I am in the market for a knee mill for my home shop and have come across a decent looking Acer 3vk. I know Acer is pretty well regarded, but I am having trouble finding information on this machine, and the stuff I do find seems to contradict. The seller is not very responsive but the price seems right, so I am aggressively pursuing more details. It's 3hp/3ph with R8 taper, and comes with a set of collets, an X/Y DRO, and that's it. Not even a vise. A couple questions surface to the top:
- Is it taller than a Bridgeport? I have 8 foot ceilings and headspace is a concern
- When did they start manufacturing these? It looks like a clean machine but I want to know how old it might be
- What's the difference between the 3vk and the seemingly more common 3vs?
- Anything weak with the variable speed (reeves, not emill) on these?
- Anything else I should be wary of or know about before going to pick it up?
- Is the lack of tooling any concern?