Hi All,
Sorry for the delay, been busier than a 1 armed paper hanger in a hurricane.
I went down and saw the machine under power. It's a little noisy, but nothing that indicated a death rattle or expensive repairs. The ways were a bit worn, but still snug and everything operated smoothly.
The X feed could probably use an oil change in it's gearbox, but it runs smoothly and has no issues other than a missing stop on the table. Easy enough to make a new one. The machine has a 10x42 table, which is plenty big enough for anything I'm planning in the next few years. Power feed on the X axis, and the quill has power up/downfeed. The machine itself is 2hp, 3ph, 240V. I'll need to buy a VFD and get help from this forum to get it wired up and running once it's in place and I have a 240V drop for it.
Yep, I'm purchasing it. Going down this Thursday, taking a little extra time off work, to have the seller load it on a trailer and I'll baby it home. The auto breaker across the main road agreed to unload it for me, and in my mind, him using that big honkin' loader he uses to stack junk cars to get it off the trailer is well worth the $45 it'll cost me for probably 20 minutes of work on his part.
It'll take a month or two for me to get it running. I need to clear out a space, get it home and in that space, then get a 240V drop run, and a VFD set up before I can do anything with it. It isn't a made-in-france model, as it's clearly well rounded and bulbous about the head and spindle housing. Unfortunately, pictures will have to wait until I get it home. The seller already pulled the ad, and because time was rather tight when I checked it out, I neglected to snap pics of it.
This week promises to be insanely busy. I'm helping my brother move stuff to his new house every night this week except Thursday. I'll have company overnight on Wednesday, and Thursday, despite being off work at 2pm, I'll have a crammed-full evening. Add to that the need to clear out a space to put the mill, plus the mundane tasks of eating, sleeping, dishes, laundry, bathing, eating, and cleaning..... Yeah. Tons and tons to get done. Next weekend, on Sunday, I'm just gonna get up whenever the heck I feel like it, pour myself a Vodka and Orange Juice Breakfast Cocktail, plaster myself into an Adirondack chair by the fire pit, and watch some scrap wood burn. Possibly most of the day. I'll deserve it.
Rest assured, I'm placing safety over expense in moving this machine. I've already decided, if it wants to fall over, it can fall over, and I'll pick up the pieces. $45 is a hit for not much work on the breaker's part, but it's safer than trying to use the engine hoist. Pipe rollers and a pig bar will let me move it around, and the hoist will help me get it over the slight (1/2") step into the garage.
More to come as things work themselves out, but remember, I'll be busy as heck. And one happy, lucky SOB.