NOTE: Photos are in the 3rd post down...

Starting this thread to share for others here... My review, experience and discoveries as I put my new Grizzly G0759 Mill into service.

The G0759 is the same mill as the very popular G0704, except they added a 3-axis Digital Read Out (DRO).


I found that prices were pretty much standard (fixed) where ever I looked on the web, so I ordered direct from Grizzly

I ordered on a Sunday, received it on Thursday...pretty dang quick.  They shipped from their Springfield Missouri location.

I had to have lift gate service, so that cost a bit more ($35(?)).  They used SAIA trucking.. they were good about coordinating the drop off appointment.  They arrived a bit late (10min), but with the holiday traffic and snow, I won't hold it against 'em...   There was no damage to the crate/box, and they put  put the pallet right on the floor of my garage

The mill ships in two boxes.  1. Mill (crate), 2. Floor Stand (cardboard box)
both boxes were banded shut and both were again banded to the pallet.

the stand was fully wrapped in bubble wrap, there was no damage to it.
the mill was in a shipping crate made of inexpensive 3/16" (~) plywood.  The crate was adequate, but they could have done a better job of stapling/nailing the enclosure it to the base.  The fact that the box was banded shut, kind of made the lack of nails irrelevant.

The crate contained the mill, toolbox, manuals and the tray for the stand.

The mill was bolted to it's pallet with 3 bolts.

The tray for the stand was in bubble wrap inside the crate, it didn't seem to be secured to anything, and thus was able to rub on the mill table.  The damage to the mill is pretty much undetectable, but the rubbing did remove  paint and damage the tray a bit.   I don't think it'll be a big issue, pretty much just cosmetic.

The toolbox, placed under the table, contains a few accessories to get you going. Oiler, Jacobs type chuck/mandrel, a couple wrenches and two screwdrivers, etc.; all items were not the highest quality.

directly under the head, was a package of all the manuals and QC test results.  All in a sealed plastic pouch, which protected them from the oils that were liberally applied from the factory.


I set the stand up, just to check it out.  It's adequate, I guess.  I'll be making a stand to raise the table up to a more comfortable height (making it out of 4x4 steel tubing and adding leveler feet so I can get the table level and sturdy.)  I did draw everything (just the base/tray right now) up in cad, if anyone wants a copy (.dwg), lM me.

The tray holes barely lined up with the holes in the base.  I tested it out, shouldn't be a problem, but you would think that the manufacturing for a mill/accessries would be a bit more accurate

Hoisting the mill with a sling is the recommended method in the manual.  I accomplished this with my shop crane.. luckily I had one.  The sling I got from HF, combined with my crane, was just long enough to lift it and clear the base.



I also ordered from Grizzly:

- Premium Milling Vise - 4" (G7156)
- Power Feed for G0704 (T23010)
- T-slot cleaner (T27341)
- 58 pc. Clamping Kit for 1/2" T-Slots (G1075) DO NOT ORDER THESE FOR THIS MILL!
  Try these instead: T26485 - 58 pc. Clamping Kit for 7/16" T-Slots



I have these out of their boxes and cleaned up, ready for installation.
I cleaned the machined surfaces of everything today, and applied a coating of Mobil Vactra 2 oil, which I found recommended in several places.
I found two 1-quart bottles delivered for $20.

The T-nuts in the clamp kit don't fit
the base of the nuts are too wide.. the top part of the nuts fit perfectly in the mill table.
The T-bolts that come with the vise work okay, I guess one of my first missions will be to machine the t-nuts to a proper size.

ETA: NOTE: "T-slots: 3 @ 2-1/2" centers, 7/16" wide"  do not order 1/2" for this mill
(see post further down)


the T-slot cleaner will need to be filed down to size... I think these all come in one size, just trim to fit.


DRO seems to work okay.. I haven't tested it yet.  I did check the backlash on the table, both x/y have about .004 backlash..good thing I have the DRO, where it won't matter
The quill feed and fine feed knob scales don't seem to match the built in DRO.


I have photos (below). More to come..., I just wanted to get this going while it was fresh in my head...
I'll update this as I get more time

feel free to ask questions


TL;DR (?)
I bought a mill, will add photos shortly


ETA:
For completeness sake, I want to document the tolerances for the G0704/G0759 as they were for my machine when it was built 09/2015  

note: measurements in mm (in)

1. Flatness of worktable surface = 0.04/300 - 0.08 max (0.0015/11.81 – 0.0031 max)

2. Parallelism of T-slot to table longitudinal movement = 0.05 (0.0019)

3. Parallelism of table to table movement

4. Runout of spindle hole

5. Squareness of table longitudinal and cross movement = 0.04/200 (0.0015/7.874)

6. Squareness of spindle axis to table (a?90°)

7. Squareness of spindle sleeve movement to table

tag

photos:

This is how it was received:


first peak inside the crate:


front of the crate removed:


all sides removed:


the stand:


stand opened:


tray on stand:


the tool box:


tool box contents:

white box has the Jacobs chuck in it, the clear(~) box has the mandrel for it.  the two silver things on the right are the knobs for the table handles

Power feed as it comes out the box:


vise:


bottom of vise:



ETA: 1/24/2016- more photos..sorry they're from an android potato..

mill on the base before adding the power feed.


the power feed attached... only thing not connected is the X-axis DRO scale cover.


Current progress.. mill with pf attached.... also my dag...

I have a TIG welder

Littlemachineshop.com sells the mini T-nuts you need for just a few bucks. That's where I got mine. It would be worth your time to totally disassemble the mill and clean and grease everything properly. It's hit or miss from the factory.

Congrats on your new mill.  Don't forget to break it in by the book.

FPNI

I've cleaned all the milled surfaces and re-lubed as noted above, part of the break in is to lube per the manual and then run it..

I'll probably do that tomorrow


I just sent Griz. an email about the t-nuts..  I'll probably just mill 'em down... shouldn't have to though, and that really bugs me.. the amount of units they ship, should have had this corrected by now.

I do want to add that there is a mod to the head that a lot of people recommend doing.. the pivot point on the older units only have one bolt.. the mod adds two more... this one, (9/2015 DOM), already has them installed

IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Unfortunately that seems to be the stnadard complaint on the Clamp systems, the T Nuts NEVER Fit, and you;re right after all this time it SHOULD be standardized by now

What projects have you got planned on it? I'm curious how fast it would spit out a finished 80% fcg pocket.

I do have some forged blanks that hopefully I'll get to before I die

I've always wanted a mill, I have a mini-lathe and it has proved useful.  wish I had a bigger one though, which is why
I went for the G0704 size vs one of the "mini's" sold at HF and Little Machine Shop.  These two units are good gateway
machines.. they get you in at a price that doesn't hurt too bad and some of the tooling and all of the tools are compatible
with what ever you get down the road.

I like to build and fix stuff.. this lets me do that.
My first projects will be a tramming bar/spindle square, mill stop and a v-block I saw in Machinist magazine

I spend a lot of time watching youtube videos..

A couple channels I like, for the content and way they present stuff:
(don't get me wrong, there is a lot of great content providers out there)
Metal Tips & Tricks
Suburban Tool Inc

The spindle square project:  .. using stock I have and ordering what I don't.. $21 for materials.

SOme of my Go-to Youtube Channels

Craig's Machine Shop

Hobby Machining

James Greene  He's a tad Wordy...LONG intros, but he does nice work

Keith Fenner


There's a bunch more

I didn't watch the whole video, but I have a problem with what I have seen. You have a new machine that probably needs to be trammed in. If that gauge is made on a machine that is not trammed in then it might not be perpendicular. If it is not then making the gauge on your machine is going to mean it is not going to be true.

 

I have no doubt Red will be tramming it manually first. The tramming gauge is a nice to have, speeds up tramming a ton on these.



And no fair, that the mill ships with a 3 bolt mod already done now....*grumblegrumblegrumble*



 

I was getting there lol

Red, mind going over your tooling? Working on getting more than the basics. Debating between a fly cutter or 2" Glacern facemill at the moment. Really really like my 4" swivel base Shars vice as well. It's not a Kurt, but it is surprising well made and measures well within what I need.

Like you, I'm learning as I go.  I've got some time around the machine shop and related, but never worked as a machinist..

I updated the OP with the model number and link of the things I bought with the mill.

I went with the Grizzly vise, as it seemed to be the exact same model as a bunch of others out there.. just green instead of some other color, and the price was competitive (on sale for Christmas).

I compromised (?) on the size... I figured the 3" they sell at LMS would ultimately be too small and the 6" would take up a lot of room.  The 4" seems to be a good fit.
I've seen some comments on-line about the use of the swivel base on the vise, as it just sucks up z-axis space and not always used.  The good thing is, that you can opt to not use the swivel
base, it's the same vise with or without the swivel.  The vise comes with table slot keys, and again, I've seen comments about not using these as well, as long as you square up your vise, as you should anyway.
you can square it up in 60 seconds or less with a test indicator. * See next post
I took my vise out of the package and wiped off all the shipping 'oil' with WD40 and then applied Vactra 2.  The only 'issue' I encountered was that it took a bit of effort to get the handle onto the vise
the first time I tried.. now it isn't an issue.  It seems to open and close very smoothly.


I'm trying to pace myself on my purchases.. this thing has sucked some money out of my wallet this month

My shopping list includes:

face mill
fly cutter
6" rotary table
spindle lock (kicking around the idea of making my own vs paying $90)


I already have a few things...
measuring and layout instruments
parallels (6" set from Enco)
v blocks
step blocks (not part of the clamp set)
90* angle plate
SAP / blocks (90/90/45, 30/60/90)
123 blocks
dial indicator w/ mag base
center / edge finder set
3" rotary table
center drills
end mill set.. the TiNi set you can get at HF (I found 'em on line delivered for cheap, New too)
R8 collets (ordered, waiting on them)
2" boring set (ordered as well)


I think I have enough to get me started... the face mill is probably the one thing I should put at the top of my list.  
I found a bunch of indexable 50mm ones with the R8 arbor for a decent price...but I'm still reading up on what
will pass for quality.

Hey Red, what are your thoughts on the factory DRO? Have you found the cost of the 0759 to be worth it over the 0704 and just adding Igauges?

I have no experience with either product, other than playing briefly with the DRO on my unit.

that said, I did look into a bunch of other DRO systems out there, and unfortunately, the iGaging product was not one of them.

I think the best value outside of the one that came with the 0759, was somewhere around $30 less (w/o shipping), but IIRC, it lacked the accuracy (?)
this one has, and that I'd have to 'make it fit'... it wasn't purpose built for the 0704.

The 0759 DRO system reviews I saw, placed it at as a decent system and good value.  Even if you were to add it after the purchase of a 0704, it was cheaper to buy it up front.

The DRO has more features than I'll probably use, but that and the fact that it was pre-installed, saving me the time and hassle of installing any other DRO, helped sell the 0759.

The unit seems to be very responsive. I haven't checked it out vs any measuring gear I have yet though.  The only issue I find so far, and its pretty minor at that, is that the arm supporting the DRO display away from the mill is too short, IMHO.
The DRO display is pretty close to the quill and z-axis handwheel.  I'm already shopping for a replacement arm (its just aluminium rectangular tube) I'm going to replace it with a 14-inch one, there looks to be enough slack in the cables to make it work.



On a semi-related side note, the built in DRO to the 0704/0759, the one for the spindle, doesn't seem to match the scale graduations on the quill feed and fine feed knob on the front panel.
I've seen other comments about this particular unit, and their 'fix' was to install something like the DRO options I've seen on the iGaging website.



while I'm here..

other mods I've been thinking about.. but am in no hurry to do on my unit...

1. remove the stupid chip guard and kill switch.  
 that guard has to be closed or it kills power to the mill.  and it's probably on there because some idiot did something stupid and got hurt.

2. the speed adjust is a simple 10k pot.  I thought about replacing it with a 10-turn unit for higher controlability... but the one that is installed is rated at 3 watts.. hard to find
a 10-turn with that value or better and keeping the price / size within range

well,

seems Grizzly has made a correction to their specifications on the T-slots.

but only on the website for the G0704/0759.  which is that they're 7/16"

all other info they publish; on-line manuals and even in their catalog, call for 1/2"

I'll let you know more as I'm in a email dialog with grizzly customer and tech support about it.

did the run-in procedure today.. had to clean and lube all the lead screws, ways and z-axis gearing.  not too hard to do, just takes some time.
run-in takes over 40 min. didn't experience any issues.  although at 2200 rpm, during it's 10 min run, the rpms crept up 20 .. not a big deal.. I didnt
notice any drift on any of the other speeds.

next step will be to finish the floor mount that I'll need to fabricate.  I have the materials I need (~), just need to commit and git-r-done.

What kind of floor mount are you using? I have one of the dolly mounts wuth wheels that Grizzly sells - we rent so no bolting it down.

 

I've thought about that, but I think I'm going to make something like the one shown in this video.....
going to the store today to see if I can find some machine mounts that will be suitable..

well, now that everyone's holiday vacation time is over, people are back in the office and are getting things done..

Griz is sending me touchup paint and a new Z-axis handle (found mine was bent when doing the pre-service lube by the manual) and sending me a couple packages of
the right size T-nuts, no charge


I've ordered the right size machine mounts for the stand that I'm building.. I'm off to the steel yard now to get a few more things to help make it moar betta.

IF everything goes well, I should be able to tram it and cut steel next weekend.

That's  one of the Videos I was referring to....

time is money... so I abandoned the idea of making my own spindle lock.. ordered one from LMS. It got here today
Will add photos later.

I also got my metal cut for my base/stand this weekend. thankfully I have a plasma cutter..saved lots of time...
didn't do much after that, as I decided it didn't weigh enough, so I made another trip to the
metal yard today.  I got something to work with now... weather cooperating..I'll get something done this week.

Note to self: 1/2" and 3/4" plate steel weighs a lot and is a bitch to move

Nothing is too simple anymore....

The spindle lock is nice, but the spindle tool that came with the mill is a different design than the past, or their machining tolerances are way out of spec.

The pin wouldn't fit in the lock very well, so I had to turn it down a bit to make it work, luckily I had my lathe...



this is how far the pin stuck out.. not enough to even reach the spindle...


installed.

I got my base built, put into position and mounted the stand and mill on it yesterday.
got it leveled as well.

Today I went to install the power feed and ran into issues.

either there is some serious QC issues or the installation was not thought out too well.

photo's later.. need to run some errands.




eta:

well, based upon my experience with this power-feed so far, a bunch of clueless fucking idiots worked on this project.

Any new developments RED_5 ? I've been following your thread as I am very interested in getting a mill this year.


EDIT: I really want this thing to work, for your sake of course but for my information and education as well.

sorry, been distracted by work and doing stuff out in the garage... will try and post photos this weekend.

I will tell you that

1. I finished my base, mill is mounted and leveled. next will be tor tram it, maybe this weekend.

2. power feed is attached. only issue at the moment is securing the X-axis DRO scale protective cover.  There was no provision in the power feed installation for it. The side plate that is removed from the table had a tapped hole for the cover.   - still waiting for Griz tech support on this issue.. first POC passed me off to someone else and I'm still waiting

3. the manual for the power feed installation is very poorly written. I have notes that I will document and talk over with Grizzly Tech Support.  I had to manufacture a new limit switch bracket due to the poor documentation, and my trying to apply logic to it's installation. (it was either mfg a new bracket or tap new holes into the Y-axis slide).

4. quality control is not the greatest. although what I've experienced so far, I don't think will stop someone from making chips.  The things I've found were mostly things that could be controlled by Griz. as I was able to work through the issues.

5. the X, Y and Z (fine) scales are not that accurate when it compared to the DRO.  I've noticed that the scales seem to drag a bit as well, so maybe thats another thing I need to investigate?  Good thing I bought the DRO.

5a. the Y-axis scale is not usable with the power feed installed; the limit switch is mounted right over the top of it/handle....again, good thing I've got the DRO.

6. All that said, Grizzly customer service is pretty good, they want to make things right when it came to things they could do right away (paint and parts). But when it came to expecting them to be proactive about the problems I found for them, they wanted to hide behind some disclaimer instead of fixing errors and/or processes that lead to more problems for the end user. Their QC page speaks highly of their 3 points for QC.. seems someone is pencil whipping something somewhere. Jury is still out for the Tech Support group though.

7. perhaps I'm being too critical? I don't think I should be having to modify or discover problems with well established equipment....


would I do this all over again?  IDK.. maybe.... maybe go with bigger machine (?)... hell, I got to make a mess with this one first


if you want to see anything in more detail, let me know and I'll try and accommodate the request

I'm pooped... going to bed.....

Thanks Red_5 for the update and the detailed description of your progress and issues.

You've mentioned several times that you've either considered fabricating something or did fabricate something to make this work (using your lathe or welding equipment) for you. Would you say that for someone that did not have access to any other metalworking/fabricating equipment... they'd be completely stuck?

Does Grizzly make a mill that has the power feed already installed and tested?

Also, your post about the Spindle Lock several posts above (the pictures included with the part engraved Priest Tools) is that an aftermarket item that you had to purchase and install because the Grizzly part was either defective or unusable?

Do you think that the issues you're experiencing are possibly because the machines are made elsewhere, imported and sold by Grizzly? Are they just a retail face for a wholesaler and they (Grizzly) simply provides manuals in English and technical support for products that they don't actually make or have any input on their manufacture. R&D, and quality control?


The model price range you chose is exactly in line with my expected budget for something like this and Grizzly has always been near the top of the 'recommended mills' list so this thread is very interesting to me, and I'm sick of the responses on the machining forums where the 30-year machinist veterans just shit all over hobbyists if they don't have a Bridgeport. Keep up the good work and I'm looking forward to you making chips!!!

As I've already (just) shared.. This model came recommended and I did search for a Bridgeport (~), but nothing was available at a reasonable price or if it was, it was pure junk that had been sitting outside forever.

added a few more pics on page 1.

They are also really big, and really heavy....and there are those who don't physically have the room, or means to get it set

RED_5 thanks for all of your replies, everything makes sense, thank you for taking the time. I'm following this thread and hope that you have time to post your progress as you go along.

How well does that power feed work?

Your grizzly looks exactly like my craftex

Can you tell me how well the z axis dro works.  Does it read for both the fine adjustment quill and the rapid adjustment lever? Or does the quill only read with the gauge built into the head?

it works, it goes back and forth just fine, I've got the stops adjusted to maximize the table travel.  I haven't tested it under a milling operation yet though



I'm liking the DRO so far, based upon my casual observations.  I don't have to account for backlash and it makes repeat ability that much easier.

The spindle height is adjusted by the quill feed (C) and the Fine Feed Knob (B); each has their own scale associated with them.
The head contains the DRO (A) for the dept/travel of the spindle.

The 3-axis DRO (E),  when indicating Z-axis travel, is associated with the vertical movement of the head as controlled by the Vertical Handwheel (D). It has it's own scale as well.

I have observed and used a dial indicator to compare the Spindle DRO (A) and Fine Feed Knob scale (B).  The DRO reads just fine compared to my dial indicator.
When using the scale on the fine wheel knob, the scale is nowhere near accurate.  

I could only image how upset I would be if I had to depend on the scales for accuracy.. thank goodness it has the DRO; and I opted for the DRO for the rest of the axis'.
I've also noticed that the Y-axis scale sticks a bit.. but now its a moot point with the powerfeed limit switch housing covering it up.
The spindle DRO (A) uses an LCD display, it would be better if it was an LED display, to make it easier to read.


A. DRO for the quill / spindle
B. Fine Feed knob / scale
C. Quill Feed / scale
D. Z-axis / Vertical hand wheel / scale
E. DRO Z-axis display

Update:

told by grizzly to tap the hole in my x-axis scale end for the cover as a fix for adding the powerfeed... yeah, I don't really want to do that.
I think I will get a piece of aluminum angle and make something that makes use of the existing fastener holes on the power feed.


I also think that I will finally tram my mill today.


I've been caught up doing other stuff in the shop.  I welded up a base with wheels for my hydraulic press and I got a surface plate and spent some time
checking out the quality of my fixtures.  So far, everything is within 0.0005, which is the extent of my measuring capabilities.

.0005 is close enough for most everything, except maybe a fly cutter.

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well, I'm going to go out on a limb here, and it might be because I hate people/things that waste my time....and I'm out of patience at the moment dealing with
setting up the R8 3-jaw chuck asembly (you need to mate the R8 tapered shank collar to the chuck) and the damn thing is varying from .005 to .010 out of round.
I've had it down to .003 and figured another light tap on the correct side might help.... nope.  if a light tap is going to send it back to .010 out.. then wth?
am I expecting TOO much from an established product?  you would think quality would go up?  maybe I'm different.

but at this very moment, I will not recommend anyone buying this mill...

unless you like to waste your time getting it set up and/or you have an expectation of reasonable quality (ie: tolerances)


-. Grizzly cant seem to get its shit together in the quality department or the technical document / sales department

its not just this incident, its a combination of all the ones that I've gone through up to this point.

if you want to waste time, make it one where you're spending it making more money to buy a better machine.  if you don't mind tinkering right out of the box
then by all means, get one.

this is not the experience I was expecting based upon what I've read.

Is the excess run out in the mandrel or the chuck? If it is just some generic Chinese chuck, I would throw it in the scrap iron box and get an authentic Jacob chuck.


This is one reason why I don't like buying a machine as a package deal of accessories. You have no control over the quality of the accessories. Naturally they are going to include the cheapest accessories.

its the one that came with it. it should be usable, otherwise why include it?  again, wasting peoples time and money.

note that I did share how proud Grizzly was of their QC (several posts above)