[Metzenw]

So, I have the opportunity to buy what I believe is a 1978 Hurco M1 Bed mill. I will be purchasing just the iron plus motors to do a Centroid retrofit on it. My question is, do you guys think this machine is worth retrofitting? Cost aside I already have the Centroid controller from another project I'm scrapping out. The machine has 26x13 travels in X and Y. Has a 3hp directdrive CAT30 spindle. It has linear rails on Z axis, and some goofy hybrid boxed/linear way for X and Y.

If you guys think it's worth while, I do a nice build thread with LOTS of pictures.

I will lost pictures when I get to a desktop. My phone is nearly worthless.

[bloke]

Quirky little machine. I re-worked one about 25 years ago. Two piece gothic arch rails on X & Y that will probably need re-grinding and oversize balls. Counterbalance for Z is pneumatic so the head will drop if the little coupling brake is worn.

[Metzenw]

Ok, here are pictures.

Hurco M1 - Album on Imgur

The machine doesn't look heavily used, or beat up, its just dirty.

I plan on going to go see it again this weekend and make up my mind on it.

Thanks bloke, I was wondering what style of rails they where. and I remember the guy mentioning the Z counter balance, which doesn't seem like a big issue at all.

If I get it, after the Retrofit is complete is to convert the tooling from CAT 30, to BT30, since BT holders seem Much more common in that size then CAT.

The 3rd picture is the Spindle drive and its only 3HP.

[bloke]

For a couple of hundred beans, it'll be a nifty buy. The machine itself wasn't too bad if it was looked after. We had a load of them here in the UK that were thrashed but were still good.

[Metzenw]

For a couple of hundred beans, it'll be a nifty buy.

I can get the machine for $800, with a 7.5hp Hitachi VFD a J300. the Hitachi VFD is worth about 400, and I believe it can be ran off single phase.

The Y axis servo is off the machine, so I felt the ball screw by hand, feels like less then .002 of backlash and its pretty smooth. So everything else should be OK.