Exactly Pekka, this time of year forces us to plan and act, or we won't have anything to work on for 6 months. Not unusual for us to have 600-1200 cm of snow on the ground in mid winter, and good luck finding anything left outdoors. Temps have just about reached 0C here at night for the last few days after that cold front passed.
I was lucky to find my mill-drill on ebay, poorly described and categorized, so mine was the only bid - $450. The ad said the drawbar had been broken and welded, which must have turned others off. That was the only thing it said about condition. I don't know why that was made a point of -- it works fine, and it's probably an hour's work to make a new one if it's an issue. Other than that the mill looked practically new when I picked it up!
Storage for 3 years in damp conditions while I worked has cracked and flaked off the paint from the Chinese bondo, so it has looked pretty bad this last year. And mice built a nest in the column. That's why I've been so anxious to move it and paint it. It's a feeling of relief to get it in the shop and clean and painted.
