What 'decent' Milling machine?

[Chaz]

It's just a little trick we sellers on ebay do when an item is out of stock or short term unavailable, set the price mighty high and no one will buy it hopefully adding the item to their watch list ready for when the price is adjusted to something reasonable again.

If you just close the listing down - as a seller, you lose the intrest, watchers and so on that the item listing has attracted, this is only ideal really when you have a multiple quantity listing going where you have sold lots of the same item already and as such don't want to lose all that good work (a listing is placed higher on the search results page when it has sold well previously, positive feedback recived and so on).

.Me

Ah, ok, makes sense. They have a number of machines at £7K, dont see the value.

Anyways - thoughts on this machine:-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Syil-X...09184487&rt=nc

or the slightly cheaper non enclosed version:-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Syil-X5plu...99403162&rt=nc

Syil X5 basically.

[Chaz]

Ok, two Denford machines, look like 'old' quality. Both Mach3 converted.

Thoughts? Only thing Id like is probably a 4th axis. Assume that could be fit later?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Denford-Tr...item2a4ffc8891

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Denford-Tr...30576529&rt=nc

[JohnHaine]

Denfords are excellent IMHO.

[Boyan Silyavski]

The machines at Amadeal with spindle taper R8, big No for that money.

If i want to buy me a serious mill i will look for used VMC, at least buy Bridgeport and definitely stay away from small mills with funny tapers and unknown Chinese stuff.

You need at least BT30, ideally 40iso holder for a serious machine.

[Chaz]

The machines at Amadeal with spindle taper R8, big No for that money.

If i want to buy me a serious mill i will look for used VMC, at least buy Bridgeport and definitely stay away from small mills with funny tapers and unknown Chinese stuff.

You need at least BT30, ideally 40iso holder for a serious machine.

Thanks. I did see a few bridgeports. What do you think of the 2 Denfords I linked?

[Chaz]

Worth a punt?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cnc-Bridge...71077545&rt=nc

On these older machines, how do you get the gcode onto their 'PC' / Controller?

[Chaz]

Cleaner version of the same thing. Looks a decent sturdy machine.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bridgeport...01814587&rt=nc

[Boyan Silyavski]

Thanks. I did see a few bridgeports. What do you think of the 2 Denfords I linked?

Depends. Small machines are way overpriced compared to used "real" machine. Cause people are lazy to organize moving or installing 3 phase at home, or fiddli8ng with VFD or just make small parts and don't have space.

I still don't have a mill but from looking of what motorcycle parts people order to my friend Jeff, i dont see that machine capable of doing them. Fork yokes for example. As i said stay away from small machines.
Man, my mill vice is as big as this machine if you know what i mean. You can not fit a good vice, the part and the bit on something so small. Not to speak of tilting vice.

You need a good used machine that comes with some stuff like holders, vice/es/ and if you are listening to me- that comes with servos. Yes its a good thing to retrofit steppers, no problems, but machine that comes with steppers is an amateur machine.

Cause you will hit the floor when you hear the prices of a good vice, good 4rth axis and so on if you want to buy them separately. And if you manage to find a good machine and retrofit only the electronics / something like CSMIO/ IP A / you could have a look at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlQgMk6te_Y so you spend wisely you 10k

[JAZZCNC]

Silyavski bet me too it and i was going to say same.

You can find Old machines like that Bridgeport that just need new life breathing into them.
You don't waste your time trying to use there old standard controllers just rip them out and retrofit with modern one. Often there control on these things are limited with very little memory.
You'll find on older machines the drives will require 0-10v analog signals rather than step & dir like modern stuff uses.
Ounce upon a time this made life difficult for your average person to retrofit or Very very expensive after market controllers so often things like drives and motors where replaced making it expensive and uneconomical in some cases.!! . . But not anymore now Cslabs have a analog Controller at sensible enough money that was designed just this purpose of retro fittng old machines. Even ones that use 12 or 24 logic.!

This means often all you need to replace is the Controller and with a bit of re-wiring you can re-use all the existing components and get the machine working like it's never done before.!
Just be aware thou most industrial spec machines require 3 phase power.! Often this is just for the Spindle not the Motors or drives. On many old machines like that Bridge port you'll find either Steppers or Brushed DC servos. Depending on drives etc often it just means changing or rewiring a transfomer so use single phase.
The Spindle is the main thing that will require 3 phase but often you can just run these straight from a VFD. Or you can buy Converter that will transform single phase to three phase if large HP.

Personally I'd wait for some Old iron to come along and replace everything with moderern servos and controller etc before buy those mickey mouse toys.

[JAZZCNC]

Here's a prime Example of what £600 buys you in Old money.!! . . . . Purpose built CNC not converted Mill with 1000x500x450 travel. DC Servos, 7.5HP 40 taper spindle with power drawbar, Ground ballscrews and linear ways.

All this machine needed to get working was the controller replacing and 3 phase power. It uses Brushed DC servos which I will be replacing with modern Servos and the Spindle will be run from a Converter.
But the point is that if you had 3 phase power another £600 would have had this machine fully working and running like it never did before on it's old controller.
There are old machines like this coming up all the time at very low money and if you throw 2-3K at them you will have a very very good strong accurate machine will all modern components.