VMC - Buy or Build? With Ramblings ;-)

[petesurrey]

I have had my mill for 6 years now it stared as a Cincinnati sabre 500 and it ran well for 2 years but then it was a pita. I have stripped all electronics out and replaced all drives with new AC servos and added VFD for spindle. It runs extremely well and all from a 240 1ph socket. Originally it had 500x500x500mm hence being a sabre 500 but as they 500 share the same castings as the 750 i fitted the X axis bearing from a 750 and due to the fact that i still have the 500 table i have a machine that now has 850x630x580mm. You couldn't ask for a stronger base they are extremely rigid. I also have a 4/5 axis that i use and tbh you need a machine this rigid to take the table weight.
The foot print of my machine is 2x2m and i built a 4x2m shed for it and it serves me well. ISO30 will limit you especially if you want run big fly cutters or boring heads. As well as bt40 or cat40 tooling is readily available.
I have another machine that is iso30 and i had to buy all my tooling new but rarely buy new tooling for my cat40 Cincinnati.