Don't buy the Machine. make it! :)

this did for cheep:)

cool article that was passed to me:

Very cool! Had a similar idea just this morning with your "Use your resources" advice. I was reading through some of your stuff and watching some of your vids, i was feeling a little defeated as i have no way of making parts. Thought about buying a Smithy but def. cant afford that. After pondering your advice, I have started planning my own mill, lathe design with some power tools i have laying around. Also thought of building a break press powered by hydraulic jacks. Hopefully i can get my hands on some break press tooling at an auction or something. Gotta brain storm a solution for building a sheet metal shearer and i'll be pretty much set (all for lighter duty of coarse). Than add a drill press and a band saw. Maybe i'll even build one of those 3D printers.
Thanks for the advice and inspiration.

make that mill adaptability for a laser cutter...

also base it all on open source ideas using  3d Printing and your set!

there are endles options for that.

:)

looking forword to your projects.

oh, do you want a " member bench"

there you have control of your stuff. and you can post "projects" like this mill / press?

http://open-source-energy.org/?board=68.0

~Russ

Hey great ideas, Russ! 3D printer design would make the mill completely automated, with no programing Interchangeable laser should eliminate the need for sheering sheet metal as the laser should give me a cleaner edge plus all of it's other capabilities. I like it! Now, if i could figure out how make the lathe automated for the purpose of cutting external threads, I shouldn't have a problem making pretty much anything. And, yes I'd be interested in a member bench.
Thanks for the ideas. Can't wait to dig in!

ok, enjoy:

http://open-source-energy.org/?board=80.0

Jamie not bragging but check out the CNC plasma cutting machine I built here:
http://open-source-energy.org/?topic=858.0
I've got it running, now I want to convert it to routing.
The sky is the limit, all you need do is put your mind to it, then it becomes reality. Have fun with it, cheers Jeff..

Jeff, that is a very nice setup you got there. If only it were within my budget. You do some pretty handy work. Maybe a mini version would do. Hope to be starting with the 3D printer first but who knows, maybe when i get to that point....that is a nice machine. I hope you won't mind me asking a bunch of questions in the future. Going to try my luck with a laser cutter that i found an instructable for. The laser is made out of a DVD burner laser. Supposedly, it will cut through sheet metal. As far as bragging goes, i think you have earned the right. Very nice work.

Thanks again Jamie, many of the parts were out of my price range so I made them, I cast many of the parts out of aluminum then machined them, so It became cost effective to build the machine.