bench top height question for mini-mill

Size the bench so the mill's table is at comfortable working height and it'll be comfortable turning the cranks that move the bed.

Your post wasn't clear on the size of "mini-mill" you intend to get. If it is in the size range of Sherline or Taig mini-mills, you might want to consider placing it on a desk. One corner of my shop has a Sherline lathe and mill, both sitting on a desk. Necessary tooling is nearby on a roll-around tool cart.

Bob Sw>

Mine is on a bench at about 40 inches. I'm 6'3". It's about right for sitting on a barstool and working at the mill. My 9" lathe is a little lower, and I'm thinking of raising it.

Elbow height when sitting on a stool is my gauge. Measure to the handwheel in front.

By the way, be sure to allow for the fact that that handwheel has to be turned frequently. If you mount the mill flat and back from the edge, the OD of the wheel will be against the bench and not usuable. I've seen this handled 3 ways:

1 Mount the mill at the front edge so the handwheel overhangs 2 Make a raiser block to get the machine base about 2" above the bench to clear the wheel. This might make your bench height lower by that amount. 3 Cut a recess in the front of the bench for handwheel clearance.

I prefer #2 as it makes placing a chip/coolant pan underneath much more doable.

- - Rex Burkheimer Fort Worth TX

mj wrote:

Thanks for the advice. It appears that if I went right at the 36" mark, that would put my work space at around 38" for my working height (that would allow 2" for the spacers). I sort of figured I might want the top a little lower than what I have the lathe at. Since I am two inches shorter than you, this measurement seems to work out pretty well. I just wished I had my mill...

Here is one of the mills that I am looking at. The ones at Grizzly and Cummins are pretty much the same thing:

Thanks for all the replies! Mike

I would....except I'm not buying the mill until later this year or early next year. I need to get my benches built and moved in this weekend. :(

Mike

Mike, I am also 6'1 but because of the size of my work bench I mounted my lathe on the BOTTOM shelf. When using it I just sit down and get conformable. For me this works fine. I need to improve my lighting but that is no big deal.

Also look at Homier.com for the Grizzly type of lathe. Homier carries the same thing at about $299.00.

LLB

I already have my lathe. I bought it on ebay from Cummins Tool Company. I don't remember what I paid, but I think it was around that $299 mark plus shipping. Some people don't think much of these, but for me just learning how to turn metal, it works out fine. I think the mini-mill will be fine for what I am doing too. I don't need to get tolerances within .001 or anything. I'm still searching around for a milling machine though. I'm hoping to find one within close driving distance to Mitchell, SD to save on the shipping. Even the mini-mills are fairly heavy. Mike

Those are all identical except for the Spindle, which is either MT3 or R8. I got the Homier because it was cheapest and used R8. In fact, I got it from a tent sale locally - marked wrong at $339, which they honored. Normal price is $399. I guess you checked out the minilathe.com section on minimills?

Mike Get on the homier.com mailing list. They will send you an email whenever a tent sale is coming up within whatever radius you specify. Then pick one up for $399 + local tax, no freight. That's if they have one. Sometimes they leave them on the truck, so you have to ask the Boss.

While there, plan to get one of their $199 metal-cutting bandsaws. Same saw Grizzly sells for $400. It's a genuine bargain.

- - Rex Burkheimer WM Automotive Fort Worth TX

mj wrote:

I've been to the minilathe.com site quite a few times. In fact, I used that site to finally decide on my purchase for my lathe. That was a heck of a deal at $339 for the mill. Wonder what my chances of finding one marked wrong are going to be? LOL. I want to get one with the R8 spindle too. The additional tooling seems to be a little cheaper priced. Mike

Yeah, R8 collets were

Rex, I'll do that. I know Cummins gets through South Dakota about once a year or so. They were just here and had a mill with them, but I didn't need it right then, so I passed. I am still kicking myself over that. :(

I'm looking for a metal cutting bandsaw too. The local Menards has the Jet brand at around $259, but the $199 sounds even better. Cutting 2" brass stock with a Saws-All is getting old. Thanks Mike

I visited a Cummins sale recently and picked up some tools, such as a

7" angle grinder and some hand tools. I would like to know if their tools are considered any good. i

Homier also has the conventional bandsaw for $99.95 last I looked. But you almost have to buy their tools in person at the tent sales, because their freight is much higher than most of the other sources. But do get the 03111 Homier bandsaw if possible. I have the older style and I'm going to replace it with the new one ASAP. Another good option is the handheld that HF runs on sale for $50 - $80. I've heard good things about that one.

- - Rex Burkheimer WM Automotive Fort Worth TX

mj wrote:

FWIW, I'm 6'1" and until 18 months ago had an RF30 bench top mill. I still use the workbench I built to hold it. It's 42" high. That put the crank wheels at a height that allowed me to keep my forearms slightly above horizontal when cranking, and I really like having the mill's table high enough so I didn't have to stoop to see what I was doing. Your eyesight might be better than mine, though. ;)

If it was me... I'd leave the bench at 40" or even raise it.

Peter

Speaking of MT collets, it's almost impossible to find anyone selling them these days. Grizzly used to sell them, as did Harbor Freight (IIRC). I just took a look at Homier.com and couldn't find any collets (or either mini-mill, for that matter).

Does anyone know of a source for MT collets that are not outrageously expensive?

- Michael

littlemachineshop.com has imports for small $ Logan Actuator has better quality for a little more.

Hi Peter, I had considered leaving it at the 40" height too, but I was concerned that it was going to be a little too high. Like you, I do not like bending over while I work and I would bet your eyesight is better than mine. LOL. I like where my lathe is at height wise. The work is close enough where I can see it. I figured if I built the mill table a little short, I could always build a subframe out of 1x or 2x and shim the table legs up. I would build the frame solid and not use short pieces under each leg. This should give some stability.

My problem with my bench is the fact that it is a drawer rack storage system made by Lista. The racks are 9'9" tall. I am cutting them down to cabinet height and then rewelding the crossbrace on the upright at my counter top height. So...if I end up making it too tall, I'll have to take everything apart, run the uprights down to my brother's shop and cut them apart to make them lower, then reweld it all back together. If I make them a little too low, I can either put another layer of particle board on top or shim the legs. That is sort of the dilema I am dealing with.

I'll have to look at see what the RF30 looks like compared to the mills that I am looking at.

Thanks

Mike

With Cummins you pretty well get what you pay for. I bought a set of mini vise grip pliers (6" long) at the last sale. I think it had three different ones in the set (c-clamp, needle nose, and regular). They were around $6.00. I picked up a couple of them. For my little brass model making hobby, they work great. I probably would not be happy with them if was using them in a heavy duty environment. I have found that a lot of the cheap tools work well for my little machine shop, but would I use them in a "real" shop? Probably not. Mike