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OK maybe I should have said "some CNC machines" lose 90% of their value in 5 yrs.
I've seen it many times though. Companies that have production jobs need the latest high speeds and feeds and can justify the high cost of a new machine.
When those requirements are not important, like for machining aluminum parts for boats, a used machine will work just fine. The one I used on my intercooler box that was 20 years old was still real tight (ball screws) but the control was an off brand and the it didn't have a tool changer but it worked fine for what I needed and it was miles above any hand jammer machine. It sold for less than 2k.
A good friend of mine is a CNC machine repair man and my ex bro-in-law is a CNC electrical technician. Some of the deals they come across get a CNC machine for less than a hand jammer Bridgeport would bring. Once you've used a ball screw machine, you never want to go back to an old lead screw machine.
There are some who would always pay more for a hand operated lead screw machine than they would for a CNC ball screw machine because they don't want to learn any CNC programming.
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Unchained, I own that 20 year old machine with out a tool changer. And you are right, ok to tinker with but you won't earn a living with it. See, this is no hobby for me.
I go lucky that only a servo went bad. If it was a spindle or AC drive I'd had to push it in the scrap heap.
Also I need something that will run unattened. I can buy a pretty nice machine for less then hiring someone to change tools in what I have now.
I'm looking at used stuff too. I'm sure I'll go that route when I get a bigger lathe (like a 6~8" chuck). What I'm after right now is a small lathe for bar work. The one I'm looking at will drop the part off in 22 seconds and costs about as much as a nice 3/4 ton truck. Maybe a little more with the bar feeder.
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This is the part I don't get about this whole plate thing. The strut is flopping back and forth (if they didn't, no one would ever crack one), the shaft is whipping like a snake in hot oil, the boat itself is twisting a flexing like mad and thru all this they are trying to keep the V-drive/shaft alignment lazer straight. They are kidding right?
I agree with you in the sense that GN boats are a difficult environment in which to maintain certain alignment characteristics. My goal is to seek out and mitigate the odds of a mechanical failure, or some characteristic(s) negatively affecting handling/performance.
In some cases, a strategically placed wrap of race tape can be of enormous value(across driveline cover bolts, for example). Preventing vdrive failure and/or prop creep may prove more of an engineering challenge, but are goals worthy of consideration and persistance.
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All this talk about machine tools caused me to dig up a machine shop trivia question.
What machine tool can remove the most metal per hour.........in relation to the weight of the machine ?
