WTB - small milling machine and tooling

[Tony Jacuzzi]

Looking for a small milling machine and some tooling. I am no machinist but would like to try and make some basic stuff. Thanks Tony J

 

[waltr]

Tony,

I have a little Micro Mark and it's decent for small hobby items.

It's on sale this week too. It's an import and similar to most, but Micro Mark seems to add a few upgrades.

It's no Bridgeport, but does the job. It also has a tilting head.

www.micromark.com

 

[Scott Wadlow]

Looking for a small milling machine and some tooling. I am no machinist but would like to try and make some basic stuff. Thanks Tony J

Harbor Freight has a nice combo for around $600.00 that works great for this hobby.

 

[topfuel443]

Hi Tony, I have wanted a mill and lathe for a long time. I finally spent the money and got what I wanted. I am a firm believer in getting what you pay for, and knew that I would have this equipment for a long time. I have seen and used other mills and lathes from both ends of the quality factor, and I can tell you dont want to buy junk. When it comes to these types of machines, cheap is not better.

I like to think I went on the upper end of the "hobby" or "bench top" machines with my purchases. This machine/company also offers a bolt on CNC kit that is realitively in-expensive if I should decide to go the CNC route one day. I have owned this mill now for about 10 months, and I use it ALL the time. I have made some really cool stuff, and I learn more every time I use it. I also purchased the Digital Readout (DRO) system for it, and it makes life a lot eaiser, especially when doing bolt hole patterns in head buttons ect. It takes a while to learn all of the features, but life is much easier.

This machine is made in Germany, and with most German made equipment, they pride themselves on precision. I would stay away from the cheaper chinese models, especially if plan on doing small, intricate, precision work.

Also, I went with the bigger slide table, and I have found myself using it more than I realised I would. Go as big, and nice as you can justify/afford, you wont regret it.

~James

 

[topfuel443]

Walt also mentioned another good point, a tilting head is a plus as well. I use it all the time when doing port work on sleeves.

 

[moparbarn]

i work as an auto tech. been a mechanic for 30+ yrs. couldn't agree with james more. buy the best quality you can afford!!!!!!!!! cheap tools of ANY KIND will cause more grief and damage than you can stand. they are just that, CHEAP TOOLS. buy quality, it will save you $ in the long run, imho.

 

[waltr]

And to add,

If you go with an import, watch the # on the feed screws. Most imports are in Metric.

I went with just an import for my basement and Micro Mark was in inches. If I need any real precision or larger items,

I'll do it at my shop on a Bridgeport.

I guess it's all relavant to what you want to do and how much you want to spend.

James,

I like your mill.

I found their web site for more info.

 

[Rich Jones]

Tony:

I have an Enco 7X10 minilathe and have done a couple of small things on it. Seemed to work fine but I'm not a machinist by any means. If you want to research these Asian tools a little more, google Varmint Al's Mini Lathe Page. He has a lot of info plus alot of links to other sites, interest groups, etc... One thing to think about is weight of the machine. Sherline and Taig lathes are good, accurate machines, but are also very light. The mini lathe weighs in at 70 pounds. If you can bolt it to a bench, that makes it a pretty rigid machine for small stuff. There are some issues w/ plastic gears and some upgrades available for those. There's even an online shop for accessories for the lathe and mill called littlemachineshop.com . Bottom line, I don't know if I would try to do a piston and sleeve on the thing, but it would certainly work for most any other model boating need. I know you were talking about mills but thought I would discuss what I knew about the lathe and you could take it for what its worth. If price and space are considerations, this may be your answer. ANY machinist will tell you to buy as much machine as you can afford. I know because I've asked before. I don't regret buying the little lathe. Its been fun to mess around with and does some pretty accurate work.

Rich

 

[Ray Sametz]

Tony, Check out.... http://www.knuth-usa.com

 

[Chris Wood]

Tony,

This is just me and not an opinon of anyone elses..

If i was you.. and i know you well enough that you like to make things nice.. Don't waste your money on a cheap machine.

My father knows all to well about the junk stuff.

If you are going to spend 1500 on a machine you might as well just plunk down the coin and do it right. He found a sharp mill ( aka Bridgeport type ) with a dro and friction drive on the net for 4000.00 this thing was MINT CONDITION and basically unused.

if you want email him.. he is the KING of the internet search.. He will find a deal for you out there. plus he can give you a opinon on what is good and what is not..

just my thoughts as i have seen some of the so called deals out there.

chris

 

[Terry Keeley]

Here's a place to get you started cheap:

http://www.mini-lathe.com/

You could try it for a bit and get a "real" machine down the road if you want...

 

[glenng]

Looking for a small milling machine and some tooling. I am no machinist but would like to try and make some basic stuff. Thanks Tony J

Tony, another option might be equipment auctions. I've seen a Bridgeport with a power feed on the X axis go for $1500. It had about 20 drill spots on the table-might have come out of a high school shop -I installed a Sargon 2 axis digital read out on it and it was an accurate machine. Take a GOOD machinist to the auctions and have him align the scales for the digital read out. Same goes for tooling. Take someone that knows what they're looking at. You can have an accurate full size mill with some tooling for less than $3000. Same story for engine lathes . I bought a South Bend 13 inch x 6 ft. bed-will only swing 43 inches between centers for $700 with some tooling. Added a good 3 jaw bison chuck and backing plate for $300. Once you start making Basic Stuff You'll find out you need both a mill and a lathe. One other item you might want to buy is a Starret hand book for student machinists-if they still sell them. Lot's of basic stuff like cutting threads, tapers, knurling, grinding tools etc. Sooner or later you'll find a project the smaller machines can't handle. Just my opinion, Glenn

 

[Joe_Knesek]

Tony,
This is just me and not an opinon of anyone elses..

If i was you.. and i know you well enough that you like to make things nice.. Don't waste your money on a cheap machine.

My father knows all to well about the junk stuff.

If you are going to spend 1500 on a machine you might as well just plunk down the coin and do it right. He found a sharp mill ( aka Bridgeport type ) with a dro and friction drive on the net for 4000.00 this thing was MINT CONDITION and basically unused.

if you want email him.. he is the KING of the internet search.. He will find a deal for you out there. plus he can give you a opinon on what is good and what is not..

just my thoughts as i have seen some of the so called deals out there.

chris

Buy quality & you only cry about it once.

 

[moparbarn]

good way of saying it, joe. couldn't agree more!

 

[Tony Jacuzzi]

Thanks to everyone for all the great input. I have a lot of researching to do !!! I checked on the KnuthTools site and it appears that they are a German manufacturer with a US sales office. It also states of course that some of their stuff is made off shore.. Does anyone know if their Nano Mini mill is just a version of the harbor freight / sieg etc. or something else. Tony J

 

[Raydee]

Here is the one I was going to buy

http://grizzly.com/products/Mini-Milling-Machine/G8689

I was told that are very good for the money.

 

[Joe_Knesek]

Here is the one I was going to buyhttp://grizzly.com/products/Mini-Milling-Machine/G8689

I was told that are very good for the money.

I've got one and I wish I would have purchased a knee mill instead. Get ready to tram it on a regular basis.

 

[Joe_Knesek]

Thanks to everyone for all the great input. I have a lot of researching to do !!! I checked on the KnuthTools site and it appears that they are a German manufacturer with a US sales office. It also states of course that some of their stuff is made off shore.. Does anyone know if their Nano Mini mill is just a version of the harbor freight / sieg etc. or something else. Tony J

Yes it is a SIAG mill.

 

[Bill Brandt]

I don't think you can do better for the price than these. http://www.sherline.com/

They've done everything we've asked of them using little space and good pricing, less than $1500.00 complete.

Bill Brandt

 

[SayMikey]

I don't think you can do better for the price than these. http://www.sherline.com/
They've done everything we've asked of them using little space and good pricing, less than $1500.00 complete.

Bill Brandt

I like the sherline stuff neat compact for a guy that only makes a few parts. Bill what machines do you have?