Which HF Mini Mill ??????

Greetings,
I have a Grizzly Mini Mill and it's okay... All of the Mini Mills are apparently made in the same factory in China, so they are all very similar. I would suggest that you get one with a R-8 spindle taper, since the the collets and such seem to be much cheaper than ones for Morse tapers.
The mini mills advertise the fact that they can be tilted at angles, which I have never found to be useful. In fact, it is a hinderence. Several times I have been milling a piece and used a bit too much pressure. The whole upright assembly has jumped out of alignment necessitating clearing the table and re-tramming the mill. What a pain!
If you can afford it (and can move one) I would suggest that you get a slightly larger mill, such as the Grizzly G3358 Mill/Drill. Like the mini mill, there are several places marketing this type of mill and I suspect that they are all made in the same factory. I would get one with a power cross feed if possible.
Here is a link to the Grizzly so that you can see what it looks like;
http://www.grizzly.com/products/item.cfm?itemnumber=G3358
I hope this helps.
-Chris
 
Chris Meyer said:
Greetings,
I have a Grizzly Mini Mill and it's okay... All of the Mini Mills are apparently made in the same factory in China, so they are all very similar. I would suggest that you get one with a R-8 spindle taper, since the the collets and such seem to be much cheaper than ones for Morse tapers.
The mini mills advertise the fact that they can be tilted at angles, which I have never found to be useful. In fact, it is a hinderence. Several times I have been milling a piece and used a bit too much pressure. The whole upright assembly has jumped out of alignment necessitating clearing the table and re-tramming the mill. What a pain!
Click to expand...

Chris, two things:

1) Replace the bolts holding your vertical column to eliminate the moving. Clean out the bolt holes and threads, and be sure the mating surfaces are free of oil, grease, swarf, and grit. Use grade 8 bolts, and crank 'em down good. A lot of guys I know have done that with great results. On mine, I just made some 1" thick steel blocks and bolted them to the bed to keep the verticle column from moving... ever.

2) The Grizzly mill is a good version of the Sieg mini-mills. The paint finish, and the extra accessories make is one of the more-desirable units. The only problem is the Morse taper spindle. Don't despair, because LittleMachineShop.com sells the whole replacement R8 spindle pretty cheap.
 
I am going to use fly cutters instead of face mills..... I do not need to take off much.... just a shave and then finish it up on a variable speed belt grinder...slow, steady, and patiently...

The HF 4/5 hp should do just fine..... the littlemachineshop.com said that they are all about the same with minor differences....

Daniel
 
DanielPrentice said:
I am going to use fly cutters instead of face mills..... I do not need to take off much.... just a shave and then finish it up on a variable speed belt grinder...slow, steady, and patiently...

The HF 4/5 hp should do just fine..... the littlemachineshop.com said that they are all about the same with minor differences....

Daniel
Click to expand...

Should be pretty good. Do get a face mill when you can afford it, though. The finish you get is amazing, and it will really speed things up too! :thumbup:
 
sounds good.... where would I find one at a decent price... I was getting the fly cutters on ebay for 5 bucks a piece...

Daniel
 
DanielPrentice said:
sounds good.... where would I find one at a decent price... I was getting the fly cutters on ebay for 5 bucks a piece...

Daniel
Click to expand...

Try this, Daniel: KBC

Look up part number 6-902-156

It's a Dolfa 1.5" indexable face mill. Perfect size for your machine. You'll have to also get an R-8 arbor sized for 1/2"

Perfect! :D :thumbup:
 
jhiggins said:
Chris, two things:

1) Replace the bolts holding your vertical column to eliminate the moving. Clean out the bolt holes and threads, and be sure the mating surfaces are free of oil, grease, swarf, and grit. Use grade 8 bolts, and crank 'em down good. A lot of guys I know have done that with great results. On mine, I just made some 1" thick steel blocks and bolted them to the bed to keep the verticle column from moving... ever.

2) The Grizzly mill is a good version of the Sieg mini-mills. The paint finish, and the extra accessories make is one of the more-desirable units. The only problem is the Morse taper spindle. Don't despair, because LittleMachineShop.com sells the whole replacement R8 spindle pretty cheap.
Click to expand...

You mention "bolts" but my Grizzly Mini Mill only has one large bolt holding the upright column (which is the problem). I have considered drilling and tapping it for one or two extra bolts, however, I would have to drill those holes with a hand drill and tap them by hand. I am afraid that if I did that I would take the column out of alignment and lock it there. -Chris
 
Chris Meyer said:
You mention "bolts" but my Grizzly Mini Mill only has one large bolt holding the upright column (which is the problem). I have considered drilling and tapping it for one or two extra bolts, however, I would have to drill those holes with a hand drill and tap them by hand. I am afraid that if I did that I would take the column out of alignment and lock it there. -Chris
Click to expand...

Hmm... the one I had has two bolts. One is the pivot point, and the other locks it down. Tighten both and the column is pretty solid. Difference in the models maybe? :confused:
 
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