Boxford TCL 125

[John11668]

Right so not much further forward with supplier , and engineer seems to be struggling, but he confirms the machines do work on manual without computer connection or Boxford software.
He is offering to exchange it for a TCL 160, with Turret, and all motions working for about £600 which would take my total expenditure to about £1150 but no account for any work I have done so far. Maybe a bit of haggling needed!
I can see what folks are asking on Ebay but have no Idea what a reasonable value would be for such a machine. What do folks here think??

In addition and going back a few pages here, http://www.mycncuk.com/threads/13959...-TCL-125/page4 , on the pictures of the boards the processor board seems to have an empty slot , just above the one with the green lablel.
Anyone think this might be significant?

[clutchslip]

Your call but if he has offered to take the machine back for a full refund then I would go with that.

Yes you have done quite some work but you've also learned a good deal. Perhaps going back into the market with all your funds intact, and knowing as much as you do now, particularly a little more about what to look out for, you will be able to decide whether buying from a dealer offers any advantages.

[John11668]

Your call but if he has offered to take the machine back for a full refund then I would go with that.

Yes you have done quite some work but you've also learned a good deal. Perhaps going back into the market with all your funds intact, and knowing as much as you do now, particularly a little more about what to look out for, you will be able to decide whether buying from a dealer offers any advantages.

I think we have moved on a bit , Clutchslip.
When I started this thread it was about whether I could make a decent project out of a TCL125 and what might be the best route for that bearing in mind it had been described as working when it wasnt..
So the current offer is for a replacement of that with a TCL160, all motions working and including a turret for about £600 more . I am trying to get advice on whether this is a good deal, or do I stick with the 125, insist on a reduced price ( to finance the parts needed to make it work) and then embark on that as a project.

Seems to come down to whether a TCL160 with turret is good value at £1100 .

[depronman]

I would say it’s a fair value for tcl160

The decision really comes down to your needs. Is a turret tool changer on your list of nice to haves
My person experience of cnc lathes (I have two a Boxford bud that I converted to cnc and an ORAC that I bought as a shell but in nice virtually unused condition and replaced all of the electronics) is that a good quality quick change tool post works well for me
The auto tool changer are good but come with there own limitations so it’s not as clear cut as it would seem at first
If you have a need to make hundreds of the same part then the auto tool changer is a must have but if you are mainly making 1 and 2offs then the manual quick change tool post is a better option if you are making 10 to 20 offs then personally I think the manual tool post is still the better solution
I bought into the QCTP with the splined tool post Swiss made originally. It allows for very accurate tool positioning and takes a few seconds to change tools I have 10 tool holders all pre set with tools that are shared between the two lathes all tools being stored in the tool table in Linux cnc
I can turn brass and ally and stainless steel all day long on the orac to tolerances of +/- 0.0005” and less with care. The tool repeatability is excellent

Also of note the 160 is a slightly larger machine than the 125 but from memory not my very much

Hope this gives you a little more info to base your decision on

One last thing to think about is the 160 working on original boxford electronics or has it been converted to modern drivers motion controller bob etc and if so is it locked to mach3 or open to other control software such as Linux cnc
If still on boxford electronics then at some point in the future it is likely to need to be changed over to modern electronics (stepper drivers, BoB or motion controller etc

All the best. Paul


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Clive S]

The auto tool changer are good but come with there own limitations so it’s not as clear cut as it would seem at first
If you have a need to make hundreds of the same part then the auto tool changer is a must have but if you are mainly making 1 and 2offs then the manual quick change tool post is a better option if you are making 10 to 20 offs then personally I think the manual tool post is still the better solution
I bought into the QCTP with the splined tool post Swiss made originally. It allows for very accurate tool positioning and takes a few seconds to change tools I have 10 tool holders all pre set with tools that are shared between the two lathes all tools being stored in the tool table in Linux cnc

Very nicely put Paul

[Doddy]

Spoilsports!, just as I start to figure out how to integrate a baby atc onto my ml7 you’re saying don’t throw away the QCTP 🙁

[depronman]

It’s horses for course really
I spent ages looking for an atc for my orac lathe. Decided they are like hens teeth and therefore bought the same qctp as my boxford so it could share tool holders between the machines
I’ve been so impressed I stopped looking for an atc
My jobs tend to be 1 to 20 offs so this works for me
If I was doing 200 offs regularly then the answer would no doubt be different

Paul


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JAZZCNC]

It's a no brainer to me that you get as much money off as possible and gut the machine. No way I'd pay £1100 for 160 which you'll still end up gutting at some point.

Or I'd get the money back and look for another cheaper 125 or 160 and gut that. Either way, if you are using an old Boxford you'll likely end up gutting it for new electronics.

[John11668]

Maybe then it comes down to whether I want a working lathe or a project???
Have to think about that . TCL 125 will give me more of a project and If you are telling me that Boxford boards will need replacing in the future then maybe haggle a bit more off that to fund the replacement boards .
And as it is already standing in my workshop then maybe the way to go

Nice to have the other views on whether the ATC actually is as valuable as it sounds.

[depronman]

As the 160 been converted to use from a pc or does it need the boxford software ?
This is important if you want a working lathe out of the box as boxford software is both expensive and they may well not even sell it to you

Paul


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk