[skray775]

Good luck with your new machine whatever it is Pete!

[LUCKY13]

Way to go Pete, and I agree with Bob 100%, I dont feel like you have waisted any time or money on your journey. Infact you have learned a ton that will help when you do go get that full blown maching center. You should know alot about what your looking at, and what the machine will be worth, what it will do and how to keep it running. Just think many people go to school for years to be able to do a job like that.



Please do keep coming around and showing us what your making and mods you do to your new machine. It would be great to find something nice ready to rock but if the right machine shows dont even back up from doing another CNC conversion/update. YOU would know way better on what to use to get the performance your looking for and with the right machine it could be done very quick. Heck maybe some FLashcut, with A/C servo's on a older machining center? Or even a Centroid ( be sure andn look at what the extras will cost)


No matter how much we would like it to be, a benchtop machine will never touch a good machining center. With the right parts and work on one they can do very good but there is just a big difference compaired to something that weights in at 2 to 5 thousand LBs.


Keep your eye on Criags list, I have seen a few nice machines here & there around our state that would make great upgrade machines. IMHO if you could find a Sharp mini mill it would be a great milll for your needs.



You have giving plenty to the RF-45 guys and your thread is always one I look to when helping others. Keep posting, we all still have plenty to learn. Good Luck and if I see something local I will get intouch with you through the forum. All though we have never got to the point of meating up yet I believe I still have your phone number. Down here around Kingsport there are some nice machines pop up time to time.


Jess

[pete from TN]

Pete, congratulations on setting yourself up to move to the next stage of your CNC journey with a commercial VMC.

Your last minute encoder work shows an important thing: you have educated yourself to be the master of your CNC machine. I think a lot of folks underestimate how valuable it is to be able to troubleshoot something like that, fix it, and have their machine up and running again without having to spend time and money calling in a tech.

If you had just simply bought a used VMC as your first machine and something broke I don't think you'd be nearly as prepared as you are now.

Just one question, how long can you go cold turkey without having a CNC?!??



Cheers,

Bob W.

Bob,
Ya know man I gotta agree with you here. I DID learn a great deal from this build and talking with folks like yourself, Countrybubba, RWskinner, Himykabibble, and everyone else here. It was an adventure and I do not regret it one bit. Quite honestly if the RF45 were just a little bigger and I could build a suitable toolchanger for it like some here have done I would not have any real reason to upgrade but I just have seen what a real VMC can do and it is really impressive. As impressive as these small mills that we have modified can be they will just not compete with the commercial machines on really any level other than size. I do not know what I will wind up with but I am anxious to find something nice. I also am not above finding a good used machine that has a blown control and trying to retrofit to get into a real nice machine for less money but we shall see. Thanks for the compliments and experiences man. Peace

Pete

[jid2]

Nice, the next step should be fun. Whats your budget for the VMC, a Haas VF2 or Hurco would be sweet, or a Fadal in good shape.

[pete from TN]

Yeah I am hoping to find a good deal on something. Tomorrow I am actually going with my wife to a company locally that actually bought out my friends shop and took all of their best machines for their uses. They are now selling off all the rest which luckily for me includes all of the smaller machines that are redundant when you already have a dozen or more machining centers. Dunno what their price points are and honestly there are only a few they have that would even fit in my shop but ya never know. I know they have a decent kitamura there and a Dyna mechtronics but that machine is rather large. I am gonna bring a tape measure and see what gives. I would love a Haas, Fadal, Hurco, Milltronics, etc... It is just gonna come down to finding the right deal. IF I find a really great machine and it is a little out of my price range my father in law has told me he will help me get the machine and I will pay him back. I am hoping I will not need that but it is nice to know it is there. If anyone knows of a real good deal on a low priced used VMC in the area here I would love to hear about it. Wish me luck that I can work a deal on one of the machines here locally tomorrow.

I am gonna be honest here and say that even if I do manage to pick up a used VMC I am not beyond doing another CNC build down the road a bit. There are some things I would do differently and there is some new tech out there that looks very interesting. After I get the VMC actually it would be nice to pick up say an IH machine to play with again.... hehe it really is a sickness I think....peace

Pete

[jid2]

here is a lot of machine for $8k, shipping cant be too bad? But you cant beat seeing something in person.

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewi...id=48378290094

[pete from TN]

It is so funny that you posted that. That company ALWAYS posts NICE CLEAN LOOKING machines for reasonable prices. Unfortunately they are all way the hell out in California. Shipping would be pricey at around $1500.00 plus loading at both ends and having to travel to experience the machine before the sale would be an additional cost. I am certainly willing to drive or even fly to see a machine before I buy it but that is kinda pushing it unless I could get it for a song. If you live in California and want a VMC and say you cannot find one...well... you are not looking very hard because they are seemingly everywhere out there for good prices.

That particular machine is one that I feel would be just perfect for me. They are well respected in industry too.. If I could find one of those for a good deal nearby I would be very pleased. Gotta see what pops up. hehehe peace


Pete

[SCzEngrgGroup]

here is a lot of machine for $8k, shipping cant be too bad? But you cant beat seeing something in person.

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewi...id=48378290094

The big risk with any machine that old (anything made before the late '90s) is you will likely find ANY electronic failure becomes not economically viable to repair, and you end up having to do a full electronic re-fit. Some of the components used are certainly going to be NLA by now, or, available only at insane prices. And, at that age, failures are inevitable.

Regards,
Ray L.

[pete from TN]

Actually those old fadals are pretty much still supported by several companies. Most of which who used to be the original suppliers of the parts. There is also a large used market for these machines and if you look hard enough you can find what you need. There are tons of these machines out there running daily and while they are not a new VMC they are a viable option to get your feet wet in the machining world. Actually the little fadals are quite often recommended as are the Haas, hurco, etc... Obviously you want to try to find the newest cleanest whatever but the newer, cleaner, the higher the price. I am trying to find something in the middle somewhere. Besides even if the control completely died with the advanced of reasonably priced AC servo systems lately doing a retrofit would not be all that hard. In fact there is a fellow in General metalworking machines that is doing just that right now. Peace

Pete

[hive8]

A used Haas...

2001 Haas Mini Mill CNC Vertical Machining Center 10 Station Toolchanger | eBay

[jid2]

Just don't put Mach 3 on a real VMC, should it need a control retro!

[pete from TN]

I wasn't planning on it but that does not change the fact that there are a bunch of real vmc's running mach3.... Personally I would probably go with EMC2 if I ever do another conversion on anything. Peace

Pete

[SCzEngrgGroup]

I wasn't planning on it but that does not change the fact that there are a bunch of real vmc's running mach3.... Personally I would probably go with EMC2 if I ever do another conversion on anything. Peace

Pete

Consider the KFlop. In terms of reliability, it is light-years ahead of Mach3. Mine has not so much as hiccuped once since I started using it full-time several months ago.

Regards,
Ray L.

[pete from TN]

I guess this will have to be an end to my thread here. I posted some pictures and information about my new Cincinatti Arrow 500 machining center that I purchased when I sold my RF45 CNC conversion recently. Apparently the fact that I was posting this in a BENCHTOP forum ANNOYED some folks here and I got a pretty good idea who that would be. For that reason my posts and progress on the new machine will not be chronicled here from now on. I really only posted it here because I feel that many of you have become friends to me and seem to have been interested at least a little in my progress along this CNC journey I have been on. I suppose since I no longer have a benchtop machine that I cannot continue to post so I will make this last post in my thread to say that you can follow my progress with the Cincinatti on the Cincinatti forum and that I will miss chatting with all you folks that I have grown to consider friends here. I surely enjoyed learning along with you guys and seeing all of your cool ideas and inspirational progress. Good luck to all of you and peace

Pete

[rwskinner]

(Some people....)
It sure wasn't me, I was kidding with you the other day. But at least I got an email to the new link and was already subscribed so that's good. Don't let it get you down because there are a bunch of us interested in your project.

Richard

[pete from TN]

I am sure you already know this but I would think you would be the LAST person I would suspect to do this. Oh well the postings have been moved and I will be doing my posting there from now on. Thanks again for all of your kind help man with the modbus and everything, you are HUGE!! hehe peace

Pete

[photomankc]

Man, I wish I had noticed your sale of the old RF earlier! I would have jumped in the pickup and hauled butt down there. Glad to hear you got to move up to what you were looking for. I'll have to go follow your new thread!

[skray775]

Pete, do you have a link to your new thread? Is it on here or another board?

Not sure why anyone would complain about you posting the wrap up on your RF45 here.

I guess this will have to be an end to my thread here. I posted some pictures and information about my new Cincinatti Arrow 500 machining center that I purchased when I sold my RF45 CNC conversion recently. Apparently the fact that I was posting this in a BENCHTOP forum ANNOYED some folks here and I got a pretty good idea who that would be. For that reason my posts and progress on the new machine will not be chronicled here from now on. I really only posted it here because I feel that many of you have become friends to me and seem to have been interested at least a little in my progress along this CNC journey I have been on. I suppose since I no longer have a benchtop machine that I cannot continue to post so I will make this last post in my thread to say that you can follow my progress with the Cincinatti on the Cincinatti forum and that I will miss chatting with all you folks that I have grown to consider friends here. I surely enjoyed learning along with you guys and seeing all of your cool ideas and inspirational progress. Good luck to all of you and peace

Pete

[Al_The_Man]

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/cincin...project-2.html

[pete from TN]

The moderators moved it suddenly and without notice and I did not even get to name my new thread. I would have called it "Pete's Cincinatti arrow 500 Adventure" or something like that but I guess it will be NEW MACHINE whatever it is called now.

I have a lot of information I have compiled on the new machine and I am trying to decide on the best power setup with the new Rotary right now.

Photoman I dunno if I actually posted it here but it was on craigslist and I actually had it sold twice but once I had to back out because some issues arose with the computer on the machine and then the second time the guy just backed out for some unknown reason. This time I actually had the machine sold twice once to the actual buyer a nice fellow from Canada and also had a fellow from Texas who was pretty damn serious about buying it. I guess the moral of the story for you RF45 conversion guys is that if you do a nice job and make it look and work pretty there is a good chance you can sell it for at least what you bought it for if not more. I actually made some money on the machine over my costs and materials let alone the jobs I used it for to make money. It was a worth while endeavor and I enjoyed it. There were times I thought seriously about rolling it out into the street in front of a fast moving dump truck..... REALLY I DID!! But in the end it was a lot of fun and a very challenging thing to do as I am sure some of the other fellows who have finished a build can attest to.

Anyways the new thread is in the Cincinatti forum in case any of you guys want to see it. There are pics of the new machine there too.... NEEDS A BIG BATH!! peace

Pete