AllenLook is a CHEAP $#%@!

[cowboy]

Good Tools can't beat 'em. Wish I had one its on my want list list list. Allen being equiped is not cheap its a way of life I have been telling my little brother that bridge port in his garage is taking up too much room and he should keep it at my place I think he is going to let me take it I Know in the back of his mind if he uses it over here he's using my electric. When I start looking for a lathe I know it will be at auctions. Just because thats the way I am I'm just going to get it dirty anyways.

Billy

[George Willer]

Allen...CUBGRATULATIONS on your NEW lathe! When you say that the same "Chinese company" is producing that same lathe for Northern Tool, etc. it makes me sad to think about the way we have outsourced our American Economy to the Chinese! ALL FOR THE SAKE OF BUYING SOMETHING CHEAPER...I wonder if we'll look back on this someday and regret that we lost our entire American manufacturing capability...all for the ability to purchase cheaper finished goods from 3rd. world countries!

Country,

The other side of that coin is that in some cases the American companies have driven their customers away with grossly overpriced products. Allen didn't get by a little cheaper... he bought his lathe for less money than South Bend wanted for a cross feed screw. Luckily I was able to make one on my other lathe, and South Bend didn't get my money. That's an example of how they got in trouble!

http://members.toast.net/gwill/shop.html

[Buzzard Wing]

Geeze I wish I had known you were looking for a lathe, the 'other' farmer on this island has one for sale! And since you may be out this way one day it would be easy to scoop it.

Both farmers have a fleet of red tractors!

[Steve Butram]

Mike
I guess you could say the parts are on a slow boat from China

[Russell F]

Allen,


1. Hammer (sometimes BFH}
2. ruler
3. more precise measuring devices
4. lathe
5. Proper wrenches
6. smoke wrench

I would have to add a mill and a good drillpress to Geoges list, with the drill press ahead of the mill. A mill is great for tricky holes and making custom tools and fancy fabrication, and the drill press can be used for just about anything from drilling, tapping, honeing, sanding etc....

Back when i was starting out in industrial maintenance(not too long ago, i am a pup), the guy who was my mentor told me you only needed 3 tools on your cart and anything else was just showing off, A 12" cresent wrench, a 32oz ball peen, and a 18" flathead screw driver. The big screwdriver could be used to pry or chisle stuff, and the end could be grinded to fit a variety of screws, or you could just line the slot up with the screw and apply the hammer for a press fit.

Now that i am in a higher-tech factory, and have alot more resources, i have a stocked and very moble toolboxt...but you sure can do alot with those 3 simple tools, but precision machinery doesn't care much for a BFH, but i still have one just in case.

Russell "Hammer mechanic at large"

[allenlook]

Yep, I'll be adding a mill shortly I used to do some machining with GE, but not without some help, so now I get to learn it all on my own There are tremendous sites on the web for these little lathes !!!

Fortunately or unfortunately, the U.S. economy is driven by labor costs, and we all expect a great standard of living, which drives up costs, and our products become more expensive. We could be nationalist and protect our economy with tariffs, but that would make us globally non-competitive!

So, we outsource to people who are still willing to be paid pennies a day - but we can't hold it against them, their expectations of what they should be rewarded for their time and expertise are in line with what ours were only a few tens of years ago!

And in turn, their own expectations are growing and they will price themselves out of their attractive pricing, and then it will move once again, probably to Russia.

[LiL' Red]

It wasn't all cheap labor that forced many companies out of business or to outsource. Our very own EPA shut down many of the small foundaries which in turn caused most of the manufacturers of machine tools to either close or rely on off shore castings.

[RudyO]

I'll agree that having a lathe is a handy thing! About a year and a half ago, I ran into a deal on a Cincinnati Hydrashift (15 x 30, 5hp) and a 9x42 vertical mill (2hp) plus all the tooling, quick change tool post, chucks, collets, etc for the lathe for a mere $1000. A lot of money but for what I got I can't complain. Now that I've got it, I often ask myself "What did I do before I had these!!??". I am VERY thankful for the equipment and skill to use it.

As for outsourcing, insourcing, etc., my philosophy is that those companies that constantly work to find better ways to do the things they do everyday will survive. Those that don't, won't. This includes people on ALL levels of the company. Greedy Exec's will run a company into the ground fast but so will a greedy workforce. Just my $0.02

[allenlook]

Of to HF today to try to convince them to sell me their mini mill for the same price as Cummins has it online.

Well said RudyO, well said.

I've worked in India for many years, and their burgeoning middle class is already pricing itself out of global competitiveness - they naturally want better appliances, better homes, and better (or their first) cars. Their incomes are increasing at 7.5% ahead of inflation, the highest in the world, so companies are already looking to China and next they will look to Russia for affordable labor.

[allenlook]

Talked HF into selling me their Mini-Mill (a Sieg X2-based mill) for $399.99, which is what Cummins Tool had the same mill for (just the labels are different.)

You can generally walk into HF and get them to match prices, this time it saved me $70, which was enough to order up some drill rod, end mills, center drills, layout dye, etc. etc. from Enco and eBay.

Still waiting for the lathe to arrive