I need a new drill press...or a mill?

B

Brian.Evans

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Aug 20, 2011
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I've been using a little HF drill press and I've outgrown it. It works just fine for punching reasonably accurate and straight holes in fixed blade tangs, but I would like to get something more accurate for folders.

Should I:
1. Wait and buy a mid size mill with drill capabilities?
2. Keep searching for an old American made machine to restore?
3. Buy a midsize Grizzly, G7943?
4. Buy a hf mini mill?

What to do?
 
Forget the HF mini-mill. It is a waste of money.

You need a floor stand drill press for doing more serious work. A mill is nice ( but not a necessity). When you get one, make it a good one, like a Bridgeport or large Grizzly.

Using just a mill for both tasks would require a very large mill.
 
Forget the HF mini-mill. It is a waste of money.

You need a floor stand drill press for doing more serious work. A mill is nice ( but not a necessity). When you get one, make it a good one, like a Bridgeport or large Grizzly.

Using just a mill for both tasks would require a very large mill.
 
my mini mill has done a great deal of work for me and i dont have a single drill press. i now have a bridgeport adn im not selling my mini mill to get a full sized drill replacement
look at the LMS mills as they have the belt drive already done to them (love how quite it made mine)
depending on the type of folders you want to do having the ability to mill is a huge + and since we all know you are not to mill with a drill but you can drill with a mill
in my shop now to buy a drill press that is not goingot be out grown i would need to spend more then 1K$ you can get a lightly tooled mini mill for that kind of $

edit to add my bridegport was dropped in front of my shop for 1600 bucks and came with a vice and a few collets (i have a VFD to power it ) if you have the space and time to keep an eye on Craigslist maybe wait and hunt but know that a bridgeprot that has no tooling or power supply can quickly have you spending another 2k$ since my mini mill is R8 tooling i can share as i slowly add more tooling
 
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My Harbour Freight Mini Mill has been a great investment and has paid for itself many times over.

I use it for making gun parts, airgun parts for knifemaking and it performs very well for about a decade.

There are different models of the same mini from different vendors such as HF, Grizzly and little machine shop.

if you get one with plastic gears do yourself a favor and buy the belt drive mod, it will save you the headache of plastic gears and it runs much smoother as well.

For knifemaking I use it to drill holes, slot guards and sometimes to even up shoulders for the guards

Its variable speed is very handy and much better then that of a drill press.

Here are some examples of the stuff I make for airguns on the Mini Mill just to show what it can do.










and of course there is always doing the slot for a guard

sXFxYNR.jpg
 
I'm planning on using it for relieving slipjoint liners, cutting Scagel style holes in blades, cutting nail nicks, drilling pivot holes for folders, and cutting out the lock bars on liner locks. Will the mini mill be ok for that? I am keeping my other little drill press for less precise stuff.
 
Yes Brian the mini mill will work great for all those things and with far more precision then a drill press and vise.
 
Keep an eye on craigslist. I bought my mill before the knife hobby, and it's the most used machine I have. I paid $700 for it as the mill market in San Diego sucks. You can get a Bridgeport with tooling for the same money in other states.I use if for everything including pin holes. It's so much faster, easier, and safer in my opinion. You'll hear it a million times but try to get as much tooling as you can thrown into the deal. The mill I ended up getting is a mini knee mill from the 70's. I can't find any information about it whatsoever but it looks incredibly similar to the g3102.
I have not used the machine to it's full potential as I didn't get any tooling with the mill so I am collecting as I go. It's 10x30 and I love the size of the machine for my shop. A knee is a must have in my opinion
05EDCA9D-7169-4D1A-8E32-4DE46BE47E3E_zpsuf5hpzbu.jpg

I forgot to say that I even use the mill for flattening scales, wood or micarta. There's just so many uses. Now that I have a Jacobs chuck for the mill, I don't even use my drill press anymore.
 
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beautiful mill!! Also a minimill is a good starting choice. You will start to learn how to use it, a solid minimill is enough to do folder's jobs.
Regarding the drill press: it is all about mandrel-quill runout and table tramming... is your old drill press so screwed up?
 
thats a nice sized mill looks abut 2/3 the size of a bridgeport. i too use a cheap flycutter to flatten wood for handles
 
Sandeggo, that's about the size I'd like. Looks like a very handy size for a home shop!

I called HF today. I'd have to order it online, then pay shipping. That puts it at around $650, which I feel is stupid money for a tiny mill. 18 months ago there were close to 15 or 20 mills within 200 miles. Now, 2 or 3, both $3500-6000 full size Bridgeports or clones .
 
Brian.Evans said:
I called HF today. I'd have to order it online, then pay shipping. That puts it at around $650, which I feel is stupid money for a tiny mill.
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HF has 20% off coupons frequently (at all times?) that can get that down.

The mini mill space is kind of frustrating. The HF is a Sieg X2. It's pretty wimpy as a mill, but as a drill press it's got a workable XY table and can drill holes. The tilting column I hear is a nightmare. They used to sell a Sieg X3 for not much more, and that's a much more serious machine.

Grizzly sells the Sieg X3 for like $1400, a Weiss WMD20 (G0704) for $1200, and a Weiss WMD16 (G0758) for $850.

LMS has a Sieg SX2 for I think $900. It's mechanically pretty close to the X2 but with a BLDC motor and belt drive.

Out of all of these I went with the G0704. It's a great drill press and light mill. A huge step up from the X2... but also way more money, which is why mini mills are frustrating :).
 
Like the others, I love my HF mini mill. Id like to have bought a bigger one, but its what i could afford and works for me
 
My buddy has a rong fu, and an enco. Both require the head to drop for height adjustment. I wouldn't want anything lighter than what I have as I have vibrated this one and it weighs 1200 lbs. I've only used mine and another buddy's tree mill. Heavier is better. There were a bunch of tai companies that made my exact mill in the 70's and 80's. I hear that atlas even made one like mine. I guess I got lucky but I looked every week on craigslist for like 3 years. I don't want to tell you how to spend your money but try to hold out as long as you can and get the heaviest machine you can afford.
Burke millrite, clausing, rockwell, and even Bridgeport made small mills like mine with knees.
 
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sandeggo, that mill is awesome, and perfect size for a shop.what is the big handwheel in front of the head for? speed adj? ive been checking craigslist for over three years and still havent seen anything like that for less than twice as much.
 
mike-E said:
sandeggo, that mill is awesome, and perfect size for a shop.what is the big handwheel in front of the head for? speed adj? ive been checking craigslist for over three years and still havent seen anything like that for less than twice as much.
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It's the quill fine downfeed. I've never used the handle on the right of the head that is the fast feed like a drill press. I used the wheel exclusively.
 
butcher_block said:
but good luch findig one and eve more so one not way over priced for the ware on the tool
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They are usually high compared to others but there is a reason for that- I don't think its a far cry though. I can say that I got lucky finding one in ok condition. It's an old machine....... Very rigid. I can't attest for everyone, but local guys that stop by my shop start looking for one when they see mine. I had a descent drill press to start with so I had time to wait for the search.
 
When considering a mill take into consideration how and who is going to move it? It is easy to hit "buy it" but when it comes be ready to get it where it needs to be.
 
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