The mill purchase

Ugh. I don't know your location, but that is way high for a machine of that vintage.

OK, that is a definitel plus.

Oh my. My 1J Bridgeport head is pretty loud. I may have replaced a bunch of the minor bearings in the motor and back gear train with cheap ones that are noisy. The Bridgeports in our shop at work are so quiet you barely can tell they are running. (It is a bit noisy in the shop, but these machines are VERY much quieter than mine.) I know, however that my noise is in the top end, not the main spindle bearings. Those are QUITE expensive, and a major concern in a used machine. You can disengage the clutch and spin the spindle and judge "crunchiness" drag and general feel. Of course, there should be NO "crunchiness" or lumpy drag at all. Do Chrome plated factory ways show checking? Yes, they are hand scraped before the chrome is flame sprayed on, I believe, then lapped just a little before assembly. If the "flaking" pattern is worn through, it is a disaster, as serious wear has set in. Where

Crank the table as far forward as it will go, lift protective covers if necessary and observe the hand flaking pattern. If it is uniform both behind the saddle and in front, that is good. Use a flashlight to observe the flaking on the underside of the table after cranking to one end. The middle of the table gets the most wear. You can also look at the flaking on the vertical ways the knee travels on for a worn spot.

Jon

Thanks Gentlemen, I did walk away from this seller. Final straw was when my wife said the seller "Gave her the creeps.."

So, I'm back in the market again, hope perhaps Karl is going to sell his mill :)

Again, thanks everyone for your advice!!

OK Karl, you got my attention :) However, I'm not sure I'm up for a

Let me know how your purchase goes..

Id have to agree.

Though here in LA..we are kinda "machine rich"

Gunner

Hey James,

For $3800, you should be getting a 'heavy duty" vertical B'port style with box ways. I was at an auction last Tuesday where there were three early 1990's "First" machines (good clone) like that. All three had all 3-axis power-feed. Two had Mitsubishi 2-axis DRO, and the other had 3-axis DRO (not Mitsubishi). All had a standard sets of R-8 collets. The first bid went for $3100 (bidders choice of machines), the 2nd bid on went to $2600 and again his choice, and the 3rd was sold to the second highest bidder for the same $2600.

Nice TOS SN50 lathe with standard stuff went for $4800. Good deal!

Deal of the day...if you wanted it...... a portable Mitsubishi CMM (1990 year model) went for $100. Uses paper tape output, but had three probes, one of which was a Renishaw with four ruby sizes!!

This was at Tilbury, Ontario, which is about 25 miles east of Detroit. Lots more auctions in South-western Ontario will be coming up if the Big 3 automotive and the US dollar stay the way it is now !

Take care.

Brian Laws>This is worse than trying to find the right vehicle to purchase... >

Trust your instincts and hers. Besides, who wants to hear, "I told you so".

I notice that Karl is looking at a Lagun. You might want to add it to those you are searching on. Sounds like a very nice machine if in good condition.

Also add Wells-Index to your search.

Wes

Hey again James,

I just got the latest flyer in the mail and I see that KBC Tools (Canada anyway) has brand new TUM 1-VS (1HP, variable speed.) for $6,000 Cdn

Brian Lawson.

USD $4,795 in the US (says 3HP in both cases).

That's $4,664 CAD at today's exchange rate!

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany