Tool Gloat

hesstool · Feb 7, 2009

I received a call Friday from larger local shop asking me if I'd be interested in a wire EDM. They rarely use it and they desperately need to make room for a mix of 18 CNC mills and lathes which will be trickling in for the next 4 months. Since I've been casually looking for a good machine at the right price for the last 6 months, I said "yes". I walked the 2 blocks to their shop to check it out and after about 20 minutes of small talk and demonstration, we agreed on a price.

I'm now the proud owner of a 1986 Hitachi H-Cut304S w/Fanuc 6M control. All for the ridiculous price of $1000!

I've always wondered how great deals usually happen to other people, but one finally came MY way!

hesstool · Feb 2, 2010

Update

So here's the price for posting a tool gloat on PM...

Last June I moved my shop to a bigger place and decided to get a head start on the moving before the rigger got here. The Wire EDM was placed about 2 feet from the roll-up door. I thought I'd move it so that the rigger could concentrate on the VMC and CNC lathe, and wouldn't have to deal with the small stuff. BIG MISTAKE! :nono:

Dip$h!t here dumped the machine off the forks when the lift made the transition between the concrete floor and the asphalt drive. :dopeslap:

Of course I was :angry:

, but it was my own damn fault.

I promise to never gloat again.

Here's the aftermath:

pbungum · Feb 2, 2010

Ohhhhhhhhhh! :eek:

That made me sad, then I laughed a little.

pppaul1 · Feb 2, 2010

Fixable, or off to the cemetery for EDM machines???

Milacron · Feb 2, 2010

Oh well...if it makes you feel any better, Hitachi's support for their older EDM's is pretty much zero... at least it was for me. Dipwads were even going to force me to pay $$$ to get "in the system" just to order a part for christ's sake ! I mean, I could sort of see it for asking service questions...but to order a part ?? :drink:

hesstool · Feb 2, 2010

pbungum said:
Ohhhhhhhhhh! That made me sad, then I laughed a little.

After I reminded myself I only paid $1k for it, I could laugh a little too...

pppaul1 said:
Fixable, or off to the cemetery for EDM machines???

The machine is at a friends shop being slowly pieced back together. Mechanically it should be fine. The control panel on the machine, however, may need more help than I can give it. So it may have one foot in the grave...

Milacron said:
Oh well...if it makes you feel any better, Hitachi's support for their older EDM's is pretty much zero... at least it was for me. Dipwads were even going to force me to pay $$$ to get "in the system" just to order a part for christ's sake ! I mean, I could sort of see it for asking service questions...but to order a part ??

Sounds familiar. The price Hitachi gave for a flow meter for this machine: $500. :eek:

wesg · Feb 2, 2010

Dropped it off the forks? From how high, and how many times ;-) *

But seriously, that's a damn shame. Hopefully you got to use it enough to pay for itself.

* Might be fun actually, once you know it's toast, to see how far you could get it to tumble with a run and brake maneuver. Kind of hard on the floor or driveway though.

hesstool · Feb 2, 2010

I found out the hard way that steel on steel forks make for a slippery situation... The forks were only about 6" maximum off the ground. The real problem was the center of gravity. The machine base is an "L" shape and I thought I had it right. But once the forklift made the transition from the concrete to the pavement the machine rocked twice then finally tumbled. It wasn't secured in any way. :nutter:

That's what I get letting me drive the lift. :crazy:

MitsTech · Feb 3, 2010

Don't feel too bad. I saw this happen to a brand new Mits at a rather large company who was too cheap to pay a rigger. And by brand new I mean out of the crate not hooked up yet. And I'm pretty sure they were self insured as well. Machine was totaled.

They paid a rigger to pick it up

kazoo2 · Feb 3, 2010

Dropped machines

Many years ago, in a shop far, far away, I watched a rigger delivering a brand new machining center to a shop a couple of doors down from where I worked. The guy was working alone, and had only a small fork truck to lift and move machines. He pulled the machine almost all the way off the flatbed. One end of the machine resting on the truck bed, the other end on the forks. With the end of the machine resting on the forks, he got out, placed a 2x4 under each corner of the machine, and then moved the fork truck so he could reposition 90 degrees to where he had been. While he was maneuvering, one or both 2x4s gave way. Gravity went to work and the brand new machine fell about 4 feet onto the pavement, while the proud new owner stood by and watched. He shook his head, and told the rigger to load it back up and get the he** out of there. What a mess, and not repairable. I think we were finding pieces in the parking lot for days. Riggers have insurance, don't they?

hesstool · Feb 3, 2010

wesg said:
But seriously, that's a damn shame. Hopefully you got to use it enough to pay for itself..

Never hooked it up! Not enough power left in the building. One of the contributing factors of me moving out of the old place.

KilrB · Feb 8, 2010

NO!

That's a shame.

We had a brand new Brother HS-70A that looked like that right out of the crate a few years ago.

Wondered why the truck driver was in such a hurry to get out of here before we opened it ...

There was visible damage to the crate and he was instructed NOT to leave until we had inspected the machine.

He was gone before they could even called me to come up front to shipping.

He wound up looking for another job and Charmilles replaced the machine.

Jay Cee · Feb 11, 2010

I sold two of those at an auction here about a year ago.
Sold them as a group with a Larger Hitachi that was non-submerged but self threading.
Got $4K for all three along with wire, extra guides and a box full of consumables.
Given the state of Hitachi (as mentioned by Milacron), $1000 was a fair price.
The best thing about those Hitachi's is the ease of learning the Fanuc control.
Besides that, they should all be sent off to the retirement village.
$25K machine will cut 10X faster with 10X more accuracey.
Probably even find a submerged machine with threader.
Reguardless, I am sorry for your loss.

bhigdog · Feb 11, 2010

Having dropped a nice little SB lathe on it's face while loading it to give to my son I can feel your pain.............Bob

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