D
D. Thomas
Guest
At the 1988 IMTS show in Chicago, I marveled at the Maho 600e2 as it milled complex parts. Just as I was thinking, "you know, this machine would be the cat's meow, if it had a tool changer", a door in the rear guarding opened up and out popped a little arm that grabbed the tool in the spindle and promptly exchanged it for another ! Super cool...cost, don't remember, but probably well over $100,000...poof !
Now, 14 years later, sits before me a 1988 Maho 600e2 that wasn't even listed in the auction flyer...but is indeed up for bid. Looks beautiful, realitively clean, original paint which would clean up like new, table like new. The catch- electrical panels and tool changer guards off...highly suspect. Sure enough, find out it has a servo problem. Also, in spite of it's excellent appearance, it's got 20,000 hours on the meter...not horrible, but definitely not a "low hours" machine. Anyway, most else in this plant is decrepit junk, not much attendance, so now I'm figuring this puppy is gonna go for $500. But do I want it, even for that ? Unknown problems to fix, takes up a huge amount of floor space, not all that much market value even if working...gawd, but it's such a beautiful machine.
As it turns out, 2 other guys bid it up to $2,000. The guy that got it was tickled pink. He became a bit less tickled after I told him it had problems and market value was relatively low....all those plates and guards off didn't faze him a bit... bought it to resell, so look for it on eBay eventually
Anyway, I suppose the point of this is the irony of seeing my previous ultimate dream machine, sitting there within easy grasp, and yet I wasn't willing to even spend a piddly $2,000 + for it. How times have changed....
This photo doesn't do it justice...paint was like new under the oil film and dirt that easily wiped right off with just spit 'n rag.
[This message has been edited by D. Thomas (edited 08-05-2002).]
Now, 14 years later, sits before me a 1988 Maho 600e2 that wasn't even listed in the auction flyer...but is indeed up for bid. Looks beautiful, realitively clean, original paint which would clean up like new, table like new. The catch- electrical panels and tool changer guards off...highly suspect. Sure enough, find out it has a servo problem. Also, in spite of it's excellent appearance, it's got 20,000 hours on the meter...not horrible, but definitely not a "low hours" machine. Anyway, most else in this plant is decrepit junk, not much attendance, so now I'm figuring this puppy is gonna go for $500. But do I want it, even for that ? Unknown problems to fix, takes up a huge amount of floor space, not all that much market value even if working...gawd, but it's such a beautiful machine.
As it turns out, 2 other guys bid it up to $2,000. The guy that got it was tickled pink. He became a bit less tickled after I told him it had problems and market value was relatively low....all those plates and guards off didn't faze him a bit... bought it to resell, so look for it on eBay eventually
Anyway, I suppose the point of this is the irony of seeing my previous ultimate dream machine, sitting there within easy grasp, and yet I wasn't willing to even spend a piddly $2,000 + for it. How times have changed....
This photo doesn't do it justice...paint was like new under the oil film and dirt that easily wiped right off with just spit 'n rag.
[This message has been edited by D. Thomas (edited 08-05-2002).]
