I am from Preston, Lancashire. I have been into machining for a couple of years now and have a 3 in 1 machine which I have used to learn how to run a lathe and mill. One of the problems with the 3 in 1 machines is that it can be a pain when switching between the lathe and mill due to having to remove the chuck and install the vice etc.. every time you want to use one or the other. With a few tweaks and a bit of thought into planning the order of operations on a workpiece it is bearable but there is still the problem of the limited travel which can be obtained when using the mill.

I am going to order http://www.spgtools.com/viewtool.php?pid=35 this mill this week and want to convert it to cnc so as I get the benefit of having a separate mill and also one which can be used to make more intricate parts with curves etc..

Ady.