New machinist - need help

That's-a-fallacy

That's-a-fallacy

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Hello world,

I've been restoring machines for a little bit now, and am currently working on a Bridgeport series-2 that I'm gonna sell, when I'm done with it I should have a couple thousand dollars to buy my own. The only problem is that I'm Thirteen and my dad is convinced that a mill would be way too big for our garage. First of all, how should I convince my family that it is okay? Second, is there a specific family friendly machine that is compact, single phase but still has sufficient power, and fits my preference of older machines?

Thanks, That's-a-fallacy

PS: before you ask, I have considered bench-top mills, I feel like there aren't any companies that make high quality bench-top tools, and I want a nice one, so long as it's within four or so thousand dollars.
 
Welcome aboard!

Depending on how big your garage is, a BP or clone might be too big, also depends on how much other stuff your dad wants to put in the garage. A standard size BP takes up about an 8 foot square of floor space unless you can stuff it back into a corner. I have a full size mill and 13x40 lathe stuffed into a 10'x12' space. But this is in my 1200sq/ft shop, so just a small corner of the shop.

Having said that, at 13, you have to respect your dad's wishes. :)
 
I run a Bridgeport in a 12x8ft shed... Along with lathe, welding bench, pillar drill, power hacksaw, bandsaw, several welders, shop vac, more hand tools than I know what to do with and all the trimmings that come with the machine's. The mill works well in a corner...
Welcome aboard!
 
Good luck. When you finish the repairs maybe use it for repairing items around the house. Everyone thought I was nuts buying my son a jig saw for his birthday when he was in the fourth grade. When some of the family received hand made Christmas Gifts he made with the jig saw the whole attitude changed. If you can find a way that it benefits the rest of the family maybe their perspective might change. All that being said your dad means the best for you and the family.
 
Are you restoring it in the same garage you plan on putting it in?

I have a G9902 Grizzly, it has a 9x49 table so very similar to a full sized Bridgeport. It's single phase, I bought it used for $2500. It fits in the corner of my shop.
 
That's-a-fallacy said:
PS: before you ask, I have considered bench-top mills, I feel like there aren't any companies that make high quality bench-top tools, and I want a nice one, so long as it's within four or so thousand dollars.
Click to expand...

Hi,

A lot of work can be done on the RongFU style Mill/Drills that Grizzly and other companies sell. They aren't the same quality as a good bridgeport, but they will still make parts. I have two of them, one is a CNC, and the other is a manual mill with a DRO. They have made A LOT of things over the years, including enough money to more than pay for themselves.

Machining isn't always about having the best tools available. A lot of really nice things can be made with lower cost machines, or even home made machines. The hard part is learning how to use them to get the most out of them. Fortunately there are you tube videos and even forums like this one now.

If you haven't seen Clickspring on youtube, you should check him out. He makes some very amazing things, with some very small benchtop tools. If you look at some of later videos, he has one with a quick glance at his shop. His whole shop is in a broom closet!

I looked it up, here's the video with the shop tour:

Dan
 
That's-a-fallacy said:
Hello world,

I've been restoring machines for a little bit now, and am currently working on a Bridgeport series-2 that I'm gonna sell, when I'm done with it I should have a couple thousand dollars to buy my own. The only problem is that I'm Thirteen and my dad is convinced that a mill would be way too big for our garage. First of all, how should I convince my family that it is okay? Second, is there a specific family friendly machine that is compact, single phase but still has sufficient power, and fits my preference of older machines?

Thanks, That's-a-fallacy

PS: before you ask, I have considered bench-top mills, I feel like there aren't any companies that make high quality bench-top tools, and I want a nice one, so long as it's within four or so thousand dollars.
Click to expand...
Hello and welcome,

As noted above you're not the first young person to join here and ask a similar question. Back in the old days we had shop class where you could learn metalworking skills, not sure if your school district offers anything but if they don't you could look into what it would take to get into a program at community college.

www.dallascollege.edu

Machine Shop Training

www.dallascollege.edu www.dallascollege.edu

That may be a way for your folks to see how serious you are and maybe give a litte space in the garage for your use.

As for benchtop machines, I wouldn't rule them out. There are many folks who do great work with the RF30 mills like I have. They are plentiful and can be had for short money if you are willing to wait for the right deal. But, you can also do a lot of good work with just a lathe, or even a bench grinder and file. If you want to make things really the only limitation is your imagination.

Post a few pictures of the machine you're working on if you can.

John
 
JimDawson said:
Welcome aboard!

Depending on how big your garage is, a BP or clone might be too big, also depends on how much other stuff your dad wants to put in the garage. A standard size BP takes up about an 8 foot square of floor space unless you can stuff it back into a corner. I have a full size mill and 13x40 lathe stuffed into a 10'x12' space. But this is in my 1200sq/ft shop, so just a small corner of the shop.

Having said that, at 13, you have to respect your dad's wishes. :)
Click to expand...
Well my dad doesn't have much he wants to keep in there, it's just that he wants to future proof it for when I get a car- and it's only a single car garage
 
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