[oxomoxo]

Hi all
I very much like this build !
As I understand there has been a lot of discussion on the design previous to this "final" version, I believe it would be a very interesting read from a learning point of view ...
Would you point me at the location the build log / discussions took place ?
Thanks.
L.

[Generic Default]

Hey oxomoxo,

The link below is to the original thread from 2015. It started out more as a hobby toy curiosity thing just to see if I could make anything useful with it. I actually have a lot more content than that documenting the builds of the first and second prototypes, but I posted very little to that site because of file restrictions and a few other things. Still, it should give you an idea of how it started. I need to eventually get a full documented log of everything in chronological order. I would probably do that on the Hackaday page.

DIY Mill Turn Center - Welcome to the SeeMeCNC Community

[oxomoxo]

Hey oxomoxo,
I need to eventually get a full documented log of everything in chronological order. I would probably do that on the Hackaday page.

DIY Mill Turn Center - Welcome to the SeeMeCNC Community

Yep ! A full build log would be great !!
Thanks for the pointer ..
L.

[arizonavideo]

You did it!!

$129,027.00

Great job on the Kickstarter.

[dharmic]

Congratulations.

Now the fun ~really~ begins!

[skrubol]

Just finished reading through the seemecnc thread and it's quite the interesting read. Certainly not a half-assed project. If I wasn't a few grand into building my own project I probably would have bit on the early bird deal. Just got "In the Loop". Very interested in following along with your production.
This is one of the few Kickstarters that I wish had some trinket level rewards. Spending a few more $ to get a toolholder (that I couldn't actually use,) or something made on one of these machines would have been worthwhile to me. Not that that advice does you much good with 15 hours to go.

Anyway, good luck on a final surge of on-the-fencers. Looks like you're at the low end of the sweet spot for Kickstarters. A decent amount over your goal, but not too far where you have to change your logistical plans to be able to deliver.

If you do end up selling things modularly in some sort of store I may pick up a lathe headstock at some point to add turning to my router similar to Tormach's rapid turn. There is probably a pretty decent market for modular components (at your kind of price point) in the crazy DIY crowd.

[Generic Default]

Hey thanks to everyone who's been supportive so far! It's at $160,079 right now, 14 hours left. Hopefully there isn't a huge wave of people pulling out because of nervousness.

skrubol,

I considered doing trinkets but it would just be a hassle unless they were massively overpriced. I didn't really think so much about the modular aftermarket parts except in the cases where backers wanted to add a main module to their machine. But with the way things turned out, everybody pledged for the most expensive full kits. This was the opposite of what I thought would happen. Only one person pledged for the 3 axis VMC kit, but lots of people seemed more interested in it than the full kit before I launched.

So once the production run is nearing completion I'll open up a-la-carte sales of SwissMak machines again, but through the website rather than Kickstarter.

[dharmic]

Having just quit my job and decided to go back to school, you wouldn't believe how close I came to bailing - especially when I'm getting into it more for interest and the doors it might open down the road rather than any specific job that needs what it offers.

But I didn't because I see that as a bit of a d1ck move, and because it's so damned exciting that one of these beasts could be moving into my shed for Christmas!

So glad you made it to your goal, so glad you haven't been drowned with oversubscription too, more chance I get mine in a reasonable timeframe.

I was surprised at the lack of uptake of the lathe. The 3 axis machine not so much because, hell, for the same price you can get a SEIG machine made of cast iron blah blah blah (although not CNC, but then you can add kits for maybe a more rigid machine). But I'd have thought there'd be more interest in the lathe. Ah well buddy, no easy win for you, you're going to have to make more of the big berthas...

[skrubol]

I was surprised at the lack of uptake of the lathe.

Unless you have a specific need for a CNC lathe with limited live tooling, the mill-turn package just gets so much more functionality for not that much (~50%) more money.

[dharmic]

Yes and no. Baby bench vertical mill/drils with a cnc option are a dime a dozen, CNC (or easily cnc-able) lathes a little more rare.

I get the other side of it though, that the full shootin' match gives you a whole lot more options for not many more dollars.

As a mate of mine said... "soooooo many ways to crash"

[Generic Default]

The Kickstarter just ended a few minutes ago. 28 days,

116 backers pledged $187,974 to help bring this project to life.

So of those, there are 40 full SwissMak Mill-Turn centers to build, and a single 3 axis VMC kit.

I didn't know or expect it would turn out this way when I launched, never spent a dime on advertising.
Prototype was built on a 2k donation, it cost $12 to film the project video.

[skrubol]

Picked out a VMC yet?

[Generic Default]

Picked out a few over the last year, in the attached list below.


The plan was never to pay cash up front for a new machine with the Kickstarter funds, but rather to finance for ~20 or 25 percent down payment with the rest over 4 years monthly.

[dharmic]

The guys I just quit had a couple Haas machines, one vertical and one full production oriented tombstone with pallet swing. They leased 'em, cost more a bit over time (ok, quite a bit) but it eases the cash flow and minimises the risk of being stuck with an idle machine if they suddenly find themselves without work to feed it. Dunno if that would work for you.

[gun_mike]

Have you thought about a pre-owned machine? We've bought a few from a place called resell cnc. They are honest, reasonably priced, and can arrange to have a third party service tech inspect the machine for you. In my experience machines are like car, you can expect problem free operation for about 7 years. After 7ish years, a good PM service history will make it last indefinitely

Regards,
Mike.

[dharmic]

I could understand going 2nd hand, but I also know that if I was funded and could buy new for a business machine I would - gonna be enough frustration and entertainment coming without adding to it with the quirks of an older machine

[mactec54]

I could understand going 2nd hand, but I also know that if I was funded and could buy new for a business machine I would - gonna be enough frustration and entertainment coming without adding to it with the quirks of an older machine

Any new updates on anyone that has received one of these machines

[cmelo]

Any new updates on anyone that has received one of these machines

I believe he updates the progress on kickstarted. I got curious as well and googled it and it looks like he got enough funding to go forward with it.

[CL_MotoTech]

I check in every once in a while. They missed their production dead line by a ways already. That’s not uncommon for Kickstarter projects, in fact it’s probably the rule not the exception, but the creator sure was confident when he started this thread. So I guess it’s a little bit of a let down. Not that I ordered one, Kickstarter is a terrible way to buy things IMO.

[dharmic]

Things are going slow but they're going. He took longer than expected to find a machine and premises, he got raped by some Trump metal tax and spent longer trying to find aluminium at a decent price, he spent longer than he thought he would getting toolpaths etc sorted on his new machine and it's all gone a bit slower than he thought.

This was no great surprise, giving himself six months to go from nothing to shipping hardware seemed a little optimistic.

But he's still posting updates, parts are piling up and he's steadily getting closer to the finish line.

My only beef is the long periods of silence between updates. Personally, although I'm not feeling super nervous about my coin yet, I'd feel a hell of a lot better if he'd take an hour a week of production time to post up a regular progress blog. Heck, even if it was sometimes "Still waiting on that shipment of bearings, nothing much to report this week" it'd give us some idea of movement.