Small(er) Mill advice???

JoshRG

JoshRG

Joined
Apr 24, 2014
Messages
571
Before I begin my question I must warn that to call myself a novice in machining techniques and knowledge would be giving myself FAR FAR too much credit.
Anyways, during the next several months I will hopefully have an opportunity to relocate my shop to a location with more power and ease of access. Because of this I will finally be able to setup some heavier machinery i.e. surface grinder, mill, compressor, etc and begin the process of folder making. Current shop runs off of ONE 20 amp line and is located up on a hill with no convenient access points for a crane, lift, or vehicle. I have a surface grinder and am now looking into the purchase of a small mill.

I have narrowed it down to three options: Grizzly G0704, Little machine shop (LMS) 5500 HiTorque Bench Mill, Precision Matthews PM-25MV.
I know many other makers have had good success with the G0704 however things like plastic gears make me a bit apprehensive. I am currently leaning towards the LMS 5500, mainly because they are located less than hour from me and from the research I have done (though there is not much info) it seems like a nice machine. That and the non tilting head makes it an attractive option.

An old Bridgeport would be nice however, I simply will not have the space in my new location. Knowing what to look for on an old machine is not something I am familiar with and having to transport a machine of that size is in all honesty, quite daunting.

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated regarding these three machines. Thank you in advance for the help fellas! :thumbup:

Blessings,
Joshua
 
I have the G0704 and the LMS, I think the Grizzly is a better mill overall. For folders the z reading on the quill is really nice to have and it is a bigger machine.

Both mills have decent power, close to the same rigidity, etc. My LMS table came way out of spec and my Grizzly is spot on (probably luck there) so that is the main difference to me.

Tool changes are faster on the LMS by a hair... the Grizzly is a bit bigger and seems more capable. No problems with the plastic gears although I ordered a backup when I got the mill.

It's a tossup especially with LMS so close if you ask me. You could save some money on shipping and any off spec parts could probably be easily replaced.
 
"IF" there is anyway you can swing a bit more in your budget for a tad larger mill, such as this Grizzly, you will NEVER regret it: https://goo.gl/aIclD1 For $2229 shipped, it's a nice desktop mill. Yes, it weights 700 lb, but with this 2 ton hoist form HF you can handle it: https://goo.gl/ODW23y With a 20% coupon it's less than $200 shipped and you'll find more uses for it than you ever expected, from lifting your mill, to lifting lawn mower for changing blades, etc.

The power feed is REALLY NICE!!! I don't have one, but a friend does and I'm very jealous.

Don't sweat the no digital DRO, for $267 (https://goo.gl/pqZUMg) you can add a full 3 axis DRO that you will always be happy to have. AND - the DRO is fairly easy to install.

Hmmmm, now that $2200 has climbed to much closer to $2700, almost an extra thou. Oh well - that's the way my shopping always goes, add just a little here, a little there, and before I know it, I'm over my budget :)

Ken H>
 
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i have a mini mill and a bridgeport mini mill gets much more work tho when i need the BP i really need it and its the only way to go. i ask if you have a drill press cause the mini mill does all my drilling and 90% of my milling
depending on where you live and used tooling prices once you get over 2K$ i woudl be looking at used BPs and a drill press but keeping things on a budget a mini mill or the next size up dovetail head small mill is hard to beat in a knife makers shop
 
In SoCal, you should consider reaching out and finding a used machine, which can be easily had for the price of a new mini machine. I even know a good machine mover with a mono-rail truck that can deliver most anywhere and roll the machines in.
 
Jonathans said:
If you can't fit a Bridgeport, can you squeeze in a Millrite?
Click to expand...
I would say that would be the absolute max I could fit.

Daniel Fairly Knives said:
I have the G0704 and the LMS, I think the Grizzly is a better mill overall. For folders the z reading on the quill is really nice to have and it is a bigger machine.

Both mills have decent power, close to the same rigidity, etc. My LMS table came way out of spec and my Grizzly is spot on (probably luck there) so that is the main difference to me.

Tool changes are faster on the LMS by a hair... the Grizzly is a bit bigger and seems more capable. No problems with the plastic gears although I ordered a backup when I got the mill.

It's a tossup especially with LMS so close if you ask me. You could save some money on shipping and any off spec parts could probably be easily replaced.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info Daniel. Yeah, that was my thinking also but if the grizzly is a more capable machine then perhaps the LMS mill isn't the best choice. What model mill do you have from LMS? I was under the impression that the 5500 had a digital Z axis readout, could be mistaken though.

Don Hanson III said:
I've been using a LMS mill for a few years now and it's been flawless. Really like it.
Click to expand...
Appreciate the response Don! :thumbup:

Ken H> said:
"IF" there is anyway you can swing a bit more in your budget for a tad larger mill, such as this Grizzly, you will NEVER regret it: https://goo.gl/aIclD1 For $2229 shipped, it's a nice desktop mill. Yes, it weights 700 lb, but with this 2 ton hoist form HF you can handle it: https://goo.gl/ODW23y With a 20% coupon it's less than $200 shipped and you'll find more uses for it than you ever expected, from lifting your mill, to lifting lawn mower for changing blades, etc.

The power feed is REALLY NICE!!! I don't have one, but a friend does and I'm very jealous.

Don't sweat the no digital DRO, for $267 (https://goo.gl/pqZUMg) you can add a full 3 axis DRO that you will always be happy to have. AND - the DRO is fairly easy to install.

Hmmmm, now that $2200 has climbed to much closer to $2700, almost an extra thou. Oh well - that's the way my shopping always goes, add just a little here, a little there, and before I know it, I'm over my budget :)

Ken H>
Click to expand...

Thank you for the info and recommendations Ken. At the moment I'd like to keep the budget right around $1500-1700 with the absolute max being $2K. Powerfeed would be great but I'm not sure I can justify the additional cost right now. Definitely something for to keep in mind though. Appreciate it!

butcher_block said:
i have a mini mill and a bridgeport mini mill gets much more work tho when i need the BP i really need it and its the only way to go. i ask if you have a drill press cause the mini mill does all my drilling and 90% of my milling
depending on where you live and used tooling prices once you get over 2K$ i woudl be looking at used BPs and a drill press but keeping things on a budget a mini mill or the next size up dovetail head small mill is hard to beat in a knife makers shop
Click to expand...

Butch, I have a couple drill presses so that part is covered. If you don't mind me asking, what parts of knifemaking do you find yourself needing the larger machine?

ron_m80 said:
In SoCal, you should consider reaching out and finding a used machine, which can be easily had for the price of a new mini machine. I even know a good machine mover with a mono-rail truck that can deliver most anywhere and roll the machines in.
Click to expand...

I agree completely. I search craigslist and used machinery almost everyday and have been VERY close to pulling the trigger several times on Bridgeports or clone model mills. However, the main issue I keep having is the lack of space. If I were to bring in something of this size it would take up almost a quarter of my shop space! It's tough seeing a whole lot of old iron being sold at very attractive prices and not having the space for it.

Thank you for the info gents! I really do appreciate it greatly.
 
FWIW...As a machinist I have always tried to make my tasks easier with dedicated tooling. I have an old Bridgeport I picked up used that was in Great shape just needed TLC. I have two small table top drill presses dedicated to small hole drilling and one has a tapmatic for tapping folder parts (lots of tapping made quicker and easier). The Mill is for Jigs and fixtures and reducing stock size as well as operations with the rotary table(very handy for folders of all types). I've made an indexing fixture to pocket pivot holes with an end mill instead of a piloted counterbore and I process 12 bolsters in less than 5 minutes this is where the precision of a good mill pays off. I know your looking for bang for the buck right now, but plan ahead. A good set of DRO's is a must on any machine you decide to acquire....Best of Luck :thumbup:

Mike
 
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