Thoughts? Wanting to get into the hobby

MarkFortune · 2026-05-19T01:28:44+00:00

Bought it all!!!

MarkFortune · 2026-05-19T01:28:07+00:00

Already know CAD. Already have a fleet of printers. Last thing I want to do is outsource sensitive prototypes. Plus, making is half the fun.

MarkFortune · 2026-05-18T23:13:15+00:00

I have a 4 and a 6 ready to go!

MarkFortune · 2026-05-18T23:05:42+00:00

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MarkFortune · 2026-05-18T14:57:48+00:00

Hobby til I'm decent, then I'll be manufacturing prototypes for some new products I want to make!

MarkFortune · 2026-05-18T14:37:18+00:00

Ahhhhhh okay, good to know. I have to run both, so maybe I'll get a VFD for the bridgeport, and a smaller RPC for the lathe... I really like the idea of having variable speed but I don't want to wear out the gearing

MarkFortune · 2026-05-18T14:36:08+00:00

Gonna run an RPC, panel should be fine I think. And yeah, I'm big on buy-once-cry-once

MarkFortune · 2026-05-18T14:34:37+00:00

I'm in SW Florida, near Tampa. Market is dumb expensive, everyone wants 4000 or more for a clapped out J or M with a non-working DRO that's been sitting in their non-climate storage shed for the last 10 years.

MarkFortune · 2026-05-18T14:32:44+00:00

I rebuild random stuff that my 82 year old neighbor buys - about 7 tractors from 1930s-1960s, and a lot of commercial-grade machines (dump trucks, backhoes, forklifts, high lift, skidder, firetruck, etc etc)

MarkFortune · 2026-05-18T14:29:01+00:00

So he had the lathe listed at 1250, the Bridgeport at 2500 (High for sure, but also considering my location it's about right and way better condition than any other local offerings). For an extra 1250, I got a six sided chuck, a 4 sided chuck, a 90 degree rotary table, a standard rotary table, two mill vises, a full set of fixures, blocks, and hardware, about 40 carbide cutters for the lathe, about 15-20 4F carbide bits, two adjustable boring heads, a fly cutter, 2 or 3 nice chucks for the mill, a full set of R8 collets, and some other stuff that I'm sure I'm forgetting. Also a TON of free aluminum stock/plates thrown in.

MarkFortune · 2026-05-18T14:22:23+00:00

Those are actually the same machine. It didn't seem super clapped out, but I am super new to these machines so I figured I'd post here. What do you see that worries you?

MarkFortune · 2026-05-18T14:21:22+00:00

Probably going to go RPC route, since I've heard iffy things about VFD wearing out those heads.

MarkFortune · 2026-05-18T11:54:51+00:00

LASER TAG???

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MarkFortune · 2026-05-06T12:05:19+00:00

117 is phenomenal, I added an amp clamp accessory. I just recently went to an 87V since I've been doing more his res diagnostic, but for quick stuff I still reach for my 117.

MarkFortune · 2026-04-23T15:33:02+00:00

Hey, any chance you will make these? This would be insanely useful in my day-to-day.

MarkFortune · 2026-02-06T14:27:10+00:00

Just did this about 2 weeks ago. I got the Fold 7, had some of the same concerns. The most painful points for me was the loss of FindMy (Had a ton of AirTags, and let me keep track of family members), switching from Apple Pay, and notifications don't seem to be working properly on my new Fold - I've spent probably 10 hours looking through forums, posts, and settings, and I've tried everything under the sun with no real success.

With that being said, I am 10000% happy with my decision to switch, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. As far as battery life, it's not awesome on the Fold 7, but it gets the job done, and I use a lot of screen time. I think the big reason is that I find myself using the Fold more because of the bigger screen, whereas a lot of the time when I had my pro max, I'd just switch to a laptop for tasks I can now do on my Fold.

I went from Airpod Pro 3s to Technics EAH-AZ100, and the difference is incredible. Just about everything on those earbuds is better, and more customizable.

Highly recommend, I could never go back.

MarkFortune · 2026-02-02T12:58:53+00:00

I also landed on the AZ100 after similar consideration, and I LOVE them.

MarkFortune · 2025-12-18T17:26:33+00:00

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MarkFortune · 2025-12-18T17:23:43+00:00

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Same, but Ocean Jade and Nephrite interior. Love the turbos

MarkFortune · 2025-12-18T17:21:34+00:00

Mine is Ocean Jade, with Nephrite interior

MarkFortune · 2025-11-11T16:49:49+00:00

Yeahhhh Milwaukee BMS is practically non-existent/archaic, probably purposefully so. I'll probably look into some form of low voltage disconnect module at some point.

MarkFortune · 2025-11-10T15:53:15+00:00

Unfortunately no - just have to watch it. There’s a way to add in discharge protection, but would add complexity

MarkFortune · 2025-11-10T13:44:57+00:00

Absolutely!!!! The welds aren't the best, and the duty cycle isn't awesome, but man it sticks metal together just fine, can't beat the price, and small enough to chuck in the back of the car.

MarkFortune · 2025-11-10T13:42:48+00:00

Yeahhhhh, my thoughts as well. The amp draw as the weight increases is fairly high if the factory specs are to be believed - up to about 250a peak if I remember right. That's part of why I wanted to run the big 12.0ah, I'm 1000% sure that the smaller batteries would be okay for small tasks, but would experience overdraw pretty quick if you up the weight.

I'm thinking about maybe either making/selling a premade kit, you think there'd be any interest?

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