6 in 1 milling machine/lathe?

[shift13]

Has anyone ever tryed or have one of these from ebay? Did you like it? Did it last?

[64SS350]

Have a pic or brand name to reference from?

[astroracer]

I have a Smithy lathe/mill combo I ran ALL of my products on for 13 years. It is 22 yrs. old now and still going strong so I can attest they do last.

Mark

[shift13]

[shift13]

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&ei=GfEuU8CGEIzvqQHo0ICoDQ&url=http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D3VNT-IEVny4&cd=1&ved=0CEAQtwIwAA&usg=AFQjCNG2t0j3svua8I1NofA9QQkP_NDkBQ&sig2=wAFYUDs7uf6JfAz9Ccl6fA

I thought it would work great for modeling projects

[astroracer]

Sorry, but I wouldn't touch that with a 10' pole... It is basically a toy and you will have a difficult time finding tooling for it. If you really want to get into the machining aspect of modeling save your money and get something that is more stable and will use available tooling. Look at Smithy, Grizzly, Jet or Enco for available machines. You will be spending more money but at least it is money well spent and you won't be wasting your time with a toy.

Mark

[Aaronw]

There is a guy on an aircraft forum I am a member of who has mentioned having one of these. He likes it, but also admits he has low expectations for it, being just a step above using a drill as a lathe, not a serious tool for fabricating intricate parts.

There are some reviews at Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Milling-Machine-Jig-saw-Driller/dp/B00CJR2OK6

For less than the cost of that 6 in 1 tool, you can get a Dremel and drill press stand. Mount a nice rotating vise and you can do some simple mill work in addition to drilling holes.

http://www.amazon.com/Dremel-220-01-Rotary-Tool-Station/dp/B00068P48O

You are going to pay a lot more for any capable mini lathe.

Edited March 23, 2014 by Aaronw

[DrGlueblob]

I've got one of those. Not worth it.

[Pete J.]

Classic case of jack of all trades, master of none. To effectively turn metal, you need something that doesn't bend or flex. When I saw one comment on the fact that the tool holder wasn't strong enough, it would be time to depart the building!

[dptydawg]

I have one of those Unimat 1 lathes. They are OK for plastic or wood but forget about metal turning. They are a bit of a pain to convert to various tools. I use mine mainly for cutting round stock and truing up ends, I've had mine for 20+ years but I wouldn't buy another.

Carl

[shift13]

Looks like im buying aftermarket parts for a while. Sometimes tools like this can be a gem in our hobby but this one is just coal lol