Mini Mill

[studda]

I am considering using my tax money to buy one of the small, benchtop mills. Most of them only have tables that are something like 12-15 inches by 3-6 inches. I took a lot of machining classes when I was in high school and used to program CNC machines. I want to get back into it as a hobby. What would be some decent quality starter mills that aren't too expensive. I know Grizzly and HF have them, but quality is questionable. I think they have the exact same one but HF is a little cheaper. It comes with a drill chuck but it uses R8 collets, so that is easy. Here is a link to that one:
http://www.harborfreight.com/two-spe...ine-44991.html

Here is a link to another one that I have been looking at, which is more expensive than the HF one and less power but the table is bigger and has more travel:
http://littlemachineshop.com/4700

Thoughts or suggestions? Keep in mind, the second one I listed I would have to pay freight charges from California to Missouri but the HF, I could pick it up as it's about a 45 minute drive.

[earl84]

I love HF as much as the next guy, but there are some things I wouldn't spend my money on there. A nice precision piece like a mill is one of them. I know nothing about mills other than using one 30 years ago in high school shop class, but as a general rule, I don't buy HF stuff expecting tight tolerances and repeatable precision that lasts a long time.
Not really all that helpful to you, I know, but thought I'd share some general thoughts.

[studda]

Yeah, that was kind of the same thing I was thinking.

[dwcsr]

I've been looking as well. Try this link

http://www.hossmachine.info/Mill_Comparisons.html

[studda]

I just saw these at Grizzly too. They are on sale. That's only about an hour and a half drive from me too. Would you guys recommend Grizzly or are they too cheaply made?
http://www.grizzly.com/outlet/Mill-D...hine-25/G1005Z

As long as I picked it up, it wouldn't be much more than a mini mill.

[WadmalawJoe]

My dad had a whole shop full of Grizzly equipment. He worked 45 years as a factory worker. I never heard him complain about his Grizzly equipment at home. Other than his shop was on the second floor of the garage and everything was heavy as heck and a bear to get up there.

[72bowtiestepper]

I don't know if you have the room in your shop, but have you considered a used Full sized Bridgeport milling machine ? They are dirt cheap at auctions now & very plentiful. The shop were I worked sold 1 for $500 recently in great shape with a power feed table too ! Most have 220 3 phase power, so you have to get a phase converter to run on single phase 220 volts.

[ETsC10]

Originally Posted by studda

I just saw these at Grizzly too. They are on sale. That's only about an hour and a half drive from me too. Would you guys recommend Grizzly or are they too cheaply made?
http://www.grizzly.com/outlet/Mill-D...hine-25/G1005Z

As long as I picked it up, it wouldn't be much more than a mini mill.

Compared to the two mills mentioned in your first post, this Grizzly is built far more along the lines of a Bridgeport type vertical mill.
At least with the Grizzly, you have a wide range of spindle speeds available.
One thing of note is to shop for a machine where you can fully swivel the head for drilling/milling longer
pieces off the rear of the bench or base.

Originally Posted by 72bowtiestepper

I don't know if you have the room in your shop, but have you considered a used Full sized Bridgeport milling machine ? They are dirt cheap at auctions now & very plentiful. The shop were I worked sold 1 for $500 recently in great shape with a power feed table too ! Most have 220 3 phase power, so you have to get a phase converter to run on single phase 220 volts.

This is a great idea as, once you get a mill, it's pretty easy to find smaller/cheaper machines inadequate.
True, professional grade units can be trued-up for high tolerance work, tooling is widely available as are parts and upgrades.

As mentioned above, many shops, especially when upgrading to NC or CNC, sell their used conventional mills very cheap.
There are plenty of single phase mills out there too, if you want to avoid 3 phase.

My 2¢

[studda]

My brother's company will be getting rid of their Bridgeports soon as they bought brand new machines. I could probably pick one of those up cheap. He said the last ones they got rid of, they sold for scrap prices so I could probably pick one up for a few hundred dollars. The only problem, I rent right now so my garage only has one 15 amp breaker. I'm sure if I tried to use a phase converter, it would pull more than 15 amps, right?

[ETsC10]

Are the mills 3 phase or single? If single, I would think you'ld be good to go
with 15 amps. I worked for Boeing, for years, as a mill operator and every
Bridgeport I've ever worked with had a 1 hp motor.

To put it in perspective, think of a mill as a large, complicated drill press
with a very cool table. That weighs a lot.

[earl84]

Talk to your landlord about having an electrician add to the panel to adequately operate the mill, on your dime. Not many would argue with improvements to their property that they don't have to pay for, and if done by a professional. Probably wouldn't be more than $100-$150, and worth it if you can get a great deal from your brother's company to have a freakin' mill in your garage!

[72bowtiestepper]

Originally Posted by ETsC10

Are the mills 3 phase or single? If single, I would think you'ld be good to go
with 15 amps. I worked for Boeing, for years, as a mill operator and every
Bridgeport I've ever worked with had a 1 hp motor.

To put it in perspective, think of a mill as a large, complicated drill press
with a very cool table. That weighs a lot.

Bridgeports are great machines, aren't they Ellen ? I am a semi-retired toolmaker & have many ,many hours of experience on these machines ! With the right tooling & fixtures, you can do so much work & get great results....even more so with the addition of a digital readout.

[ETsC10]

Originally Posted by earl84

Talk to your landlord about having an electrician add to the panel to adequately operate the mill, on your dime. Not many would argue with improvements to their property that they don't have to pay for, and if done by a professional. Probably wouldn't be more than $100-$150, and worth it if you can get a great deal from your brother's company to have a freakin' mill in your garage!

Very, very good idea.
Unless you plan on moving your 220v outlet or using a very heavy extension cord, staging your power supply close to the mill is a must.
Number one, the mill is VERY heavy -- over a ton, and two, once you have it trued up, you will not want to do it again.

Originally Posted by 72bowtiestepper

With the right tooling & fixtures, you can do so much work & get great results....even more so with the addition of a digital readout.

Absolutely right! You can do nearly anything including lathe work, threading your own bolts, power tapping holes ... you name it!
I suggest you hold off buying something else until you have fully researched this as you have a golden opportunity here.
Worst case scenario, store it until you are ready!

Heck Studda, fly me over to Missouri and I'll even show you how to use it!

[studda]

Ok, so my brother talked to the head guys at his company and we were told $150 was a good offer. The mill has a vise that is already clamped down and a set of R8 collets. I can't pass that up.

Originally Posted by ETsC10

Heck Studda, fly me over to Missouri and I'll even show you how to use it!

I took two years of precision machining classes from a local vocational school and got some of the NIMS certifications. It's been a while but I'm pretty familiar with using one.

[ETsC10]

Originally Posted by studda

Ok, so my brother talked to the head guys at his company and we were told $150 was a good offer. The mill has a vise that is already clamped down and a set of R8 collets. I can't pass that up.

Holy Cow Studda!!!! $150 bucks!!!
Tech school is how I started out too. Lots of fun!

Just think, now you can start haunting machine shop auctions
with the money you saved on the mill!

[studda]

Yeah, $150 is a steal. That's what they paid for it because they bought out a whole machine shop so the seller threw the mill in cheap. I can definitely use the extra cash for tools and cutters.

[vidman]

Good deal for a Bridgeport. I have had one for a while and sometimes i wonder how i survived without it. Plus having a lathe around isn,t so bad either

[studda]

Yeah, I wish I could find a lathe at such a bargain. I can do a lot of the same stuff with a mill, it'll just require more setup to make the same parts than a lathe would. The mill is also kind of old and wouldn't hurt to be rebuilt but, is in useable condition. Even as is, it's WAY too good of a deal to pass up. $150 is cheaper than the scrap value of it.

[vidman]

Just remember when you move the mill they are top heavy. Here,s a pic of my lathe. I love making things that i can,t find

[studda]

Yeah, I'll probably move it in pieces instead of moving all the weight at once.

[ETsC10]

Originally Posted by vidman

Just remember when you move the mill they are top heavy.

Originally Posted by studda

Yeah, I'll probably move it in pieces instead of moving all the weight at once.

Vidman is right about them being top heavy and probably why you plan on pulling the head off.

What I would do is find a buddy with a wrecker or hire one, lift it intact onto a trailer, have them
follow you home and unload it as close to or inside the garage and onto some lengths of
pipe where you can roll it from there.

Don't forget that if you separate the head from the rest of it, you will still have to monkey
around with a cherry picker because of it's weight...plus the additional chance of damage or injury.

Just another of my 2¢

[earl84]

Sweet deal, happy for you, and jealous. Good luck with it.

[oilmanpat]

I have moved them many times. Lower the table and tilt the head to horiz.sideways. That lowers the center of gravity. I roll em on pipes and have a buddy around to help push. I haul it on a 5'X10' single axle trailer and use a come a long to get em on and off. I do put boards on the ramp to strengthen before winching machine up and down. I have even hauled a 21" 8' bed South Bend lathe on it.

[68anthony]

I have one of these mill drill machines from Acra and I can not stand it. I have a Kurt vise on it and every thing. The thing that drives me the most crazy is when I have to move the head up or down. Because it is on a round post you always have to re-edge find your part. I did not think that it would make that much or a difference to me but its a pain in the butt. Also adjusting the belts to change speed sucks. I work in a machine shop so I am used to working with Bridgeport Milling machines. I got this mill drill for real cheap and it came with a Kennedy tool box full of measuring tools, so I don't really feel like I got a bad deal I just don't like the machine. Enough with my rant on this mill.

The mini mill from little machine shop looks nice probably a better quality than HF. You wont have to edge find the part when you move the head up and down it looks like. If I was going to pull the trigger I would maybe go for the next one up,it has a more powerful motor and it uses standard R8 collets. That is a big plus in my book because they are cheap and can be picked up anywhere. They also make every size you can think of. When you do buy a Bridgeport they will fit right away so its not a waste of money to buy nice ones. It is always a good Idea to have a good quality vise and if you buy a good one its a good investment that will last a life time if cared for. The last thing you need to have a good milling machine set up is digital readouts. If you can get one for all the axes these machines are the easiest to use when you know where you are at on the part. The back lash in the handles make it almost impossible to move about a part.

Any way that's my bit of advise on milling machines.