Travis B.
XS650 Member
looking for thoughts and recommendations for us up in Canada about buyin a mill or lathe from harbour freight or princess auto to make mounting tabs brackets and the like as opposed to paying a machine shop
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buying machine tools vs paying a machine shop
- Thread starter Travis B.
- Start date
Depends on what you're making. A drill press, disc or belt sander, drill vise, files, can make all of your parts. Air tools, cut off tool and grinder are very handy. I've made nice bungs with a drill vise and drill press. A drill press vise with horizontal and vertical V's has helped me to make parts that I couldn't have made before, even drilling larger holes in washers. Ever tried to drill a larger hole in a washer?
Scott
Scott
mrriggs
XS650 Junkie
If you want to pursue machining as an additional hobby then go for it. The machine tools are the easy part, it's the tooling that gets really expensive and it seems like every job requires different tooling. I make pretty much everything myself but it takes ten times as long and costs three times as much than if I just bought a finished product. That's OK if you really enjoy machining but if you're looking to save money then you are better off farming it out.
Hi Travis B,
go for it! Some pointers:-
Princess Auto's machine tools are bottom of the line but for occasional use on evenings and weekends they'll be OK
if you can live with their workpiece size limitations..
OTOH, I've seen machine tools so old they were converted from lineshaft drive and still doing accurate work.
Think about buying larger capacity used machine tools instead of buying new.
Like mrriggs sez, lathe tools and milling cutters are costly,
Tungsten Carbide lathe tools and milling cutters cost even more but they really are the best way to go.
If you have your machinist's papers you'll know all this anyway. If you don't, look for an evening class while you still have all your fingers.
And if like most folks you are bitched for space, look for a used Unimat instead of separate machine tools.
member3480
RICH
Here is what you have to look at and I owned some really high dollar tools for my shops and later on sold everything and I use a machine shop.
First the cost and how much you going to use them
Second who has the skill to make the parts. If you use these everyday then ok
Third down time on some tools that require going over all the time
Now if you are just talking about some hand tools DRILL/GRINDER/SANDER then yes they need to be in your shop.
I bought a lathe and had a guy who new how to use it and it made me NO MONEY and was always needing some part. I too though hey I could make pegs and some fancy parts WRONG there was more waste before they got one right that I could sell so it was a shop anchor that made spacers.
A good machine shop has years of experience and they get it done.
First the cost and how much you going to use them
Second who has the skill to make the parts. If you use these everyday then ok
Third down time on some tools that require going over all the time
Now if you are just talking about some hand tools DRILL/GRINDER/SANDER then yes they need to be in your shop.
I bought a lathe and had a guy who new how to use it and it made me NO MONEY and was always needing some part. I too though hey I could make pegs and some fancy parts WRONG there was more waste before they got one right that I could sell so it was a shop anchor that made spacers.
A good machine shop has years of experience and they get it done.
Hi DaddyG,
I didn't want to imply that the OP would make money with a garage machine shop. As you so rightly say, that would be highly unlikely.
What he will get is satisfaction, knowing that the parts he makes are uniquely his and that he didn't have to settle for something out of someone's catalog.
But if it was me just starting to enhance my DIY capacity, first I'd buy a welder. AND take a welding course. Then get a Unimat. And go broke in style!
I didn't want to imply that the OP would make money with a garage machine shop. As you so rightly say, that would be highly unlikely.
What he will get is satisfaction, knowing that the parts he makes are uniquely his and that he didn't have to settle for something out of someone's catalog.
But if it was me just starting to enhance my DIY capacity, first I'd buy a welder. AND take a welding course. Then get a Unimat. And go broke in style!
member3480
RICH
HAHA Fred You know it just kills me to go into a shop with good people and they are just staring at each other. I stopped at a shop the other day to ask if they had a blast tank and could blast a tank for me. The guy did everything he could to talk me out of taking the paint off the tank but that is what the bike I am doing had. I could not give my money away and I was the only person in there. If you own a shop you never talk people out the door you take the work. Shops now need to repair everything ITS MONEY. Plus this shop when they opened up bought all kinds of high dollar equipment that will never make you money. I use to be a hard head and make everything then the brick fell on my head. Its still my build I am just having someone else make the shit. If I am building a Rat Bike then I will make it all but when you have someone bring you a bike that they had built by someone else and built nice but they crashed it you can put a little spin on it but again make it NICE. I guess I have been doing this too long because I can walk into a place and tell my wife they are done in 6 months and it happens. SMART MONEY GUYS get the most out of it.
Oddjob
adsgads
The SIEG mini lathe's and mill (ie Princess Auto, Harbor Freight, Grizzly tools etc) are well supported, and you can find numerous upgrades and just about any part that you might require to maintain them online.
http://littlemachineshop.com/entry/siegmachines.php
http://www.mini-lathe.com/Default.htm
I would shop and be patient with CL, and look for a used unit with lots of tooling... typically people who are unloading them haven't used them alot... even on CL they might not be that cheap, so it might come down to evaluating and pricing out the tooling that it comes with...
Paying a machine shop to make bushings and mounting tabs will quickly add up...
http://littlemachineshop.com/entry/siegmachines.php
http://www.mini-lathe.com/Default.htm
I would shop and be patient with CL, and look for a used unit with lots of tooling... typically people who are unloading them haven't used them alot... even on CL they might not be that cheap, so it might come down to evaluating and pricing out the tooling that it comes with...
Paying a machine shop to make bushings and mounting tabs will quickly add up...
Hi Oddjob,
yes, nice little machines for their price and I've been tempted. Luckily, for the limited amount of machining I do I have a "Bro with machine shop"
BUT
Those machine tools' small size limits what can be done with them, like a young lady who is too old to adopt and too young to go out with.
OR
They are too big to make watch parts and too small to clean up fork lowers.
HOWEVER
If all you want the machine tools to make is bushings, covers, footpegs and the like, they'll be OK.
yes, nice little machines for their price and I've been tempted. Luckily, for the limited amount of machining I do I have a "Bro with machine shop"
BUT
Those machine tools' small size limits what can be done with them, like a young lady who is too old to adopt and too young to go out with.
OR
They are too big to make watch parts and too small to clean up fork lowers.
HOWEVER
If all you want the machine tools to make is bushings, covers, footpegs and the like, they'll be OK.
When I asked what I should buy the reply was buy a mill as it is more versatile than a lathe.
I have found this correct, with a rotary table, boring head you can make all manner of things. Bushes are slow going though compared to a lathe.
I bought a cheap (ish) digital readout for the quill (one axis only) this is super handy tool.
Consider a 3 axis DRO.
You don't really need a milling vice.
Doing the work yourself over farming out is not cost effective, however there are less delays, much more satisfaction. You also avoid the " I thought it would be better this way" scenario when presented with a part that is not what you drew up.
I have found this correct, with a rotary table, boring head you can make all manner of things. Bushes are slow going though compared to a lathe.
I bought a cheap (ish) digital readout for the quill (one axis only) this is super handy tool.
Consider a 3 axis DRO.
You don't really need a milling vice.
Doing the work yourself over farming out is not cost effective, however there are less delays, much more satisfaction. You also avoid the " I thought it would be better this way" scenario when presented with a part that is not what you drew up.
Last edited:
Travis B.
XS650 Member
Thanks for all the input guys. I had the chance to buy a combo unit years ago and passed on it. Hallf of me is glad and the other half is crying now. Im probably gonna buy a bunch of tabs brackets and heim joints from tc bros and drive down to the machine shop when needed.
