I've tried to buy them from
> machinists.  Students are hard on things, and high school students
> doubly so.
>
> Machines like this come up used on craigslist pretty often, and
> sometimes include a bunch of tooling as well (this one has a vise,
> centers, and collets, but no tooling).  If people want a lathe/mill,
> it might make sense to establish a fund for it, and keep an eye out
> for something that would better suit Noisebridge.
>
> Along those lines, Grizzly sells some really decent machines new, for
> a similar price, that take up considerably less space:
>
> http://www.grizzly.com/products/category.aspx?key=465000
>
> It all depends on how large the things are that people intend to make...
>
> There are also some things you'll miss with a combo machine:
>
> - They lack a quick-change gearbox for driving the leadscrew, which
> makes them a pain in the ass if you want to cut a lot of threads.
> Only matters if you care about thread-cutting, though.
>
> - They don't have a knee for the mill, which means you only get about
> 3-4" of vertical travel.  After that, you have to reposition the head
> and you lose alignment with the workpiece.
>
> These are the main compromises with an all-in-one tool as opposed to a
> separate lathe and mill.  Like I said, it all depends on what you want
> to make.
>
> -Ian
>
> On Wed, Mar 25, 2009 at 9:00 PM, Shannon Lee <shannon at scatter.com> wrote:
> > Hi Noisebridge,
> >
> > There's been discussion on and off about getting a mill and a lathe for
> the
> > shop.  Today on Craigslist I saw this:
> >
> > http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/tls/1088127089.html
> >
> > ...which is both a lathe and a mill, and nice and compact.  It's at a
> local
> > private high school.
> >
> > I'd like to get it, but I'm not, at the moment, able to shell out $1000
> for
> > it.  I'd be willing to pitch in a couple of hundred, if others also think
> > this is a good enough investment to kick in...?
> >
> > --S
> >
> > --
> > Shannon Lee
> > (503) 539-3700
> >
> > "Any sufficiently analyzed magic is indistinguishable from science."
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Noisebridge-discuss mailing list
> > Noisebridge-discuss at lists.noisebridge.net
> > https://www.noisebridge.net/mailman/listinfo/noisebridge-discuss
> >
> >
>
>


-- 
Shannon Lee
(503) 539-3700

"Any sufficiently analyzed magic is indistinguishable from science."
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.noisebridge.net/pipermail/noisebridge-discuss/attachments/20090326/075a3063/attachment-0003.html>