Question on Milling machines

[don wilwol]

I'm not going to go as far as saying I'm new to metal work, but I've started taking it to a new height. Building the infill planes is a lot of fun, but it would be so much more enjoyable if I started gathering some more advance metal working machines. That said, this is a hobby, so cost is an issue. I also don't want to just throw good money after bad. Is something like this http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...9823_200419823 of any value, or do I need to look harder into Craigs List.

[ray hampton]

this mill is light duty[noticed the round column ] but I think that it will work with non-ferrous metal or plastic-wood

[Dave Bonde]

Based on my experiences you would be disappointed in that unit or would quickly outgrow its capabilities at best. To be fair I have never seen the unit you are looking at in person just basing my opinion on using other equipment. If you could find a Bridgeport Series 1 or similar used vertical mill you will be much happier IMHO.

[Bruce Page]

Don, it would be fine for drilling holes and light machining of aluminum & plastics. You will be disappointed if you intend on milling your infill planes out of steel. As Ray points out, a round column is not stout enough for anything other than very light surface milling in steel.

[David Wong]

Here are a few of websites you can look at for more info:

http://www.mini-lathe.com/Mini_mill/Main/mini-mill.htm
http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?t=2064290
http://www.hobby-machinist.com/forum.php
http://www.chaski.com/homemachinist/...881059513c60be
http://www.littlemachineshop.com
http://www.hossmachine.info

I am not a metal worker, but have looked into getting a small mini-mill, once I can figure out if I have the room. You might want to look into one of the Sieg square column machines (X1, X2, X3). They are sold through a number of different retailers - Grizzly, Harbor Freight, Little Machine Shop,... The difference between the retailers has to do with quality control and after sales support. If I had the space, I would get a Grizzly G0704.

[Ron Brese]

Don,

I had two of the larger small mills prior to purchasing a knee mill. The first mill I purchased was an Enco. I don't know why they call a 760 lbs machine a bench top mill never the less that machine did a lot of good work for me. It had all the draw backs of a round column mill even though it was stout enough to machine most metals in a reasonable way. Having a DRO was a real plus for aligning things when the height of the head needed to be moved. My next mill was an Industrial Hobbies Mill. This eliminated the round column and increase my work envelope. I think this machine was close to 1000 pounds and this machine was actually quite accurate. One thing I disliked about this mill was the noise of the gear head. You really needed to wear hearing protection when running this mill and that was a hassle.

I finally upgraded to a full size Eisen Knee Mill with a 3 axis DRO, 9 x 49 table and I've never looked back. I could hold a phone conversation right beside it while running and it has the capacity to do anything I need to do.

Ron Brese

[ray hampton]

I do not own a mill , but I do some milling on a metal lathe and one thing that I found out is the a big end mill will work better than a small end mill [1/4 versus 3/4 ] DO THIS apply to the milling machines also

[Bruce Page]

I do not own a mill , but I do some milling on a metal lathe and one thing that I found out is the a big end mill will work better than a small end mill [1/4 versus 3/4 ] DO THIS apply to the milling machines also

There are adjustments to feeds & speeds, but all things being equal, (e.g. setup, cutter sharpness & quality) the larger cutter will be stronger, allow better chip extraction, and heavier cuts.

[Ole Anderson]

I have never posted in this forum, but it seems to me that comparing the Shop Fox the OP linked to a Bridgeport is like comparing a shovel to a D8. There are a lot of machines in between that ought to get him started in the right direction. I bought this one 20 years ago for light production work with aluminum and I still have it. Grizzly would be a good starting place, but even there it is a big step up in cost from the Shop Fox. If you know what to look for, CL might be a good way to go for a bigger yet affordable machine and if you have the room.

[don wilwol]

I couldn't even think about a Bridgeport at this point. I have been looking at some of the grizzly's as well. I wouldn't mid going used on CL, but I really don't know what to look for. I don't have room, but I'd make room. We'll see were this adventure takes me.

[George Carlson]

I was looking at the Grizzly G704. It looks pretty like it would be a nice small mill. The head is on a dovetail, so you won't get those round column reposition blues. I had a round column mill-drill about thirty years ago. Re-zeroing after changing the height of the head drove me nuts. The mill has an R8 taper, and a way to lock the spindle. It is still small, it weights a just little more than the big rotary table I use on my Bridgeport.

[Charlton Wang]

Ron, given you have experience with all these mills, if you to choose between the belt driven round column mill or the square mill with gears what would you choose? I have concerns (perhaps misguided) about the durability of gears in addition to the noise. A full sized Bridgeport would be ideal but the are far too large for my shop. A smaller 6x26 knee mill seems ideal but they are expensive here and there is no used market for deals to be had.

Thanks,
Charlton

[Ron Brese]

Sorry it has taken me a while to respond to Charlton's question. The round column mill will be considerably quieter than the gear head, however the round column mill may not be quite as robust when it comes to having the power to remove metal when roughing. If you plan to install a DRO then the issues with aligning the spindle to the back jaw of your vise on the round column mill can really be minimized, adding a vise that swivels makes it even easier when coupled with the DRO. Personally I'd prefer the belt driven round column just due to the noise factor, but then again I have a full size knee mill at this point and for me there's no looking back.

Ron

[Charlton Wang]

Thanks for the feedback, Ron. I would love a belt-driven mill but I can see the round column being a nuisance. I can see why a full-sized knee mill is ideal but like many, I simply don't have the space for one....maybe one of these days.

Cheers,
Charlton

[Mike Heidrick]

If I had the space, I would get a Grizzly G0704.

Great advice!