According to Gunner :
On 24 Jan 2006 19:35:20 -0800, wrote:
Rex B wrote:
wrote:
[ ... ]
As for mills, all the nice small vertical mills seem to go quickly for
silly money, at least in this area (Texas). Right now I'm looking at
Pantographs as a lower-cost alternative.
(Sigh). Back to the drawing board. It seems that everytime I start to
zero in on what machine to get, someone comes up with a reason to look
at something else.(So I'll scratch the Atlas stuff).
I think that most here just have to do heavier work in larger envelopes
than I am thinking about for myself. So perhaps I can get away with a
machine that only weighs a couple hundred pounds.
Given your problems with getting the machine upstairs to your
apartment, I think that the Atlas benchtop mill may well do as much of
what you need as you can manage in anything you can get up those stairs
without someone who knows machines to disassemble it at the bottom and
reassemble it at the top.
I think that the Atlas mill is a better machine than the little
Atlas lathes -- but even so, the 6x18" Atlas (or the Atlas/Craftsman)
will probably work for you. *Absolutely* avoid the Craftsman lathes
whose serial number starts with 109 -- those are the AA brand machines,
and are very weakly built. The 6x16" Atlas lathes are weaker than most
of the alternatives (I know, I have one, along with more substantial
lathes), but a complete one (with full set of change gears) will allow
you to cut threads, and otherwise will at least get you started. You
*will* eventually discover that you will need a more solid machine, but
for that, you will have to find someplace else to use it. Your
apartment is just not right for the task.
Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.
Darren...Im a machine tool repair tech. Find yourself a nice Logan
11" lathe in reasonable condition.
A nice machine -- but too much for him to get upstairs. Narrow,
twisty stairs (based on his description), and no elevator. I'm not sure
whether he has a safe place to disassemble a good lathe so he could
carry it up the stairs one part at a time.
Its big enough to do Stuff. It takes 5c collets. They are well
supported by Scot Logan. Its rigid enough to hog off metal.
Agreed -- *if* he could get it up his stairs.
Southbend heavy 10 would be my second choice. Shrug. I like the
Logans. Simple, easy to run, noisy though..shrug again.
Hmm ... I'm not sure whether the noise will be another problem.
I guess that it depends on whether his downstairs neighbors are deaf. :-)
Enjoy,
DoN.
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