I'm another advocate of buying used. I didn't get quite the deal Les got by buying half a truckload of them at auction for $40.00, but I found a nice old man who was selling off his tools as his Parkinsons would no longer allow him to use them. I got an assortment of nearly all the end mills you would probably ever need for $100.00. They weren't free, but it was quite a bargain considering what I got. They're mostly all good US made stuff in everything from .050 through 2.00 (with .750 shaft). Probably over 100 pieces including all sorts of formed tools like radius cutters, ball end mills and keyway cutters. Most all of them are in sharp, ready to go condition, and the few that need sharpening can be sharpened cheaply or tossed.
At least in So. Cal there's an amazing amount of old guys who had home shops and are selling them off at fair prices to save their families from having to do it later. I've outfitted most of my shop from guys like this. Not only have I got some good deals from these smart old guys, but I've certainly learned a few things from them along the way. There's so few people who have any interest in what they did, and so many of their friends are dead, that they're happy to talk shop a bit with a younger guy (I'm 41), make you a deal on some of their most prized possesions and pass the torch. It's great to see the sparkle in their eye when theydescribe what they used to use a certain machine or fixture for. It's also a little sad when they aknowledge that they just can't do it anymore, generally for health reasons (why else would you give up your machines?). I find myself better for the experience. Sometimes when I meet a guy like I've described who wants more than what I think the stuff is worth, or I can afford. When that happens I try to realize the emotional (and perhaps financial) investment they've made in their tools and I can't bring myself to grind on price. So I enjoy the time with them, try and learn a bit and leave them with their tools and dignity.
That reminds me, I have to call the guy I got the end mills from (and a surface grinder, and a bunch of other cool stuff) this weekend to arrange to help him transfer some old reel to reel tapes of his son to CD Rom for him. Sometimes you even make a friend with these deals. From what I've found, these older fellas don't do ebay or the internet for the most part. You find them in your local paper's classified section, the Pennysaver, Recycler, etc. Most of the guys I've found have been mid 70s to mid 80s and are all in failing health. What I need to find is a 60 something master machinist who's selling his shop and wants to travel, but would like visitation rights and was in good enough health to come over and visit his stuff and mentor me..
Heck, I've got almost all the stuff needed now anyway, so I just need the old, experienced mentor who no longer has access to a shop of his own..
John
[This message has been edited by Excitable Boy (edited 03-11-2004).]