Should I buy a Lathe/Mill machine

[jlesser27]

[Dirtlaw]

Like shooting, machining is a rewarding hobby. You are right about tooling, however. While I do have some Chinese stuff over the years I have also acquired old school machinery built in the U.S.A.

[hermosabeach]

I know little on Lathes and Mills...

My question with a small company is PARTS?

Will they be around in 5-10 years to supply parts?

[Dirtlaw]

Lathe / Mill combos are an interesting idea. A deceased uncle of mine had a combo unit that came out of a German submarine. I think it was auctioned off along with a bunch of other antiques.

[jlesser27]

They have been around for quite some time and the machine is manufactured for Weiss and appears to be used by other names as well. They have parts locally it appears to use very standard components.


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[jlesser27]

[Dirtlaw]

There is a company (maybe a couple) that make machinery for a number of US companies. Used to know the name, can't recall off the top of my head. The buying company often asks for special features, so while the units are quite similar there can be differences. I can't say for certain, but I believe you are looking at a Chinese unit. Parts per se I don't think is the biggest issue (though you do have to consider what our approach to China might be in the upcoming years). Tooling, as you have indicated, is an issue that needs to be investigated. Anything that is not standard (i.e. proprietary setups) will be a pain.

[jlesser27]

[Dirtlaw]

It includes both 3-jaw chuck and 4-jaw chuck in full capacity for the machine? How much does the collet chuck system run and what types are available?

[jlesser27]

Here is the link to the machine. It is the one that has the buy now button. 10x30 with DRO and threading.

https://www.dropros.com/DRO_PROS_Weiss_3_in_1_Machines.htm

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[Dirtlaw]

For space considerations a bottle of champagne and some roses may buy you some added space in the garage. Depends if your wife is a tough negotiator. But for gun purposes small is generally OK. But there will ALWAYS be that one situation where the machine is not big enough ... and that can suck. But it's ok to farm things out.

[jlesser27]

[faterikcartman]

That looks like a pretty lightweight unit. What do you plan to machine with that?

[2Stroke]

Probably the best way to hold work on any mill is in a Kurt vise, or a similar machining vice. Second most common way is with toe clamps on a table.

I dont see that ability on this machine. But for 3200 bucks, this seems like a reasonable amount of capability.

[Dirtlaw]

It doesn't get better than this!!! You are negotiating with yourself! Put your car on the street and voila, you've doubled your space. Next we need to talk about your woodworking equipment or even electronics.


Seriously, you want the 4-jaw and a collet chuck for precision work. There is a ton of neat stuff. On occasion you find it at a garage sale.