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Tormach's revenge
- Thread starter alek95
- Start date
- Replies 34
- Views 2,575
michiganbuck
Diamond
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2012
- Location
- Mt Clemens, Michigan 48035
Looks pretty good.
Hebrewhammer8
Cast Iron
- Joined
- May 14, 2009
- Location
- Bellingham, Wa
They had me at chip conveyor....
MaxPrairie
Hot Rolled
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2015
Made in Wisconsin even.
gkoenig
Titanium
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2013
- Location
- Portland, OR
Mexico.
You'd be into one with similar options for around 65ish.
Richard King
Diamond
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2005
- Location
- Cottage Grove, MN 55016
I did some consulting at Tormach 5 years ago and back then their machines were made in China. Possibly the guards were made someplace else. Tormach filled a gap where no other builder did. Tormach was founded by a Hobbyist machinist and his friend who could not buy a small CNC mill.
sansbury
Aluminum
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2013
- Location
- Boston, Mass.
I’m actively in the market for a small machine right now. Equivalently spec’d a Mini Mill is about 15k more than this once you option it. You also need to go 3-phase for TSC on the Haas so a bit more $ there for a phase converter if you want that.
I’m very curious to see some results of how this runs with the epoxy granite frame. It is nominally 2000# lighter and about half the HP. For what I do 4-6HP would be plenty but I’m curious if the EG frame can make up for roughly half the mass. I’m very happy to see this being assembled on this side of the ocean with some domestic parts.
standardparts
Diamond
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2019
Not taking into account the availability of used heavier machines for much less money.....
It looks like Tormach really worked hard to attract an entry level (garage shop?) buyers.
Buyer will likely be attracted by easy purchase and lift gate delivery and avoiding sales people.
Is it a good machine....buyer will have to find out.
Base machine (no changer) with tax and flat rate shipping: (Wi tax is 5%)
It looks like Tormach really worked hard to attract an entry level (garage shop?) buyers.
Buyer will likely be attracted by easy purchase and lift gate delivery and avoiding sales people.
Is it a good machine....buyer will have to find out.
Base machine (no changer) with tax and flat rate shipping: (Wi tax is 5%)
| Subtotal | $31,995.00 |
|---|---|
| Shipping Fixed | $1,650,00 |
| Tax | $1,599.75 |
| Order Subtotal | $35,244.75 |
sansbury
Aluminum
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2013
- Location
- Boston, Mass.
No question going used can get more machine for less money. That’s a separate debate. Be grateful for us dummies who buy new and increase the supply of used machines!
implmex
Diamond
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2002
- Location
- Vancouver BC Canada
Hi All:
I have two machines with epoxy granite frames, one is a Prodigy CNC gang chucker lathe and the other is a Defiance VTX1 3 axis CNC mill.
Both are really solid machines but neither is so overwhelmingly superior as to make me go "Damn...I wish ALL my machines had epoxy granite bases.
So if the vendor is touting magical properties because of the granite, they are blowing smoke IMO.
As far as that Tormach is concerned, the biggest thing that I will look to see in 5 years is how much service they needed, and whether they hold their retail value reasonably well.
Their direct competitor (among many) is the Haas Minimill...I have one of those too, and although it is a bottom end machine in terms of its performance specs, I've had mine for well over 20 years and it's been completely trouble free and is still tight enough to interpolate a bore within 0.0005" TIR...better if I drop the finishing feedrate right down.
I paid $39,000.00 USD when I bought in 2001 and that was with rigid tapping, spindle orient, and wired for fourth axis.
If Tormach can match or exceed what my Minimill can do, kudos to them and I wish them well in a difficult and competitive market.
But I'd wait 5 years before I put down coin for one.
My personal boner in this space is a little Brother and although it's more expensive, it's not all THAT much more expensive and there are a bazillion of them around, so they are a proven brand.
My lust fantasy is for a Kern or a Hermle.
Some Hermles (maybe all?) have epoxy granite frames.
The Kern website doesn't say.
Both are reputed to be the most accurate mills available
Cheers
Marcus
www.implant-mechanix.com
www.vancouverwireedm.com
I have two machines with epoxy granite frames, one is a Prodigy CNC gang chucker lathe and the other is a Defiance VTX1 3 axis CNC mill.
Both are really solid machines but neither is so overwhelmingly superior as to make me go "Damn...I wish ALL my machines had epoxy granite bases.
So if the vendor is touting magical properties because of the granite, they are blowing smoke IMO.
As far as that Tormach is concerned, the biggest thing that I will look to see in 5 years is how much service they needed, and whether they hold their retail value reasonably well.
Their direct competitor (among many) is the Haas Minimill...I have one of those too, and although it is a bottom end machine in terms of its performance specs, I've had mine for well over 20 years and it's been completely trouble free and is still tight enough to interpolate a bore within 0.0005" TIR...better if I drop the finishing feedrate right down.
I paid $39,000.00 USD when I bought in 2001 and that was with rigid tapping, spindle orient, and wired for fourth axis.
If Tormach can match or exceed what my Minimill can do, kudos to them and I wish them well in a difficult and competitive market.
But I'd wait 5 years before I put down coin for one.
My personal boner in this space is a little Brother and although it's more expensive, it's not all THAT much more expensive and there are a bazillion of them around, so they are a proven brand.
My lust fantasy is for a Kern or a Hermle.
Some Hermles (maybe all?) have epoxy granite frames.
The Kern website doesn't say.
Both are reputed to be the most accurate mills available
Cheers
Marcus
www.implant-mechanix.com
www.vancouverwireedm.com
Last edited:
sansbury
Aluminum
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2013
- Location
- Boston, Mass.
I wonder if the bigger factor here is that it’s easier to make an E-G frame in the US?
Agreed that anything v1 can be a crapshoot. The Haas is definitely the leading contender for me but if I had one of these I might not be shopping for an upgrade yet.
EG frame I believe skips the whole
Process of letting the cast frames age before machining them, so faster to get out the door
sansbury
Aluminum
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2013
- Location
- Boston, Mass.
Right. I was also thinking that setting up a facility to cast them is probably a bit simpler than an iron foundry in today's USA. Are Haas castings still domestically sourced?
There are parts in a Haas that are domestically sourced?
Mebfab
Diamond
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2003
- Location
- Mebane North Carolina USA
The regional Phillips guy told me that haas owned the foundry in Texas that shook haas's out-of the sand. It closed during covid and they started buying them from okumas foundry in Taiwan. Then Okoma said no. So now they source form "various places".
As for tormach I suspect the epoxy components are simply a way to get around the difficulty finding iron castings in the US.
As for tormach I suspect the epoxy components are simply a way to get around the difficulty finding iron castings in the US.
Orange Vise
Titanium
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2012
- Location
- California
No mention of accuracy on the machines or the components...?
What kind of real world tolerances can these machines hold?
What kind of real world tolerances can these machines hold?
cnctoolcat
Diamond
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2006
- Location
- Abingdon, VA
Mazak USA has sourced castings from Brazil and Mexico for decades. I would imagine that's where Haas had to go.
AFAIK, it's pert-near impossible to buy large, complex, high-quality iron castings made in the United States...?
ToolCat
AFAIK, it's pert-near impossible to buy large, complex, high-quality iron castings made in the United States...?
ToolCat
JBTR
Aluminum
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2020
- Location
- USA, Northern Illinois
You certainly can, but probably not to fit a Tormach budget.
Enter Elyria Foundry | Hodge Foundry
Elyria Foundry and Hodge Foundry's top engineering experts partner with you on solutions-based design and development when casting in gray and ductile iron.
www.elyriafoundry.com
