Mill questions

C

Chant

Joined
Jan 27, 2006
Messages
279
I've been researching mills on this forum, and have found a lot of info. Unfortunately, being in Canada, many of the models seem to be unavailable to me.

I have found a Canadian supplier who carries the following:
http://busybeetools.ca/cgi-bin/products?&NMCLASS=00171&NSBCLASS=00287&NETID=0648050322061021618

Does anyone know anything about these mills? Are they any good? (They will look expensive to you Americans, as the price is $CD.)

In particular, I'm interested in the V2229 Lathe/Mill combination. I'm leary of combinations, though, as my experience has shown that equipment that multi-tasks usually doesn't do any of its tasks well. This one has two motors, though, so I'm wondering.

Also, if anyone knows of any other Canadian milling machine supplier, please let me know.
 
Try Akhurst Machinery. www.akhurst.com
I deal with them mainly for woodworking equipment for my shop but they also deal in metal eguipment. The new product they carry is on the large size but they always have a large list of used stuff availible.
I deal with the main office in BC but they have a branch out your way as well.

Akhurst Machinery Ltd.
6235 Danville Road
Mississauga, Ontario
L5T 2H7
Tel: (905) 670-0924
Toll Free: 1-888-265-4867
Fax: (905) 564-8604

Kelly
 
Thanks, Kelly.

I stopped in to the Busy Bee store this morning. The sales guy (a nice fellow named Fred, who hand-makes muzzle-loaders on the side) steered me away from the Lathe/Mill combo.

He's pretty much got me convinced to get the following Craftex knee mill: http://busybeetools.ca/cgi-bin/picture?&NETID=0753470322061021637&NTITEM=CT054

He's doing a demo on Apr 8th, so I think I'll make a decision after I watch the machine working. Bloody big things to get into a basement.
 
I ran across a "King Canada" line of bench power tools the other day and does anyone know about them? Are they Chinese or actually made in Canada? I believe they also have a milling machine, none of the tools had the Chinese Clone look.
 
I ran across the following while searching out info on Busy Bee's "Craftex" mills:

"I did a lot of research into the jointer and I came to the conclusion that
it is made in china and renamed by several retailers here in north america.
Grizzly, king, craftex,delta, craftsman, are all the same. The delta and
craftsman have a few different handles etc.. but the main machine, cast iron
parts etc.. are identical. I bought the King because of the price, local
store was selling them cheap. "
 
A separate lathe and mill is 1,000 times better than the combo machines. Generally, combos make a decent lathe and a terrible mill. Setups are awkward and painful. However, good work can be done on them if you're willing to expend the effort.

A knee mill will be much, much better than a mill drill assuming equivalent quality. When you raise or lower the head of a mill/drill (which you do constantly) you have to tram the head each time to the X and Y Axis. A real pain.

George
 
Jeff,

You can spend your money if you want to, but if you've never done machining before, I woudl recommend that you buy a Harbor Freight mini-mill. You can learn on it all the machining processes that you will need for knifemaking, and it won't wont empty your wallet. Learn to use it, and you will be happy that you did not spend a lot of cash for something bigger than you need. I try to tell people we are making knives here, nothing more.

The bottom line is that you can learn on the HF mill and upgrade if and when you see fit. In the end, the HF mill is a useful addition to ANY shop.
 
I would recommend that which ever machine you get to make sure it has an R-8 collet system. Some of the mini mills and combo machines have a Morris taper that holds the cutter in. There is no positive way to hold the cutter holder in the machine, just the friction from the taper. If you take a heavy cut the spiral flutes on an end mill will pull the holder out of the arbor.
 
I'll throw in my two cents about the HF. I've had one for about two years. I make very few pieces, so it doesn't see much use. After a year of sporadic and light use the table started to wobble. Now I can't even mill a straight line in a piece of maple.

I'll be damned if I buy another piece of equipment made in China. I would rather go without and save the money for an American machine than throw it away on another crappy import. For $500 a year I think you can find a better choice.

Matt
 
Looks like I'm going to spend a lot more time deciding on a mill than I did on a grinder.:o

Thanks for all the input. I'm worried about the asian stuff, too, but just about every mill (except the BIG ones) seems to come from there.

Grizzly won't ship here, and I read on other threads that HF's stuff is from the same asian sources, but of slightly better quality. I was wondering about the Seig X3 too -- got some good reviews here and on mini-mill.com.

I'm just happy to find out HF will ship here -- I thought I was going to be limited to the few models avail. in Canada. I'll have to pay duty on the HF stuff (cause its made in asia, rather than the U.S.) but at least I have some choices.
 
LongRifle said:
I'll throw in my two cents about the HF. I've had one for about two years. I make very few pieces, so it doesn't see much use. After a year of sporadic and light use the table started to wobble. Now I can't even mill a straight line in a piece of maple.

I'll be damned if I buy another piece of equipment made in China. I would rather go without and save the money for an American machine than throw it away on another crappy import. For $500 a year I think you can find a better choice.

Matt
Click to expand...

Matt, check your gib screws. You've got something loose there. It shoudl have smooth travel, but very little play or backlash. All these are adjustable. I'd suggest you just have a good look into it. Take off the table and clean and lubricate and retighten things. All the Chinese machinery need a little lovin' before they will give you good service.
 
Thanks much, Mr. Higgins.

Your mill expertise is greatly appreciated. I'll use your advice from many other threads here, and the links they point to, to give my mill the necessary "lovin" once I get it.
 
a bit of a dissent-

might want to see if a local community/junior college (voc-tech school) offers continuing education classes in machine tool...i know the school i went to had a few 'old timers' that just came in every few days to work on their home projects...(tractor parts, pencil holders, etc..)

back then, the curriculum was a bit laid back, so it was ideal for a retiree to lend mature wisdom to us greenhorns...

its just a thought, it might give you an opportunity to work on some nice equipment...
 
Jeff, thanks for the advice. Actually, I have taken the machine apart several times including replacing the gib screws, cleaning, lubing, and tightening everything. I've come to the conclusion it's just a junk machine. It makes a decent drill press, but I would have rather shelled out an extra $500 and bought a Wilton...live and learn I guess.
 
Chant,

Lathemaster will ship to Canada. www.lathemaster.com

SIEG X3 Milling Machine with shipping to Canada

$945+$310 shipping- $1255.00 USD (445lbs shipping weight 355lbs machine weight)

He also sells a much more robust mill with some real size and power that has gotten many good reviews.

Lathemaster ZAY7045FG with shipping to Canada $1395+$469 shipping- $1864.00 USD (805lbs shipping weight 730lbs machine weight)

He is a little slow answering emails, but if you call him, he will get back to you. Bob is a great guy that will go way out of his way to make sure his customers are happy and taken care of.

If you want a detailed description of the x3 and it's capabilities, this website has a load of great first hand information with pictures of disassembly, cleaning, reassembly, and use of the x3. http://www.thms.tedatum.com/ I hope this gives you some good stuff to chew on.
 
steierknives said:
I would recommend that which ever machine you get to make sure it has an R-8 collet system. Some of the mini mills and combo machines have a Morris taper that holds the cutter in. There is no positive way to hold the cutter holder in the machine, just the friction from the taper. If you take a heavy cut the spiral flutes on an end mill will pull the holder out of the arbor.
Click to expand...

Will do, thanks.
 
bigbcustom said:
Chant,

Lathemaster will ship to Canada. www.lathemaster.com

SIEG X3 Milling Machine with shipping to Canada

$945+$310 shipping- $1255.00 USD (445lbs shipping weight 355lbs machine weight)

He also sells a much more robust mill with some real size and power that has gotten many good reviews.

Lathemaster ZAY7045FG with shipping to Canada $1395+$469 shipping- $1864.00 USD (805lbs shipping weight 730lbs machine weight)

He is a little slow answering emails, but if you call him, he will get back to you. Bob is a great guy that will go way out of his way to make sure his customers are happy and taken care of.

If you want a detailed description of the x3 and it's capabilities, this website has a load of great first hand information with pictures of disassembly, cleaning, reassembly, and use of the x3. http://www.thms.tedatum.com/ I hope this gives you some good stuff to chew on.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. The tedatum.com site is full of great info.
 
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