[Steelchuck]

I'm not really a machining newbie, but I have never owned a lathe or mill. I've been machining and gunsmithing for a number of years under the employ of other people, and now I and going to take the leap and strike out on my own. I plan to start a gunsmith shop and do some custom manual machining on the side.

I'm setting up shop in my garage with a good concrete slab and access to 220v single phase. I need a mill and a lathe that are capable of holding close tolerances and occasionally work on larger pieces.

Of course, I have looked into the used market and locally I haven't seen anything that would be suitable. I don't want to go nationwide because I don't want to buy a used machine sight unseen. With my budget, this pretty much limits me to asian machines. I would love to have an old Bridgeport in excellent condition, but I'm just not finding that.

From what I hear, the different importers get pretty much the same machines from the same factories, but Grizzly tends to get a better pick than others and they have some of the best customer service and warranty. (Please correct me if your experience is otherwise.) The lathe and mill at the last shop I worked at were Grizz, and they performed just fine for me.

For a mill, I need a sturdy machine capable of maintaining accuracy and working on materials like stainless steel with ease. I know that saving a few bucks by going with a smaller machine will cost me later so the machine I am looking at is the Grizzly G3616. It stretches my budget a little, but I feel like it will be able to give me the sort of performance and capabilities I need. Does anyone have any experience with this mill? Any other recommendations in this price range or lower?

As for the lathe, I am looking at the G4003G. I would prefer a floor lathe, but I worked with a very similar Grizz lathe in my last shop and I found it to be adequate. Is it worth it to spend an extra grand for a floor lathe like the G0709? Any experiences with these two lathes? Any good alternatives?

Sorry for all the questions, but this is a huge investment for me and I am trying to learn as much as I can. Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.

[Algirdas]

Your demands are high. You didn't said about Your site: ~220V single phase, what capacity? What capacity of environmental infrastructure - sewage drain, steam reactification? Is there pawement to bring the serious machine to Your site?

[DuWain]

Steelchuck, I am interested in your quest for gunsmithing equipment. I will certainly appreciate finding out what you decided to purchase to outfit your shop.