At the bottom of the home page you can download the PDF catalog file and it has a bunch about the controls.

quote: not how different is from the other commonly known controllers? In the past I was told it was a PC based control....need a more computer literate person than me to explain. There use to be a big section on their webpage about the control, BUT they just redid their site..so don't know what all is there at the moment, they just had a price jump, that I know.

Sante fe, its their own controller you can read more about it by hitting home and clicking around. Some of thier machines are Fanuc. My landlord here at the shop has 4 of the RW20 minis which has greater Y travel and the carasel style tool changer, (keeps it out of the chips and faster). He also just bought one of the twin table machines. I have 2 Milltronics machines but not the RW15, but my next machine will be that model. I suggest reading Milltronics "truth in specs" statement and then compare all models.

http://www.milltronics.net/Product_RW15_MillingMachines.aspx

haas makes a big deal out of their "up front" standard repair costs and aren't they the people that show a repair guy on a rope bridge making a service call? If I already had 2 Haas I would stick with them. (Same control, etc)

quote: Or, take work home. I know the thought of that just does not sit well with everyone but I probably programmed several dozen parts at home before any of my programs ever cut a single chip. I used to sneak into the office and copy blueprints (nothing that was sensitive) then take them home for learning - I DO NOT RECCOMMEND OR ENDORSE THIS TYPE OF BEHAVIOUR BTW. I did this probably for at least a year. T You would be suprised at the young toolmakers taking prints home to plan the job at night so the next day they could come in and hit the ground running....guess what... they got up to "top pay" quickly and owning their own shop at a young age...."ATTITUDE" son attitude.

Click on Books at top of the page and buy "one" that best relates and see how it goes. I did that and go at my own speed when I had spare time. Money well spent as you can make notes ,etc. and go back to tutorials you did.

quote: shady, machinetools.com and Industrial auctioneers association web page are 2 good sources for auctions. I am gonna try and take a big break next summer... Make it easy for ya

quote: what about lathes? is there a site that helps you locate local auctions? Go to off-topics side (real info) and click on Nypro Kentucky

quote: If not new I would check ebay frequently as well. "No reserve" auctions on e-bay

quote: Kevin, did you say $150 for a 14" Optical Comparator??? Yup...pretty sobering; owner told me he was tired of being the first one in and the last one out for the last 20 years. ( what I have found at auctions is: there is no such thing as too low a price...and it only takes one other intrested party to run the price up BUT if he is not there items can sell rediculously cheap. Throw out old prices from 12 years ago...I bought a 14" Kodak with 10X 20X 50X 100X lenses and surface illumination for $265 at a different auction (weighs 1000 lbs)...I paid $1,000 for a small used 12"Delltronics 12 years ago (250lbs?)and felt lucky to get it back then (prices are very low right now)

Is there anything but a Bridgeport? (my last new one I bought) Seiki looks good for an import...Manual toolmaking machines are so cheap at auctions (USA) at this point... if money is an issue I would buy a good used one. I saw a harig surface grinder sell for $250 yeaterday at an auction, was not there to watch Mills sell (went to buy a Roto-grind table and got it cheap) 2ea. optical comparators sold for 100 to 150 dollars (14" sher-tomica)

Lots of haas and Milltronics (made in Minnesota) here in dayton, Ohio. Milltronics is getting better and better so I would for sure look at them. I would start calling the factory (if you have not) and if no satisfaction, ask to speak to their boss and keep working your way up...then a lawyer. If you are a smaller shop you are less important (maybe) we have shops around here with 20-30 Haas machines and my landlord here at my shop has over a dozen Milltronics and I have 2. Dayton dealer is the largest Milltronics dealer in the world and guess what ! its the service that did this for them....duh..

quote: Now they say we should have put glass scales on this machine. By the way, they are jerking you around on this instead of fixing it...Don't let them manipulate you, be firm as long as you can, then start looking into legal action. Sometimes a letter from an attorny will get their attention more.

I would ask for a new one, sounds like something is really wrong with it (mis-alignent or bad casting ) with all the spindle problems on top of that...If your dealer is not receptive, I would go to a higher up at the factory. It can't pay its way if its not running, I would be getting very very firm, if you are getting the song and dance after that go talk to a lawyer and get it straightened out. Not a time to be bashful.

forgot...stepped plugs

Can you gundrill it and then turn od on a mandrel sort of thing for .002 TIR? (put plugs with centers in each end and turn)

I use a high powered shop-vac for occasional use...I only use the fine partical bags (dry wall dust type) and also order from their web page the flat like a pancake cloth filter that covers top of canister (i.e. if cannister is 16" dia. I order 16" one apx.$32)...so when set up there are a total of 3 filters to protect electric brush motor...and when they burn up just buy a replacement motor from them.

I would make sure I had good product liability insurance before doing something like that in the USA....Right now I would turn that job away.

quote: I'll put a Toyoda up against a Makino Saw a Toyoda horizontal with a pallet changer 2,000lb capacity and 35 X 40 travel, 50 taper, 48 tools, etc. They demo it moving and running, changing tools and switching out pallet (rotated table type). weighed about 40,000 lbs. and sold for $ 8,000.00

A couple of months ago I saw 3 makino A55 horizontals tied together with a 18 pallet MMC (looked like a railroad track to me, a toolmaker). Was used; 1995 and they had a video of it running. Sold for 158K.

I also use a tapered pipe reamer for that size. It can reduce the tap chipping. I run the reamer slow RPM with cutting oil brushed on.

Chris, my only advice on trying to get the truth out of salesman on boring "true position" hole locations on VMCs, is to ask what they will put in writing. I was told scales only help with thermal growth and not true position(will help on jig bores and bridgeports)..think it has something to do with the actual drive motor and the board that controls it.. and make sure the person understands volumetric accuracy and not just moving in one direction (believe it or not, the salesman have told me "no one has ever asked me before about true position....yeah right...) I see Milltronics has gone to 40 millionths encoders and inline drives, they have some kind of accuraccy statement at bottom of model page.....I would probably buy a 20 X 40 travels and stay in the middle of travels, even my Moore jig-grinders and jig bore are effected at ends of travel, when new I think they guarenteed .0001" true position anywhere in travel, but a piece of steel added into mix...

Jammer left Ohio for there and ruined all the women

I actually gave you 2 different ways in my above post...little confusing maybe..