What is a small milling machine to look for?

What manufacturer should I look for if I want a "hobby" milling machine? Something with a 6x6 or 8x8 (inches) table?

FBt

Reply to
Esther & Fester Bestertester
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Sherline is well thought of.

A lot of folks buy Grizzly. Very inexpensive, consider this machine "a work in progress". You'll have to modify and improve on it after purchase. Tons of how to articles on this subject.

A little bigger than your request, but Jet makes a good value milling machine.

Karl

Reply to
Karl Townsend

Don't know much about it, other than the latest Wholesale Tool flier is the first I have seen it anywhere:

Hobby Milling & Drilling Machine (JET)

Regular Price $579.00

Description:

-Cast iron design

-Powerful 150-watt DC motor

-Variable speed with two-step gear box

-Left hand spindle rotation allows for tapping

-Right/left tilt table column for flexible work

-Compound table precision machined with adjustable dovetail guides

-Micro adjustable spindle downfeed

-Drawbar

-Keyless chuck with MT2 arbor

-Drilling and milling guard

Product Specifications

End Mill Capacity: 3/8" Spindle Speed(s): Variable (100-1,000/200-2,000 rpm) Spindle Taper: MT2/M10 Spindle Distance: To column, 5-1/2"; to table, 8-1/4" max. Face Mill Capacity: 3/4" Table Size: 5-3/4" x 9-1/2" Motor: 150W DC Dimensions: 24-3/4" H x 11-3/4" W x 21-1/2" L Net Weight: 88 lbs. Drilling Capacity: 3/8"

See:

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Reply to
Leon Fisk

On the other hand...with the THOUSANDS of commercial machine shops folding up...industrial milling machines are getting to be cheap...like $500 for a Bridgeport..or $150 for a Vernon....

Gunner

"Lenin called them "useful idiots," those people living in liberal democracies who by giving moral and material support to a totalitarian ideology in effect were braiding the rope that would hang them. Why people who enjoyed freedom and prosperity worked passionately to destroy both is a fascinating question, one still with us today. Now the useful idiots can be found in the chorus of appeasement, reflexive anti-Americanism, and sentimental idealism trying to inhibit the necessary responses to another freedom-hating ideology, radical Islam"

Bruce C. Thornton, a professor of Classics at American University of Cal State Fresno

Reply to
Gunner Asch

RUSNOK is a great little mill

Reply to
Bill Noble

Would Taig suit you?

Reply to
Michael Koblic

This is a lot like the Jet and quite a bit cheaper.

David

Reply to
David R.Birch

On Sun, 24 May 2009 14:28:59 -0400, the infamous Leon Fisk scrawled the following:

(I didn't see the OP.)

An enormous 1/5 horsepower!

For $80 less, HF's 44991 has 4 times the power and a bit more size.

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- Press HERE to arm. (Release to detonate.) -----------

Reply to
Larry Jaques

What do you want to do with it?

There's a big jump from a machine that makes mainly flat parts out of bar stock and one with enough precise vertical travel to bore an engine cylinder.

jsw

Reply to
Jim Wilkins

For some good reviews visit

Howard Garner

Reply to
Howard R Garner

This is a near copy of the old Clausing knee mill with an R8 spindle:

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copy seemed more capable of a heavy cut than my 8525.

I had a similar Enco 100-5100 in a model shop I ran. The less- important small parts were poorly made but otherwise it was a decent mill for prototyping microwave radio components. Mills this size will fit into places too small for a 1 ton Bridgeport.

jsw

Reply to
Jim Wilkins

Well, yeah, but what about the quality? I'm sure there's a *reason* it's quite a bit cheaper.

Reply to
Doug Miller

why are you guys debating these relatively low quality chinese mini-mills when there are nice manual machines like Rusnok (and several others) that fit nicely on a bench and have actual quality components - they are available used for close to the same price as the new harbor freight/jet/whatever machines. There is also an outfit that sells a small CNC mill in an enclosre that is around 2 ft cubed, and you can get it with a laser (if I remember right) profile machine and software for under 2 grand

Reply to
Bill Noble

From what I've seen of HF and Jet, there isn't much difference in quality, they're both low. I consider them to be assembled parts kits and it's best to take them apart as much as you can for deburring, cleaning and fitting. You may also want to replace the various nuts, bolts and screws since these are often very low quality.

David

Reply to
David R.Birch

Please list the brands you are suggesting. I can Google, but without names it's a bit difficult ;-)

Rusnok looks good...

Reply to
Esther & Fester Bestertester

Rockwell, Benchmaster, Rotex, Clausing, Senior, Buffalo.

Any individual old machine could be a treasure or a money pit depending on condition. They are available because somebody doesn't want them any more. In the ~20 years since I bought the Clausing I haven't seen another good one for sale, or a single Rusnok.

jsw

Reply to
Jim Wilkins

Because they are never available when you look for them, at least not anywhere around driving distance from North Texas. I have never seen a Ruznok for sale anywhere within 500 miles from here, nor under $1000, or I'd have it in my shop. Same with several other the oterh brands. So now I have an Enco mill-drill and a Seig minimill.

But yeah, I'd trade them both for a BP that isn't clapped out.

Reply to
RB

well, for what it's worth, I bought my Abene mill from a machinery seller in Texas and had it shipped to California (but the Abene weighs in close to

3500 pounds) - there is a pretty good machinery seller just east of DFW - name escapes me right now. And, I have a friend who has a couple of mills to dispose of, one a K&T #2, I think - but that's a bit big for a "hobby" mill. When I was looking for mills, I found bridgeports for $500 to $5,000 - the lower end of the price scale would not be worth getting for free - too much damage, too many pieces missing - but for around a grand, there were a lot of them in "OK" condition, and as you pushed $1500, you could get really nice ones. I've just got to believe you aren't looking in the right places - Texas is pretty big...... (oh, you probably knew that.....)
Reply to
Bill Noble

For the last couple years..decent BPs in California have been going for $1k. Now that manufacturing is going straight into the toilet...they can be had for free-$500-$800

Hang in there for another 6 months and they will be worth less than the shipping from Cali

Gunner

"Lenin called them "useful idiots," those people living in liberal democracies who by giving moral and material support to a totalitarian ideology in effect were braiding the rope that would hang them. Why people who enjoyed freedom and prosperity worked passionately to destroy both is a fascinating question, one still with us today. Now the useful idiots can be found in the chorus of appeasement, reflexive anti-Americanism, and sentimental idealism trying to inhibit the necessary responses to another freedom-hating ideology, radical Islam"

Bruce C. Thornton, a professor of Classics at American University of Cal State Fresno

Reply to
Gunner Asch

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Reply to
Esther & Fester Bestertester

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