Harborfreight Micro Mill/ Drill

The link to the first one didn't work. The second one looks OK. The one thing I'd be concerned about is milling with a Jacobs Taper. Side load often can pull the chuck right out of the taper. Maybe they have a retention bolt for that, but I didn't notice one.
 
I think I know the ones you speak of. Power is a significant difference and, while power is not that much of an issue with knifemaking, the difference is about fourfold. Also, the capacity of the second machine is greater - i think maybe 1/2 inch as opposed to 3/8. They all come out of the same factory (including the Grizzly model) so quality should be similar.

I should say, I have used neither - but have been researching both. I've decided on more expensive one, but it looks like I'll have to drive down and pick it up because for some reason they won't ship to Canada - and we don't get discount coupons either :mad: . That grumpy face isn't directed so much at HF as at the jerk who must have something to alienate Canadian business. :(

Rob!
 
I have the same basic model from MicroMark, www.micromark.com. I love it!!! I think it's a step up from HF. I also have their mini lathe (MicroMark's) and once again, just a step up from the HF model.
 
Another thing to keep in mind is that the larger one uses R8 tooling. If you decide to move up to a bigger mill in the future, you won't have to completely re-tool if you ge tthe larger of the two. You'll EASILY double or triple the cost of the mill in tooling, so it makes sense to go with something more widely available and useful.

-d
 
Bruce Evans and myself have the Micro Mill/Drll. It is really only good for slotting guards.:jerkit: If I was going to do it again I owuld go with a larger one.:thumbup:
 
Don't buy the micro. The first time I used mine it did fine. The second time the spindle stopped moving. I took it back. The manager admitted they had more returned than kept on that model and recommended I get the next model up which I did for nearly twice the price but its a very good machine. Mine is even better now since converting it to a belt drive over the gear drive. The micro and mini which I currently own both come with gear drives. What they don't tell you is that the gears are plastic exept for the one coming off the motor itself on the Mini.

I'm sorry to tell you you'll be wasting good money to bother with the micro. Don't bolt it down to your table too well because if you really use it you'll be pulling it off to return it or have it repaired the first time you try to take off more than the platic teeth can handle. If you buy it anyway, order some extra gears for it right off the bat so you have them on hand because you will need them.

STR
 
For just a little more, you can by "made in USA" Sherline. I've been using one full time for 10 years and have not had any trouble and still on the original belt.
 
sunfishman said:
For just a little more, you can by "made in USA" Sherline. I've been using one full time for 10 years and have not had any trouble and still on the original belt.
Click to expand...

What Sherline model do you have and how much is a "little" more money? I've been looking for a mill too but I can't swing one of those $1000 models right now.
 
I have the model 5500, which is a little larger than the standard model 5000. I paid around $500, 9 or 10 years ago, they've gone up a little. I did a quick search and found this site www.tabletopmachineshop.com I can't get the link or attachment thing to work. I'm sure better prices can be found, I bought mine from Blueridge Machine. These are small machines for small jobs but super high quality and very very accurate, mine is still like new after all these years.
 
Thanks for the info and links!

The larger HF model can probably handle titanium with a belt drive conversion, right?

Can the Sherline handle titanium?

(I may venture into framelocks down the road and will need some way of milling the reliefs for the lock).
 
I use mine for making frame locks all the time and have not had any issues with even .200 thick titanium using McMaster and Carr thin cut off wheels. The belt drive conversion is the way to go. I never even used mine at all for anything with the factory plastic gears. It was converted the day I mounted it on the table and after seeing the plastic gear the belt drive replaced I was glad I did it. You can get this belt drive conversion kit from several sources I think but I got mine from www.stirlingsteele.com/beltdrive.html

It was a cinch to put on also. I was up and running in half an hour and done in less time than this.

STR
 
Hey Don. Thanks for that link. Where were you when I was looking for a mill? I like what I saw with that machine. I would love to have that little 5400 model personally. What I could really use right now is a rotary table similar to that one at Sherline though but man is that thing expensive. More than the mill from what I can tell. But the mill itself looks like its all I'd need and its much lighter weight than the one I have also. Unfortunately I've spend my wad and have to use what I have now. I'll be sure to pass that link on to anyone that asks though.

STR
 
For those who appreciate fine crafstmanship, they might want to check out what can be done with miniature machine tools (other disciplines are included, too):

http://craftsmanshipmuseum.com/

Joe Martin is the owner of Sherline. His book on tabletop machining is geared towards Sherline tools and a very enjoyable read. A novice at machining can pick up a lot of good general info from the book.

For me, the bitchin-est looking tabletop mill on the market is the Rusnok:
http://www.campbelltools.com/rusnokmill.html
Mucho dinero.
 
STR said:
Hey Don. Thanks for that link. Where were you when I was looking for a mill? I like what I saw with that machine. I would love to have that little 5400 model personally. What I could really use right now is a rotary table similar to that one at Sherline though but man is that thing expensive. More than the mill from what I can tell. But the mill itself looks like its all I'd need and its much lighter weight than the one I have also. Unfortunately I've spend my wad and have to use what I have now. I'll be sure to pass that link on to anyone that asks though.

STR
Click to expand...

I bought a Sherline rotary table not long after I got the mill and a very nice addition to the mill it is, I paid $250 but that was 8 or 9 years ago. Here a link to the Sherline site, www.sherline.com

Here's the table I have, priced at $270, http://www.sherline.com/3700pg.htm
 
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