I just helped a buddy buy a Tree. He got the heavy duty UVR or UVRC. That one looks slightly different, so it may not be as heavy.
Pros and cons, in my opinion:
- Pros
- It's not a BPort, so you'll be in the cool kids club
- The controls are similar enough that if you can run a knee mill, you can figure this one out
- Boxed ways make it far more rigid than a BPort of similar size
- It's short
- It has a quick change collet system, which is awesomeif you aren't tall
- There's no drawbar, the collet/bit change is fast, and it happens at the spindle
- Integrated power feed on X, Y and/or Z as well as the quill (not an add on box like a BPort
- There's a guy on YouTube with several very in depth videos
- Cons
- It's not a BPort, so they are hard to find parts for, or instructions for rebuilding
- So freaking heavy you won't believe it - 3500# according to the manual
- It was hard for one person to push it on flat concrete on a pallet jack
- Transporting it, rigging it, and making sure it stays on the trailer is not trivial
- It has 2 separate 3 phase motors, which makes VFD use difficult. Ypu'll want a RPC
- I think the collets max out at 3/4"
- Your boring bar, drill chuck, etc will need 3/4" straight shanks
- Either, depending on how you look at it
- table is lower than I prefer, but I'm tall. My buddy is 5' 2"(?) and loves the height.
See if it has an R8 spindle - if it doesn't the collets are hard to find and
expensive. You're not going to find them at MSC or any of those places. IRRC they are Z or ZZ collets.
If it's making bad noises or has a mechanical failure, it could be a difficult situation.
On one hand, I'd rather have a Tree than a BPort because they are oddball and cool. On the other hand, everything about them is unique and more expensive to find.