If you had £500 to spend...

[Beanwood]

Just for fun I sometimes wonder what machinery I'd spend a 'spare' £500 on.

I'd be constrained by the space I have - not enough for a full size mill or large lathe, and the power supply- no 3 phase.
I have my Rtech 180 Mig that I'm happy with.
I already have a rough and ready Clarke metalworker pillar drill.
My plasma cutter - cut50 works fine
I have a tiny CL 300m lathe.
I don't see a shaper as vital, unless for a specific job I've not thought of.
So it needs to be a mill - am I right?
And a vertical mill must be more versatile than a horizontal
So a 240v vertical mill of reasonable heft so it's rigid enough but not too bulky to fit in a 4ft square space.

Is that a good choice, or am I missing a piece of kit that I don't even know I need yet?

 

[AdventuresInMetal]

Mag Drill? It's whats on my current want list but there are a few other tool purchases I need to prioritise first.

 

[arther dailey]

mill, folder for your tin work and or rollers for tin..and of course tig , medium anvil ,thats for starters

 

[Beanwood]

mill, folder for your tin work and or rollers for tin..and of course tig , medium anvil ,thats for starters

Oooooh folder - good call!

 

[mtt.tr]

Problem with mills, the machine is cheap the tooling isn't.

 

[ukracer]

Problem with mills, the machine is cheap the tooling isn't.

Too damn right. Lol

 

[MattF]

I rarely think of a list of stuff I'd buy. I'm just a sod for seeing something & thinking: "Ooh, shiny thing".

 

[mtt.tr]

I rarely think of a list of stuff I'd buy. I'm just a sod for seeing something & thinking: "Ooh, shiny thing".

I'm at the point where I think I have everything I want.

 

[bricol]

I'm at the point where I think I have everything I want.

About that with me too - I can make what I want with what I have.

The odd occasional thing I can't it makes sense to pay someone who can to do it, rather than have a stack of money tied up in something rarely used.

 

[mtt.tr]

The odd occasional thing I can't it makes sense to pay someone who can to do it,

Yes this my approach, normally offset with value of time and the "can I be bothered to do something again which I've done 100x before and not that interested in".

Laser cutters is probably the best example of this.

 

[MattF]

I'm at the point where I think I have everything I want.

I think that every time I get something, then I see another shiny thing.

 

[Beanwood]

About that with me too - I can make what I want with what I have.

The odd occasional thing I can't it makes sense to pay someone who can to do it, rather than have a stack of money tied up in something rarely used.

But those little jobs stack up to be quite expensive very quickly
(Based on 4 figures for the small 8 hole press and die I made recently for about £20 including new drill bits)

 

[mtt.tr]

I think that every time I get something, then I see another shiny thing.

Luckily I was born more water tight than a sub when It come the spending.

I mean an actual sub, not the play thing

 

[MattF]

rather than have a stack of money tied up in something rarely used.

I'd say it depends. I do have tools I've not used as yet, but I like to know I have tools to hand for when I do need them.

I obviously wouldn't buy things like that if it meant skimping on necessities though.

 

[skotl]

I rarely think of a list of stuff I'd buy. I'm just a sod for seeing something & thinking: "Ooh, shiny thing".

Really? We hadn't noticed

 

[Morrisman]

Just for fun I sometimes wonder what machinery I'd spend a 'spare' £500 on.

I'd be constrained by the space I have - not enough for a full size mill or large lathe, and the power supply- no 3 phase.
I have my Rtech 180 Mig that I'm happy with.
I already have a rough and ready Clarke metalworker pillar drill.
My plasma cutter - cut50 works fine
I have a tiny CL 300m lathe.
I don't see a shaper as vital, unless for a specific job I've not thought of.
So it needs to be a mill - am I right?
And a vertical mill must be more versatile than a horizontal
So a 240v vertical mill of reasonable heft so it's rigid enough but not too bulky to fit in a 4ft square space.

Is that a good choice, or am I missing a piece of kit that I don't even know I need yet?

I was weaned (apprenticeship) on lots of full size machine tools. I specialised in centre lathe, and for 30 years after leaving the trade I always planned to buy a full size lathe, something that could swing a brake disc or a car flywheel at the very least.

It never happened, but 3 years ago I bought a small, ancient, barely functional old pre war lathe off a mate for silly money. Its been surprisingly useful, I've done quite a few little jobs on it, but very basic.
If I had the room I'd go for a real lathe, Colchester Student size, or bigger.

And then a vertical milling machine.



A good drill press, one of the most useful tools you can have. I bought this when I lived in the far east, and it has travelled back and forth 3 times so far. I fear this is its last stop though.

 

[Farside]

I'm at the point where I think I have everything I want.

Same here, but then I think, "nah".
I want 'that' - whatever the 'that' happens to be shown off here or somewhere else.

 

[addjunkie]

I have 500 to spend, but theres nothing I need to buy, or really want to buy………..I even have the space to put what ever it is.
But as its only 500 I could possibly go red power tool shopping!

If it had a few couple of extra 0 on the end I buy a new tractor!

 

[8ob]

I'm at the point where I think I have everything I want.

Its medication time!

 

[God mode restorations]

Tooling...I would by Tooling. I have my eyes on a list of stuff...I could buy a fair ol haul with 500 sheets