Picked a 4th axis over a bigger vise, still not sure I was right

Had $2,300 budgeted for tooling upgrades last month. The shop foreman kept pushing me toward an 8-inch vise for the new job. I went with a used 4th axis instead from a shop in Toledo that was shutting down. It took me 3 days to get the setup dialed in on the Haas. First part came out within .001 but cycle time jumped 18 percent. Anyone else regret skipping the simple fix for the cool attachment?

2 comments

2 Comments

torres.sage21d ago

...and that's exactly how I ended up with a rotary table I've used maybe four times in two years. Bought it off a guy who swore it was perfect for what I do, and it was, for one specific job that I don't even run anymore. Meanwhile the cheap 6-inch vise I had been using finally cracked a jaw last month and I had to wait three days for a replacement. Everyone in the shop keeps asking when I'm gonna put the rotary on the mill again and I just tell them I'm saving it for the right moment, which is a lie. The real truth is I got talked into the cool factor and now I've got a heavy paperweight that makes me feel smart when I dust it off. If you're second guessing yourself, that gut feeling is probably correct. The vise would've paid for itself in a week, the 4th axis just sits there looking impressive.

elizabethg1820d ago

Four times in two years says everything about that purchase.