Milling Machines, Hmm,
I got really lucky a few years back and bought a Yugoslavian Horizontal/Vertical Mill, branded a "Gate 05" It is truly a thing to behold, having been trained in a steel works where Bridgeports were looked down upon as feeble and big Cincinnati's were the order of the day, that is if you weren't on a Zayer bed mill or something like that, When I left there and was running a 9x42 BP copy, I liked it but it wasn't impressive to me.
The Gate turned up on Ebay, advertised as a "Gate" the listing didn't even have the word Mill in it anywhere, as soon as I saw it I wanted it and placed a £3500 bid, even though no-one had bid on a starting price of £500. A day later it was mine for £500
It seems that no-one else saw it due to the bad advertising.
It was seriously filthy but was in very good order, the dirt was stuck to it so hard as it was still covered in packing grease, at the time I had a workshop full of labour so I got one of my mechanics to do the clean and presto, an almost new looking Gate 05 when I went looking for a realistic price the cheapest similar unit was £15,000
It has two iso40 spindles, a universal table, four axis geared feeds (not DC add on feeds) spiral indexing capability, and super accurate production style axis stops on three axes.
I really like it lots.
Best Regards
Rick
As it was
After a clean, oh and it came with all these tools and a reasonably good vise
Whatever it is, do it today, Tomorrow may not be an option and regret outlasts fatigue.
Hello Ron,
It's one of those machines that just feels good to use, sure there are times when it is a little "heavy" like making con rods for model engines but I used it for making petrol and Diesel fuel injector parts and they are even smaller, it's just that you can't feel the cutting forces in that scale, which can lead to tool breakages if you're not careful, It'd be nice to have a little Sieg or something like that for the really fiddly stuff, in the back ground my old 9x42 BP copy is almost visible, it was just small enough to be comfortable around the tiny work, but It couldn't cut big gears or splines like the Gate does 2" x 10 teeth square spline, in EN24 cut in two passes, one roughing and one finish pass per tooth. Cutting High alloy steel is like cutting Aluminium or bronze on the BP.
Best Regards
Rick
Whatever it is, do it today, Tomorrow may not be an option and regret outlasts fatigue.
Nice looking mill! But it doesn't seem fair that one should get a deal like that for a "business" after all businesses get to dedeuct expenses and depreciate assets and stuff like that!
Sorry Rick, just the grumbling ramblings of a hobby machinist.
(06-22-2012, 06:35 AM)stevec Wrote: Nice looking mill! But it doesn't seem fair that one should get a deal like that for a "business" after all businesses get to dedeuct expenses and depreciate assets and stuff like that!
Sorry Rick, just the grumbling ramblings of a hobby machinist.
No problem Steve, It wasn't bought for a Business at the time, I used to keep the tools at my business' workshop but they were my hobby tools just I had no where else to keep them, so as a trade off, when a job came up that required the machines for the business, I'd let them use them, in return I used the labour force to do maintenance and the odd modification, and after all as this was a liquidation sale if I hadn't bid it would have been a no sale and would've been sent to scrap, Now that would be unfair, actually a crime.
Best Regards
Rick
Whatever it is, do it today, Tomorrow may not be an option and regret outlasts fatigue.
Thanks for 'splainin it to me Rick, I have at times enjoyed the benefits of mutually profitable arrangements with employers and later one of my customers. Works for me!
What you should look at leasing/renting the equipment back to the business. You can then right that cost off as an operating expense. You'd still have to pay income tax on it but I would think you could come out way ahead that way.
-Ron
11" South Bend lathe - Wells-Index 860C mill - 16" Queen City Shaper
06-23-2012, 04:16 AM (This post was last modified: 06-23-2012, 04:17 AM by Rickabilly.)
Hello Ron,
I did that for a little while, but the business closed down a while back and I've since moved all my gear to a little commercial shop, I just have way too much to keep at home, when I moved it all out, the transport ticket quoted 45 tons of machine tools, but there were some cars and other stock and materials included in that 45,
As it stands I do some commercial work when my back injury allows me to in order to pay the rent, and Mrs Rick is very understanding of my need to stay sane when my injury prevents me from working.
So I suppose the machines have become the foundation for a new business, just as soon as my health can stand full time work.
The problem leasing the equipment back to the business was that employees didn't always respect the equipment they were given, I used to tell the guys working my gear to be careful, and to make sure they didn't scar tables and stuff like that, they used to complain that they didn't know which gear was mine and which belonged to the company not that it should have mattered, respect it all, This is why much of my equipment has the yellow and black "Sheild" stickers, this was my old workshop logo from Way back, and it was instantly recognisable as my "Branding Iron" mark.
Best regards
Rick
Whatever it is, do it today, Tomorrow may not be an option and regret outlasts fatigue.
Hello Rick, you probably recognize my latest "milling" machine. I just wanted to add it to this show-me thread. The pic shows it being moved to a permanent spot.
(06-23-2012, 04:16 AM)Rickabilly Wrote: The problem leasing the equipment back to the business was that employees didn't always respect the equipment they were given, I used to tell the guys working my gear to be careful, and to make sure they didn't scar tables and stuff like that, they used to complain that they didn't know which gear was mine and which belonged to the company not that it should have mattered, respect it all, This is why much of my equipment has the yellow and black "Sheild" stickers, this was my old workshop logo from Way back, and it was instantly recognisable as my "Branding Iron" mark.
Best regards
Rick
I keep forgetting about "employees" (I run a "1-man" business basically) and I would have a real hard time letting someone else run my machines as no one would take as much care as I do with them. I well understand your problems with doing so.
(06-23-2012, 02:20 PM)Sunset Machine Wrote: Hello Rick, you probably recognize my latest "milling" machine. I just wanted to add it to this show-me thread. The pic shows it being moved to a permanent spot.
I'd like to see a little more information and your plans/rebuild for that nice little piece of equipment.
-Ron
11" South Bend lathe - Wells-Index 860C mill - 16" Queen City Shaper
and with those capabilities and price, a stellar deal. 
(I run a "1-man" business basically) and I would have a real hard time letting someone else run my machines as no one would take as much care as I do with them. I well understand your problems with doing so.