OK, just so there is no confusion concerning the Rong-Fu mills being discussed here are the links to Penn Tools who sell the true Rong-Fu mill/drills:
So-So: RF-25 1HP 110V 1 Phase $975
Good: RF-31 2HP 110/220V 1 Phase $1150
Better: RF-40 $2195
Best: JFC-45 1.5HP 110/220V 1 Phase $2595
You probably want to stay away from the 3-Phase power units.
Again, there are other places that sell the real Rong-Fu or lesser quality knock-offs including
Enco,
Grizzley,
Wholesale Tools, and others.
So for your $5000 you should be able to get EITHER a nice benchtop Rong-Fu mill/drill and tooling OR a benchtop lathe and tooling but probably not both unless you went with the small 7x lathes and mini-mills from Harbor Freight, etc. or found some good used equipment locally. Just don't underestimate the cost of tooling and accessories.
Mr. Lavery, do you have any opinions on the JET line of these benchtop mill/drills and lathes. Are they good quality or in the cheap knock-off category? I have no experience with JET tools and am curious. Examples:
JET mill/drills (bottom 3) and
JET Lathe. The JET mill/drills seem more expensive than the comparable real Rong-Fu RF-25/31 mill/drills but the lathes seem pretty reasonable price-wise. I am just wondering about the quality. Our machine shop sponsor is looking into getting one of these JET lathes before next season.