Nice job Pete,
Don't feel bad by 10 years. I beat you. I think I was close to 10 from the time I got fed up with my Hurco to the point where I was very close to finishing. And then, argh, the impossible happened. I found a DM4400M with a working control on it. That was a nicer machine than my Hurco, although I think my Hurco LinuxCNC control would have been nicer. But I had to build the console and the iron on the Dyna was better. Plus, the price was attractive. I got the machine for the cost of moving machinery around in the shop from which I obtained the machine. Super super nice owner who just didn't want to see the machine go to the dump, but it was obsolete by his standards and he needed the room. With all of the moving of machines around by the rigger, sharing of costs by the guy I sent the Hurco to, selling off some tooling, etc, I pretty much ended up with a tooled, working Dyna for about $300 (delivered). CAn't argue with that... But, ironically, I was then back to cleaning cleaning cleaning... 20 years of grime. And repairs... Little stuff, really, but things that needed to be done. I'm close to finishing up now. I miss my Hurco (very nice conversion) but I'm looking forward to actually cutting with a CNC mill again! I am just waiting for some caps to (hopefully) fix the heat transfer fans, and then I think I'll be ready to do some projects. Super excited and now I even have an indexer to play with.... I have to admit that I don't know G-code well though. The Hurco was all conversational, so I have to learn Fusion 360 better and the CAM to go with it. More learning...

Anyhow, nice job on the rebuild. I always love it when people take old decrepit machinery, but which is still mechanically, and return them to service. It is a great way to keep things out of the dump, learn a whole lot, have fun, and end up with very nice machinery. So kudos to you! I look forward to reading/watching more about your machine, your experiences with Acorn, etc.

Alan

P.S. Oh... By the way... free is never really free! Since my acquisition, I've spent just about 1100 on parts, tooling, etc. Still a great deal, but it is kind of funny how it adds up.