Topic: Talk me out of this, please :)

[70CB750]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Southbend-Milling-Machine-1hp-motor-some-tooling-included-low-height-/111225889340?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19e594623c

If I sell the drill press, it would actually fit in my shop.  Not sure how I would get it in the shop, but there must be a way 
Anybody has any comments on SB milling machine?

[CB750R]

Don't go looking at frankenfrankenstuffs Bridgeport thread then!

I really would like to get a small CNC unit.  I don't think I'd know what to do with a manual one.

[754]

 Would never talk anyone out of buying a mill , the other bport they have probably has more capacity.
 The SB may have a m3 taper..less tooling available..imo..

[70CB750]

You are right, R8 is more common.

[Vicman]

Dunno about that one. You can do a lot with it but as mentioned the tooling could get spendy. Keep an eye out in CL for Bridgeports, they show up there often too.

As far as getting it in the shop I placed mine by hiring a wrecker with a boom. He picked it right out of my pick-up bed and shot it right into the garage. Cost me about $45 10 years ago. You want to invert the head to make it a little less tippy.

[scottly]

You should ask the seller what spindle the SB has. The BP I just got has the smaller m3 spindle, which will only accept a maximum tool shank of .500", while R8 will go as large as .875".

[70CB750]

Hmm, I will pass, the spindle is a good enough reason for me, thanks! 

I am not sure what I really want; ideas all the way from Smithy (yeah:)) to big ole bridgeport,

My old Logan's threading is limited by investing in gears and in theory it was never meant to cut metric thread.  Metric threads are more important for me than I thought.  That's where Smithy would help, tight and new lathe (the Logan has a label from some WWII government production) to use for precise work and threading while gaining some milling capacity.

On the other hand, sometimes I need to deal with big chunks of steel - like parts of tractor implements - and bench top mills can't really handle that stuff well.

But I want to go manual all the way, no CNC or computers.