My other hobby

[IcutMetl]

Before selling cutting tools, and field servicing CNC machines, I was a machinist for about 9 years. I missed the ability to do "government" work, so I bought a few machines of my own from a local Delphi toolroom auction, and keep them in a barn of my buddy's I used to work with. We're still wiring them up and building a 3phase convertor, but so far, we have a real nice vertical mill, a CNC Bridgeport, and a WWII era Air Force LeBlond engine lathe. Miller engine driven stick welder, and hopefully a Miller 250amp mig coming soon, plus abrasive saw, torches, and the normal hand tools. I need to get toolholders for all the machines, and I wouldn't mind having a tig welder again, but mortgage has to get paid somehow.....blah

[rustyATV]

So, can you program that CNC mill with a CAD file?

[IcutMetl]

Yes, you can program it conversationally (right at the control), or by computer feed from a CAM program. I'm not familiar at all with the control, but it can't be hard to learn. Hopefully it powers up; there were a lot of machines that got hacked when they removed them. If it's a pos, I'm gonna sell/part it out and buy another.

[woodsracer144]

so since you have all these nice tools what are you going to make with them?

[IcutMetl]

Mainly just for hobby, hopefully pick up a little cabbage on the side doing odd fix-it work or small part runs. I'll at least be able to bore my own cases out for the R when I do a big bore, lighten my flywheel, and other stuff like that. Hope to get my cnc mill up and running, or if not buy a nicer one, so I can do contouring work and make clutch covers and the simple custom billet stuff.

I built a "beer-b-que" grill out of stainless tubing and a beer keg, notched all the tubing on a bridgeport and tig welded it all together- would like to do another one of those, but nicer...it took a lot of hurried 1/2 hour lunches at work to get the first one done.

[ny250r]

I plan on having a setup similar to you in the near future. I am currently a Field Service Engineer for a large cnc manufacturer and would like to pickup a few machines to "play" with. One of my customers specializes in casting aluminum. I talked with them about the possibility of making case halves and they sounded interested. With the way oem parts are becoming more rare I just may have to go for it.

[mxduner]

Originally posted by IcutMetl
I built a "beer-b-que" grill out of stainless tubing and a beer keg, notched all the tubing on a bridgeport and tig welded it all together- would like to do another one of those, but nicer...it took a lot of hurried 1/2 hour lunches at work to get the first one done. Thats awesome:D i want some pics of that and all your other 'hurried 1/2hr. lunches' projects ya built

man, guys like you and ny might be our saviors for r parts (CASES)

[woodsracer144]

hey icutmetl- were you in sandusky when tommy boy was made? can you work for Calihan?

[IcutMetl]

F'in Tommy Boy...I love that movie, but I have NO idea where Sandusky came into play, because there's nothing in that movie that resembles our city.

"You could get a good look at a t-bone by sticking your head up a bull's ars, but wouldn't you rather take the butcher's word for it?"