milling machine

rocketmann

rocketmann

Joined
Dec 24, 2005
Messages
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I am in the market for a milling machine. I plan to use it for slotting guards and for making slots 1/4"-3/8" x 1.5" in 1"x1" steel for hawks. Will the larger http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=33686 mini mill from HF do the job?? It claimes to weigh 700lbs...I would like a full size mill but have no way to get one in the basement and the 3 phase power is a problem (I know about phase converters and VFD). Thanks.
 
That looks just like my machine from Grizzly and it will cut those no problem at all. It does weigh a bunch and getting it in your basement will be a real chore. I wouldn't call it a mini mill by any means. Not the full meal deal but it is a real machine.
 
Louis,

I'm sure that mill would work fine for slotting guards, but that type of machine does have a serious limitation (in my opinion). If you have to raise the head of the mill, you lose your alignment. I have a Grizzly mini-mill, which works okay. When I get another machine I plan to either get a used Bridgeport type, or a square column mill like the Grizzly G0463 Mill/Drill (or even better a Grizzly G0619 6" x 21" Mill/Drill). With the square column mills you stay aligned, even when raising the head. A knee mill also avoids this problem. Harbor Freight may very well have these types of mills too.

rei_man_eq_mn-bridgeport.jpg


g0463.jpg


g0619.jpg
 
How does a mill differ from a drill press? It looks to have the same type of chuck head and handle knob. Does the table move from left to right and back and forth? Can someone explain this to me? It takes off material by spinning some sort of cutter correct like a drill press would do (if you could get it to stay at one level all the time) ?
 
The chuck can be removed and collets used to hold the cutters directly. More rigid. Rigid is critical in a milling nachine. The table moves in two axes ("X-Y") and the third axis is also micrometer adjustable ("Z" is downfeed). The table is very rigid and has extremely little to no slop.

The bearings on a drill press are not capable of the prolonged side load that milling operations exert. Picture cutting a slot. Some people buy an "X-Y Table" for their drill press and do light milling. The economy XY Tables are not as tight and also eventually the drill will suffer if used too heavily because the lighter bearings will get sloppy and even drilling will lose accuracy.

Hope that helps.
 
Drill chucks are usually pressed on a taper. A side load can pop the chuck off that taper. Then you have a drill chuck, spinning, with a cutter in it, bouncing around like a top, looking for something or someone to cut a slot into. Side loads require collets or tool holders, not drill chucks.
 
It is true you lose your alignment when raising your head up and down on a column as opposed to a dovetail. I seldom need that much vertical travel. If I do it isn't that hard to set yourself up for a quick realinement. remember that no mater where you pivot the head the table will still travel at square to the tool. I will admit that I sometimes wish I would have gone with the dovetail machine you have pictured. I had the money but decided to spent the extra money on tooling and a powerfeed.
 
I realy like my Grizzly dovtail mill alot. You can raise the head all the way to the top of the column then back down and a 1/16" end mill will center up perfectly. It is also 300 Lbs lighter but was still a bear to mount on the bench.
 
That milling machine will do the job. Its something like the one I have in my shop. Remember you will need to get all the tooling for it as well. It will come with some but not all. Hope this was of help. And have a great knife day. :)
 
Probably wouldn't be too vastly more for the Grizzly, and I'd feel a whole lot more comfortable with Grizzly as a brand.
 
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