Mill Recommendations

brewtus85

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Oct 14, 2015
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I'm wanting to start buying some equipment to start my own shop but I don't have a ton of money to work with. I've seen old Bridgeport's with CNC controls on EBay for $4500-$6000 but I've also been told auctions are where I will get the best prices. I guess what I'm wondering is if anyone has experience with how much variable speed Bridgeport's with CNC controls go for at auctions and I was also wondering if there are any lower cost alternatives that are still good quality.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm very excited to start down this path but I'm limited on machine buying knowledge.
 
I would be concerned that any "Bridgeport" with CNC that sold at auction would need considerable rework. Many machines are offered for sale semi-retail and if they are good they sell, if they need repair they may go to auction.

I'd look to a "Used Tool Sales" place that may give a 30 day warranty, or such. You won't get that from an auction.
 
Do you have any recommendations for lower cost used mill brands? I see many brands when I look online but I dont know which ones are good and which ones to stay away from.
 
There are soooo many brands out there. You are asking a nearly impossible question. My experience has been that whatever brand is on offer is nearly irrelevant. You are asking for a “good” machine and don’t want to spend much. That is fine, but you have to give somewhere on your criteria. In the “low cost” & “good” you are going to be looking at used machines and it is unlikely you are going get much variety at one time. The more you pick and choose criteria, the more $ you are going to need to pay. What I have found is that I get one option and I have 2 choices: buy it or don’t buy it.


There are some great deals out there, but they probably will not look very nice (otherwise they will be gone long before you get there).


I encourage you to think about what you want in a machine. What do you have to have. What are “show stopper” issues (weight, size, power requirements). Also, learn about the features that typically come on machines (work envelop, spindle types, speeds, accessories, feeds, swivels, tooling). Also, get your “ducks in a row” – have a good bit of money on hand, have you transport & load/unload plans worked out, know where you are going to put it, get your plans in place to power it. You have to be patient and able to move fast.

When I got my Cinci Toolmaster the guy had been trying to sell it for a year - then he wanted it gone in a couple days.

Some strategies I have used are:
  • Look for something that is a bit rusty and real dirty (makes the price better). Actually rust and grime are your friend.
  • Look for a 3 phase machine (price is better and generally at least a commercial, if not industrial, machine.
  • Don’t sweat the voltage (because you have already figured out how you’ll power it.) An odd voltage makes the price better (and usually the machine better).
  • Get a machine a bit larger than what you think you need (the work envelop gets eaten up fast). Also, the cute little machines are more sought after (and generally not as capable)
  • Don’t worry about a few knobs and levers broken (obviously don’t touch it if there is major damage). There is no such thing as a perfect machine. If anything is broken, the price comes down dramatically.
  • I don’t touch CNC machines – that is my show stopper. Unsupported software, failed electronics etc. can render the machine inoperable. A 30, 40, 50 …. year old manual machine can almost always be repaired. If CNC / electronics is your thing then you’ll make a different conclusion.
  • I don’t worry about running a machine (if it is still plugged in and operable, the price is usually higher). Sure it is good if you can run it, but I got most of my machines untested. You are taking a chance, but you can get a reasonable assessment by having a good look (there are going to be flaws in a machine you are paying less than 50 cents a pound for!). Again, you are getting it cheap – if you have to spend a little $$ to fix it, so what?

Auctions are fine - I have picked up two "big" machines at auction (the S&B 1024 and the first Maho) - both untested, both are great machines - also numerous small machines. The 1024 was quite broken. (see my posts here elsewhere). I've picked up 3 machines off Kijiji - none were tested (one drill had a "bent spindle" - which made it very cheap, and a new chuck solved that). I got one machine shipped in from across the county. In otherwords, keep working your sources and do lots of networking. Opportunities will show up.
 
As Tom and David have said buying an old CNC is not what you want to do unless you are able to do the repairs to the controller when needed. I don't know what your experience level is, but starting out with a CNC is probably not the way to go. I also would recommend that if you want a CNC, get one that you can also operate manually, in other words has hand wheels. CNC is great for production work and cutting out shapes that would be difficult to do on a manual machine. But for a lot of work, the manual capability is very useful, especially in the home shop. Also, if the controller fails, the machine can still be used. Many times I use my axis drives as a power feed rather than them being under full computer control, but I can turn them off and use the hand wheels.

As far as a specific brand, there are too many to list. Older American iron is good, as are many of the Taiwan machines. In this case it comes down to condition. Look for wear on the ways. If the ways are good, then the rest of the machine is probably OK. I would not buy a machine unless I could get my hands (and eyeballs) on it first. Another member, Alloy, just picked up a manual Kent 4VK 10x50 that looks almost new, but had a bad motor for $1000. A new motor and vari-drive assembly is $950, so for about $2000 has a (another) really nice machine.

I don't know about your area, but around here auctions bring crazy prices for equipment, would not be my first choice of a place to buy. Craigslist is a great resource.

Buy the biggest machine that your budget and space will allow. A 9x42 table would be my absolute minimum, your needs may vary.
 
Like I said, some big bucks put into it at one time.

Bridgeport iron is fantastic, but it can wear out just like anything else if not taken care of. The price is very right, but I'd have to see it in person to buy it.

I bought one machine sight unseen, never again.
 
Thank you very much for all of your input. For the parts I want to make a CNC control will be a must. From what Im seeing I may end up muying a manual Bridgeport and then installing a new servo retrofit kit myself. This one from Flashcut CNC looks to be a reasonably priced kit that is also fairly easy to install. Going this route seems to be my best option because I will be able to find a lower priced Bridgeport and put on a new CNC control. This control also leaves the manual functionality intact.

http://www.flashcutcnc.com/retrofit-solutions/bridge-port-kits

The following is a link to the Youtube video that shows the install.

 
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