Ok guys, I will admit to being totally dumb in regards to mills. I would like to start doing folders and slip joints soon and would like to pick one up. Ive been doing some research and am even more confused now. What exactly do I need? There are benchtop mills for less than than a grand and I have seen larger mills locally on craigslist for around 1500. What would your recommendation be? I have about 2k to spend.
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Mill questions
- Thread starter KFU
- Start date
Bill DeShivs
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2000
- Messages
- 12,880
Bigger is better with mills.
That said, you don't have to have a mill to make folders.
That said, you don't have to have a mill to make folders.
- Joined
- May 5, 2005
- Messages
- 264
I started with a grizzly mini mill and quickly outgrew it. Bigger is better for sure. If you have the space, way to transport it, the money, and a way to power it, a bridgeport kneemill is the way to go. Grizzly does make a nice benchtop bedmill in about the $1,500 range that can be ran on 110v. Keep in mind that you can easily double that investment in tooling cost. Especially if you add in power feed and DRO options, it can get salty quick. I would get a square column over a round. Get one with and r8 spindle taper. The tooling is more abundant for it and easily switched from mill to mill.
http://www.grizzly.com/products/6-x-21-Mill-Drill/G0619
Nice little mill in your price range.
http://www.grizzly.com/products/Mill-Drill/G0463
This is the same mill with less options.
Don
http://www.grizzly.com/products/6-x-21-Mill-Drill/G0619
Nice little mill in your price range.
http://www.grizzly.com/products/Mill-Drill/G0463
This is the same mill with less options.
Don
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2009
- Messages
- 21,855
Barry Clodfelter
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- May 29, 2007
- Messages
- 579
While bigger is better with mills. Any mill is better than no mill. Ne matter which way you go you are probably spend as much on tooling or at least I have so far.
- Joined
- Dec 6, 2004
- Messages
- 6,212
i used a mini milll from HF for years ans a light mill and a good "short" drill press i jsut got a bridge port a little while back and still keep the mini for alot of smaller work as its handy (dont have a drill press)
you can drill with a mill but milling with a drill is dangerous
you can drill with a mill but milling with a drill is dangerous
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2002
- Messages
- 12,297
After using a Sherline mill for 15 or so years, I just bought one of these for cutting nail nicks.
http://www.littlemachineshop.com/pro...ory=1387807683
The little Sherline has been fine for everything I needed in knife making, but wanted a slightly large mill. After a bunch of looking and reading and a couple hours at Grizzly. I decide the LMS mill is the best of the smaller mills.
http://www.littlemachineshop.com/pro...ory=1387807683
The little Sherline has been fine for everything I needed in knife making, but wanted a slightly large mill. After a bunch of looking and reading and a couple hours at Grizzly. I decide the LMS mill is the best of the smaller mills.
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2010
- Messages
- 3,273
The solid column mini mill at little machine shop is the one I will be getting this year. Where the tilting column "could" be nice I rarely had the need to tilt the head when I worked as a manual machinist. The rigidity is more important than the tilting.
Also their kit that comes with the tooling is worth extra money in my opinion.
Also their kit that comes with the tooling is worth extra money in my opinion.
- Joined
- May 4, 2009
- Messages
- 1,036
By the biggest one you can afford/have room for. Avoid round columns and gear drives.
Check around at local machine shops.
Always watch your 6 when visiting folks who have stuff for sale on Craigslist.
Check around at local machine shops.
Always watch your 6 when visiting folks who have stuff for sale on Craigslist.
- Joined
- Oct 17, 2010
- Messages
- 2,424
Gotta ask yourself what you want to do with it.
If all you want is to slot guards, you can get by with just about anything, once you figure out the quirks and take careful finishing passes.
If you want to take on more ambitious fab projects, rip ladder patterns, or mill large damascus billets instead of grinding them, the bigger the better. If space isn't an issue, look for a bridgeport sized machine at the minimum. A no 2 sized K&T (Milwaukee), Cincinatti, Van Norman, etc, will take up roughly the same space (lower height), and are a thousand times more versatile, and rigid. With the exception of drilling, where a bridgeport style machine with quill excels. I've got a K&T No 2 Vertical(4500lbs), an MSC bridgeport clone(2500lbs), and agreement to buy a K&T No 2 Horizontal with a Universal Head.
If I had to sell one of the two I have currently, it would be the MSC in a second. Only draw back of the larger K&T is the low top spindle speed (1400rpm) on this one, but it can still run 1/8th cutters fine for slotting guards. On the flip side, it has rapid traverse and true mechanical power feeds on all axis, and can easily run 4" indexable face mills, with high feeds. It'll spit chips like nobody's business, and I'm finding myself rarely using the surface grinder anymore except for finer grit ricasso work.
That being said, I mostly make damascus, so all that may be completely irrelevant to you. You can usually pick up a good mill like this for $1-2k, depending on condition and accessories, and included tooling, which is often, a lot.
If all you want is to slot guards, you can get by with just about anything, once you figure out the quirks and take careful finishing passes.
If you want to take on more ambitious fab projects, rip ladder patterns, or mill large damascus billets instead of grinding them, the bigger the better. If space isn't an issue, look for a bridgeport sized machine at the minimum. A no 2 sized K&T (Milwaukee), Cincinatti, Van Norman, etc, will take up roughly the same space (lower height), and are a thousand times more versatile, and rigid. With the exception of drilling, where a bridgeport style machine with quill excels. I've got a K&T No 2 Vertical(4500lbs), an MSC bridgeport clone(2500lbs), and agreement to buy a K&T No 2 Horizontal with a Universal Head.
If I had to sell one of the two I have currently, it would be the MSC in a second. Only draw back of the larger K&T is the low top spindle speed (1400rpm) on this one, but it can still run 1/8th cutters fine for slotting guards. On the flip side, it has rapid traverse and true mechanical power feeds on all axis, and can easily run 4" indexable face mills, with high feeds. It'll spit chips like nobody's business, and I'm finding myself rarely using the surface grinder anymore except for finer grit ricasso work.
That being said, I mostly make damascus, so all that may be completely irrelevant to you. You can usually pick up a good mill like this for $1-2k, depending on condition and accessories, and included tooling, which is often, a lot.