Mill "requirements"

AVigil said:
The gears in the HF x2 mill have always been plastic. Years ago I bought the belt drive upgrade and will be installing it on the new mill.
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yep my mini is something like 17 years old and had plastic gears belt upgraade was amazing so much less noise and better HS range
 
So, if I decide to get a mill, I am assuming there is a minimum.

Are the micros like the $200 ones any good, or the Proxxons, or does one need to start at the minis like the HF or LMS?

There is no way I imagine I will have room for a Bridgeport. I also assume I want to avoid aluminum tables and plastic gears...

And all the machinists always toss out "you can do mill work on a lathe, and lathe work on a mill, only a lathe can make itself..." Not sure how that works out exactly, I assume it has to do with accessories.

so once decided on a mill what accessories are required to get going?
 
Bill DeShivs said:
Stay away from the $200 minis. They are junk.
The only minis that are usable are the $700+ mini mills.
The Taig and Sherline models are very good machines.
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Okay, so other than "no plastic gears", " no aluminum tables", "R8 is great", and bigger and more expensive is always better, what specific features should I be looking for or avoiding?
 
BradleySmall said:
Okay, so other than "no plastic gears", " no aluminum tables", "R8 is great", and bigger and more expensive is always better, what specific features should I be looking for or avoiding?
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The thicker the column the better...
 
also look at RPM range for cutters that will be used these little mills are best used with light cuts and sadly that will mean cutter life is much shorter then if you had a bigger mill that you can power through a cut with less chatter (thats why everyone points to get the biggest mill you can fit) i have both a mini mill and a bridgeport. i use the mini more then the BP but thats cause the mini is also my drill press. as well as my "i dont want to dirty up my BP" i use a fly cutter to dress all my by handles blocks and scales. when it comes to milling anything more tehn wood or AL the BP is a much better tool to use
 
Learn on HSS cutters, then buy carbide. The learning curve starting with carbide can get expensive.
 
Stacy is correct about not starting/learning with Carbide end mill....I would recommend Cobalt less expensive than Carbide...


Cobalt (M-42: 8% Cobalt): Provides better wear resistance, higher hot hardness and toughness than high speed steel (HSS). There is very little chipping or microchipping under severe cutting conditions, allowing the tool to run 10% faster than HSS, resulting in excellent metal removal rates and good finishes.
 
Busto said:
Stacy is correct about not starting/learning with Carbide end mill....I would recommend Cobalt less expensive than Carbide...


Cobalt (M-42: 8% Cobalt): Provides better wear resistance, higher hot hardness and toughness than high speed steel (HSS). There is very little chipping or microchipping under severe cutting conditions, allowing the tool to run 10% faster than HSS, resulting in excellent metal removal rates and good finishes.
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I think Cobalt is just a higher grade of HSS
 
DRO is a good, fairly inexpensive add to a mini mill. Absolutely needed, no. But it does make you a bit more accurate, imo.
 
DanF said:
DRO is a good, fairly inexpensive add to a mini mill. Absolutely needed, no. But it does make you a bit more accurate, imo.
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I would not want to be without a DRO, I think it's the only reason the parts I make go together as planned (most of the time). Power feed is great, too, but more of a convenience!
 
Bill DeShivs said:
Stay away from the $200 minis. They are junk.
The only minis that are usable are the $700+ mini mills.
The Taig and Sherline models are very good machines.
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So, other than the technician from Sherline assuring me that he has plenty of clients that are gunsmiths and knifemakers using his product (and suggests asking around in the knifemaking forums about it), you are the first person to say anything positive about the Sherline.
 
BradleySmall said:
So, other than the technician from Sherline assuring me that he has plenty of clients that are gunsmiths and knifemakers using his product (and suggests asking around in the knifemaking forums about it), you are the first person to say anything positive about the Sherline.
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Sherline are very good machines. They are just tiny and are limited due to their size

For slipjoint making the only thing you really need a mill for is to mill the liner relief precisely. You can do everything else on a drill press.

That being said my minimill is the best drill press I have ever used
 
AVigil said:
For slipjoint making the only thing you really need a mill for is to mill the liner relief precisely
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Im sure those 200 micro machines would not be enough machine for most any milling you would need doing BUT.... I have wondered if they would work as a dedicated machine to relieve liners ???? I have no experience with a milling maching but it seems like you wouldnt need a machine with a lot of oomph to relieve a few thousandths from a liner ??
 
Britt_Askew said:
Im sure those 200 micro machines would not be enough machine for most any milling you would need doing BUT.... I have wondered if they would work as a dedicated machine to relieve liners ???? I have no experience with a milling maching but it seems like you wouldnt need a machine with a lot of oomph to relieve a few thousandths from a liner ??
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You are milling into stainless steel. I guess if you has a long time and made teeny passes it could be done. Check into the price of a Sherline mill and what it would take to mill liners.

Then buy something else
 
AVigil said:
You are milling into stainless steel. I guess if you has a long time and made teeny passes it could be done. Check into the price of a Sherline mill and what it would take to mill liners.

Then buy something else
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So what do you use?

Seems like HF, Grizzly, Eastwood, Microlux, Little Machine Shop, Klutch and even Matthews Precision to a degree all seem to be made by the same company.

MP seems to add a bit more umph, and the belt system. LMS also seems to do the belt system, and eschews the tilting column. Grizzly and Eastwood boast the 3/4 HP motor rather than the 1/2 HP's. And HF seems to have the cheapest list price, which would be great if they didn't make their machine an online exclusive requiring shipping. I don't know if they ever coupon their machine anymore, so the best I think I could get is 10% if I get their credit card. The Microlux seemed nice enough and they sent me a 2 day 20% off but I couldn't use it on either machine since they are both on back order :(

So if I can't get a discount, or find a good used one it looks like the Klutch would be cheapest since I can drive over to Northern tool. But I like the idea of the larger motor so Grizzly or Eastman are close enough in price but the Eastman is blue.


Of course if money were no object, the Matthew Precision seems a sweet deal. With the LMS a close second.

Me, I am looking for lowest entry expense with upgrades over time. I just assume I would pay for the better motor upfront because I don't imagine that would be a fun replacement.
 
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