I an across this mill on E-bay. When I inquired about inspecting the machine in person, the seller responded that I should bring a
trailer and my check book becuase he would end the auction early if I made a fair offer. Turns out that the seller really wanted
to get rid of it ASAP and he had a 5 ton overhead hoist. The motor was off of the vari - speed head. There was a broken casting on
the bottom and I didn't know what may be missing. There was no way to power it up to check the DRO or the power table feed. I had
no choice but to assume they were also broken, so I offered $200 cash and I'd remove it right now. Accepted!
On the plus side, the casting that was broken was a bolt on piece, so I knew I could make a new part even if I couldn't buy it. Also
on the plus side, my friend Paul was with and he had rebuilt vari Speed heads before. He wasn't sure about whether ot not all the
parts were there, but he was sure we could put it back together if we could buy the parts. He checked the comon wear points like
the motor motor shaft and said they weren't worn. The spindle turned fine and felt smooth. The back gears worked. All three axis were
smooth with no more backlash in the screws than you'd find on a brand new machine.
So we loaded it up. I wish had pictures of this. We used a couple tree saver straps to cconnect it to the hoist and went straight
up and over another machine before backing my trailer under and lowering it. Getting it off of the trailer was a lot more work.
I was able to power up the DRO and power feed once I got it in my garage. Both work!
