[DrDudley]

I would like some responses to what I want to buy. I am going to turn both into CNC machines. I currently own a 12 x 36 lathe which was made by wholesale tools I believe which is essentially the 12 x 36 lathe sold by Harbor Freight. I have limited resources and this find their equipment to be well built. But then again I haven't worked on anything else, but everything else that I have looked at exceeds my budget.
I am buying soon so any help now would greatly be appreciated. thank you.

[Runner4404spd]

which HF mill are you buying? all of these units can be converted to cnc, just depends how good you want them. microkinetics sells a cnc kit for the 12x36. if your going to do that you might as well buy it done from them.

[DrDudley]

I am buying the 12 x 36 model 33274 I believe. I own one now but it is about 30 years old in good shape just not great shape. I have it sold and am replacing it with the 33274. The model I have now is made by wholesale tool I think. it is marked WT1236.
I can't afford the setup that microkinetics sells but can afford the servo part easily enough to retrofit the new HF 12 x 36.
I am still trying to find a mill that I can make ito cnc that fits my budget and is not a mini mill. I would like to have a large mill such as model 40939 by HF or model 42827 by HF.
Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated.

[cnczoner]

I have a 3-axis CNC'ed 42827, and I like it. I really need to convert to ballscrews, which I have sitting in a box -- just need to make the time to do it. I really like that it's very sturdy, and that I get the max power (1.5hp) for 110V. It's the perfect balance (for me) between an X3 and a Tormach. I've even put a chuck in the spindle and can use it as a simple lathe.

Only things I could wish for are a bit more Y-axis travel for those large PCB's that I route, and more spindle speed for PCB's and acrylic. But I have options for swapping the motor, and also looking into a spindle speed increaser.

LMK if you have specific questions about it.

BTW for lathes, I've generally seen/heard that you get better value from Grizzly for the same machines, as they offer more with the package, and their support is better. HF may be advantageous for delivery if they're local to you. I'm looking into CNC'ing a 10x22 btw.

Cheers,
-Neil.

[DrDudley]

I have rethought my choice of lathes and opted for the 13 x 40 precision lathe by wholesale tool. For the amount I wish to spend this makes a good choice for me. I want 220 and the size is what I wish to stay with. My last lathe was 12 x 36 wholesale tool but over 30 years old. It required a lot of work to bring it bake to being a precision instrument.

As for the mill I would like I think I am going to purchase the 40939 by HF. I want the knee and after looking at the retrofit to CNC.
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11374
I also want to do PCB milling, I am now doing it by laser printer iron on method. I am getting good results but it is rather time consuming.

Any suggestions and help would greatly be appreciated.

Thank you for your time.

[cnczoner]

I route the PCB outlines, but don't actually mill the copper traces with my mill, because my needs are quite small nowadays -- most everything I do is 6mil trace/space and .015 holes, 2 layer, mostly SMT and very very tightly packed. Even if I could mill reliably to that size, the vias are still not easily done at home. So I panelize a lot of projects together and order one large board, then route (separate) the individual boards with the mill. I can get it within a few days for a reasonable cost this way, and I don't have to deal with the hassle.

For things like this btw, you'll need higher spindle speeds, so you may want to figure out mounting a router on it or getting a spindle-speed increaser. Or if you get something with a belt, you can easily speed it up (and change bearings etc).

[KyleH2]

I was looking at harbor freights standard size 9x49 bridgeport clones and decided that it was probably not the best route for CNC. There is a thread about it here:

http://cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=59113