This is a vote for $800 to purchase and (hopefully) get working two benchtop training CNC’s. One is a mill and the other a lathe. Lots of discussion on Slack, but basically a person got these two at an auction and doesn’t really want to work on them and they thought we might be interested.
Short version; they are pretty old but seem to have good “bones”. The initial purchase of $300 would then bring them into the Hive and a small group of us would dig into them and see how much work it will be to get them working. We will have to spend some money for misc stuff (steppers, cables, etc) so I wanted to have the $500 as a buffer. Might not spend it, but we also may need to present a larger purchase to get them to final version.
I vote yes. I’ll help with getting them in and operational.
These will be awesome little machines with some TLC, whether we get them running on the factory controllers or on retrofit controllers with Mach3 or LinuxCNC.
Just so everyone is aware, this vote would be to get the machines in the building so we can start digging in to them. There would likely be another vote later to get them to 100%. I suspect under $1000, and the machines are well worth that, they resell on eBay for $2000-3000 each in functional condition.
I vote yes. I’ll help with getting them in and operational.
These will be awesome little machines with some TLC, whether we get them running on the factory controllers or on retrofit controllers with Mach3 or LinuxCNC.
Just so everyone is aware, this vote would be to get the machines in the building so we can start digging in to them. There would likely be another vote later to get them to 100%. I suspect under $1000, and the machines are well worth that, they resell on eBay for $2000-3000 each in functional condition.
It looks like the information is on the Slack links, but I will copy & paste the info below:
Would Hive13 be interested in a pair of student CNC machines? I have a friend with a proLIGHT 3-axis CNC mill w/ tool changer and a proLIGHT CNC Turning Center (Lathe) (I don’t yet know the exact model numbers). He bought them at auction for nearly nothing and had thoughts of modernizing them with LinuxCNC or something similar, but then realized he had no interest in messing with any of the electronics/controls/software and they have been sitting in his garage on a pallet taking up space. I don’t have pictures of the actual machines yet, but here are some pictures of similar machines from the internet:
This is a vote for $800 to purchase and (hopefully) get working two benchtop training CNC’s. One is a mill and the other a lathe. Lots of discussion on Slack, but basically a person got these two at an auction and doesn’t really want to work on them and they thought we might be interested.
Slack is a new way to communicate with your team. It’s faster, better organized, and more secure than email.
Short version; they are pretty old but seem to have good “bones”. The initial purchase of $300 would then bring them into the Hive and a small group of us would dig into them and see how much work it will be to get them working. We will have to spend some money for misc stuff (steppers, cables, etc) so I wanted to have the $500 as a buffer. Might not spend it, but we also may need to present a larger purchase to get them to final version.
Not to push back on your vote, but for clarity on the space/size of the machines, for others weighing a vote: They are benchtop machines. The two of them will fit on a bench/table the size of the one currently in the machine shop that currently holds the Roland, and if we get these up and running, I’d probably take the Roland home.
I’m interested in the retrofit project, and in using the completed machines.
This also opens the door for current 3D printer users to produce metal parts. Even those who never become comfortable operating machining tools can likely find someone willing to cut parts on their behalf.
Just a reminder, by our recently adopted rules, all votes now require a minimum of 10 yes votes, in addition to the majority of cast votes being yes, to pass.
This vote closes tomorrow and currently has 8 yes votes and 1 no vote by my quick tally. If you are interested in this machines being available, and have not already, cast a vote!
