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3 in 1 mill, drill & lathe combo.

6PKRTSE

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I have access to as many lathes & mills & CNC machines one could want at work but I have been considering one of these cheap little 3 in 1 combo tools just to have at home in the garage for cutting down bolts, making spacers, etc. Are they worth the money or more of a gimmick & more of a pain to use than they are worth?
 
I1ve been looking for one I have many nice lathes but I found one very similar to this one that I can pick up for a nice price with tons of extra`s plus it comes with a large heavy steel bench
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Yes, that is pretty much the same piece I have been think about.
 
I wouldn't touch one with a 10ft pole! A good machine is a rigid machine and is built to do it's job well not 3 jobs half *** but that's just me. Looks to me like a cluster @#%$ with so many things in the way of completing any one task. I don't mean to come off the wrong way but have been around those small homeowners style machines and am not impressed even for small jobs. Your money is better spent on an old machine IMO.

$1,000 is all I paid for this monster and it only needed tooling to start using.
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I wouldn't touch one with a 10ft pole! A good machine is a rigid machine and is built to do it's job well not 3 jobs half *** but that's just me. Looks to me like a cluster @#%$ with so many things in the way of completing any one task. I don't mean to come off the wrong way but have been around those small homeowners style machines and am not impressed even for small jobs. Your money is better spent on an old machine IMO.

$1,000 is all I paid for this monster and it only needed tooling to start using.View attachment 563836

Nice lathe. I agree, but figured it might be handy for a few small jobs here & there. We have 6 of those that big at work & a couple more that are even bigger.
 
Nice lathe. I agree, but figured it might be handy for a few small jobs here & there. We have 6 of those that big at work & a couple more that are even bigger.
Wait until you retire and access to those machines retires with you. I know.
 
Wait until you retire and access to those machines retires with you. I know.

I have more than 20 years to go anyway. I will never afford to retire. I have to work until the day I die.... I have to be able to afford these Mopars somehow.
 
I have more than 20 years to go anyway. I will never afford to retire. I have to work until the day I die.... I have to be able to afford these Mopars somehow.
Tough to start saving if your self employed. I started 23 years before retired. 17% every week in a 401k, six figures now. Have small pension under 1k and SS doing just fine.
 
In '94 right before I left the Army, I bought a Smithy lathe-mill-drill unit. I anticipated using it in my business I was going to start. I realized it was awful chinesium rather quickly. It worked okay, but I wouldn't do anything precision. It was too small between centers (20") to polish a crankshaft, so I made my own polishing stand out of an old hutch. If I tried to turn anything close to its capacity, it would chatter too much. I eventually traded for an ENCO lathe that was 12"x36", and still have it today. I can even polish a Cummins 5.9 crank if I remove the cross slide. While people have used the smaller Chinese lathes and combo units, I would advise against it from my own experiences. It is definitely a compromise for all three. The ENCO lathe is a decent size, not horribly expensive, and accurate enough for most hobbyist needs. This is not mine, but I have the same one.

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I have a smithy 3 in 1.
I use it all the time.
If you expect too much out of it you will be disappointed.
If you are realistic, they are a great little tool.
And they don't take up a lot of space
 
I agree. I too have a Smithy. I've tightened up some things, removed some backlash and if adjusted properly, you can easily hold a thousandth of an inch. It has saved my *** many times.

The newer models are much nicer than mine (mine has to be 25 yrs old), and a bit pricier, but you know what they say, you get what you pay for, and while not always true, I think it is in machine tools.
https://smithy.com/Smithy-Lathe-Mil...MI_4DNmvzz2AIVl0oNCh2SBghtEAAYASAAEgKbDfD_BwE
 
the one I got was a unit that a friend had bought for small jobs he had not used it his health had failed him I bought new and complete $500.00 with a ton of extras it doesn't take up alot of space if I need one do do bigger items I have a sears atlas that I use
 
Just spoke to a buddy of mine that has a hardly used milling machine that he recently bought for about $3000. He's selling it for half. Wish I could justify it.
 
when some of have of us have smaller garages it is hard to put so much of the larger equipment in them plus cars and have working space ,I would like to add on but that wont happen in my city
 
I also bought one of these for small work its 48 inch unit with stand
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I wouldn't touch one with a 10ft pole! A good machine is a rigid machine and is built to do it's job well not 3 jobs half *** but that's just me. Looks to me like a cluster @#%$ with so many things in the way of completing any one task. I don't mean to come off the wrong way but have been around those small homeowners style machines and am not impressed even for small jobs. Your money is better spent on an old machine IMO.

$1,000 is all I paid for this monster and it only needed tooling to start using.View attachment 563836
You bought that LaBlond lathe for a grand! Did you have a ski mask and pistol LOL!!! Single or three phase motor? Very nice though!
 
I wanted a lathe and a guy on the next block had several. I saw a pre war South Bend it was all apart and rusted, i gave the guy a hundred. The way that lathe was made, the quality, the steel, i freed it all up, oiled it put it all back together. I found a place that makes the drive belt, got a motor and switch and i was in business. I sold it like a fool and wish i had it back
 
I wouldn't touch one with a 10ft pole! A good machine is a rigid machine and is built to do it's job well not 3 jobs half *** but that's just me. Looks to me like a cluster @#%$ with so many things in the way of completing any one task. I don't mean to come off the wrong way but have been around those small homeowners style machines and am not impressed even for small jobs. Your money is better spent on an old machine IMO.

$1,000 is all I paid for this monster and it only needed tooling to start using.View attachment 563836

Tend to agree with 747Mopar . . .

A tool that does the work "right" was designed and built to do one thing . . . if you add more functions to it, you lose precision in the process . . .

Of course, 747Mopar has a rig that can turn a Devin on it ! ! ! Dang that thing is a monster ! ! !
 
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