I need some  recommendations on a mill for a small shop.

Must be CNC comparable and have a DRO.

I would like it to be 120Volt

I will be finishing 80% lowers and small projects.

please post links to your  recommendations

Thank you
Joe

The Grizzly G0704 is a good choice for being able to add on DRO or convert to CNC. You can find tons of info on conversions online and find lots of help as needed.
It depends on what you want it for. I have a G0704 converted to CNC, but I wish I'd bought a slightly larger one... but that's because I'd like it to work a little faster... but it really is fine for me, just have to have patience for it to do the work.  If I had the money, I'd have done a RF45... but I don't know if I really could have fit it in my garage.

spend more money now and save time later...

basically get the biggest one that fits your requirements...

A large knee mill can fit into a much smaller space than you might imagine.  Bridgeports were made for corners.

Unless you know you will be moving, buy the biggest one you can find in your price range.  I just sold my 9x42, but I anticipate moving 3000-5000 miles.

No such thing as too big a mill, unless you have to move.

Get yourself a Mazak

This. When I was looking for a mill an older machinist told me to buy a full size used Bridgeport. I went with a new mid-size Grizzly mill, and the mill has done me well, but there are times that the full size BP would have been nice.



 

Bridgeport, hands down. There is a good reason serious shops still have them.

I have a G0704 that I converted to CNC, pretty happy with it, but it's a tinkering project, takes awhile to get it where you may want it.  Check out the PCNC 770 as well.

Zach

I really want to get a Grizzly G0759...just for small personal use.

Define your needs first.  That will dictate your choices.  

If an 80% lower is the most complex job you'll be doing then a mill may be a bit overkill.  A quality router and jig will get that job done cheaper.   But if you want a mill a Sieg X2 or Sieg X2D is certainly an affordable option for stuff in the 80% lower needs.   You can learn on it, then craigs list it for 75% of what you paid for it then take that money and apply to the next purchase.  

You can get HF's version of the Seig X2 for around $500 shipped to your door at the moment. Around $600 minus 20-30% coupon you can find anywhere online and $15 shipping.

LIttle Machine Shop has a better X2, the X2D with a solid column and air piston head which will cost you $600 but no coupon and shipping isn't cheap.

The Siegs will require some tweaking to run best but this is stuff you can do over time like column bracing, belt drive motor and there's a ton of youtube videos on adding DRO and CNC.  

Or the LMS HiTorque 3990 is a step up from that at $900.

A bridgeport can often be had for $1800-$2500 on craigs list or ebay but shipping may make you pucker up worse than a mouth full of lemons.  

THe tooling size is also a factor.  The sieg X2's are R8 tooling which is very common (i.e. cheap) and can be moved to a bigger machine in a lot of cases.

In other words it's not quite a simple question and needs drive the purchase pretty heavily.

There is a small industry refurbishing them.

All the way to building up ways and milling them back to spec.
Really trashed ones become parts sources for less worn ones.

Most larger industrial cities have 'bone yard' dealers.
They have warehouses of old worn equipment that is stripped for parts.

It often costs less than having to make a part from scratch.

that is as small as I would go....

The most common problem on smaller mills is tooling stack-up on the table.
Vises, index heads, holding fixtures, etc. eat up a lot of space quickly.

That is the problem I have with my Grizzly. On rare occasions I wish for a longer X travel, but mostly it is the clearance between the table and the spindle.



 

 G0750 is the same mill with a 3-axis DRO setup included  $1750 in the current Catalog page  I'm looking at the same one once i have the room for it.

i've got a sieg x2 and have done a couple 80% lowers

IMO it's just too light duty for anything other than small aluminum projects.

someday i'll have a bridgeport...

While yes it is the same mill but with DRO, if you are planning to, or even think you might convert it to CNC, it's a bit of a waste of money, as the scales will be redundant.

I am not a machinist, what does DRO mean and what does it do?

Digital Read Out

It gives you a nice numerical display often with auto zero settings.

Otherwise you must track constantly how many turns and account for backlash.



Say a full turn of the handle moves the table 1". To move 3.125" you would need to count three full turns then ease up to the .125 graduation on the dial of the handle. Now say you want to go back to zero. You must move back 3.125" but there will be some backlash, the dial moves a bit before the table actually starts moving.



DROs give you direct read of where the table is located. You turn the handle and stop when the DRO says 3.125". To return to zero, crank the opposite way till it reads 0.00".



 

An update I ordered an Grizzly G0704 they were out of the G0759.
I ordered the power feed unit for it and it works great.

So I am currently installing the DRO.


looking into the CNC conversion.

Thanks everyone for your input it was helpful.

Thank you
Joe

Start a "My new mill" thread and keep us updated.  Good luck!

You can get a full size, used Bridgeport for under $3000. Go bigger than you need to, you will be happy you did later on.

Joe,
Hoss over on CNCZone is the guy to talk to about doing the conversion.  Not sure how much experience you have with CNC, but you'll obviously need the hardware, I used a CNC4PC C11 breakout board, Keling drivers and motors, etc.  You'll also need software, I'm running Mach3 as my CNC controller, LinuxCNC is another popular option.  You'll always want CAD and CAM, I'm running Solidworks and SprutCAM, but Autodesk Fusion 360 is free for hobbyists, and has CAD and CAM in one suite.

Zach

Depends on how much heavy industry was nearby.

It also depends on how much room you have.  I'm still kicking myself for not buying a Rockwell knee mill that was for sale locally last year.  I could fit a full size mill in my garage, but I really don't need one that big and I certainly would be taking up a lot more valuable space.

I had one that was carefully placed under a nice wood box in the living room.
It hid the top foot or so of the mill head.
It was near the fireplace, so everyone assumed it held wood.
You should have seen the looks when I opened it.

I picked up a G0759 that I'm pretty happy with, but I'm also planning on a move soon and a full sized Bridgeport would have been a huge PITA to deal with.