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Buying a small CNC mill/lathe for side work

There is a website more geared toward answering your question that starts with CNC and then a word starting with a Z. I think gets edited out if the full name is mentioned here. The machine you linked to is considered a toy here and pretty much not discussed. Not being nasty, this forum is here to discuss professional grade equipment and their use. You look like your budget and size constraints would put you in the hobby machine category and this isn't the place for that.
 
Something to add to the description is the type of work your looking to do.
Materials, tolerances, size...

There a a few ways of looking at things.
Buy as big as you can, take on anything that comes, or get a more specialty machine and focus your efforts.

I did a "build it and they will come approach" haas tl1 and tm1 used machines. Took a while. But word gets around. Now that it has, the lathe needs to be different to suit my needs. But it got me in the door.

Best of luck in your search and startup :)
 
You might be able to find one of them BOSS 5's kicking around somewhere. It'll prob be clapped out with sticky soft keys but she'll still get er done
 
Got an e-mail today from CNCPros/FadalCNC/SequoiaCNC or whatever they are calling themselves today.
I think it was a '98? 2216 for $6k.. It would literally turn that entire CNC masters POS you linked
to to chips in under an hour, if you weren't pushing it.
 
Got an e-mail today from CNCPros/FadalCNC/SequoiaCNC or whatever they are calling themselves today.
I think it was a '98? 2216 for $6k.. It would literally turn that entire CNC masters POS you linked
to to chips in under an hour, if you weren't pushing it.

I am pretty sure that is the one they had on ebay for $5k starting bid. I almost bought it. The had a $1000 loading fee, and it is in Idaho. I just bought a 3016 closer to home that ended up cheaper with rigging and trucking.
 
$15,000 for a 30 years old commodity mill?

For that kind of money you can buy a mid 90s Matsuura, Kitamura, Kiwa, or other real machine.

I like the Tree mills. You get a lot for the money. I have a VMC1260 that is built like a tank. A 50x24 mill that weighs almost 20,000 lbs.
 
1988?? $15k????? I'd be surprised if he could get $4k for that. Probably a bit more if its
been upgraded with the HS guts.

Hell if I know, just spotted it and posted it.

Although it's good, just to point out what the OP will find out there, and how much money
it should be worth.
 
One of the things I've seen is that with equipment prices dropping, finding a CNC mill for the same price as a micro machine, isn't too unreal an expectation. I've seen brand name VMC's at auction for $1500 to $3k in decent shape. Just saying..
 








 
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