Best mill with DRO for knifemaking if you don't have space for a Bridgeport?

You're right - those long cuts are where a power feed would really shine...... and when moving from vise mounted on table end to other table end work.
 
Yes you will pay a premium for small hme shop sized machines.


That craigs list mill rite is interesting

I have one of these-because I wanted new- but I could have gone larger used and been better off.

https://www.grizzly.com/products/6-x-26-Vertical-Mill-with-LED-Worklight/G0801

but it's limited no ram out - the craigslist millrite has ram out - it's important to make up for limited Y range in that small machine.


If you go brandname Bridgport - it's not as good as some later stouter mills, but you still have full FULL parts and service support and probably will for decades to come.
 
butcher_block said:
i think as nice as those milrite option are they fall into the your going to pay more jsut cause ther are not quite as big as reall tools but far far better then HF hobby gear. 9 inch SB lathes can pull ok $ the heavy 10 on a short bed abot the same but step to a 13 and even on a 3 foot bed they end up beeing much cheaper then a 10 cause of 220v and less handy in a small shop. as is always location location loacation BPs are for sale all over the place in my neck of the woods
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Yep, ubiquity of tooling and accessories is a big factor in long term operation cost. I know bunches of people that got some great deal on this or that machine, with some odd-ball spindle taper, and nearly impossible to replace parts, that end up having tons more in tooling up or repairing.

I'm not really a huge fan of bridgeport style mills, they've got some compromises and serious limitations, but they fill a really good niche in the size class, and because of their ubiquity, it's pretty hard to recommend anything too different for small shop work. You can still get parts for anything that breaks on them, not just new ($$$), but there are so many of them out there being parted out or scrapped also, that you can repair them reasonably. Usually they come with tons of tooling that someone else already invested in, and the size means accessories are in the sweet spot of being not too rare, and not too expensive.


Also remember, that just because someone is asking X on craigslist, doesn't mean they'll get it. Bridgeports because of their popularity, are one of those things that every asshole that goes to an auction thinks he can get crazy money for, because they have a perception as "essential", but usually the overpriced ones sit on craigslist or ebay forever, until someone makes an offer. Unless the listing says firm, or you feel certain it's just a hell of a deal, never offer asking price on a machine like this.
 
Thanks Javand. I was thinking of offering about 1/2 what he is asking. ;) I'm just not sure I want to move it right now. Life....
 
guy-montag said:
I could fit a bridgeport in the garage if I could go without a vehicle, but living in Texas, not having a garage or covered parking in hail season is a disaster.
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Just get a few bags of mulch to throw on your car when there’s a threat of hail. That or some roll out foam, like the kind you put under your sleeping bag when camping.

I turned my garage into my out door shop where I weld, forge, and have my Bridgeport. Ya gotta have an outdoor shop
 
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As far as checking the mill for problems, pull and push on the table a bit and see if it has much movement. Run the table back and forth/ up and down on all the axis’ and see how it tracks, and how smooth the travel is. This will indicate whether the owner used way oil regularly. Like checking how clean the oil is in a car before buying. Check to make sure the way oil system works and all the lines are intact. Mine weren’t. It’s not a huge deal as you can oil the ways manually. If you can, get a couple parts diagrams of the model you’re looking at and reference it to make sure all the parts are there. A lot of the older Bridgeport knee mills were powered with 3-phase. So make sure you will be able to power it.

As far as power feed is concerned, I think it’s nice to have. I have a powerfeed, but just need to set it up. A powerfeed comes in handy when doing final passes for a good finish. The table will travel smoother/more consistently fluid when using a power feed, than turning the wheel by hand. So when the cutter is in contact with the work, it will be one smooth pass/cutt. It’s hard to maintain a constant speed, without small stops when turning the wheel by hand. This can cause little stop/start marks on the work. It’s not a big deal, but it does happen.

In regards to moving it, pay a local tow company or rigger to move it for you. That’s what I did. Although, the tow company I used didn’t really know what they were getting into. The move(j head knee mill and a surface grinder) took 5-6hrs to move and they estimated it would take half that. Dispatcher kept calling me while we were finishing the move, but I didn’t answer until we were done. She was going to try and make me pay more than the quoted $200 because it took so long. Had I answered she probably would have told them not to move it off the flatbed until I agreed to pay extra. In other words, make sure you agree to a rate prior to moving and don’t talk about it again until the mill is off their truck.

You can use steel round bars to roll it on and a long/large prybar or railroad bar to lift it up to get them under it. Then roll it to where you want it. Heavy duty pallet jacks can work too. There are plenty of YouTube videos out there on how to move these types of machines.

Be patient when looking for a good mill. Have your money ready to pounce on a deal. You can also make a “wanting to buy a metal milling machine” ad on Craigslist. That’s what I did. An old machinist had it in his shop and his son saw my ad on Craigslist and called me up about it. I ended up getting my J-head knee mill for around $1200 and a Brown & Sharp automatic surface grinder for an extra $200($1400 for both machines). Deals are out there. Be patient and research what to look for.

Good luck.
 
JG Custom Metal Works said:
As far as checking the mill for problems, pull and push on the table a bit and see if it has much movement. Run the table back and forth/ up and down on all the axis’ and see how it tracks, and how smooth the travel is. ...........

Be patient when looking for a good mill. Have your money ready to pounce on a deal. You can also make a “wanting to buy a metal milling machine” ad on Craigslist. That’s what I did. An old machinist had it in his shop and his son saw my ad on Craigslist and called me up about it. I ended up getting my J-head knee mill for around $1200 and a Brown & Sharp automatic surface grinder for an extra $200($1400 for both machines). Deals are out there. Be patient and research what to look for.

Good luck.
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All fantastic advice. Thanks!
 
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