[cweber]

What do members here think of the Sherline products?

They look small but possibly would do the type of machining I am interested in and I would be able to afford the CNC aspect too.

[wizard]

Sherline machines are excellent if you can get by with watchmaker class machines. In a nut shell you have to make sure your maching desires fit with in the capability of the machine.

If you think you are serious about CNC I wouldn't reccomend Sherline products. THis is of course personal opinion but if I was to invest in a benchtop CNC machine I would want a reasonably large one and one stiff enough to be able to really leverage the capability CNC allows. Again though my interests are probably different than yours. So unless you come forwards with a description of your interests all I can say is that the Sherlines are well built machine.

[CASTLEVILLE]

When i first started machining (approximately 5-6yrs ago) i started out on a sherline cnc mill and lathe. I think they are very well made for what they are. Learned alot using them. Still have the whole set up in fact. Lookin to sell them actually. But until we know what you are looking to do not sure if they will fit your needs

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

[cweber]

I have been interested in puzzles since I was a child (too many years ago to acknowledge) and want to create and build as large a variety of puzzles as possible. Definitely my primary objective. I have grown up in Metric and CAD and can scale anything to machine capacity. I generally want to play with programming and the whole creation process. I am also interested in clocks, chess sets, and Ultimately, I hope that given enough years of gained experience I could be adventurous and build complete small motors, always wanting to build a V8 one day in retirement years (15+ years to go)

I have a bad back so I do not want to be lifting heavy items and that's what finally got me thinking about bench top machines. I had thought to one day build or modify (thanks Wizard for the suggestion) machines for lapping rocks to tight tolerances, and assorted projects like that. However, they are more pipe dreams because given my work schedule and lack of experience would take so long my daughter would have long lost interest and I'll have grand kids running about

Having come to realize that I need specific goals, puzzles and clocks are my thing and to build some engines of any sort long term ambitions.

[wizard]

This helps us a lot. Of course puzzles mean different things to different people.

If jigsaw puzzles are the order of the day i might suggest looking for a laser. This is interesting because I was just talking to a guy two days ago that had recently purchased a small laser for use at home and had a few of the parts he had cut out on hand. Only $700 bucks or so from China. It isn't the greatest hardware and he is already upgrading the stepper drive, but it is an incredible deal considering having a laser at home wouldn't have even been considered a few years ago. The work area is small though so that is another consideration.

Now there are many other types of puzzles beyond jigsaws and this is where we get into traditional milling machines and lathes. Sherlines could do such work fine if the size of the project remains with in the machines work envelope. I still wouldn't recommend a Sherline for CNC usage though, again that is just me and my goals. Currently your other options are Tiag and conversion mills. You might want to read the thread started by "SkyFire" on the forums as he is apparently about to produce a mill that would be almost ideal for your interests.

In any event, consider this: don't go out and buy a half dozen machines all at once. Start with a machine that fits your interest to do nothing but develop your initial machining skills. Once you get a handle on machining you might have a better understanding of what sized machines fit your needs best. Unless your bank account is overflowing with riches it takes time to establish a complete shop. Also a small lathe can be very useful to have even if you eventually get a much larger unit, again though you don't need to spend a lot of money, used watch makers lathes turn up all the time.

As to the issue of weight, I can understand the problem of a back issue but light weight machines do restrict what you can do, with the machine, significantly. Mind you I'm still talking about bench top machines here. You will be far better off getting the hardware that best suits your needs and coming up with a plan to install it safely. That can mean help from a friend or neighbor or coming up with rigging to get the machine on the bench of your choice. As a side note, I'd try to avoid getting help from people that don't have experience with heavy items as they can go surprisingly dumb at the wrong moment in time. More so muscles without brains can lead to things going wrong real fast. I'm not trying to be cruel here, just looking out for your safety, if you get help with something like this consider carefully who that person is.

In any event I don't see you getting a mill that is so huge that you need a team of people to install it. However bench top machines can be heavy enough that it does pose a problem for a person with a bad back. So really what you want is to do is to install the machine in a selected work space once and leave it there. If you follow this advice it really doesn't matter if the machine is 89 pounds or 389, install it once and don't move it.

Finally building engines could imply the need for a larger mill than i'm imagining above. There is a very wide array of interests when it comes to engine building. Plus to build engines you need to build tools and machines to build those engines. In the end your shop could include a number of machines like CAM grinders and other specialty machines. Perfectly good engines are produced on Sherlines but again they have to be designs that fit within the work envelope. A quarter scale hit or mis engine might be a stretch on a Sherline.

I have been interested in puzzles since I was a child (too many years ago to acknowledge) and want to create and build as large a variety of puzzles as possible. Definitely my primary objective. I have grown up in Metric and CAD and can scale anything to machine capacity. I generally want to play with programming and the whole creation process. I am also interested in clocks, chess sets, and Ultimately, I hope that given enough years of gained experience I could be adventurous and build complete small motors, always wanting to build a V8 one day in retirement years (15+ years to go)

I have a bad back so I do not want to be lifting heavy items and that's what finally got me thinking about bench top machines. I had thought to one day build or modify (thanks Wizard for the suggestion) machines for lapping rocks to tight tolerances, and assorted projects like that. However, they are more pipe dreams because given my work schedule and lack of experience would take so long my daughter would have long lost interest and I'll have grand kids running about

Having come to realize that I need specific goals, puzzles and clocks are my thing and to build some engines of any sort long term ambitions.

[cweber]

I am not really interested in jigsaw puzzles. I have a large collection of wire puzzles that I was looking into how I might machine them from aluminum and anodize them. You cannot buy these as I acquired them during my youth when a teacher used to walk around the school yard helping kids out. I regularly tasked him to make varieties of these tricky puzzles and gathered a good collection over the many years. I guess they'd be similar to linkages of a chain once machined rather than bent out of wire.

I also discovered many three dimensional puzzles on wood working forums that I'd love to machine from metals or plastics. Pendulum type of clocks fascinate me, the more elaborate the better.

The Tiag machines are equally available in Australia. Their lathe appears to have twice the swing of the Sherline...

I live in modest humidity on the mid north coast of Australia. I have concerns about rusting of machines and was contemplating that bench top machines could fit into a spare bedroom if I removed the carpet and put something else down, where I can control the environment better. These smaller machines seem possible with that concept. The room is only 3xm3m though so I'd have to keep tool storage in the garage, but being in cupboards and drawers I think they would be fine from harm.

[wizard]

I am not really interested in jigsaw puzzles. I have a large collection of wire puzzles that I was looking into how I might machine them from aluminum and anodize them. You cannot buy these as I acquired them during my youth when a teacher used to walk around the school yard helping kids out. I regularly tasked him to make varieties of these tricky puzzles and gathered a good collection over the many years. I guess they'd be similar to linkages of a chain once machined rather than bent out of wire.

I also discovered many three dimensional puzzles on wood working forums that I'd love to machine from metals or plastics. Pendulum type of clocks fascinate me, the more elaborate the better.

The Tiag machines are equally available in Australia. Their lathe appears to have twice the swing of the Sherline...

The TAIG's are certainly useful for some of the work you have planned.

I live in modest humidity on the mid north coast of Australia. I have concerns about rusting of machines and was contemplating that bench top machines could fit into a spare bedroom if I removed the carpet and put something else down, where I can control the environment better. These smaller machines seem possible with that concept. The room is only 3xm3m though so I'd have to keep tool storage in the garage, but being in cupboards and drawers I think they would be fine from harm.

If the garage space is unheated I wouldn't do it. As to carpet they would have to go as you would never get all the chips out of the carpet. Beyond that the ideal situation is to have the machines et up permanently. Don't forget, getting a lathe almost implies a bench grinder or other sharpening device of some sort. Plus a bench vise comes in real handy.

[cweber]

I am unfamiliar with the term "unseated"?

The garage is fully enclosed and has a concrete slab, 'half' even has plaster ceiling and walls, and there's a window. The problem is that so far, most of my tools that have not been put in cupboards (ie. on shelves) have plenty of surface rust. This occurred in less than a year. I expect machinery would fair no better.

I am only 3km from the beach. The metallic objects in the house and equipment like HIFI gear have been fine. We occasionally run a dehumidifier in the house now days to be cautious.

Bench grinders, saws, etc could reside in the garage. My concern is the machines. I looked into covering them and techniques people use but it is messy and there are no guarantees. Seems simpler to use a spare room; but the wife isn't as impressed with this idea

If Sherline were at the small end of the scale and a Tiag a level further from there in capacity, is there a next step up, or do we move into the big machines and away from the bench top models?

[wizard]

I am unfamiliar with the term "unseated"?

That is called a spelling error, it should sat unheated. Apparently iPad has never heard of the word unheated until now.

The garage is fully enclosed and has a concrete slab, 'half' even has plaster ceiling and walls, and there's a window. The problem is that so far, most of my tools that have not been put in cupboards (ie. on shelves) have plenty of surface rust. This occurred in less than a year. I expect machinery would fair no better.

Exactly!

I am only 3km from the beach. The metallic objects in the house and equipment like HIFI gear have been fine. We occasionally run a dehumidifier in the house now days to be cautious.

Salt water beach? I know many of the residents of places like Florida have regular issues with rust and corrosion. I would go so far as to suggest building an extension onto your home to give your tools better protection. A constant battle against rust isn't good for your mental view if the hobby. After all who wants to see their creations rust away.

Bench grinders, saws, etc could reside in the garage. My concern is the machines. I looked into covering them and techniques people use but it is messy and there are no guarantees. Seems simpler to use a spare room; but the wife isn't as impressed with this idea

Trade in the wife for more tools!!!��

Obviously that won't work well. By the way grinders and saws rust too. If the room is a "spare" what difference does it make to the wife what it is used for? Really it could be worst, you could get into wood working which puts dust all over everything.

If Sherline were at the small end of the scale and a Tiag a level further from there in capacity, is there a next step up, or do we move into the big machines and away from the bench top models?

Err I thought we had already covered that, there are many bench top options out there. Many far more suitable for CNC conversion. I'm not sure what gets imported into your end of the world but take a look at Grizzly's web site for examples of Chinese machines.