Introduction and Questions

Hi Everyone,

After 7 years of my dads Haas VF2 sitting in the corner of his garage i have finally took it on to get the thing working. I'm a newbie to this so expect some maybe stupid questions which i hope will be answered nicely.

I'm looking at buying some coolant for the machine. I have been looking at Prolong Ultracut 1, i have used this company before for engine oil and that side of their products is really good! I wasn't too sure if anyone on here have had any experiences of running Prolong in their machine or if anyone has any preferences on which coolant they run in their own machines.

I was also looking at different tools for my first job (Material: Steel) i was shocked at the price of the carbide tools from SGS, i knew these tools would be expensive but not as expensive as the prices i saw. Do you guys recommend carbide? I know overall they are going to be better quality, better finish, better life etc. etc. Although as im just starting out do any of you recommend any other tools/suppliers to use?

I've been on the phone with OneCNC as i am looking at buying their software because it seems be to priced quite reasonably and quite user friendly. Plus they are only a 5 minute drive down the road from me in Wolverhampton.

Any tips that you can give me would be great! Once i have got my first job designed and machined i will post pictures and maybe a video for some constructive criticism (I hope)

Thanks,
Ryan.