What is the Total Cost of Conversion (Excluding the Mill)

[JAZZCNC]

Its amusing that this is where i started - then the thought process led me down the path of buying a machine and converting it :)

I missed this post.!

Yes, it's funny how things are initially conceived but then go off at tangents, I see this all the time with customers, esp new users, who buy machines with a plan to use them for ideas they have but within a few months or certainly within a year when they realize just what a CNC machine allows and it takes them down paths they never even thought about or knew existed.

Converting works provided you buy the right machine to start with, but I've yet to see a good Mill come out of China.

The problem with converting a manual Mill is they were never designed for CNC in the first place so often you struggle to fit ball-screws and motors mounts etc without the castings or beds needing material removing and it's here when the shit hits the fan.?

The cast iron and steel are of very low quality and the casting doesn't undergo any stress-relieving so when you start removing material they have a tendency to shape-shift and twist etc.
Even buying machines from UK based companies like Warco or Chester tools, Axminster, etc doesn't help this because they are just made in China with the same low-quality iron, this is why I recommended looking at used machines like Denfords or Boxfords because the castings are made in the UK with good quality ductile cast iron and stress relieved.

[dazp1976]

I missed this post.!
The problem with converting a manual Mill is they were never designed for CNC in the first place so often you struggle to fit ball-screws and motors mounts etc without the castings or beds needing material removing and it's here when the shit hits the fan.?
.

You basically need a mill to convert a mill.
I had to make casting adjustments and tidy up a lot of rough areas.
(About the only thing my Sieg X2 conversion has been useful for!. Twists and stalls like crazy)

At least the castings on the Amadeal 25 weren't totally like cheese. Got lucky I reckon.

[JAZZCNC]

At least the castings on the Amadeal 25 weren't totally like cheese. Got lucky I reckon.

That's the "Box of chocolates with no lid" problem I mentioned in an earlier post, you never know what you are going to get or what will happen when you start taking it apart or modifying castings, etc.

Then if you are lucky enough that it doesn't let go when converting there is no saying it won't shapeshift when being used because it was never designed to handle the forces CNC is imparting on the chassis.?
Why anyone would want to invest the best part of £5k and 100+ hours of time into a machine that could shapeshift at random is beyond my understanding.! It's like playing Russian roulette with a full revolver.

[Monty_UK]

I was recently trawling Youtube and came across a channel called Ades Workshop - this guy bought a Warco 16B machine which looks reasonable both in terms of cost and quality

His output looks ok from a hobbyist persepective - so my idea now taking on many of the above comments is to buy a machine akin to the 16B, fit a DRO and then use that to make a purpose but smaller CNC milling machine similar but Jazzcnc but smaller

[dazp1976]

I was recently trawling Youtube and came across a channel called Ades Workshop - this guy bought a Warco 16B machine which looks reasonable both in terms of cost and quality

His output looks ok from a hobbyist persepective - so my idea now taking on many of the above comments is to buy a machine akin to the 16B, fit a DRO and then use that to make a purpose but smaller CNC milling machine similar but Jazzcnc but smaller

Sounds like you have a plan.
Buy a mill to make a mill/router.

I'd draw up some of the new machine first. Then you'll know which size Mill to get. Don't want to end up with something too small.

Warco16b & Amadeal 25L are effectively the same machine.


I've recently been looking at TBI C5 ballscrews for my 25L. I better get some cutting done so the machine can pay for them. They're tempting.

[Monty_UK]

Sounds like you have a plan.
Buy a mill to make a mill/router.

I'd draw up some of the new machine first. Then you'll know which size Mill to get. Don't want to end up with something too small.

Warco16b & Amadeal 25L are effectively the same machine.


I've recently been looking at TBI C5 ballscrews for my 25L. I better get some cutting done so the machine can pay for them. They're tempting.

Thanks Dazp