Why not a Taig workshop?

captvalk,

I have a Sherline 4 axis CNC mill and lathe, and an LMC model 3900 mini-mill. Don't want anything bigger, don't want to make anything bigger than what I can on these -- don't want to work that hard, don't want to lift anything that heavy. Been there, done that: spent 30 years in a 20,000 sq. ft. machine shop making spaceships. Now retired to a 200 sq. ft. home machine shop making clocks and model engines.

San Clemente is only about a half hour drive to the Sherline factory in Vista, CA. I strongly recommend you pay a visit, tour the facility, talk to the nice people, oogle the Craftmanship Museum. I promise you won't regret it, no matter what you end up buying. For that matter, you're only a little over an hour to LMS in Pasadena. I'd certainly go see them as well.

David Clark in Southern Maryland, USA
 
captvalk said:
Thanks for your responses. It helped me make up my mind. I'm purchased a Taig Lathe this morning, and will purchase a Taig CNC-ready mill after the lathe arrives and is installed, and I have a chance to play with it a bit. Thanks for letting me be part of your group.
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Congrats on your new Taig. I think it's a great way to start. I have had a larger (7" swing) lathe for years and recently bought a Sherline. It's really fun! And you might check out the So. Calif.Home Shop Machinists club in Torrance. Here's a link:http://www.schsm.org/
Maurice
 
mckay3d said:
Congrats on your new Taig. I think it's a great way to start. I have had a larger (7" swing) lathe for years and recently bought a Sherline. It's really fun! And you might check out the So. Calif.Home Shop Machinists club in Torrance. Here's a link:http://www.schsm.org/
Maurice
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Thanks for the reference. I've contacted SCHSM to see if they could put me in touch with hobby machinists in South Orange County, but I have never received a reply. Unfortunately, Torrance is quite a drive, but I'll still try to make it occasionally.

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D.C.Clark said:
captvalk,

I have a Sherline 4 axis CNC mill and lathe, and an LMC model 3900 mini-mill. Don't want anything bigger, don't want to make anything bigger than what I can on these -- don't want to work that hard, don't want to lift anything that heavy. Been there, done that: spent 30 years in a 20,000 sq. ft. machine shop making spaceships. Now retired to a 200 sq. ft. home machine shop making clocks and model engines.

San Clemente is only about a half hour drive to the Sherline factory in Vista, CA. I strongly recommend you pay a visit, tour the facility, talk to the nice people, oogle the Craftmanship Museum. I promise you won't regret it, no matter what you end up buying. For that matter, you're only a little over an hour to LMS in Pasadena. I'd certainly go see them as well.

David Clark in Southern Maryland, USA
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Great recommendation. I forgot that it was so close to me. I'll go down there next week. As for LMS, I didn't think they had a retail store. Am I wrong?

Thanks,
Terry Allen (San Clemente)
 
captvalk said:
Thanks for the reference. I've contacted SCHSM to see if they could put me in touch with hobby machinists in South Orange County, but I have never received a reply. Unfortunately, Torrance is quite a drive, but I'll still try to make it occasionally.

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Great recommendation. I forgot that it was so close to me. I'll go down there next week. As for LMS, I didn't think they had a retail store. Am I wrong?

Thanks,
Terry Allen (San Clemente)
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See: http://www.littlemachineshop.com/Info/store.php They have a showroom, and tours can be arrainged.

David Clark
 
It's been about 5 months since I purchased my Taig mill and lathe. I'm still a newby, but now I'm slightly more experienced. The best thing I did was to enroll in Orange Coast Community College in Costa Mesa, Ca where I took an Introduction to Machines class to learn basic milling and lathe skills, and am now taking a more advanced lathe class. I have been able to do all the projects for the big lathe/mill at school on my Taig, although it usually takes a lot longer. Admittedly, most of our projects are on work pieces that are only 2 to 6 inches long, so that is right up the Taig's alley, although sometimes I have to be inventive on my setup. For example, I had to machine an extended tail stock to complete one of my projects (that was useful modification, as I have used it several times since.). I'm glad I bought the Taig, although I can see where I might outgrow it in a year or two. I plan to convert the mill to CNC next year. In the meantime, I am learning a lot. And I have so many tools and accessories for the Taig, I may just stick with it. Thanks again to all that provided me with advice.
 
Thread is old, but I wanted to add I bought a taig lathe a little over a year ago. Newbie at metalworking, but the tool has really stood up to the rigors of me learning on it.
 
Nice site, Gerrit, looks like you're having a great time- :thumbsup:

Dave
 
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