03-03-2018, 01:01 PM
Dear All,
This is my first post here. I started the hobby almost 10 years ago to build audio amplifiers, and these need metal and wood parts, mostly if units need massive heat dissipation. I realised I like the metalworking part a lot (more than the wood work for sure). So in the beginning I used a hand held drill. Things got much more pleasant when I got an old Flott TB10 press drill, although it has the spindle 0.05 mm out of centre due to past misuse. The biggest parts I think I will work with would be around 200 X 40 X 350 mm.
I really want to gain the capability to mill metals. I would be mostly mill aluminium, for the audio things, but I might want to use steel to make tools from time to time.
I don't have much space, so I would need a table unit. I am considering a Bernardo KF20 (http://www.bernardo.at), mostly because I live in Austria and the shipment is free.
I am seeking your advice, as I basically am completely lost. I see vices that look the same to me costing from 30 $ to 300$. I don't see the difference. And it goes the same for any other tool.
I think I understood that converting the Flott to a mill just buying a cross table is not a good idea, so I think I have to buy a new machine. Not sure if I will still have use for the Flott then as it is a heavier machine compared to the one I can probably afford.
What I see on the second hand market is that you can get very good deals on big machines, probably because professionals are moving to CNC, but almost nothing on small, hobby size machine.
Can somebody point me in the right direction ?
Thanks,
Davide
This is my first post here. I started the hobby almost 10 years ago to build audio amplifiers, and these need metal and wood parts, mostly if units need massive heat dissipation. I realised I like the metalworking part a lot (more than the wood work for sure). So in the beginning I used a hand held drill. Things got much more pleasant when I got an old Flott TB10 press drill, although it has the spindle 0.05 mm out of centre due to past misuse. The biggest parts I think I will work with would be around 200 X 40 X 350 mm.
I really want to gain the capability to mill metals. I would be mostly mill aluminium, for the audio things, but I might want to use steel to make tools from time to time.
I don't have much space, so I would need a table unit. I am considering a Bernardo KF20 (http://www.bernardo.at), mostly because I live in Austria and the shipment is free.
I am seeking your advice, as I basically am completely lost. I see vices that look the same to me costing from 30 $ to 300$. I don't see the difference. And it goes the same for any other tool.
I think I understood that converting the Flott to a mill just buying a cross table is not a good idea, so I think I have to buy a new machine. Not sure if I will still have use for the Flott then as it is a heavier machine compared to the one I can probably afford.
What I see on the second hand market is that you can get very good deals on big machines, probably because professionals are moving to CNC, but almost nothing on small, hobby size machine.
Can somebody point me in the right direction ?
Thanks,
Davide