[DE1488]

Hello,

I'm looking to buy a Shopmaster Patriot, but want to see one personally first. If anyone is in Central KY (within 75 miles of Lexington), and would let me look at their machine, please let me know.

Thank you so much!

[Liberty4Ever]

I'd also be very interested in seeing a Shopmaster CNC mill/lathe anywhere close to Lexington, if someone would be so kind.

Otherwise, I'll keep searching online for opinions, including CNCZone.

I was hoping for more YouTube videos. I get the impression that there aren't a lot of these machines out there.

I don't expect the speed of the machines with 3HP spindles, but I need more than the manual 3-in-one machines and the capabilities of this machine seem to fit my needs. As long as it's reasonably robust, I'm not too worried about speed. I'd be making shallow cuts in steel, as well as the occasional aluminum and plastic.

I'd like to fully enclose it, add a flood cooling system and some way to scoop out chips. I don't need a fancy auger. I'd also prefer to use EMC2 under Linux rather than Mach3 under Windows, but if it comes with a functioning Mach3 ($149 for the more capable version) I'd probably have a hard time installing Linux and getting EMC2 running, unless the Windows latency issues were screwing up Mach3.

I need a light duty CNC mill and CNC lathe, and I'm tight on space and money. I'm also looking at machines from Smithy, Tormach, and Mikini. I'm also thinking of buying older used manual machines in good condition and adding servos and EMC2 for a CNC retrofit, but I'm also tight on time!