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The frustrating hunt for machines
- Thread starter MontanaLon
- Start date
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2019
- Messages
- 708
Most definitely, I can’t wipe the stupid grin off my face.
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2019
- Messages
- 2,059
Glad to hear that you finally scored on your first piece.
Sometimes it takes a while to find such a deal.
My mill I looked for 3 years before I found that deal I could not refuse. Ended up with a Tree 2UVR mill with 2 axis DRO and a PALLET of tooling. One item on the pallet was a 4 drawer drill storage cabinet with 1 to 50 drill bits in every number letter and fraction size. I sold off the tools that I would never have a use for and got more than I paid for the whole thing. Yes it was very interesting getting that 3400 lb beast into the basement while making 2 90° turns.
The lath took me even longer, everything that I could find used cost just as much as a new machine, I finally bit the bullet and got a new Jet GH1340 lathe. It was very close to the same price as all of the used stuff that I was finding. Got that 1200 lbs into the basement too.
The last big piece was the B&S No.2 surface grinder, I was not really looking for it at the time. It just jumped up one day and slapped me in the face. It was free for the hauling, and included the 6 x 18 mag chuck made for it, and several boxes of wheels and misc tooling. That was only 1400 lbs to get in the basement. I had no clue if it ran or not when I loaded it on the trailer.
Patience and perseverance can pay off. The other trick is to stop looking once you buy, that way you are never disappointed by the better deal that comes along. There will always be one no matter how sweet your deal was. But if you wait for that best possible deal you will never have anything but dreams.
Sometimes it takes a while to find such a deal.
My mill I looked for 3 years before I found that deal I could not refuse. Ended up with a Tree 2UVR mill with 2 axis DRO and a PALLET of tooling. One item on the pallet was a 4 drawer drill storage cabinet with 1 to 50 drill bits in every number letter and fraction size. I sold off the tools that I would never have a use for and got more than I paid for the whole thing. Yes it was very interesting getting that 3400 lb beast into the basement while making 2 90° turns.
The lath took me even longer, everything that I could find used cost just as much as a new machine, I finally bit the bullet and got a new Jet GH1340 lathe. It was very close to the same price as all of the used stuff that I was finding. Got that 1200 lbs into the basement too.
The last big piece was the B&S No.2 surface grinder, I was not really looking for it at the time. It just jumped up one day and slapped me in the face. It was free for the hauling, and included the 6 x 18 mag chuck made for it, and several boxes of wheels and misc tooling. That was only 1400 lbs to get in the basement. I had no clue if it ran or not when I loaded it on the trailer.
Patience and perseverance can pay off. The other trick is to stop looking once you buy, that way you are never disappointed by the better deal that comes along. There will always be one no matter how sweet your deal was. But if you wait for that best possible deal you will never have anything but dreams.
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2013
- Messages
- 4,406
Absolutely true ... but then, I just can't keep myself from "window shopping"
