Mill Suggestions?

Mitchell Knives

Mitchell Knives

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Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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I'm in the market for a smaller sized mill, and am having issues deciding what to get.

The primary purpose for the mill will be for cutting lock reliefs and raceways for folders. A friend of mine has a Taig (65lbs) and it seems a bit light for this kind of work.

I have been looking at the 3990 from Little Machine Shop, but I am a little concerned that this might not be enough machine for the operations I intend to perform. I don't see a reason why it wouldn't work, but I'm not sure.

Would this be a reasonable choice for a mill or should I be looking at something a bit heavier?
 
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thts a upgraded (but sitll mini mil) belt drie is great (never addeed the air shock)
the add ons they do i clude motor belt shock ad a few other thign but its still realy just a HF mini mill at the base
i think its a great knife makers mill / drill i have the HF with belt conversion ( belt is worth its weight i noise reduction) i milled many thng s small and lignt cuts are best. i now have abridgeport but htt mini stil does plenty of work in the shop so i see no neeed to get rid of it
 
Take a look at the thread I just started a week or so ago. Something like, "I need a new drill press or a mill". I'm on my phone and can't link to it right now.
 
I've used a Sherline (all 26 lbs of it) for around 17 years and it as done everything this knife maker needed, even cut nail nicks with a fly cutter. I got a LMS mill a few years ago just cause I figured I needed a larger mill and it is a nice mill. Seems to be a hell of a lot better than a HF mill...
 
Thanks for the info guys.

I was looking through the tread mentioned earlier, and the Grizzly G0704 seems to be a popular suggestion.

It is also almost double the weight of the LMS offerings, which is a good thing and the price is not bad.

I know the standard answer is to just buy a Bridgeport, but I would like something that is fairly easy to move if need be.

Would the Grizzly G0704 be a reasonable choice over the LMS or is there another model I should look into?

I also found this one:

http://www.machinetoolonline.com/PM-MV-BenchMills.html

It basically looks like a nicer, more expensive version of the G0704.
 
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I'm in the same boat. I want to start doing folders and want a mill and have done a ton of research on the subject as well. I know a Bridgeport type is the best but I just dont have the room or funds for one. I've settled on the Harbor Freight mini mill. With a few upgrades (belt drive, DROs) I think it will do everything I need it to do and maybe even a little more. I also like the idea of having a precision (or better than a regular table top) drill press along with the regular milling applications. You certainly can't beat the price of the HF mill. With the 20% coupon its about $460.00 including shipping to your door and I can always add additional upgrades as or if I need them. I know these are very capable mills for small jobs from what I've read. The Grizzly 704 would be a better mill but it still needs a few upgrades for me like DRO's.
 
Mitchell Knives said:
Thanks for the info guys.

I was looking through the tread mentioned earlier, and the Grizzly G0704 seems to be a popular suggestion.

It is also almost double the weight of the LMS offerings, which is a good thing and the price is not bad.

I know the standard answer is to just buy a Bridgeport, but I would like something that is fairly easy to move if need be.

Would the Grizzly G0704 be a reasonable choice over the LMS or is there another model I should look into?

I also found this one:

http://www.machinetoolonline.com/PM-MV-BenchMills.html

It basically looks like a nicer, more expensive version of the G0704.
Click to expand...

The Bulk of these machines are Clones that come from the same factory in China/Taiwan... one is not much better than the next...The key is to CLEAN the grease they are packed with to ensure
you get a Proper "Tram" on the column or you will be chasing your tail to get your table zeroed to the spindle. Bigger is better because the weight helps keep things aligned and helps dampen the
vibrations of the spindle when cutting. Bridgeports are not for everybody but I highly recommend them if you have the room....even the older models with a little cleaning beat the New Chinese models!!
 
I looked at the LMS, PM25 and G0704 when I was shopping for a mill. I ended up going with a PM932M with DRO from Quality Machine Tool. It cost more than I was planning to spend at the time, but I'm glad I went with the larger mill and got the DRO. Matt the owner of QMT is also good to work with.

Here's a link to a Hobby Machinist forum. Lot's of good info on there regarding the mills you are looking at.

http://www.hobby-machinist.com/

Jim
 
Mitchell Knives said:
Thanks for the info guys.

I was looking through the tread mentioned earlier, and the Grizzly G0704 seems to be a popular suggestion.

It is also almost double the weight of the LMS offerings, which is a good thing and the price is not bad.

I know the standard answer is to just buy a Bridgeport, but I would like something that is fairly easy to move if need be.

Would the Grizzly G0704 be a reasonable choice over the LMS or is there another model I should look into?

I also found this one:

http://www.machinetoolonline.com/PM-MV-BenchMills.html

It basically looks like a nicer, more expensive version of the G0704.
Click to expand...


I have the LMS mini mill and it gets the job done... right now I'm looking at the two you mentioned above. For the price you might as well spend a little more and get a lot heavier machine. Tooling costs a lot either way.
 
Does anyone happen to know the difference between the G0758 and the G0704?

The G0704 simply seems like a larger version of the G0758, but I'm sure there are other differences that I can't appreciate due to my lack of knowledge concerning mills.
 
Mitchell Knives said:
Would the Grizzly G0704 be a reasonable choice over the LMS or is there another model I should look into?
Click to expand...

Yeah, there's no contest there. The G0704 is better in every way except price. I hesitated for a while on this because I have noise concerns and the LMS (a Sieg SX2) claimed to be quiet, but the G0704 is very quiet at lower RPM's.

I use mine more for wood than anything else so far. I could probably get rid of my drill press if I made some kind of table that sits on top of the mill's table so I can drill thru things without damaging things. One less thing in the garage.
 
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I have the g0619 and it is alright but is still frustratingly slow at milling steel. I see bridgeports on a regular basis for fairly cheap and once I get a new shop with more space I will probably pick one up. That being said, I have had no training with machining and am just kind of doing it by the seat of my pants.
 
zhyla said:
Yeah, there's no contest there. The G0704 is better in every way except price. I hesitated for a while on this because I have noise concerns and the LMS (a Sieg SX2) claimed to be quiet, but the G0704 is very quiet at lower RPM's.

I use mine more for wood than anything else so far. I could probably get rid of my drill press if I made some kind of table that sits on top of the mill's table so I can drill thru things without damaging things. One less thing in the garage.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I'm not terribly concerned about the noise because in all honesty, it's not going to get used very frequently. I also like how the G0704 has a DRO for the spindle.
 
Mitchell Knives said:
Thanks. I'm not terribly concerned about the noise because in all honesty, it's not going to get used very frequently. I also like how the G0704 has a DRO for the spindle.
Click to expand...


After you purchase the mill and invest in some tooling you are going to see all the benefits of what they can produce. I have worked as a machinist for NASA for years and we make everything. I have built
so many jigs and fixtures for working on slipjoints and folders not to mention relieving guards for bowies and the list goes on....I have a nice really old J head Bridgeport at home that is very rarely idle I'm always machining something to make my knife making easier....So saying it won't get used frequently you need to consider the purchase....All Dro's are a bonus but only if the spindle and column are trammed properly!!!
Best of luck on your search....:thumbup:
 
I like that the one you show is R8 spindle taper


That way you can keep the tooling you buy when you upgrade to a larger machine.
 
Busto said:
After you purchase the mill and invest in some tooling you are going to see all the benefits of what they can produce. I have worked as a machinist for NASA for years and we make everything. I have built
so many jigs and fixtures for working on slipjoints and folders not to mention relieving guards for bowies and the list goes on....I have a nice really old J head Bridgeport at home that is very rarely idle I'm always machining something to make my knife making easier....So saying it won't get used frequently you need to consider the purchase....All Dro's are a bonus but only if the spindle and column are trammed properly!!!
Best of luck on your search....:thumbup:
Click to expand...

I'll probably use it more than I think. For now, I'll be happy if it just helps me put out folders faster.
 
Mitchell Knives said:
I also like how the G0704 has a DRO for the spindle.
Click to expand...

There's a reading for the spindle RPM and a depth gauge for the spindle (when you use it like a drill press), but just so you're clear there is no Z-axis DRO. For "not much more" (notice the slippery slope of budget mills!) you can get the G0759 which is a G0704 with DRO's.
 
I just bought a used HF with the belt drive and air spring and so far so good. When I was narrowing my list down it was between the LMS 3990 and the PM25. If you plan on upgrading to a DRO on the LMS then the PM25 seems the better value when you account for shipping. Quality Tools version of the Grizzly you mentioned is nearly the same but with better electronics and, I believe, they test it out and make sure it's calibrated before shipping.

Brushless motor is also a big plus for low end torque.
 
zhyla said:
There's a reading for the spindle RPM and a depth gauge for the spindle (when you use it like a drill press), but just so you're clear there is no Z-axis DRO. For "not much more" (notice the slippery slope of budget mills!) you can get the G0759 which is a G0704 with DRO's.
Click to expand...

That's a good point, and I didn't notice that when reading the description.

Model G0758 has a "Spindle elevation DRO". Is this basically the same thing as a Z-axis DRO? (Just only taking into account spindle movement)

I will need to bore bearing pockets, so being able to accurately bore to depth is important.

What is the difference between the "Spindle elevation DRO" feature on the G0758 and the "DRO on spindle" feature on the G0704?
 
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