Recommended Tools and Machinery for Your Team's Machine Shop

[sanddrag]

This is a nice little inexpensive sander for a small/budget shop. I wish I had space for it at home. http://www.harborfreight.com/4-inch-...der-93981.html

[Dick Linn]

Anyone one wanting a fairly decent big lathe ought to check this out:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=200469502003

The seller is the proprietor at www.practicalmachinist.com.

Here's the scoop:

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb...ore-fs-203825/

[Cory]

Originally Posted by Dick Linn

Anyone one wanting a fairly decent big lathe ought to check this out:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=200469502003

The seller is the proprietor at www.practicalmachinist.com.

Here's the scoop:

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb...ore-fs-203825/

Off topic, but it's ironic how he deletes anything discussing Chinese machinery, but is in fact selling a Chinese machine.

[Dick Linn]

Yes, "Milacron" is definitely down on the "hobby" grade Chinese equipment. I'd love to have this Jet lathe as it weighs more than twice what some others weigh and has a huge spindle hole. This is probably one of the Taiwanese vintage lathes.

[Gary Dillard]

Hi George - Several of us took an interest in this thread last year and am revisiting it since we're considering adding some machining capability to our build area. Unfortunately the prices at Harbor Freight on the big ticket items have gone up substantially since last year - I'll have to keep an eye on my mailers for sales and coupons. I'm hoping to do a fundraiser / demo at the local Harbor Freight this year to see if we can get people to donate specific items on the list or contribute towards one of the bigger items.

[sanddrag]

Originally Posted by Gary Dillard

Unfortunately the prices at Harbor Freight on the big ticket items have gone up substantially since last year

Looks like I wasn't the only one who notices. Their prices really have gone up! The 8x12 lathe I bought in 2006 has doubled in price since then. Glad I got it when I did.

[ksafin]

Hello all.

I wanted to make a quick thread to ask about what kind of tools you have, what tools you think are essential for all teams, which are rarely used, and which are non-essential but make a lot of things easier & quicker..

Our team only has a Miter Saw, Drill Press, and Bench Grinder as far as big tools, and the standard assorted hand tools.

We've never really had a need for anything else, but this may be because we don't know what other tools offer, so we'd like to be enlightened.

Things we were considering but questioning the additional benefit of included a lathe, bandsaw, and scroll saw

[Phyrxes]

Do you have the space to store anything you might purchase, or is storage at a premium?

Lathe: Not having access to a lathe generally means you are using more off the shelf solutions instead of fabricating your own. We just purchased one this off season so we can have in house access but I don't have any expectations of how much use it will see.

Bandsaws: We currently have both a vertical and a horizontal bandsaw. Our horizontal one needs some repair as its an old school division machine but once it is up and running I suspect it will replace our vertical bandsaw as the workhorse.

Scroll saw: The team doesn't currently own one but students use a drill and jigsaw quite a bit so I don't expect the team will purchase a scroll saw any time soon.

[ksafin]

Thanks for the input!

We have MORE than enough space for any tools. We have too much space and are actually looking to get a bunch of tools to utilize it.

Lathe: Do you think its worth the investment? What kind? I've seen mini-lathe's for $400 or so, and bigger ones for considerably more.

Bandsaw: Has the bandsaw been very useful for you?

[AlecMataloni]

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=108842

Some great info in this thread about various types of shop tools/machines.

[ksafin]

Also, are cut-off saws specifically used for metal cutting? We've been using a miter saw to cut our aluminum.

What's the benefit of purchasing a cut-off saw?

[Phyrxes]

I believe the lathe we purchased was this one.

The bandsaw gets a lot of use, especially as we fabricate more and more pieces from stock. Having a horizontal bandsaw over a vertical one means you aren't limited by the length of stock that will fit between the throat and the blade.

A table saw is handy for ripping bumper plywood, prototyping, and constructing low cost field elements but isn't necessary as a circular saw can accomplish the tasks. We have both, but our table saw is a Dewalt "worksite" one that can be stored out of the way when not needed.

The only other hand held power tool that comes to mind is a right angle drill, especially if you use rivets and have to drill out one that is in a inconvenient space.

[Phyrxes]

For any decision on tooling purchases we start with two questions:
1. Does this potential purchase increase our in house manufacturing ability or does it simply replace or supplement existing equipment?

2. Does one of our sponsors grant us access to machine time on this already?

[ksafin]

Originally Posted by AlecMataloni

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=108842

Some great info in this thread about various types of shop tools/machines.

Thanks this is very helpful!

& So, in regard to a cut-off saw.. Do you have one?

[Phyrxes]

We have two miter or "chop" saws in our shop. One has an aluminum cutting blade in it and is used constantly, the other is our older saw that now sports a ferrous cutting disk to handle any steel we might use. The second saw is not used very much now that we have transitioned to using 7075 aluminum rod instead of the hardened steel rod we used in the past.