the cost of tooling

[icore3user]

I read it somewhere in this hobby, that the cost of tooling will surpass the cost of machinery, and today that had happened.

My lathe cost me a mere $750.00 with some tooling ( an Enco 13 x 40 )
My Mill , $1000.00 with some tooling and a sloppy vice ( Index model 55 )
I replace on of the mill's motors ( thankfully the small 1/4 HP one ) for about 160.00 shipped

I have spent about 1200.00 on misc mics, etc, and I went the "cheap" route ( Shars ),

eBay finds, buy it nows...

went to a few flea markets to pick up a few end mills ect..

so when it came to the vice, as much as I wanted a Kurt, I had to restrain myself a little and went for...

a Glacern, ( 700.00 tax plus shipping along with swivel base, and hardened v jaws ) I know the UPS guy must hate my guts, I was surprised how big it is and how heavy it is, but ohh
how pretty it is.. I really will not like putting anything in the vice and making chips, but I will eventually will,

the old beast will be regulated to bench top duty



Al

 

[Rbeckett]

Yup, the machines are cheap to get ya in the door and they make up for it in the price of tooling. That is a good looking vise and I am sure you will get many years of good use from it. When you got your latheand other machines did you have any experience at all or were you ahead a bit in the learning curve already? I started with a technical zero, but have been around parts and pieces all my life, so some of it came really easy, some I will be learning till well after I die..... But its fun and a relaxing way to spend some time in your own thoughts. Any projects planned yet, or just busy learning for a bit longer? Have fun with you new stuff and hope to see you around often. And don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it or dont understand anything. All questions are open all of the time.

Bob

 

[icore3user]

I am total wet behind the ears with in any sort of knowledge. When I got the lathe the old man whom i bought it form had me sign a paper, he was afraid I was going to hurt my self ( that and the E stop button is not 100% reliable ). But I have been around power tools since I was young ( you want to try fun, try running a radial arm saw, the big ones, as I used to do when i was 16 on jobsites cutting block and header for wood framing. ). I have a small wood shop that I have cobbled together over the years, so precison in wood is nothing to compared to precision in metal, and that intrigues me, so does learning a whole new ball game. I am with you, I will be learning for the rest of my life. For now I am on a learning curve, and my first projects will be small to see how much my errors will be, over time I know I will getter better at making parts etc.. and that to me is part of the fun. I never make a living out of it, but I'll sure have fun doing this compared to my normal job which at time can be stressful.

Al

 

[DMS]

Is that the 6inch Glacern? I have the 5inch, and like it quite a bit, though I will warn you, keep a coat of oil on it, the exposed surfaces rust really easily.

I don't even want to know how much I have spent on tooling over the years.. best not to think about it.

 

[matthew_g]

Ahhh, The cost of tooling.
I have about $50,000 invested in machines and about $180,000 give or take in tooling..
I have barely made back the cost of my first machine 15 years ago, Can I justify this
hobby of mine ??? NO !!!
Do I need to justify it ??? NO !!!
Fishermen don't justify their $50,000 boat that gets used 3 times a year...
BUT do they get the same rush on the compleation of a project ??????????
Matt

 

[icore3user]

Is that the 6inch Glacern? I have the 5inch, and like it quite a bit, though I will warn you, keep a coat of oil on it, the exposed surfaces rust really easily.

Yes it's the 6 inch, my old vise ( that came with my mill ) is also 6 inch, but it also heavy, when I got this 6 inch, I did not realize how heavy it was as well. Oddly enough I do have one problem with it, there is a part missing on it that helps
keep the tension on the movable jaw , the vice still locks up, but the set screw does nothing as the part is missing. i have emailed Glacern but have not heard back from them as of yet. I just picked up a QCTP for my lathe, still more money on my hobby and I have yet to produce one part. Well I did make a small adapter on the lathe so I can set my Indicol to set the tram on my mill, since the Indicol will not fit on the spindle or quill since the spindle never protrudes beyond the quill on a Index model 55.

Al