Not a model engineer looking for mill advice

Funny enough I have dealt with Axminster for about 25 years and would say that at present they do more engineering machinery than they have ever done,there was a time when they only did the BV20 lathe. Their main business is and has always been wood related.

Jason, I live fairly near Axminster and SWMBO could always get me to take her to Axminster shopping by suggesting I might need something from Axminster Tools; last time, a few months ago, I came away definitely very disenchanted and more so than the time before which was also disenchanting.

At the Axminster shop they have been reducing the metal working side display quite significantly over the past 2-3 years in their showroom at the expense of the wood working side - one of their salesmen admitted as much to me when I mentioned the reduced display to him. The prices of tooling also seems to have gone up too. My perception is that they are trying to be a bit up-market. On the odd comparison of like for like (or very similar) Arc and Warco seem more keenly priced, or that's my perception.

I don't blame them for increasing the wood side, they have to go after whatever sells for them, just a shame (for me) it's the metal working side that seems to be reducing. Perhaps there is more in their catalogue than they want to put on display.

Chris

I appreciate that the VM-E wasn't made in Beeston, but I understood, perhaps wrongly, that they were made in Taiwan and then dis/reassembled by the original Myford engineers.

Bill

Edited By peak4 on 25/07/2018 19:45:54

They did undergo QC at Myford, but I think it would be an exaggeration to say they were rebuilt.

Neil

Based on Hopper's experience in sorting out someone else's Optimum, in Australia, I would be wary. But that is purely my perception.

With regard to UK suppliers customer service, in my experience, I would rate Arc, Warco, Chester in that order (Have had no dealings with Amadeal or AMG so cannot comment).

Arc come first, based on my contacts, not that Ketan makes much out of me, since I only buy small bits and pieces rather than machines. have only made ONE £100+ purchase; the rest rarely reach £30.

From the comments, on here, from others, I cannot be alone in my estimation, of him and his staff.

Howard

Hello Patrick,

I have an Optimum BF20 Vario milling machine since 2008 that has not been used much. To tell you about the capabilities of it, let me tell you that with BF20 I made the most of a Gingery shapper, which is not yet complete, and you can see here ***HERE***.

Since 2014 I have not used it.
I like her a lot, it works well.
However, because it is in a spline that the spindle receives the movement transmitted to it by the gears, after a few years of use, when in a somewhat more demanding work, there is an very annoying noise that causes me to wish, if I could, substitute the system geared by a pulley and belt system

I suspect most of the clones of the BF20 have the same transmission mechanism...

If I could replace the Optimum BF20 Vario with a machine that uses pulley and belt, and now brushless motor. Probably a Sieg SX3 HiTorque from ArcEurotrade.
Another possibility will be to acquire and install in the milling machine a transformation kit for pulley and belt but I do not yet know how to move forward when I start working again with the milling machine ...

I am, in Portugal, a casual and satisfied customer of ArcEuroTrade.

Because English is not my mother tong, I fear not being clear. If so, please let me know and I'll try better.

Regards
Dias Costa

Edited By dcosta on 26/07/2018 15:59:04