Hello. I have my feelers out for a mill, understand the benefits of CNC, and ran across a Burke 3 Axis that the current owner has had since '87. I'm looking for something to toy around, being new to CNC, with in my garage, but read 6M isn't easy to find replacement hardware. Was wondering if it was worth it for $1000? Little bit of tooling, but not much. Just don't want a boat anchor. Thanks for thoughts / opinions.
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Burke PB3 w/ Fanuc 6M worth buying?
- Thread starter D. Kent
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Welcome to the forum, I have a CNC mill drill project that I built up from pieces so take that for whatever it's worth.
Post up some pictures.
But on first glance it sounds like a really good mooring ball. What is your budget and are you willing to do a CNC conversion yourself?
John
Post up some pictures.
But on first glance it sounds like a really good mooring ball. What is your budget and are you willing to do a CNC conversion yourself?
John
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- Jan 2, 2019
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Also, how much space do you have and how confident are you in your electro/mechanical abilities? I'm in Santa Cruz so I could potentially assist with evaluation of this machine.
Is it horizontal or vertical?
Burke is a decent make but nothing to shout about, for reference I just bought a Taiwan built HF mill/drill in good condition for $850. An older CNC conversion could easily be a pig in a poke, if it's under power and the seller will demonstrate how accurate it is then that counts for an awful lot. If it's sitting unused there's probably a reason. It's likely that converting it to CNC would reduce the value.
John
Is it horizontal or vertical?
Burke is a decent make but nothing to shout about, for reference I just bought a Taiwan built HF mill/drill in good condition for $850. An older CNC conversion could easily be a pig in a poke, if it's under power and the seller will demonstrate how accurate it is then that counts for an awful lot. If it's sitting unused there's probably a reason. It's likely that converting it to CNC would reduce the value.
John
It is a vertical CNC mill now. The owner is now 80 years old and looking to get rid of a few of his toys, which are older. The owner is approximating about 5'X6' total foot print, supposedly under 8', not sure if I can fit through my garage door or not. Looking at installing phase converter to support. I suppose the good part is the current owner knows the machine inside and out, he had two and has newer machines; I believe he's got the documentation and replaced a few of the drives.
Burke Powermatic
Burke Powermatic
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Pretty hard to go wrong for $1000 with something that's up and running. Looks like a rigid machine that would be capable of doing fairly large work, as opposed to some of the hobby oriented stuff out there, that is really expensive, for a relatively small work envelope. Mike
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That's a beast of a machine.
I'd be tempted to pass on it unless I knew that I had paying jobs waiting. But, only you can figure out what you need a mill for and if this will fit the bill.
Question we always ask newbies is what projects do you have in mind to get started with? Clearly if you buy this thing your first project will be getting it moved and running in your shop.
Will it fit? Do you have enough power? You'll need to answer those questions before moving forward.
Keep asking questions, we're here to help.
John
I'd be tempted to pass on it unless I knew that I had paying jobs waiting. But, only you can figure out what you need a mill for and if this will fit the bill.
Question we always ask newbies is what projects do you have in mind to get started with? Clearly if you buy this thing your first project will be getting it moved and running in your shop.
Will it fit? Do you have enough power? You'll need to answer those questions before moving forward.
Keep asking questions, we're here to help.
John
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2020
- Messages
- 1,730
The 6m or 6T are ROCKS and there is an abundance of good used parts available for good prices.
Sounds like a real gem!
Only thing I would suggest is taking photos of every page with parameters or servo settings.
Verify any batteries are replaced following the fancy procedures prior to disconnecting to move.
This maybe not the flashiest control but it is a stellar control.
Sounds like a real gem!
Only thing I would suggest is taking photos of every page with parameters or servo settings.
Verify any batteries are replaced following the fancy procedures prior to disconnecting to move.
This maybe not the flashiest control but it is a stellar control.
Thank you very much for the responses and pointers. Footprint is more like 7' wide by 6' deep. I have the room, but it is a beast. Yet, ability to load up the tool paths, speeds, and feeds seems so much easier than manual and I like the ability to work on "shop" size parts. I have a couple of mini tracked dumpers to convert hydro-static drive, a number of brackets to make- nothing "job" related, just a ton of odd end projects that I could use a mill, can't fathom paying local shop costs. I'd like to get my son into machining too, and being able to witness design, program, and setup (using electronics) would be much more engaging (to him) than attempting to go "all manual."
It spooks me a little as it's not going to leave the residence very easily....as my wife asked..."so, if we ever sell (the house), it (the mill) stays, right?"
Might take a look at it this Saturday. Have to get an idea what a rigging outfit wants to transport. Gas cost, very hot drive in an old truck, renting a trailer with lousy suspension, and then trying to off load up a steep uneven driveway makes me think letting someone else move might be the way to go...if the price is right?
I'm also curious about current load. I need to talk with my electrician to see if the 220 circuit that used to power my hot tub can be repurposed with a phase generator and still have enough current to power her up. 80's electronics pulled some juice! I think the owner mentioned the spindle motor is rated at 2hp.
I guess the question is if would make sense to hold out for something newer, smaller...but then work size gets limited. Hmm,
It spooks me a little as it's not going to leave the residence very easily....as my wife asked..."so, if we ever sell (the house), it (the mill) stays, right?"
Might take a look at it this Saturday. Have to get an idea what a rigging outfit wants to transport. Gas cost, very hot drive in an old truck, renting a trailer with lousy suspension, and then trying to off load up a steep uneven driveway makes me think letting someone else move might be the way to go...if the price is right?
I'm also curious about current load. I need to talk with my electrician to see if the 220 circuit that used to power my hot tub can be repurposed with a phase generator and still have enough current to power her up. 80's electronics pulled some juice! I think the owner mentioned the spindle motor is rated at 2hp.
I guess the question is if would make sense to hold out for something newer, smaller...but then work size gets limited. Hmm,
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The earlier Makinos ran the 6ms and 6mbs . They were nice back then but this was 35 years ago . The company gave these machines away to anyone willing to haul them away .