Mini machine tools are hobbyist-sized versions of lathes...
Excerpt from an eBay buyers guild....
Mini machine tools are hobbyist-sized versions of lathes and milling machines used to manufacture metal parts. There are roughly three categories of tools out there you might see:
- Micro machine tools: Sherline, Taig, Proxxon, and the Emco Unimat all make similarly-sized tools well suited for modelmaking and similar types of small work. These were too small for me but they are very compact, light, and seem to hold their value very well. Sherline, Taig, and Proxxon all offer factory support/parts for CNC.
- Older used "American Iron": Lathes such as Craftsman, Atlas, and South Bend were available in smaller sizes (~8" swing) and can be excellent tools capable of better work than most of their operators. You will not see these so often on eBay because they are HEAVY, often hundreds of pounds. Sometimes they sell for close to scrap metal prices because of this. If you know what you are doing and can move a 400lb machine, they can be great deals. These could be CNC'd by someone who knows what he's doing.
- New imported (usually Chinese) machine tools: The best known of these are the "black and red" series of lathes and mills made (mostly) by Shanghai Sieg Industries. If you look at 7x10 lathes for instance you'll find that a lot of them look the same. Well, guess what, whether they were originally sold by Homier, Harbor Freight, Grizzly, Arc Eurotrade, or whomever, they were probably all made by Sieg.
- In the past some distributors were suggested to have higher QC standards but the quality seems to have become fairly uniform and is going up over time. There is good aftermarket support for these as well as very large and active owner communities so a used lathe or mill can be a good deal. If you look at new machines be sure to compare prices across different sellers because I've seen variation of 25% or more. Be sure to consider shipping costs too since these start around 100 pounds, and a dollar per pound is a good guesstimate for domestic ground shipping. Don't be suprised by the prices!
- A tool that's taken care of by its owner can be just as good in ten years as when it came out of the box. I typically see the Sieg tools going for 50% or more of new prices before shipping. Many of these can also be converted to CNC with aftermarket/homemade parts... More Here
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