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Mill Drill recommendations?
- Thread starter tnmike
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- Aug 15, 2005
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I have a Grizzly mini-mill and, while it's pretty useful, I wish I had purchased a larger mill. I discovered that by the time you buy all the collets, mills, cutters, setup/measuring equipment, etc, etc, the cost of the mill itself is not that big a deal. For several hundred extra dollars (it seemed like a lot at the time) I could have purchased a more powerful, sturdy and useful mill. If you can afford the extra dollars, get the larger mill. If you can get one with power feeds, that's a huge plus.
I hope to upgrade to something like this http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT?PMPXNO=3209744&PMT4NO=3525352 By the way, all of these mill/drills are apparently made in the same factory, so the actual name on the machine is not very important.
Of course, If I had a way to move one, and the space to put it, I could have bought many a used Bridgeport for around $2000. The same goes for mini-lathes; if you have the space, a decent used Southbend is a much better deal. All of this is my humble opinion. -Chris
I hope to upgrade to something like this http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT?PMPXNO=3209744&PMT4NO=3525352 By the way, all of these mill/drills are apparently made in the same factory, so the actual name on the machine is not very important.
Of course, If I had a way to move one, and the space to put it, I could have bought many a used Bridgeport for around $2000. The same goes for mini-lathes; if you have the space, a decent used Southbend is a much better deal. All of this is my humble opinion. -Chris
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tnmike said:
For the price of a new mill-drill, you can buy a used Bridgeport or Clausing. Dont waste your money on a Mill-drill. I have one. It sux. A bridgeport will always be there when you want to challenge it. The milldrills are limited by not having a knee.
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Jeff,
Unfortunately for me, size does matter... I need to be able to move a mill into my basement. The mill/drills are about the maximum size that I could get down the stairs. I would have to put a Bridgeport in my garage and leave my SUV in the driveway. Not something I want to do at this time. Of course, if I took up half of my garage with a knee mill, then I could justify buying a nice South Bend lathe and a surface grinder to fill up the rest of the space. I'm sure my wife wouldn't mind.
Unfortunately for me, size does matter... I need to be able to move a mill into my basement. The mill/drills are about the maximum size that I could get down the stairs. I would have to put a Bridgeport in my garage and leave my SUV in the driveway. Not something I want to do at this time. Of course, if I took up half of my garage with a knee mill, then I could justify buying a nice South Bend lathe and a surface grinder to fill up the rest of the space. I'm sure my wife wouldn't mind.
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Lots to think about..I appreciate the comments. I was looking at a used chinese table top milling machine. I can get it for about 500 bucks with a nice stand and milling vise. Its R8 too. Its very similar to the grizzly machine that sells for about a grand. 1 1/2 HP motor.
It looks to me like much more machine than the mini mill. Ive just never used either one and its hard to make a decision like that.
It looks to me like much more machine than the mini mill. Ive just never used either one and its hard to make a decision like that.
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That sounds like a good deal, as long as it's in decent shape. I paid about $300 for my mini-mill, and I really wish I had spent another $200 to get the kind of machine you are talking about. As I mentioned, all of the mill/drills seem to be made in the same factory in China, so the brand on the machine is not really very important. Whatever you do, I would recommend staying away from a mini-mill. They work, but I think you would quickly outgrow one. Good luck.
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Higgy's right on this one. In a mill, size and ridgity are everything. A knee mill will likely handle anything you can think of, a mill drill, less so and a mini mill, well....let's say they're pretty challenging.
If it's got to go in your basement, moving a small Rockwell or Clausing won't present much more of a challenge than a 700lb mill/drill but will give you much more to work with.
If it really comes down to a mill/drill or a mini mill, the mill/drill would be preferable in my mind. You can do amazing stuff with them if you work within the machine's limitations. Look at what Tom Anderson does with his for inspiration. I had one for a while and have never regretted upgrading to an antique Bridgeport for a minute. My only regrets on the Bridgy is that I didn't upgrade to one with a DRO, power table feed and a variable speed head. I gues that means that there's still room for some upgrades
If it's got to go in your basement, moving a small Rockwell or Clausing won't present much more of a challenge than a 700lb mill/drill but will give you much more to work with.
If it really comes down to a mill/drill or a mini mill, the mill/drill would be preferable in my mind. You can do amazing stuff with them if you work within the machine's limitations. Look at what Tom Anderson does with his for inspiration. I had one for a while and have never regretted upgrading to an antique Bridgeport for a minute. My only regrets on the Bridgy is that I didn't upgrade to one with a DRO, power table feed and a variable speed head. I gues that means that there's still room for some upgrades
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I would like to have a Bridgeport but I dont see one in my near future. My space and funds right now are limited. Ive got a really nice Atlas 12x48 lathe and Id love to stay all american made but you know how it is.
The mill Im looking at is in like new condition. I dont think its been used much if any...MIKE
The mill Im looking at is in like new condition. I dont think its been used much if any...MIKE
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For me a full sized mill was never an option. Don't have the room and probably will never have the room.
I looked over every thing I could and finaly settled on a Smithy. I've got the Midus 1220 mill/drill/lathe and love it. I find that other than milling gaurds I use it as a precision drill more than anything else. Changeover from mill to lathe to drill is pretty quik, but not as fast as having seperate machines. It's also rock solid and after initial ajustment is very acurate.
I looked over every thing I could and finaly settled on a Smithy. I've got the Midus 1220 mill/drill/lathe and love it. I find that other than milling gaurds I use it as a precision drill more than anything else. Changeover from mill to lathe to drill is pretty quik, but not as fast as having seperate machines. It's also rock solid and after initial ajustment is very acurate.