[graylaserworks]

Hello all! We've been reading the forums here relating to the Tormach 770 for a few weeks now. We are a currently operating business that does laser engraving/cutting and some custom woodworking. We also have a Federal Firearms License and do some gun engraving. We have a few clients who will be manufacturing firearm parts & accessories. So, can we get the detail with the 770 to put small serial numbers on firearms?

Also, $1200 seems quite high for the stand that Tormach sells. Has anyone built their own table and/or purchased a welded steel table (i.e. Welded Steel Workbench - 60 x 30" H-3077 - Uline) & mountentd the PCNC to it? I understand the Tormach stand comes with the cabinet, chip tray, etc.

Any help is greatly appreciated!
Thank you!

[Tormachmaster]

I built my stand super heavy duty and I am willing to bet it makes a huge difference in stability mine has a frame made out of 1/4" 2 x 3 tubing top plate is a half inch thick with each side 3 bend 3" edges 100% welded. Then I built a aluminum coolant tray and sheet aluminum surround with a clear sliding front door. to be honest it is overkill but I have the 1100 mill and do not want leveling or vibration issues at all. Well worth it to me. I will say the machine you are looking at should be fine for engraving. The tormach stand looks good but I have seen to many people make their own after turning the coolant on.

[sin_arms]

I engrave with mine all the time and I don't think you will need a stand, don't use coolant and get a fogbuster. You have an 07 FFL?

[shred]

770 will be fine to engrave serial numbers to ATF specs, although I use a laser more often these days.

[al010964]

I think it will come down to what skills & resources you have!

Is it expensive? depends on your prospective, could I make an equivalent stand for the price... no but others may have some stock laying around and some spare time to knock something up.

Generally if it is for work, and i can buy it off the shelf working i go that way as i generally can make more money doing my work, than making stuff work; that was one of the reasons i purchased a tormach as i wanted it to work out of the box. Obviously hobby is another story.....

I have the 770 and have just installed the enclosure, probably not what you would want as you wont have as much mess with the engraving but it saves cra*p going all over my shop. Expensive; yep especally when you freight it half way around the world, but went together without any headache so had value for me.

Note - i don't run flood coolant i have a fogbuster

Anyway best of luck and welcome to the forum. i have been very happy with mine and the people that contibute to this forum were one the reasons i made my purchase as they have been fantastic with support.

Cheers,
.adrian

[graylaserworks]

We have an 01FFL but we called the ATF and they said as long as the manufacturer of the parts has an 07, we can mark serial numbers. Didn't make sense to us, but that's what they said.

[graylaserworks]

I engrave with mine all the time and I don't think you will need a stand, don't use coolant and get a fogbuster. You have an 07 FFL?

How does the fogbuster replace the coolant system?

[FuriousGeorge]

Heres a video that shows a fogbuster setup on a 770: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_U1My2-hOA

You'll find that for a lot of engraving and about 90% of the milling on the Tormach, the stock coolant is a bit overkill and more mess than its worth. The fogbuster is a lot less mess and maintenance. It has an easily accessible 1/2 gallon tank to periodically refill rather than a big tank of hard to access, oil filled coolant tank. You also don't have coolant spraying all over your shop. It sprays a fine mist of coolant rather than floods the entire machine with it. I'd say it's one of the most bang for your buck accessories you can get.

[pickled]

How does the fogbuster replace the coolant system?

Great except for drilling! You can see it working in many of my videos with a 770.

https://youtu.be/t2d02DZfRBI
https://youtu.be/E1QxiuriR6I

[shred]

We have an 01FFL but we called the ATF and they said as long as the manufacturer of the parts has an 07, we can mark serial numbers. Didn't make sense to us, but that's what they said.

Was this a recent call?

As long as the object in question isn't a firearm already (eg: "80%" AR lowers), you can mark it with whatever markings anybody wants, but if an 07 asks you to serialize firearms and they aren't right there with them, ruling 2010-10 (further clarified by 2015-1 although that doesn't seem to affect it) would seem to say that's not kosher. I talked with them about this kind of thing at SHOT last year around serializing already-built home-builds and that's about what they said.

It would be nice if they were backing off this a bit.

Because dealer-gunsmiths are not required to identify firearms manufactured, it is incumbent upon the importer or manufacturer, prior to shipping firearms to a dealer-gunsmith for gunsmithing
services, to mark them with a serial number and other required information. With regard to frames and receivers shipped separately, section 478.92(a)(2) provides, in part, that the manufacturer or importer must mark all frames and receivers prior to shipment with all information required by section 478.92 (i.e., serial number, model (if designated), caliber/gauge, manufacturer’s name, and place of origin). This will ensure that the frames and receivers can be traced by ATF in the event they are lost or stolen during the manufacturing process.

[keen]

Here is a compact 1100 stand and enclosure that could be even smaller on a 770

Keen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCzBvsG-L5c

[daniellyall]

have a look at nyccnc youtube channel ha has a 1100 and does some gun stuff and uses a fog type coolant

[pickled]

Was this a recent call?

As long as the object in question isn't a firearm already (eg: "80%" AR lowers), you can mark it with whatever markings anybody wants, but if an 07 asks you to serialize firearms and they aren't right there with them, ruling 2010-10 (further clarified by 2015-1 although that doesn't seem to affect it) would seem to imply that's not kosher. I talked with them about this kind of thing at SHOT last year around serializing already-built home-builds and that's about what they said.

Heck with the unprecedented number of US manufactured firearms getting dropped off in conflict zones (to the wrong "bad" guys), or handed off as part of gun-running scams (to "bad guys" by means of regulatory bodies) I'd be frightened to serialize components beyond any reasonable interpretation of the most basic requirements. I think that it's great that you guys are making accessories and such- not only for support of the 2nd, but because demand is unprecedented! IMHO I just keep waiting for the other shoe to drop in this odd, litigious, egg-shell thin republic that we reside in.

[echesak]

If you're planning to do primarily engraving, you might want to consider the new 440 from Tormach. The high speed spindle will make short work of engraving. I do engraving all the time on my 1100, but for really clean, fine engravings (like 3-5 thou deep), I spin at 5kRPM, with a 10 degree carbide tapered engraver, but am only able to travel at about 0.5" per minute.

Just a thought...

Eric

[tmarks11]

I think I would go for the 770 over the 440 if engraving was high on my list. Better components, more accurate, a little slower but it will do.

And don't forget the new high speed spindle that you can install in the 1100.

[daniellyall]

what does it matter the reds do it to.

[pickled]

I think I would go for the 770 over the 440 if engraving was high on my list. Better components, more accurate, a little slower but it will do.

And don't forget the new high speed spindle that you can install in the 1100.

Agreed! The 770 is great for engraving and for any application where you will be using <3/8" carbide end mill in tougher materials. The larger work envelope of the 770 vs. 440 would be a plus and the cost difference appears to be pretty negligible. To be honest my 770 rarely sees any aluminum. It has proven to be a workhorse for delivering fine detail features in Titanium and does very well with various stainless steels (304, 316, 440 etc.) to boot.

[zach540]

The 440/770 will be great for engraving, especially with that higher spindle speed than on the 1100. You'll also have no problem with the rigidity/weight of the 440/770 for that. I did the below engraving with a G0704 and only 1500RPMs.

[MichaelHenry]

I just have to ask - What is a "livning" trust? Nice engraving job, though.

[inov8r]

I too was concerned about the resolution capability's of the 770. No one was doing what I wanted to do (small engraving) So I just bought the machine kind of blindly. I figured I would make someone a good deal on a 770 if it didn't work. However, the 770 has been absolutely amazing! The picture attached is cut into graphite I also have cut copper. I use Corel Draw and Vectrics Cut2d. Cut2d works good in soft stuff. If you cut steel, you will need a cam program that has better tool path options.

As stands go, I have no plans to use coolant, I cut dry. This way I can get real close to view the action and it makes setup nice too.

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