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dynaero272
09-06-2009, 07:22 PM
Hello I’m John I started engineering because I could not get bits for my motorbike. A friend gave me a Pratt & Whitney lathe which had a cross slide that slid along the bed and was tightened with a large wing nut under the bed this was good for spacers as I hated multiple washers etc. Since then I have accumulated a very nice Harrison 600 VS330TR and a Bridgeport Series 1 vertical milling machine. Over the years I have accumulated a reasonable selection of tooling and feel I can take on all most types of job. My aim now is to convert my milling machine to CNC, so if there is anybody out there that has succeeded in doing this I would like to hear from them. I enjoy my hobby and would like to talk with anybody like-minded. Happy turning.

John S
09-06-2009, 10:34 PM
Since then I have accumulated a Bridgeport Series 1 vertical milling machine.
My aim now is to convert my milling machine to CNC, so if there is anybody out there that has succeeded in doing this I would like to hear from them.

Don't do it.

You now have a manual Bridgy, presumably half decent worth say £900 to £1200 notes ?

To convert to CNC you need 3 motors at £80 each, three ballscrews say £400 to £450 for the three, three drivers at £70 each plus a shed load of bit and pieces costing say another £100 notes.

So that's about £1,000 for round figures, add this to the bridgy at say £1200 and you have a machine that costs you about £2,200 but has a true value of about £400 because it's a cobbled up hybrid.

If you have the room save the Bridgy for manual work and go out and buy a genuine CNC with a dead control. There are 1,000's of BOSS 1's to 5's that have come out of colleges and engineering, most are good mechanically as they used to break down all to often and got relegated to the corner or just used as a bench.

They have ballscrews as standard, they have reusable motors, they have a lot of the gubbins you need but they lack modern drivers.

So for 3 drivers at £70 notes each and a few bits still missing you will get a genuine CNC with little work to be done, on ballscrews, pressure oiling etc for under £500 all in.

these can be found quite cheaply if you look and ask around.
I have seen these from "Come and get this damn thing out my way, you can have it " up to £1500 but don't pay more than £800.

Matchmaker here £99 didn't sell.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CNC-Milling-Machine_W0QQitemZ300319336754

Beaver in running order, lucky to top £1500 ?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Beaver-Model-V5-CNC-Milling-Machine_W0QQitemZ290323100137

Couple of Hurco's at £500 but with reserve, Hurco's are an acquired taste, like syphilis if you have one you want two.

.

Lee Roberts
11-06-2009, 07:04 PM
Hi, welcome to the site John :wave: