Subject: Shoptask 17-20 XMTC mill/lathe

From: Mark Shaw <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 17:25:28 -0500

I would like to hear some feedback from anyone that owns or has used the Shoptask 17-20 XMTC.  It looks 
like a very well designed machine and its standard motor mounts make it a great candidate for CNC 
conversion.  It just doesn't seem like there has been much press on Shoptask on the Web or otherwise.

---

From: [email-masked]
Date: 14 Dec 1996 07:49:59 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, Mark Shaw <[email-masked]>
writes:

>conversion.  It just doesn't seem like there has been much press on
Shoptask
>on the Web or otherwise.

  As far as I can tell I'm the only one in this group that has one. I have
found a few drawbacks to the machine and as far as the CNC goes they do
offer a package but I would rather leary as to how well it would work. My
machine had about .030" slack in the lead screw nuts even after I got rid
of all the other excess slack. The machine makes a pretty fair lathe as
long as you don't try to turn anything over about 8". Any larger than this
and I  run into a lot of chatter problems. I've just about given up trying
to use the mill head. Its nearly always to high and when I make up the
difference one way or the other I end up with to much flex to do any but
extremely light milling. Personally I don't really recommend it. There's
just to many basic features missing. If I was to buy another combo unit I
would look real close at the Smithy 1239. Its there bigger model and it
costs more but it seems to fix most of what I've found lacking in my Shop
Task. 

   Wayne Cook

Quality is like buying oats,
        if you want nice, clean, fresh oats you must pay a fair price.

However, 
        if you can be satisfied with oats that have already been through
the horse...
                          
That comes a little cheaper...