Mini Mill Questions

B

bennett

Joined
Sep 22, 2005
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I'm getting a Harbor Freight mini-mill soon, and have a few questions that maybe someone more experienced than I might answer: Are they good for drilling pin holes in full tang handles, and if so are they better than a drill press? Are they really more versatile than a drill press? What kind of drill bits, end mills and other mills/attachments would be good to get to start with, and is there a reccommended source for mills and bits? I do most of my work by hand, but can't help but think one of these cool machines would be a good addition to my shop (such as it is!), and would give me a wider range for being creative. However, I am a full-time "technogeek", and part-time bladesmith and not a machinist by any stretch of the imagination. Also - is there a good book or reference for folks who are starting off as "hobby machinists". Any of ya'lls input would be greatly appreciated!
 
I'm not really familiar with the harbor freight mini mill. I have seen it at the store and heard they are adequate. First thing I would do is get a dial inicator and magnetic base. Then see what the spindle runout is. Set up the dial indcators pint to rest against a rotating part of the spindle and rotate by hand. If ther is more that .001 or .002 runout when you rotate it then take the machine back. This is the biggest problem with cheap mills. Like I said I have never used one or examined one closley, I would personnaly buy the largest machine I had room and Money for. But I'm also a macinist so I like big. I'll check back later.

Chuck
 
I'd be very careful getting any kind of precision equipment from HF. Some of their struff is good, some is very good such as the large tile saw and folding engine-picking crane. Some, however, is really substandard.
Someone gave me one of those HF combination mill/lathe things brand new a few years ago. It might be OK if you just want to machine plastic, but it's not a precision tool. The lathe toolpost is nowhere near stiff enough, and there's slop and impercision in unexpected places that show up when you use the thing. I litterally ended up scrapping it for parts (kept the hand wheels and things like that). I dismantled the rest (it's darned heavy even in pieces) and threw into the trash.
Doug Brack has one of those Grizzly mini mills in his shop. He uses it for milling brass guards and other light work. He says it works well for that.
Not sure which HF unit you're looking at, but BE CAREFULL. A better-quality used machine would be my first choice.
Good luck!
 
I agree With J. A better used machine would be a better choice. A table top mill would be the smallest I would even think about. Rigidity for and milling operation would be almost non-exsistand on a mini mill. Also the size of the endmill would be severely resrticted. Look on ebay you can find some good deals and maybe even something close to go look at.
Chuck
 
Oh man oh man ...

When will the HF bashing stop.

HF Mini mill and lathe are INCREDIBLE deals, both of them .
Along with lots of other tools and machinery from the same
source. Don't forget about 20% coupons and you can have
the mill for $350 or so.

Lotsa quality problems were reported 5-8 years ago. Quality
is much much better now.

Goto www.mini-lathe.com and read through mini-mill
section - it has everything you need to know.

As a drill, it is leaps and bounds better that any drill press,
for accuracy, rigidness etc.

machinist Vice, dial indicator, drill bit set, set of end mills, parallels,
boring head and bars , set of collets ... you'll acquire enough tools as time goes on.

It's been a while and I don't remember if it comes with an R8 drill
chuck, if not you will need to buy one.

I own: mill, lathe, mig, tig, grinder, dozens of hand tools, digital calipers,
collets, welding helmet - all from HF. Had 0 problems with any of them.

1x30 grinder I don't like much - due to lack of power, but lotsa folx
find it useful.
 
The mini mill is much smaller than the table top which takes and R8. Heres a Pic of the Mini Mill (CORRECTION)And I was informed so does the Mini Mill, take an R8
 
Personally I go to HF all the time... They have great deals and you don't cry as much when you drop one of their tools. Sales are great picked up angle grinder and such for cheap. If they wear out no biggy. Not bashin HF just saying do your homework. need to do that anyway.

Chuck
 
Chuck -

not sure whatcha mean. In the pic you have what's known as The Mini Mill
and it does take R8 tooling. So do countless number of much larger mills.
 
My bag....... It says it does. The one I looked at at HF did not seem to have a large enough Spindle to house an R8.... Maybe a different one..
 
i have a mini from HF and it is R8 i made sure of it i wanted to have the tooling of R8 just so if i wanted to step up to a bigger mill later i could move all the collets and stuff
then leave the mini as a drill
butch
 
Just looked at the PDF for the mini mill. i have to admit it looks pretty impressive for such a small package. Bennett, for a basic source of how to use a mill the PDF gives a good overview. If your looking for mills etc, HF has some but limited selection, try http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRHM They have a good selection of both import and USA made and their prices a pretty good. Some look at ENCO like HF but I have had good luck with their mills etc.
They also have many books that you can pick up if you want to expand your knowledge in written form. If you have a community college that has a machine tool program see if you can pick up their text. You can also look on line for colege books. The one I have is old but it gives good reference for cutting speeds etc. Well this book is long enough for now.

Chuck
 
 
I own a HF mini mill and for the money you cant beat it. I took the time to disassemble the mill table and column, clean, regrease it and tram it to within .001 on 12 inches of travel. It will take 1/2 inch endmills and is a good little machine to mill guards and drill tangs with. Its R8 so its easy to find tooling. I have gotten most of mine from ENCO and LMS. There is LOTS of info on the web about this mill and incredibly precise work is done with them. I really, really like the variable speed DC motor. Admittedly its not a Bridgeport but its a nice little unit within its limitations.
 
Fellas, thanks for all of the great information! :thumbup: I appreciate all of ya'll taking time to answer. I'll be picking it up as soon as the rain quits today or tomorrow. In the meantime I'll be checking out some of these links...
 
rashid11 said:
Oh man oh man ...

SNIP

As a drill, it is leaps and bounds better that any drill press,
for accuracy, rigidness etc.

SNIP
Click to expand...

oh man oh man is right. :D

I have a Flott drill press that costs about $10k as well as a Maxion at about $3k and I can assure you the leaps and bounds go in the other direction.

If you're comparing a crap mill to a crap drill press... whatever. If you compare a crap mill to a real drill press, then there is no comparison.
 
I am still waiting to hear from someone that is using the new Seig mills. They are a little more heavy duty then the mini's but still under a $1k. From what I have read on the machining forums everyonel likes them so far.
 
I think some delay with wider adoption is due to confusion with HF's version of X3:

- is it truly the same (looks like it has smaller table comprared to Grizzly's version)
- will the HF B&M stores carry it (and then the 20% off would apply)

In principle it looks just what buncha of folx were waiting for:
something in the middle between mini and full-blown 700LB+
RF45 clones. Now, if you can get it for $700 at a store and truck
it home , that's a heck of a deal.
 
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