Milling Machines

Alan, I'm afraid I may be relatively new round here, so let me tell you my first impression, of your hounding responses to Ketan's responses, and yours to mine also, is that you are in fact a trouble maker.

Ketan - I think your responses have been frank and honest, it looks like the balance of opinion sways a long way to satisfied customers. I would consider doing business with yourself and Arc Euro Trade.

It goes a long way that a supplier is prepared to stand here and air their balanced views, ,many forums will not allow a true no holds barred naming/shaming of suppliers at all.

Time to draw a line under this? I'm an engineer and I'd rather just talk engineering?

As a 'metal mangler' I have no valid opinions to offer on machinery qualities - I know what suits my quite definite limitations. However, I can view forum contributions as useful, helpful, supportive etc., or, as in the case of this thread, self-opinionated, trolling drivel! The former category would most definitely include Ketan, JS (not least for the irreverent humour!), NJH et al. The latter, yet again, as in a previous thread, offers nothing but vituperation and self-aggrandisement of a type more usually associated with the moronic 'cult of celebrity'. Trolls on all forums seem to get their kicks by trying to induce irritation in the rest of us. Unfortunately the above-mentioned good guys are feeding this oaf and his over-inflated ego. My advice from the swarf-swamp - ignore the **** (expletive deleted)

Rgds

Bill

Good grief Derek

I wouldn't go into your shed - it looks very wonky and in danger of falling down - due to weight of snow on LHS no doubt !

I decided to do some strategic planning ( next to the woodburner !) today.

(I must say that, as a retired old git, I can choose my times to do things)

Cheers

Norman

Derek,

This was taken about a week ago on one of the rather colder days, probably too cold to snow around here.

Thats degrees C

Thank you, for a minute I thought it must just be me who's seeing it this way, others comments seem to be nothing but praise for the service/advice they have received. I'm not doubting their words/own personal experience but when you have clearly seen what's been posted here, you got to understand how I'm taking it, surely it's not the best way to respond to any new comer.

Ok, let's not dwell on the point any longer, Ketan I accept your apology.

Howard Winwood, I can assure you that I never joined the forum for a slanging match or to upset anyone, why would I want to do that??

I already own & use many different types of tools/machinery, I come from a service engineer background, I've serviced,repaired, stripped down many things over the years so I don't mind having to do some fettling to a mill.

My earlier comment about precision, think of it like this from a newbie's point of view, buy a cheap circular saw for example and you still expect it to cut straight just like an expensive Dewalt would, totally different type of machine I know but you get my drift?

I understand that ones skill level will help no end, not offended by any advice/help on that score, I normally pick things up pretty quick.

Hi Bill

I do try be positive and, from my limited experience, post on things as I see them. I am pleased then if you have seen something helpful in my comments. ( Now how can I get my wife to see the same I wonder? )

I will, too, try to follow your advice!

Regards

Norman

Humm well this is all fun but as i am not a engineer nor trained all i can say is you get what you pay for.I have a lux mill and a comet vs lathe. Thay are not high precision machines as i could not afford to pay tens of thousands but they are still more accurate than me, yes the mill needed a little squaring up on the head but youtube showed me how to do that.

As ketan has been very open about his machines i find that refreshing rather than being told the usual sells spin just to get my money. If you want a rolls royce buy and pay there price, thats just the way the world works.

In the time this thread has been running I have taken delivery of my new milling machine (from Arc), taken the packing case off it, been out and bought the wood to make a bench for it, borrowed a mitre saw to cut it up and been to work. Can't wait to get it cutting some metal, however at 160 kg the biggest problem is going to be getting it up onto the bench. Another engineering problem

Hope you enjoy using whatever machine you buy Steve.

Gary

(a beginner with one year's experience)

Get the widest and longest you can afford and/or have room for. Whatever you buy you'll find situations when you need it just that bit bigger.

Norman, the shed looks that way on purpose so thiefing sods will think there is nowt in there worth nicking.

John, that is too tropical for me. I am too old to work in my undies.

Everyone else, this is a great thread (best one since "not fit for purpose" thread) please keep it going.

Ketan, you are doing a great job of showing us who to avoid at the shows.

Hi Gary,

I'm afraid your experience is typical of the problems experienced by purchasers of far-eastern machines. They simply refuse to hoist themselves up on to the bench - a complete contrast with under-priced home-grown products that will, quite literally, dabnce around the workshop, the lathe performing a graceful pas de deux with the mill, before leaping, in perfect alignment to the ideal resting place.

Of course, this is the ONE thing the sellers of these recalitrant machines won't tell you as they slip you another mug of their so-called 'tea'.

Neil

Hi Neil,

No mention at all in the catalogue

"pas de deux" ? Isn't that "father of twins" ?

Gary

Hi Gary,

Ballet and French are not two of my strengths...

Neil

Tea? Nobody offered me free tea at the show yesterday.

Reading this thread about 'interrogation' of suppliers and responses from various directons makes me wonder about my own responses to Customers in my (unrelated) professional life. Should I be more honest?
"No sir, the product is not defective it's just that because you pay for road tax does not mean you can have exclusive use of the M25 in the rush hour."
"Sorry sir but we did not implement this energy saving feature because actual tests showed that 30% of people are so stupid they complained it was broken instead of reading the leaflet explaining it".

With reference to 'tea', I think Neil is referring to his visit to ARC . When I was around 20 years of age, I used to go to sell dyes (colour) to various countries. Some of these trips were to various cities in Egypt. Don't know about now, but then it was customary wether you were buying or selling to offer each other kawa (strong black coffee - sludge) and hukka (similar to shisha), but can be more intoxicating. Either way, by the time you left the building, the buyer was always well out of pocket. I find Egyptian retailers to be very imaginative, especially as they have to work in a very competitive environment. Unfortunately, or otherwise, ARC cannot offer kawa or hukka. So tea or normal coffee it is

Edited By Ketan Swali on 20/01/2013 12:03:10

Congratulations Alan. Hope you enjoy your purchase.

Ketan at ARC.

.

Sorry mate It was probably built by me.

I worked at Raglans during that period and seriously it was not the best point in that firms history.

They were under threat of closure by the new owners, Myford, who as history has proved just wanted to remove the competition of the 5" Raglan.

The work force, knowing closure was imminent I must admit didn't put a full 100% into it.

So removing the rosy tinted glasses even at that time all was not right with the world.

They were built on clapped out WWII equipment but I do agree by craftsmen but still on piece work so it wasn't in their best interests to spend time.

The lathes were checked for alignment and bed flatness when being built but the millers and the Loughborough training lathes were just assembled, no checks for alignment are accuracy were ever made.

I am grateful to everyone on here who have taken the time to present their views, which have mostly been positive, with reference to ARC, as well as other importers. The support is very much appreciated by us as well as all the importers, I am sure.

The fact that the other importers do not comments on here does not mean that they are any better or any worse than us. It is their choice.

Thank you. Ketan at ARC.

Congratulations Gary! I welded up a bench for mine, taking too many months to finish it! Anyway finally getting bored of using the machine on the now sagging pallet it was on, I borrowed a Clarke engine crane and suitable lifting strop to get it in position.

It made the job easy, a one person job as well as above all, safe for me and the precious mill!

If you hang around the site a while Alan, you will see that john can show most of us a thing or two about engineering, being at the other end of the world I'v only seen whats on the net, andthe items in a certain machine tool co., catalogue, quite impressed. Ian S C