bolton

[tracksntreadslou]

Hey henri..I have one of those cheap jap 3-1 ...1200 bucks at the time..Not alot of work done on it and things are not workig well and very difficult to hold work from moving when milling ...bearings are starting to make an awfull noise ...stay to the two seperate peices ......when i can aford it im changing over...I would rather sacrifice the room

[tc1cat]

Even though I have never used a 3 in 1, as a machinist I cannot recommend one to anybody. I would buy the lathe and then a mill if I was starting over on machines. A bridgeport mill is nice if you have the room for one. So is a floor model lathe but the same goes here-space! Table top equipment is great for the casual user when space is a problem. With most tabletop mills and with a BP you don't need to get a drill press. Just use the mill, most come with a drill chuck.