[metalmayhem]

Tormach tools are hated over on PM forum almost as much as fusion cad/cam.
I find many on that forum think unless it has 10hp its a toy. But they also have a very active forum for south bend lathes. That explains most of the it to me.
I always wonder when people say it needs 10hp, or it needs 4th axis or it needs uber interpolated accuracy , or 25 atc .... whatever and I wont buy one.
Then with a super high dollar high performance cnc machine with all that ability, they will complain about paying 300$ a year cad/ cam software that wont even use all the machines ability anyway.
.

A lot of guys build their self worth on what they own , it's like that with all sorts of things , When the bills are paid and the smoke clears then I'm sure that I'm raking in more cash than most of the guys running 2-3 hass doing contract work , and thats not to brag by any means but it's stating a fact . And , I'm sure that I could run circles around most of those guys in their own shop .

I own what I have not because it's all I can afford but because it's all I need . For the cost of their spindle replacement I can toss in at least one machine . A newbie who thinks that they can just by a tormach and start a business doing contract work will probably find they bought a pipe dream . I've got a lot of experience and I'm skilled at making things work and my shop and my products are built around making it work .

Ultimately they are hobby machines with many limitations , but they can definitely get the job done , I'm a bit unique in how I use mine but at the same time I'm not the only one

[soofle616]

btw: many new air compressors I see are 155 psi now with a 120 psi cycle low. I replaced my old one with a new 155 psi unit and I have pdb set to just release tool at the max psi setting of 120 psi advised by tormach.

I've been eyeballing eastwood's baby scroll compressor for a while. I want that thing real bad but it's hard to justify $1500ish when the unit I have now is in perfect working order. Someday I will sell it off for whatever I can get out of it and put that money towards an upgrade but there are a few other things I want more than a new compressor.

A newbie who thinks that they can just by a tormach and start a business doing contract work will probably find they bought a pipe dream

I may or may not have been perfectly described by that sentence a little over a year ago. I've since learned just how much I don't know and my perception of reality has changed dramatically as a result. I originally bought the machine to make parts for myself instead of paying others to make them. In the process of buying and setting up, I decided that contract work would be easy and would help offset the cost of the machine. Now I make parts for myself and prototypes for my employer on occasion and I am happy with that. I still hope one day to bring in some contract work and I do casually look for it here and there but last week I did my first real "production" run of parts for my employer. 100 parts in one day and I was SMOKED at the end of it. Better or different workholding would have made a big difference but that wasn't an option so I did what needed to be done. After that, I have no desire to run long jobs on my machine. I enjoy the process of programming, fixturing, and making chips but when I get to the point of standing in front of the machine all day cranking out the same part over and over, I lose interest pretty quick.


Oh, and as for those other toys. No more two strokes in my garage anymore but the big italian v-twins will still land me in a world of physical and legal hurt if I don't behave myself

[mountaindew]

I've been eyeballing eastwood's baby scroll compressor for a while. I want that thing real bad but it's hard to justify $1500ish when the unit I have now is in perfect working order. Someday I will sell it off for whatever I can get out of it and put that money towards an upgrade but there are a few other things I want more than a new compressor.

Nothing that nice. Just a porter cable 2 stage from local ranch supply on sale was less then 400$. Simple noise maker that also produces air.

I'm still an avid MX fan. They dont use 2strokes much these days. But 450's fly tho

[metalmayhem]

I've been eyeballing eastwood's baby scroll compressor for a while. I want that thing real bad but it's hard to justify $1500ish when the unit I have now is in perfect working order. Someday I will sell it off for whatever I can get out of it and put that money towards an upgrade but there are a few other things I want more than a new compressor.



I may or may not have been perfectly described by that sentence a little over a year ago. I've since learned just how much I don't know and my perception of reality has changed dramatically as a result. I originally bought the machine to make parts for myself instead of paying others to make them. In the process of buying and setting up, I decided that contract work would be easy and would help offset the cost of the machine. Now I make parts for myself and prototypes for my employer on occasion and I am happy with that. I still hope one day to bring in some contract work and I do casually look for it here and there but last week I did my first real "production" run of parts for my employer. 100 parts in one day and I was SMOKED at the end of it. Better or different workholding would have made a big difference but that wasn't an option so I did what needed to be done. After that, I have no desire to run long jobs on my machine. I enjoy the process of programming, fixturing, and making chips but when I get to the point of standing in front of the machine all day cranking out the same part over and over, I lose interest pretty quick.


Oh, and as for those other toys. No more two strokes in my garage anymore but the big italian v-twins will still land me in a world of physical and legal hurt if I don't behave myself

money can definitely be made if a guy has the right connections . early on i considered offering prototype work for my previous employer to fill in time . I think they would have went for it since I designed and setup many of their products when I worked for them .
i will agree with you on the long runs , it's brain numbing . At first i was excited doing my own production but then its brain numbing to . designing something new and seeing the finished product is much more fun , but at least i can turn on my tv which is hooked to my pc and watch movies