What was your best buy

Possibly the best bargain ever was the contents of my workshop, which I had to sell before I emigrated

The lucky bloke got a B model Boxford in superb condition, Chester mill, both with DRO's - comprehensive tooling including a Hofmann dividing head, machine vices, parts washer and oxy-acetylene ( full sized and portapack ) for £600

But then he was my best friend, constant workshop companion and £600 was all the money he could scrape together ( being only able to work part time due to disabling injuries from a bike crash )

Still, I took him for every penny he'd got

After a hard days play in the shed i would have to say the Beer fridge !

There is nothing better than a couple of bottles of Liquid Decision maker to end the day - after the machines have been cleaned up and everything packed away of course .

Other than that i would say the wet & dry vacuum i purchased last year as it really has made cleaning up swarf a breeze - no more broom and dust pan for me and guess what - More time for beer !

And how could i forget the one thing that started me on this journey and has helped me to set up and use the all of the equipement that i have amassed over the last 10 yrs or so - MEW .

Ian

Hi Michael,

The machine was a no-name Taiwanese import sold by Graham Engineering under their 'Alpine' badge.

I picked it up new for £60 in the mid-80s. I don't remember seeing any of the other purveyors of far-eastern machines selling them and they didn't remain on the market for long. Indeed, I've since only encountered one reference to this pattern, a Canadian guy who reported acquiring one on an American site recently. I suspect they were quickly eclipsed by the cheapo bandsaw machines that were appearing on the market at the same time. Sadly, the only comparable hacksaw machine aimed at hobbyists now on the market seems to be this one from Sieg:

Sieg Hacksaw Machine

At around £400, something like double the price of a basic bandsaw, I doubt whether they're flying off the shelves, though.

My machine is very much no-frills — no dashpot to control descent and a crude auto-cutoff (as arm descends, a bolt head on a bracket knocks off the toggle switch!). Still, it's reasonably light (40/50 lbs), quiet and can handle 2"x 3" blocks or 3" rounds though slowly (an hour or so for those dimensions). It's quicker than me though. Not to be compared with your BCA perhaps, but it's the only machine in my workshop whose loss would cause a real crisis.

Joe

Many thanks Joe,

I will keep an eye out for one of those.

MichaelG.