I'll put in my part here: Lance is a natural with this, it's not as easy as it looks, but you can do it. You can go to local community college also (a good start) and buy some books. Here are some tips;

My advice to Lance was to stay away from a "3 in 1" machine. Spend a couple of extra bucks and get a separate lathe and Mill. You will learn that the savings in setup times and ease is worth the money.

Unless you get a very small (i.e., Taig) they are going to come truck freight. Get a lift gate, the driver will have a pallet jack to move it into the garage, etc.

Unless you get a full size machine, you should be able to lift them with a chain hoist over a ceiling rafter with support on the sides, or hand lift them with some help. A full size machine is going to weigh a ton or more. If you do that you are going to have to have a fork lift on site to lift the machine from the truck.

An option for a small bench top Milling machine is a 55 gallon drum with a 1/2" steel plate on the top for a stand, a small lathe isn't as heavy, but if you have the option, buy the stands - save some time / money here. If you can weld, and have a welder (and are proficient with it) you can make a stand.

Digital readouts on the Mill are awesome, but you can set it up with dial indicators and be just as good (read below).

A general rule of thumb is (from experience): If you pay $1000.00 for the machine, expect to pay $1000.00 for additional tooling (cutters, measuring tools, etc.), that is what we do, it has never been wrong, regardless of the cost of the machine. If you are a regular machine shop, this may not apply fully, but you can almost see the tooling add up to the cost of the machine in most cases is you are starting out. You have to be a machinist before you can use a CNC machine, so forget that route unless you are at that level.

If the head tilts on the Milling machine, that is good, but (read below) can cause a new guy some problems. Be realistic on what you can learn, study, and master. You don't necessarily have to have the head tilt.

The read below part:

Machine work is generally not hard, but it isn't "welding" in its simplest form. There are many "setups" required to obtain a finished part, and if the head tilts on the Milling machine, you need to understand how to square it up again (more tools/money). You don't need digital readouts, but either way, you have to know how to use what ever you have - there is a lot more to it than you may think - you can still do it though. You can do a lot with nothing if you know how to use what you have. You will ruin many parts (and tools) learning - be aware. Find an "old time" machinist that may be able to help you out for a couple of beers (or whatever) - he may be a neighbor or family friend. Tell them what you are making, it will make difference.

You aren't going to save any real money doing it yourself, but the satisfaction of doing it is great. Every part you do make is money towards paying the cost of the equipment, and you won't have a lawn mower or car that you won't use those machines to fix once you know how to use them. Machining is its own "hobby", so expect to spend some time.

Back to Lance though: Lance has spent many hours studying and experimenting to get where he is, and I think he is a little over a year in, but he is 3 years down the road due to his persistence and dedication - and he is about a 6 months to a year from paying off his equipment with what he has done. It will take a year to get on your feet though. If I was there, I would stop by and help him out, as it is he knows he can call, but don't forget there are guys that are willing to help you withing a mile of you, find them.

By the way: Lance, scissors to suck, they are the worst it gets

Dennis