In advance, I'd like to say thank you for taking the time to read my post.
I'm a beginner who is looking to set up a home hobby shop that I'd like to eventually turn into a small business with an FFL-7 (hopefully) so that I can manufacture firearms and sell them as a small time customs thing doing everything short of making barrels due to the size and cost involved in a lathe that is able to make a straight bore through a piece of 28" steel (lets be honest, I'll outsource the barrels and swallow my pride), and to make small automotive parts here and there as well as custom computer parts like waterbocks and fittings.
The work area limitations I'll have to begin with to allow for a 10' work bench in addition to the machines having a 15' wide workspace are in the range of 25' across and 5' deep with no real height limits since I doubt any machines I'd afford exceed 8' height for the garage door and definitely don't exceed the 15' height ceiling in my garage.
I'd like to keep total cost of a mill and lathe together under $3000, but still be able to make respectable cuts in steel to ±1-thou accuracy, I don't mind it being slow going for accurate cuts to that tolerance in steel since there aren't really any big parts I'd be making from steel, most of those would be smaller so I can be slow going and patient with it. I'd like to have room for a 10"-12" max stock fitment 4-jaw Chuck on the lathe so that I could modify larger turbo housings if I desired, but if all I can realistically afford in my price and size limits is a 9" Chuck capable lathe so be it.
I don't have 3ph power at my house and have no idea how much it would cost to get the garage retrofitted for it, but I can gladly run 220-240VAC 1ph and figure out how to do the VFD or 1ph-3ph converters, I'd just like to keep those costs under $500 if possible.
I've been eying a lot of stuff on Craigslist and am curious about auctions and the like but don't know of any. I live in Heath, OH so I know there are a lot of industrial facilities that may be selling old equipment within a two hour drive.
Thanks again!
I'm a beginner who is looking to set up a home hobby shop that I'd like to eventually turn into a small business with an FFL-7 (hopefully) so that I can manufacture firearms and sell them as a small time customs thing doing everything short of making barrels due to the size and cost involved in a lathe that is able to make a straight bore through a piece of 28" steel (lets be honest, I'll outsource the barrels and swallow my pride), and to make small automotive parts here and there as well as custom computer parts like waterbocks and fittings.
The work area limitations I'll have to begin with to allow for a 10' work bench in addition to the machines having a 15' wide workspace are in the range of 25' across and 5' deep with no real height limits since I doubt any machines I'd afford exceed 8' height for the garage door and definitely don't exceed the 15' height ceiling in my garage.
I'd like to keep total cost of a mill and lathe together under $3000, but still be able to make respectable cuts in steel to ±1-thou accuracy, I don't mind it being slow going for accurate cuts to that tolerance in steel since there aren't really any big parts I'd be making from steel, most of those would be smaller so I can be slow going and patient with it. I'd like to have room for a 10"-12" max stock fitment 4-jaw Chuck on the lathe so that I could modify larger turbo housings if I desired, but if all I can realistically afford in my price and size limits is a 9" Chuck capable lathe so be it.
I don't have 3ph power at my house and have no idea how much it would cost to get the garage retrofitted for it, but I can gladly run 220-240VAC 1ph and figure out how to do the VFD or 1ph-3ph converters, I'd just like to keep those costs under $500 if possible.
I've been eying a lot of stuff on Craigslist and am curious about auctions and the like but don't know of any. I live in Heath, OH so I know there are a lot of industrial facilities that may be selling old equipment within a two hour drive.
Thanks again!