Burke PB3 w/ Fanuc 6M worth buying?

[sdelivery]

You have to understand that for a company to sell a machine that the accountants have depreciated to no value gets the accountants figidty....they can scrap it or even give it away but selling it becomes difficult for them to find the right column.
I still have customers who run thus control and rarely have any control issues.
As for machine size and weight....my son's and I stripped my 3 axis cnc mill into several peices to transport because I only had a cherry picker to unload with.
The extra effort will reward you with CAPABILITY and CAPACITY.

 

[mmcmdl]

Book value vs. market value . Get it for somewhere in the middle .

 

[D. Kent]

I am passing on it. It's way too big. @ 5,500 lbs it's too lofty for me to move without incurring significant cost to do so- $745 just to rent (with capacity) a lift for the day to off load. That doesn't include transport or the electrical work. I'd end up spending $3,000 when everything is said and done to get it home and energized. I think the only way it would be worth it is if it was free. Would be great if I had a farm house shop and the lift equipment that can handle this sort of weight, but not practical to deal with transport logistics- same goes if I ever move. I got all excited too. I'll focus on getting my lathe put together.

 

[D. Kent]

Ahhh, but the owner has another, smaller mill that he wasn't considering selling, but now thinking of: it is a BP with a Supermax to Mach3 upgrade. Not sure what it's worth, but probably out of my budget, but will wait and see which BP machine and what he's asking. I see a lot of manual BPs going for $2500-$3500 around here- no telling about wear and condition. What's the range for a modern day upgrade? I like the idea of a BP, better part availability than the Burke, and should be lighter and if all else fails, easier to dissaaemlble and remove a few of the heavier items, if needed (and I'm sure I can find what to look for - weak wear points, more easily). Million dollar question is what is a "reasonable" price range to pay, transport costs aside? Interesting how conversations transpire.

 

[JimDawson]

Ahhh, but the owner has another, smaller mill that he wasn't considering selling, but now thinking of: it is a BP with a Supermax to Mach3 upgrade.

Is it a BP or a Supermax? They are pretty much identical machines, the Supermax is a BP clone, built in Taiwan. The Supermax is a high quality machine.

Nothing wrong with a Mach3 upgrade, at least Mach3 will run modern toolpath strategies.

Not sure what it's worth, but probably out of my budget, but will wait and see which BP machine and what he's asking. I see a lot of manual BPs going for $2500-$3500 around here- no telling about wear and condition.

Hard to say, I have seen them from free to crazy. I stole mine for $1000.

What's the range for a modern day upgrade?

Mach3 is kind of a modern day upgrade, and is still used by a lot of people. It's on the low end of the scale pricewise. By the time you bought everything; motors, drives, power supplies, software, and other needed hardware, maybe in the <$1000 range.

I like the idea of a BP, better part availability than the Burke, and should be lighter and if all else fails, easier to dissaaemlble and remove a few of the heavier items, if needed (and I'm sure I can find what to look for - weak wear points, more easily). Million dollar question is what is a "reasonable" price range to pay, transport costs aside? Interesting how conversations transpire.

Parts are available, but rarely required. They normally don't break unless the operator does something really stupid.

Reasonable price? Most likely in the $2 - $3000 range. But realistically I have seen prices all over the map. Also depends on the exact model of the machine. While they all look the same from a distance, there are a number of options from the base machine, and 3 different frames.

 

[matthewsx]

Sounds like he likes you....