A $2,500 Muliple Choice Question:

Robo_Pi

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This is a restricted make-pretend thread. For hobbyists only. :grin:

Here's the scoop:
You have $2500 burning a hole in your pocket. And you need to put out the fire. :fireman:

You have the following four choices, the last choice being entirely up to you:

Choice A: Backhoe High-lift

You can buy a backhoe-high-lift tractor for $2500. It runs and could be used as-is in a pinch, but is in dire need of a complete rebuild.
(the saving grace is that the tires are all in fairly decent shape) Note: this is just a generic hypothetical, no actual tractors have been harmed.

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Choice B: Lathe, Vertical Mill, Surface Grinder

You can buy all three of the following machines. All are old used equipment. All run and could be used as-is, but will definitely need some TLC and potentially a complete rebuild. Keep in mind, you're supposed to be thinking like a hobbyist, not a business person.

Lathe:
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Vertical Mill:
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Surface Grinder:
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Choice C: Saxophone

You can buy a really nice saxophone and learn to play the blues so you can drown your sorrows in music for not having the above toys.

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Choice D: Your choice

What would you spend the money on?

No fair saving up to buy something more expensive! You've got to put this pocket fire out now.



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~~~~~~~~~

Recap

A: Backhoe/High-lift that needs a lot of work and TLC.
B: Lathe, Vertical Mill, Surface Grinder, that also need a lot of work and TLC.
C: The saxophone?

D: Other - Your choice.

This thread is just for fun, so don't be getting too serious on me or you'll burst my bubble.

I'm actually thinking between A and B in real life. (leaning heavily toward B) I already own two saxophones, so I don't need to consider C. :grin:

But I might consider D if someone comes up with some great suggestions that interest me. It's always nice to have options.
 
Well, I’ll go with D.
D being that this is a hobby machinist discussion so I obviously have a interest. I would buy the used machine that interest me the most and use the remainder of the $2500 for tooling for that machine. When my pocket gets another $2500 in it that’s burning me I would do this again for the next machine of interest.
Repeat, repeat, repeat, well you get the idea
 
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D. The first 3 choices all require some kind of labor......I'd take the $2500 to Vegas.
 
A good quality 3d printer.
The three machines sounds great but I've too many projects on the burner to get round to them.
 
I have a Kubota FEL .
I have a 1965 original King Super 20 tenor sax .
I've owned many of the above mentioned machines .

Got any more choices ? :)

Edit. 3 pt stump grinder for the Kubota . $2299 plus $299 shipping from Ontario . I'm a buck over budget !
 
I choose A. I don't have a backhoe :grin:

I already have the rest of the items, and I don't need the sax.
 
Well, I’ll go with D.
D being that this is a hobby machinist discussion so I obviously have a interest. I would buy the used machine that interest me the most and use the remainder of the $2500 for tooling for that machine. When my pocket gets another $2500 in it that’s burning me I would do this again for the next machine of interest.
Repeat, repeat, repeat, well you get the idea

That's no doubt the wisest choice of all. I'm too impatient. I need to have everything at once. And it always ends in disaster. I can't seem to learn from my bad choices.

D. The first 3 choices all require some kind of labor......I'd take the $2500 to Vegas.

Have fun! I have no interest in going to Vegas if I won an all-expenses paid free trip I'd turn it down. But if that's your thing, by all means ENJOY!


A good quality 3d printer.
The three machines sounds great but I've too many projects on the burner to get round to them.

I too have too many projects in the fire. But that never seems to stop me. I'm currently rebuilding two antique cars and an semi-antique truck. The last thing I need are three machines that need to be rebuilt. But for some reason I always seem to be buying the last things I need. :drunk:

I do love to rebuild and restore things though. I think I'm more interested in restoring those machine than in actually using them. Go figure.
Edit. 3 pt stump grinder for the Kubota . $2299 plus $299 shipping from Ontario . I'm a buck over budget !

That's ok. Buy it anyway! You only go around once in this life, why put up with stumps when you don't need to?

I choose A. I don't have a backhoe :grin:

I could put that backhoe to good use! I should probably by it myself. But my thinking is that if I bought the backhoe then I'd be wishing I had the machines to repair it. Since you already have the machines to repair it you're in great shape!
 
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Oh, my! It is Friday, long tough week behind, a couple of "quality" beers behind, and THIS post comes up! Thank you!

OK, so first off- I broke in to the dirt world on a 580 CK similar to the one pictured, back around 1983. WORE OUT the first time I ever saw it, and I ran and worked on that poor old POS for 10 years after. Hated it then. I would gladly, and quickly, dislocate my shoulder today, reaching for the $2500 to buy it now.

Been an amateur machinist for many years, and have recently bought some machinery to fiddle with in retirement, hopefully coming soon.
Got about $5500 in a mill and lathe, a fair bit of tooling. No Grinder.

So, so far I aint much help, am I?
D. The first 3 choices all require some kind of labor......I'd take the $2500 to Vegas.

Derf has a good point, and a solid plan.

You got a couple of sax, so I assume you know how THAT game goes.

I say- Take your sax to the club, play it loose ,enjoy an adult beverage or two. Let the whole thing marinade.
Look VERY closely at the plan Derf has presented.

I am sure a course of action will present itself:cool 2:








1
 
Been an amateur machinist for many years, and have recently bought some machinery to fiddle with in retirement, hopefully coming soon.
Got about $5500 in a mill and lathe, a fair bit of tooling. No Grinder.

I'm sure if I buy those machines I'll end up putting more than twice what I paid for them into them, but I'm expecting that.

I am so easily distracted anymore. I've been watching "This Old Tony" videos recently and I really enjoyed the one where he resurfaces the ways on a grinding machine. I could really get into doing that. I'm more interested in rebuilding the grinder than in actually using it.

This is also a bit of nostalgia for me. I used to have a South Bend lathe and a Bridgeport mill. I'm really sick that I don't still have them. So this is kind of my attempt to recreate by-gone days. And I've always wanted a surface grinder anyway, so why not toss it in the mix while I'm at it?

What's the reality going to be?

I'll probably just play the saxophones that I already have and just leave it at that. But I'm really drooling over these old machines. And from a practical perspective I should really buy the backhoe. I have far more practical use for it. But since when have I ever been practical?

If I was a practical person I'd still have my old South Bend lathe and Bridgeport mill and I wouldn't need to be dreaming about replacing them. I had a lot of tooling for them too. So this will be starting from scratch again. Not sure if I'll live long enough to realize the full dream of restoration, but can't be worried about that. Just plan to live forever and if it don't happen, so what? Right?

I certainly won't be worried about unfinished projects after that. :grin:

It's this blasted internet to blame for all my problems. If I hadn't of run across This Old Tony's YouTube channel I probably wouldn't even be here right now talking about this stuff. I'd probably be out getting in trouble some other way. I'm just too easily distracted. I should go join a nursing home and just lay around in bed all day talking to the nurses. That'll keep me out of trouble.
 
lemme see........let's take this logically......

  1. I would need the back-hoe to move the equipment (lathe, mill and surface grinder)......
  2. I would need the equipment to fix the back-hoe.....
  3. I have I have no interest in playing the sax (I love the sound, but that is so foreign to me it would be so much work!)
But (slightly) more seriously......
I've already got a lathe and mill, so I'd get the grinder, some grinding wheels, a mag chuck and some quality parallels, and then I'd throw the rest in an RRSP in a desperate attempt to get to play with all these toys a few months sooner.

-brino
 
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