Cc:
Fellow Hacker!
I found your site on the hackerspace list. I am a hacker in the Denver area but a cohort on a DIY foundry forum posted that he is trying to get rid of 2 older horizontal mills. And if no one wants them he is going to scrap them. I figure I would try and see if any hacker spaces are close to him. Make him an offer.
Hope it works out
Don
Hmmm, it looks like they are decent mills that need a bit of work to really get them in good shape. They would be much more rigid than what we have now and therefor faster and more accurate to mill with. He is located somewhere here in cincinnati which makes things easy.
I don’t know what sort of price I would put on them based on condition, but scrap value alone would be a few hundred dollars due to their immense weight (steel is 25 cents a pound and I would bet one of the machines is easily 1000lbs).
It would require some dedication and cash to get them working well, but it looks doable and a real rigid milling machine would be a very nice and welcome addition to the hive personally.
Anyone else want to offer their two cents?
It sounds good to me, but I don’t know what is needed to get one/either… I did not see the pics… Given the probable weight… Would we need something with a lift gate to get it onto the loading dock?
Do you think he might donate it at ‘fair’ price for the tax writeoff? I think he mentioned buying a VW (probably wants cash?) I’d suggest offering cash at near scrap value, or ‘fair’ price in donation for the reciept for tax deductions.
You can take whatever value you want for donations. We do not set donation value. It’s between you and the IRS, if you get audited.
I can borrow a flatbed tow truck to go get it if there isn’t a forkift to load into the bed of my truck. Any thoughts on how we’d get it from the loading dock into the hive? Engine hoist?
-D
I’m going to look at them first and talk to the guy first before anything else. The best way to move it would probably be to put it in pieces as it will be easier to handle and will probably need to be worked on this way at the space anyhow (this is how Paul moved his mill drill in to the space).
But first, let me go check everything out! I invite anyone who would know what they are looking at to join me when I get a time/day from this guy.
Would love to restore and outfit them with dro
I had ignored the first post, presuming the machines were in Denver(?), but now see they are in the Cincinnati area? I’d like to see photos. Iron is iron, but vintage 1900 machines are ancient. They are likely to be more collector curiosities/projects than reliable working machines. From that era they are jury-rigged from overhead belt drive to add-on electric motors.
I’m in town this weekend and would join Jon to go see them. Saturday works better than Sunday.
Jim
As a side note and getting into machines of that weight class ummmmm isn’t most the floor the hive Wood ?? Just asking stuff like that has a tendency to go threw floors if not on reinforced concrete. Just thinking out loud since we already have vert mill and some the other things floating about things to consider… 
Wow, whoops. I read that as 1990s, not 1900s.