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Exacto 942B mill -- any info or owners?

Finegrain

Diamond
Joined
Sep 6, 2007
Location
Seattle, Washington
Wasn't really looking for a mill, but an "Exacto model 942B" is nearby, and the price is right. Actually it's pretty dang cheap, so I'm suspicious. I have no idea about Exacto milling machines. Looks like a Bridgeport clone, made in Taiwan.

What are some obvious things to look for? I'm not expecting a dreamboat, but I don't want to get into a serious project. I hae plenty of those already :). I'll be doing HSM stuff.

Thanks for reading, and regards.

FG
 
Taiwan is better than China, but I'm not familiar with that machine. Does it have a large "M" on the front of the column above the knee?
 
I can't tell from the picture:

Exacto_942B.jpg


FG
 
From the picture it doesn't look too bad. Any info regarding the ways, quill runout, screws, etc? If the price is as good as you eluded, even with worn ways or a few things a little less than perfect it might make a good backup or minor operations machine. I wonder what's the significance of the big red "X" on the cabinet? hmmm. I wish I could be of more help.

Maybe someone who knows a bit more will wander through and enlighten us.
 
Yes, the red "X" is freaky looking. Maybe this is their 24th mill?

I'll have a look at it next week. Any quick tips for simple checks to do on a used mill? I read the Dave Ficken piece on mills, but it says way more about what NOT to look for than it does what to look for :).

FG
 
I bought one just like the one you're asking about in 1977 and still have it.Works fine and never gave me a bit of trouble,I also have a "real" Bport and don't see any real diference.
The Exacto has hundreds of hours on it and has made me a ton of money and home projects.
The cabinet with the red x has nothing to do with the mill I think you can see legs it is is just a tool cabinet.
 
I purchased an identical machine 25 years ago from shop at south end of SEATAC. Lots of misery. Heavy wear of ways, terrible electrical components, broken worm gear that rotates head just to list a few concerns.
Bridgeports with chrome ways are about the same money and you can count on a resale market.
best of luck
 
I've got a '80 942B still going strong. It's has a Kurt power drawbar, and Accurite DRO. My Father-in-Law bought this machine used when it was 2 years old and I've bought it from him. I've machined some pretty critical pieces on this machine with few problems. The only precaution I take when machining is to lock the knee in one place and keep it there, otherwise if the knee is moved some very minor misalignment occures.

If the machine your looking at is in good shape, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it. If it's been abused like JHolland1's machine, run away.

Machines are only as good as your daily and periodic maintenance. To qoute my Father-in-Law, "Lube is cheap, machines aren't". Take care of your machine and it should last a long time.
 
All I have to say is from my experiance the bed ways will outlast a BP's anyday but the heads aren't as good. 20 years ago we took a bp head and mounted it on a excello base, still in operation to this day with no more problems. The excello I have has crome ways. But its still tight at the tender age of (older than hell). :cool:
 
EX-CELL-O was a Canadian based tool builder. Quality comparable to Bridgeport, Toolmaster, Gorton, Beaver. Exacto is a Taiwan based tool maker. My model 942 had issues and a high rate of Y axis way wear even with auto lube device.
 
Took a look at the mill today. Cosmetically it looks great. Indeed, there was some play in the Y-axis. X- and Z- seemed tight. It wasn't under power though, so no idea about electricals or bearings. Turning the spindle by hand didn't make any scary noises. It's only 27 years old, and supposedly was taken out of service "a few years ago". Comes with a Kurt vice. The current owner is an Aluminum framing shop, so maybe this thing lived a life of luxury :-). It's obviously no BP, but manual milling machines are few and far between out here, so I'm probably going to go for it.

FG
 
Wasn't really looking for a mill, but an "Exacto model 942B" is nearby, and the price is right. Actually it's pretty dang cheap, so I'm suspicious. I have no idea about Exacto milling machines. Looks like a Bridgeport clone, made in Taiwan.

What are some obvious things to look for? I'm not expecting a dreamboat, but I don't want to get into a serious project. I hae plenty of those already :). I'll be doing HSM stuff.

Thanks for reading, and regards.

FG

That's funny.. I *just* sold one of those about a month ago and I'm an hour north of Seattle. Strange how 2 of the same type of relatively rare machine pop up in the same area so soon. *shrug*

It was my first mill and I didn't know what I was looking at. It was definitely used and abused and had some Y axis wear/play. A new gib would have probably fixed it up.

In any case, the machine worked fine for me for over 5 years and I never had a problem with it. BP parts are interchangeable too. IIRC, Metaco is a good place for parts.

I would have kept it, but I ran out of room with the addition of my milltronics mill. :(

Michael
 
I'm shipping one of the these 924B mills from one of our shops in the Seattle area down to our ranch in California later this week. Anyone have a sense of what they weigh? I'm assuming in the 3k lb range but the more precision on the weight the better for planning. Thanks in advance for any help!
 








 
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