Here comes the new Mill/Lathe! :D

Mike Jones

Google Master
Right now, it's garage sale season for around here at least, and in the paper, there was an ad listed with a metal lathe in it. My dad and I went to go check it out, and sure enough, it's a benchtop mill and lathe combo! The asking price was $800, but we got it down to $700. It's from Enco, so it's made in China, but they've had it for about 10 years with only a few hours of use total. I'm guessing it was made in China, back before everything was a ripoff from the USA parts. It's discontinued (10+ years old), but THIS one on Enco seems the most similar in specs.

It cost them $1600 new, and they also got a table for it, and quite a bit of lathe cutters and a few other accessories. Even included was the original manuals and inspection papers. All was included for the $700. It has some rusting and general lack of use, but with a little TLC and some craftsmanship, my dad and I will be able to get her up and running (it runs fine now, but has a few unwanted issues) soon.



As you are all aware, talking about something doesn't mean as much as posting a picture! So... Here it is!
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A problem appears to be with the handle to lower the drill and the microfeed (mm increments of lowering). I can use the microfeed to lower the chuck, but the handle can only turn about ten degrees before it stops. There is a "clutch" piece that I believe is supposed to allow one or the other, so maybe after 10 years of never using it, it's corroded and locked up somewhat. I called Enco, but they couldn't help me because the tech guy I talked to didn't know how they worked.

Edited to add: Got it working. It literally hadn't been used for 10 years, so it just took some penetrating oil to loosen it.
 
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