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Any TM-1 or 2 owners/operators in Central Virginia?

Cismontguy

Aluminum
Joined
Feb 28, 2007
Location
Earlysville, VA
Hello Forum,

I am trying to find someone in central Virginia area who runs/owns a Haas TM-1 or TM-2 that would be willing to allow me to a.)visit them for 1 hour and b.)answer my questions regarding their machine and its operations. Right now my one person business has a Tormach 1100 PCNC but I feel I need to move up and I have some specific jobs/specifications I am looking to be able to do. All my work is ones/twos of parts that I draw in Solid Works and program in Fusion 360. The only company I know, that I use to work for, locally has a Haas VF2 but they are not willing to let me visit. (they do US DOD stuff).

Would appreciate a reply from anyone who is willing to help with some advice and information.

Thanks,

BSA, LLC
Free Union, VA
 
I had a TM2-p. Do yourself a favour and get something with a faster spindle. One of my machinist pals described it as painfully slow. It did prove a project of mine was feasible, and has now been replaced with a VF4SS that has allowed me to cut cycle times to about 25% of the TM2-P. Just my 2 cents worth.
 
The community here has a wealth of experience with that particular machine. I owned and ran one for several years as my first cnc mill. If you don't have any luck locally just ask here. I ran carbon steel, 4140, aluminium, stainless, inconel, hasteloy and stellite on it. We once did a run of parts that were 9" dia 4140 x 96" long that needed a series 1" deep x 1" wide x 24" long slots milled into the od. The parts were mostly supported on jack stands and I had to assist the rotary table with a chain wrench when it tried to index to the next slot to keep the poor hrt210 from alarming out. I sear the parts were heavier than the machine itself. It's not a terribly strong or fast machine but it works.
 
Are you thinking about a new or a used machine?

I bought a new TM-1 without an enclosure or tool changer back in 2005. It's been running ever since. About 8 years ago I bought a used 2001 Mini Mill with the standard ten tool changer. Both are great machines. I make mostly smaller parts of my own design.

Obviously the TM-1 is only available now enclosed so be sure and get the tool changer. The big advantage with the TM-1 is the larger table and work area. On the TM-1 I can mount a subplate with threaded holes for my fixture plates AND a vise and do multiple ops using G54, 55, 56 etc. The Mini Mill table is a tight fit for even two medium / small vises. Or a smaller subplate alone.

I would only consider a TM-2 if you MUST have the large table for long parts.

If you do tiny parts, them a Mini Mill with higher speed spindle perhaps, otherwise the question becomes options if it's a new machine. A probing system is worth the money if you have the money.

Otherwise the TM-1 and the Mini Mill cut alu, steel, stainless steel, titanium and all manner of plastics in my shop without any problems at all. You can't run a 5mm chip with a 50mm face mill on these machines but as long as you stay within their substantial capabilities, they are offer fantastic performance and value for the price. Compared to a Tormek... gosh you'll be going from riding a tricycle to driving a good car.
 
Thanks klemchuk for your reply. This is helpful information. My Tormach is great but suffers from long operation times for small steel parts, so I am kind of use to that. I never am doing production work, just ones and twos, and I really need the large size of the TM series of machines. Cismontguy
 
Thanks Kingbob. Appreciate your input. I have been contacting a few owners who have used TMs for sale on eBay to get their feedback. Nothing I do is heavy but some of the parts I want to do are large in the Y direction like engine crank cases. Cismontguy
 








 
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