Posted: 10/31/2009 9:06:58 PM EDT
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anyone have a source (besides ebay, i checked) for decent used mini/benchtop mills? |
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This is the BEST mini mill out there on the cheap. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=40939 |
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Quoted: only somethin for smallish projects. brackets, 80% recevers, etc, etc.Grizzly. Not sure what you want to do with it but they come in many sizes. Had a Sherline....way too small and weak. Had the largest Grizzly....that worked pretty good. None are close to what a Bridgeport can do. ETA: Used? No sources here. Sorry like this: http://www.micromark.com/MICROLUX-BENCHTOP-MINI-MILLING-MACHINE-ALL-INCH-MINI-MILL,8102.html?sc=WGB&utm_source=GoogleBase&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=GoogleBase |
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If you have a local harbor freight, you have some advantages in buying there. One, if it doesn't work it's an easy return for exchange. If it quits within 30 days, easy exchange. You can buy a cheap extended warranty, which means replacement if it quits. Grizzly would be my second choice. All depends on what you want to do with it I suppose. |
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Quoted: If you have a local harbor freight, you have some advantages in buying there. One, if it doesn't work it's an easy return for exchange. If it quits within 30 days, easy exchange. You can buy a cheap extended warranty, which means replacement if it quits. Grizzly would be my second choice. All depends on what you want to do with it I suppose. post above yours =). i like building things but im not gonna cnc my own heads or anythng ![]() |
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Quoted:
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only somethin for smallish projects. brackets, 80% recevers, etc, etc.
Grizzly. Not sure what you want to do with it but they come in many sizes. Had a Sherline....way too small and weak. Had the largest Grizzly....that worked pretty good. None are close to what a Bridgeport can do. ETA: Used? No sources here. Sorry like this: http://www.micromark.com/MICROLUX-BENCHTOP-MINI-MILLING-MACHINE-ALL-INCH-MINI-MILL,8102.html?sc=WGB&utm_source=GoogleBase&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=GoogleBase That should be fine, using light cuts. |
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Quoted: Quoted: I had a harbor freight 3 in 1 machine. Chinese junk. yea, well you also bult the cheapest gun ever ![]() theres a few decent reviews of the HF mini mill but they dont offer the ability to change angles. What? that 1911 wasnt cheap, damn parts were spendy. I didnt (and wouldnt) use a Harbor Freight mill for any gun smithing. They have too much play in the guides and are only accurate to about .01" which aint very good. Just buy an old Bridgeport and call it a day. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I had a harbor freight 3 in 1 machine. Chinese junk. yea, well you also bult the cheapest gun ever ![]() theres a few decent reviews of the HF mini mill but they dont offer the ability to change angles. What? that 1911 wasnt cheap, damn parts were spendy. I didnt (and wouldnt) use a Harbor Freight mill for any gun smithing. They have too much play in the guides and are only accurate to about .01" which aint very good. Just buy an old Bridgeport and call it a day. know, it was more in the way you built that i was commenting on |
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Quoted: BP's are expensive, even used and i dont need a big oneQuoted: Just buy an old Bridgeport and call it a day. Honestly, that's the way to go. Anything less will be a constant pain in the ass. Leaving you with that nagging feeling you should have bought more mill. YMMV |
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BP's are expensive, even used and i dont need a big one
[/quote] Lagun's are not bad either. But they are still a fairly large machine (approx 3000#) The Grizzly above IIRC is a Taiwan built machine, they also have a China built machine for less money (Not recommended). I've bought several machines from Grizzly (they have a showroom in town My band saw has cut over 1/4 million lbs of factory steel bundles (angles, tubes and flat bar), and is still going strong. |
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Nothing worse than a piece of shit equipment that won't do the job.
Get a Bridgeport up front and save yourself all the aggravation and " I should haves "....... With size and weight comes stability and accuracy.... even if you are making smaller parts, a proper milling machine is going to make a big difference. You'll get tired of a toy very quickly. |
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For bentops check out CNC sites like CNC zone. Those guys do alot of tinkering and have some good ideas. If you are looking at a mini mill, they are often called a x2 and usually price is all that separates them. If you start looking at x3's you might aswell go rf-45.
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BP's are expensive, even used and i dont need a big one
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Just buy an old Bridgeport and call it a day. Honestly, that's the way to go. Anything less will be a constant pain in the ass. Leaving you with that nagging feeling you should have bought more mill. YMMV Look at used equipment sales. |
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Quoted: This one is suiting me fine until I can do the work needed to my shop to get a full size Bridgeport There are definite limitations, but there is ways to get around them, just takes a lot longer. http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu24/bob243_photo/www/92109010.jpg grizzly? btw: http://www.littlemachineshop.com/Info/minimill_compare.php |
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This one is suiting me fine until I can do the work needed to my shop to get a full size Bridgeport There are definite limitations, but there is ways to get around them, just takes a lot longer. http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu24/bob243_photo/www/92109010.jpg grizzly? Looks like a grizzly x3. You mentioned angles so if that mill looks good they make a super x3. The next step is RF-45 and knee mills this size and up. To get angles you can also do different setups as long as you have the room/stability on the z. I only picked grizzly links because i was there but most in this size are all made in china at the same place. Many can be had at HF when on sale and a 10-20% coupon( if they still hand them out) or other places cheaper. There are other small mills but for the price you might as well buy a real mill. If you buy any mill especially china mills don't just plug it in and expect it to work like it's a drill press. Tear it down clean it and check it then set it up and learn your mill/feed rates/materials. ETA: You're on the right path re: lms. Do some reading here if you are set on a mini mill http://www.cnczone.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=164 |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: This one is suiting me fine until I can do the work needed to my shop to get a full size Bridgeport There are definite limitations, but there is ways to get around them, just takes a lot longer. http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu24/bob243_photo/www/92109010.jpg grizzly? Looks like a grizzly x3. You mentioned angles so if that mill looks good they make a super x3. The next step is RF-45 and knee mills this size and up. To get angles you can also do different setups as long as you have the room/stability on the z. I only picked grizzly links because i was there but most in this size are all made in china at the same place. Many can be had at HF when on sale and a 10-20% coupon( if they still hand them out) or other places cheaper. There are other small mills but for the price you might as well buy a real mill. If you buy any mill especially china mills don't just plug it in and expect it to work like it's a drill press. Tear it down clean it and check it then set it up and learn your mill/feed rates/materials. ETA: You're on the right path re: lms. Do some reading here if you are set on a mini mill http://www.cnczone.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=164 ive been readng minilathe.com, fignoggle, lms, and others. there was something i had found about the arbor or something but cant find it again. no one else has whtever tidbit that one was. ETA: found it! "Buy a new drill chuck and arbor (and you will need a new arbor, the chinese one isn't truely a jt#33 and the new chuck will rock slightly on it)" |





