Recommended Tools and Machinery for Your Team's Machine Shop

[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.

[Gary Dillard]

Does Harbor Freight carry any decent (adequate) tools similar to the list you have from CDCO and Enco? Reason I'm asking is, out team now has a permanent space to call home where we could set up a shop. I'm considering as a fundraiser next year bringing the robot to the local Harbor Freight store and setting up some "wishlist" cards so people could purchase or contribute towards specific items we need. If I could put together the entire list from Harbor Freight and not just the big stuff we might get better response.

[George]

Hi All,
For those with bigger dreams, a bigger budget or just more space:

Harbor Freight (http://www.harborfreight.com)
1pc Knee Mill (R8) #40393-1VGA $1899.99
1pc Drill Press ½” #44505-0VGA $ 459.99
1pc Band Saw #93762-1VGA $ 199.99
1pc Grinder 8” #90022-0VGA $ 54.99
2pc 1” Indicator #623-0VAG $ 11.99
1pc Compressor #93271-0VGA $ 169.87
ST $2796.82
American Machine Tool (http://www.americanmachinetools.com)
1pc Lathe 13x40” #YCL-1340 $2395.00
ST $2395.00
CDCO (http://www.cdcotools.com)
1pc Mill Vise 4” #21003 $ 95.00
1pc Mill X feed motor #22301 $ 259.00
1pc Clamp Kit #24802 $ 38.00
1set Parallels #37201 $ 27.00
1pc Drill Chuck #25003 $ 10.00
1pc Arbor (5/8) #21303 $ 4.00
1pc Edge finder #60601 $ 5.00
1pc Wiggler #60603 $ 6.00
1set 0-6 Micrometers #32653 $ 69.00
1set Telescope gages #34101 $ 12.00
1set End Mills #45901 $ 48.00
ST $ 654.00
Enco (http://www.use-enco.com)
1set Lathe tools #383-4300 $ 37.95
1set R8 Collets #231-4611 $ 37.95
1set QT tool post #TC505-2253 $ 145.95
1set Rotary Table #TC200-1144 $ 395.95
1pc Arbor Press 3Ton #805-1045 $ 179.98
1set Broaches “A” #307-2793 $ 78.99
ST $ 876.77
Shooting Star (http://www.star-techno.com)
1pc 2 Axis DRO #BT-2 $ 599.00
1pc 3Axis DRO #BT-3 $ 749.00
ST $ 1348.00

TOTAL $8069.59

I have left out most of the hand tools Ya gotta stop somewhere!
You can fill in the blanks with the remaining $$$
And Yes I would add a sander (HP 12" disk is a good one)
Taxes and Shipping is still not include

The lathe is the best deal out there and comes with a one year “no questions ask” warranty with very prompt service and shipping
(They also have a “how to operate a Lathe” and “how to operate a Mill” on their site)
This is much better the Harbor Freight lathe of the same size
And Shooting star has a 5 year warranty, a very good unit for the price
Again I have hands on experience with all this equipment

The Mill can be modified in many ways with the power feed as the start
And you can add a column spacer for more height, with the DRO it’s a very good and friendly machine

Harbor Freight has the best deal on Roll-a-way Tool boxes (90320-9VGA)
At $399.00 there is no beating it
Having toys with no toy box to keep them in is a sad thing



Geo.

[viperred396]

Great List!

Approximately how much space do you think this would all take up?

[DonRotolo]

Properly set up for use on a multi-person shop, I'd want no smaller than 15 x 25 feet or so, but this can be a little smaller or a lot larger.

In addition to the belt/disk sander combo (I like the 9"/6x48" Harbor Freight unit) I would include a basic 8" table saw; great for cutting sheet goods. This machine needs a lot of free space around it, so get one with wheels and store it in a corner, pulling it out as necessary. A 10" saw can cut thicker material. No need for a $1000 machine, a 'portable contractor's saw" for half that will be more than adequate.

George: Again, thank you for the effort, I am sure that several teams will benefit.

Edit: The NASA machine shops use 8' x 25' or so, but that's not what I'd call a "proper" set up, particularly for HS kids just learning the machines. For a one-man shop, it can be a LOT smaller though.

[George]

“Approximately how much space do you think this would all take up?”

8’x 10’ would work, maybe a little less
Jan Cory in AZ mounted about the same equipment on 4’x10’ and it works great, very compact with power panel built in it makes for EZ-setup (240 V 1PH)
A single car garage would be a perfect 1-2 man shop
A two car garage and you have enough room for a team to build
It’s the old story more the more room the better!
Something I forgot to mention before is that the bigger machines are 240V 1PH the same as most household stoves or dryers
The amps are low enough that a 50 amp circuit will work.
Don’t forget the First Aid kit.
Geo.

[sanddrag]

I have a 7' x 12' "one man shop" at home, and here's what I have in it:

8x14 lathe
CNCed Benchtop Mill (5"x11" XY travel)
Small Floor Standing Knee Mill (about 4.5"x14" XY travel, about 800lbs)
10" drill press
14" band saw
4HP 29 gallon compressor
40" tool box
Two upright floor standing cabinets
8 foot by 20" deep workbench, with vice, and two 2-foot wide under bench cabinets/drawers

Tucked away in another area, I have a 12" sliding miter saw. Still need a good sander.

It's pretty tight, but I do quite well in there.

[sanddrag]

Here's a thread on another forum I frequent, regarding smaller shops:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=63118

In the first post is a beautiful sub 100 sq-ft shop that I would consider just about ideal for a team with limited space, who is just getting into machining and such.

[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.

[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]

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?