Thanks so much for this! Going to look into it right now!I’ve been lathe shopping lately and have narrowed my choices to Precision Matthews. Good pricing and all of their lathes use an inch thread pitch in the lead screws. The lathe I have at work is metric thread pitch and really messes me up as the lathe manufacturer did not convert the dials.
If you haven't done so, check out the Hobby Machinist forum. It has a sponsored section for Precision Matthews, but also has sections dedicated to home CNC as well as smaller mills. The people there are incredibly helpful, encourage beginner questions and you really never see any rude behavior....very well moderated (much like here).Subscribing, as I may be looking to add the same. Specifically more into smaller mills, including CNC. Biggest issue will be space and how to get a class' worth of access.
-Metal working in inherently dangerous, no two ways about it. Peeling off stringy chips in the lathe can be considered a mass of whirling razor blades. A multi HP motor can easily break fingers or drag you into the rotating mass. Machinery doesn't care, it does what you set it to do whether it's right or wrong. Milling cutters have sharp edges that will easily go through flesh/bone with less effort than the metal you're cutting. Power feed doesn't care if your hand/finger is in the way, it will crush/cut whatever is between the spindle and the vise. It will drive itself into the chuck until either the motor stalls or the lead screw breaks. Exploding cutters that send shrapnel into anybody nearby is of no concern, the machine doesn't care.not so sure learning on something with no vices is quite as effective.
-Perhaps, tough call to make. A lot will depend upon what the program wants to teach. If it's CNC programming of G and M codes then size isn't really important, one of those micro machines in a box (educational machines) will do fine. If the program seeks to produce graduates somewhat ready for employment in a machine shop after high school then that's a different story.Maybe a mix of sizes?
-Perhaps so, I was attempting to address what the OP of this thread was enquiring about. Metal working machinery is all I'm (somewhat) qualified to offer an opinion on. I do woodworking as a hobby, mostly by hand tools, using power tools when required. I've built several tables and a 400 lb. oak workbench (no metal fasteners) but that hardly qualifies me to comment on an institutional/educational woodworking program.I wonder if we are approaching this with different goals.
-Perhaps, tough call to make. A lot will depend upon what the program wants to teach. If it's CNC programming of G and M codes then size isn't really important, one of those micro machines in a box (educational machines) will do fine. If the program seeks to produce graduates somewhat ready for employment in a machine shop after high school then that's a different story.
Perhaps a mix of classes? Tiny micro machines for G/M programming and larger machines for larger projects? Were I wanting to make watches or pens the Taig and Sherline products seem ok. My bias tends to regard those as artisan craftwork, nothing wrong with that either. Sometimes wished I was making things light enough not to damage my foot when dropped.
Most machining is performed on larger pieces with a great deal more mass and if your only experience is with a micro machine I'd have doubts hiring a kid for industrial grade machining. Starting a machine/fabricating shop is expensive and I feel for anybody attempting to do this with dreams larger than the budget will allow.
A quick-change gearbox is quite useful and expensive, changing actual gears is a PITA. Mills that have a quill and quill feed are better but more expensive than the crappy round column mills. A DRO is important on either machine.....and adds expense. Having CNC controls is very important in modern machine shops, also adds a lot more expense and potential maintenance issues. All that remains of the once great machine tool industry is the very expensive and the rather poorly made machinery.
Buying new presents a huge obstacle for the budget, getting local factories involved in funding (new crop of well trained graduates to choose from) can benefit both parties. "Hire the micro-machine trained kid? Next applicant please". This is why buying used is a better choice and, unfortunately, not an option for many institutions and businesses. My 5,000 lb. jig borer was $300,000 when new and lived for 20 years in a climate controlled room. I got it for $1,500 with a full cabinet of tooling and a Heidenhain DRO when the depreciation schedule ran out. It was almost embarrassing when they accepted my lowball offer. No way I could have afforded that when new. It still had 80% flaking on the columns.
I don't know what the answer should be for an institutional start-up program but a realistic look at the goals, curriculum, and budget sources is crucial before anything else is discussed. CNC programming can be done in a virtual environment via the graphics in CAM/CAD software (educational versions). Shop ready students need shop ready machinery. Just an opinion.
-You're correct in me having a different level of proficiency/capability for the class curriculum in mind. Perhaps it's because I was in the trade for so long and know how much they need to learn. My only reference is from my high school shop programs in Detroit during the early 70's. Internal/external threading (single point on a lathe), gear cutting, and milling were all part of what could be learned if you were a student with potential. Cut-away examples were on display that could have been duplicated from an automobile manual transmission. You were almost ready to go to work if you paid attention and applied yourself during those classes.I was more thinking of the fact that what I am looking to add is the very basics to start, whereas you seemed to be talking "hire-able" when finished with my program. My point was that at the level I am going to be teaching it at, I would expect another level between my expectations and yours. This is for those kids who have done 3D design/printing, woodworking, and then want the next level.
-Valid point to make about engaging more bodies, waiting for a machine to be open impedes the work flow. This also tends to dampen the enthusiasm of youth and provide ample time to disengage from the project.Just a thought to have more students working within a budget and it would help them learn to choose the right machine for a job.
-Very good point to bring up. Some even have educational versions of their own products the same as software companies do.Contact manufacturers. Many have Very different prices and programs for schools.