From: muratlanne@gmail.com   
      
   "Jim Wilkins"  wrote in message news:10405tk$2o56m$1@dont-email.me...   
      
   I would have loved to own a Bridgeport or clone like that, but couldn't   
   justify the cost or space in my garage. The work I've done at home and been   
   paid for barely covered the cost of the moderate sized machines I have,   
   instead they gave me full control of building the projects at work and my   
   ideas at home, the bucket loader, gantry and sawmill etc.   
      
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   The common hobby project my machines are too small for is automotive mods, I   
   can't turn brake drums or rotors on the 10" lathe or easily machine an   
   engine to transmission adapter plate. The mill is barely tall enough to face   
   or rebore an air compressor cylinder block. I found that precision reboring   
   requires the knee feed, using the quill feed gives a taper as lateral play   
   increases with extension. It was a challenge to bore identically spaced and   
   parallel bearing holes in the ends of the four foot long lift arms for the   
   bucket loader on a mill with a two foot long table. My machines are large   
   enough to make special tools, flywheel wrenches for the Ford and Honda and   
   parts for lawn and garden equipment.   
      
   After replacing the prematurely rust pitted rotors on the Honda I took the   
   old ones to a brake shop to be turned, as an experiment, and watched him   
   mount them crookedly on his brake lathe. That and a few other incidents like   
   loose lug nuts are why I continue to do the work. I keep reminding myself   
   that my time under the car is worth $160 an hour.   
      
   I asked about prices at a nearby custom automotive shop. If you want a   
   decent restoration of a classic just give him $25,000 for a start. There are   
   some rat rods around that made me feel better about my welding skill.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)