Question for Mini Mill Owner's

Sean O'Hare

Sean O'Hare

Joined
Jul 24, 2003
Messages
1,183
Okay I have a Taig mini mill with the 1/5 hp motor on it. Since starting to get into folder making and needing to drill and slot different steels more accurately (ie. having to do these things on the mill) I am finding the 1/5hp motor to not be anywhere near powerful enough.

My question is does anyone have the 1/4hp optional motor or a mill with a slightly larger motor and if so does it make that much of a difference? I don't want to go and spend the money on a 1/4hp motor only to be in the same spot I am currently in.

Thanks for any help you can give.

Sean
 
You are discovering the same problem as the folks who get a Sears 1/2HP belt sander and want it to do what a 2HP KMG does. The unit is WAY underpowered for most jobs. Just like in grinders, there is a BIG price jump from hobby grade mills to shop grade. Hard to find a reliable unit for less than a grand (without tooling).
Stacy
 
Purchase a Bridgeport or something in that ballpark and you will be able to accomplish that and a hole lot more. It will be one of the best investments you will make. :thumbup:

I want to mention also that most mills will come with the basic tooling, you will need to purchase additional tooling and clamping kits, and so on. But the reward is well worth it in the long run. I wish you the best of luck in your setup and hope to see one of your making. :)
 
Yep that was kind of the answer I was afraid of getting. I know now that a bigger mill would have been wise. Thing is at this point I don't have the space or the budget to get a better mill. I guess I will just keep working with this one and not put any money in to it until my situation changes.

Very frustrating to use though, takes like an hour to cut the lock in .100" titanium!

Sean
 
adammichael said:
You're not sassing me are you , Michael?
Click to expand...

DUH! Ya think?! :D

Just "Bridgeport Envy" is all. ;)

Sean, you might eventually consider the Sieg X3. It's still a small mill but much more powerful @ "Chinese 1HP" and takes R8. The square column avoids some of the indexing problems of the mill drills.
 
Hi Sean,
I have one of the older Enco mill/drills. Much like the one described above. It works fine for liner locks and frame locks.
Dave
 
Thanks guys.

The motor alternative is the 1/4hp from the 1/5hp, to me that seems pointless but I don't know for sure.

I'm going to play around with my setup and see if I can't make it bearable for now.

Sean
 
You would see more of an increase in performance than you may think from that quarter horse but the cost may not make it viable. I would use what you have and try to make it work. It will just be SLOOOOW going but hey, your going right...

I would like to have anything at this point. I would love to see what kind of work you turn out on this machine.
 
Sean O'Hare said:
Thing is at this point I don't have the space or the budget to get a better mill.
Sean
Click to expand...

If a machine shop/die shop wants to compete in todays market (where seconds can make or break a bid) they must be equipped with CNC machine tools. In every part of the U.S. older manual machine tools are literally being sold for pennies on the dollar. I've even heard of them being given away. I think if you did a little looking around Sean you would be amazed at how cheap you may be able to aquire a bridgeport type milling machine.
Finding the space to put it in may be a little more difficult and you certainly won't be able to carry it down the basement stairs. They don't take up so much room that you can't fit one in the corner of a garage though either.
Once you get one you'll wonder how you ever did without.

And keep your mini-mill, I still think the small mini's either manual or converted to CNC can have a place in the shop. Like Nathan said in regards to a CNC set-up, "set it & forget it" :) Generate a program and hit the green button and out pops a finished knife on the other side ;) Well not quite :D, but a liner with a finished lock slot is feasable. Even if you're nibbling off .002 per pass (which would be about right for a mini milling Ti ) you still have the opportunity to do other things while its running.
 
Good point David, I have sen older commercial mills sell for a couple hundred. Do a search on ebay and they are all over.
 
I wouldn't waste the time and money to risk breaking things on the Taig with a bigger motor than what it was designed for, you would run into the same problem I ran into with my first hot rod duster, every time I added power it would break the next weak link in the drivetrain, upgrading the engine started the burning clutches, I got a high pressure pressure plate, I tore up clutch discs, I got a complete racing clutch setup that would handle the torque, I broke the transmission etc. etc. Save up and get the most powerful and rigid machine you can, you can sell the Taig, or use it for small parts in soft metal.

-Page
 
I was playing around with the mini mill last night and managed to make things a bit better so at present I will keep it and make due.

My shop is in fact in my basement with me taking as much of it as my wife can stand. She's been great about it but at this point there is definitely no (and I mean NO) room to grow.

Sean
 
I'd love to get a bridge port, but I'd love to have a small mill like that for small pression jobs, if nothing else turn out thumb bobs on it! I've got a Smithy midas 1220, I kinda wish I'd gotten the next one up with power feeds, but it works and has plenty of power for everything I've used it for. But for what I paid for it you could probably find a good used Bridgeport, I just do not have the space for one. It probably takes about 2 minites to cut the linner lock slot from the time I start clamping the linner till the cut is made on it using a slitting saw. If I was to cut it with a small endmill it'd take all night.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top