[jevs]

Someone else posted that this machine won't be good for Milling. I am curious why it wouldn't be? It is a 1978 Pratt & Whitney Tapemate C CNC Machine. I am working on getting the stuff together for a PC based CNC setup. I think it was designed more for drilling and tapping, but it also says its for milling and calls it a machining center in the manuals. It also goes over how to program all the milling paths etc. This has me concerned about spending all this time retrofitting it when I intend to do milling with it. I don't need the fastest Milling machine or anything. Will this do fine if I just make it take smaller cuts? Or am I going to be dissapointed? If I get it setup with Mach2 and Rutex drives I will probobly have less in it than a Taig or sherline. Is this going to mill even as good as a standard knee mill bridgeport? This machine weighs 4500 lbs. I have not heard a response yet from the person that posted about it. He said he has one, but I am not sure yet why he says this. I don't know if it just sucks at milling or if he is comparing it to something that would cost $25,000+ for a used machine. Any opinions or real life experience is appreciated.

[Splint]

I cant say I've had any experience with this model machine but I once owned an RF30 mill drill which was pretty flimsy and tended to vibrate and flex a lot. Most of the vibration was caused by the motor which was a cheap chinese thing, I suspect if i could have got a smoother running motor fitted the surface finish on the milling jobs would have no doubt been better. If your machine has handles on the leadscrews (or if you can somehow adapt handles to it to try milling) I would do some manual milling and see how it runs, this will give you an indication of how it could run when retrofitted. I suspect it also depends on what you intend milling as to how good it will be (may be ok for al but maybe not steel).
Hope it works out ok.
Splint

[shovelitdeep]

My nickels worth. That machine does not look any lighter than a lot of the benchtop round column mills. I think that it would probably work as well as a retrofitted enco, or chinese made mill.

[miljnor]

My nickels worth. That machine does not look any lighter than a lot of the benchtop round column mills. I think that it would probably work as well as a retrofitted enco, or chinese made mill.

I agree and since high feed with light depth of cut is the rage of the hour, you can probably make it work very well.

[jevs]

This machine weighs over 2 tons. I would surely hope it will do better than a chinese RF30

[Mcgyver]

hehe, that was my thought - at 4500lbs its no toy. Maybe it’s just paradigm – i.e. his other machine is the size of a bungalow in a big production shop but all you want it for is the garage.