Drill/mill Whats a good one?

I would sure like to Get a drill/mill. I dont do alot of milling so I dont need an industrial strength machine and I dont care if it take a bit of time to set it up(all I have is time). Whats a good machine and price range to look at. Thanks guys.

 

And the answer is none of them !! Get a Bridgeport or clone. But if you must one with a square collum is better the the round ones. Make sure whatever you get uses a R-8 style collet.Try this site for more/better opinios.
http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/

 

http://www.grizzly.com/

 

For what you will spend, to get a good drill press that will actually mill, and then get all the stuff to tool it up so you have a cross table to move the part during the process, you can get a good used mill off ebay or Craig's list. I bought my bridgeport off ebay, and it was in my home state even... The deals are out there, you just have to find them.

 

used bridgeport. If not, buy a copy that accepts R8 collets

 

I owned a Smithy. They know ave an automoive version (Longer) I would recommend it. it wasnt avaialable when i bought mine. I had to let mine go when I closed my shop and sold the equipment. It was aprt of the equipment deal. i have been sorry ever since. Despite al the gobbly gook from the epxerts who have nevr and will never actually buld anything. I found it to be an extremely handy weapon to have in my asrenal. I have retooled pistons, Fly cut them modified valves . made any number of adapters for this and that made pushrods and tooling . It saved me thousands . Once i even did a torquconverter hi stall mod on it (after removing the ring gear (Mopar) It would just fit in the chuck with out the ring gear. Everything I need to getstarted vcame with it. if I needed something for it which I did once in its long stay in my shop the comapny knew from my phone number which machine I had and what part it took . that was probably 10 years after I bugt it. i was shocked.
go for it .You will hear from a 100 people who have never ownned one negative comments but if you buy it you wont ever regret it. i ddnt .
Don

 

The welding shop I used to work at had a Bridgeport and 2 bench mill/drills and I used one of them once. I was really surprised at how smooth it ran (I was just using a 1/4 end mill, though). I don't remember the brand. I hope to get one someday, too. I just don't have room for a knee mill. I think Baileigh sells one.

Blue

 

I have had good luck a Jet Mill, R8 collars, 48" bed with digital read out.

Elwood

 

Thanks guys. we have a 2nd hand machine shop/sales in the town I live in I will have to check it out (Thanks for the collet size info guys).

 

Any vertical mill will be an outstanding drill press. And the R8 collets as mentioned are much better than Morse taper when milling. I have built a lot of stuff (33 years in the tool room of a major airline) and IMHO a used Bridgeport or other mill is your best buy. Get a drill mill and if you like using it, sooner or later you will want a real mill. Actually I wish I had a Cincinnati horizontal with a vertical head. And a much bigger shop to put it in.

 

One more vote to avoid Chinese machine tools; a fifty year old USA tool in good shape is WAY better, and possibly cheaper. I have been nothing but dis-appointed with china stuff; never regretted the loads of affordably-priced used USA machinist stuff I have bought off Ebay, craigslist, and through guys in the Houston Home Metal Shop Club. *+1 on R-8 tooling. A used machine may likely have tooling with it as well. Try the Practical Machinist.com classifieds.

 

A wore out Bridgeport is a far better machine than most of the imported crap is when brand new. You cannot buy a Bridgeport that is too old to get parts for either.

 

You said it perfectly Don. I also own a Smithy combo machine, which I purchased about 8 years ago, and it's paid for itself many many times over. just because it is made in China doesn't always mean it's junk. those that say it is have never used a Smithy. I'm just a self taught half ass machinist and I can easily hold .005 with it. even less when I wear my good glasses .

Russ

 

If at all possible - make the room for a Bridgeport - you won't regret that either.
If you just can't make the room there are some (although difficult to find) smaller toolroom sized industrial machines - I know Clausing made one as did Hardinge - probably others as well.

Both a Yugo and a Cadillac will get you from point A to point B - not sure that's the best comparison.

If you're gonna spend your hard earned cash - maybe consider trying out each machine you are considering - lots of Community Colleges have machining classes - also a great place to get some hands on training.

 

Take a look at JET or Grizzly machines. Get the readout option & if most of your use is drilling these machines are more than you will need. Remember you are not running production & the accuracy of a new machine is a reward.

 

i have a smithy granit 1324.bought it to make bike pats.love it.3,000 to start and probably have that much again in tooling.its no indutrial machine by any standard.but yet is cnc ready(another 4,000 for the computer).have thought about getting rid of it several times.but its just too versitile

 

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</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #e5e5e5 1px solid" id=td_post_7615571 class=alt1><!-- icon and title --> Re: Drill/mill Whats a good one?
<HR style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #e5e5e5; COLOR: #e5e5e5" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->Take a look at JET or Grizzly machines. Get the readout option & if most of your use is drilling these machines are more than you will need. Remember you are not running production & the accuracy of a new machine is a reward.
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Jet or Grizzly DRO? .....not running production & the accuracy of a new machine is a reward. ....

new lead screws and nuts for a old worn out bridgebort are cheap and a easy fix for a sloppy machine.... and when your done ,,,,deadly accurate......

 

Mostly the nuts are what wears.... and you can tighten them up a few times before replacement

 

I'd take 50 year old Bridgeport over a new Jet any day.

 

used Bridgeport i got mine for around 1000

 

Another vote for Smithy. My friend has one that we only use as a lathe (he has a great mill), anbd I've been quite pleased with what we've been able to do with the Smithy

 

powermatic made a real nice smallish one, i think clausing made it for them but also sold them with their name on it. rockwell made a nice smaller one to. i would buy a used american over a new import any day. there are some good articles writen on buying a used mill, what to look for,to check. the green powermatic's from the 70's are my favorites. alot of them went into home shops and were not to abused. good luck finding one.

 

Mill drills are fine but the only thing is, is having to moving the head unit after you found your center or to change a tool out and you dont have enough room. If it doesnt retract far enough then you have to loosen the head and move it up and you lose your spot. So It can be done just fine but it may require you to re center alot more than a regular Bridgeport style mill. Ive used one many times and they work great you just have to think about your order of opperations. MAKE SURE IT HAS A R8 COLLET!

 

Check out www.littlemachineshop.com and look at their mills that they sell...they use everything they sell and have them custom made for them to sell...and the prices are very good...to all of the people telling you to buy a Bridgeport or similar full sized mill, go fuck yourselves...not all of us have access to a fork lift to move one, the cash to buy one, the space to use one or the 240 single/triple phase wiring to run one...I've been a machinist for 15 years, built everything from multi-million dollar injection molds to motor mounts made of scrap metal, and I know the value of a Bridgeport, but I also know how invaluable a benchtop mill can be to a hobbyist or someone learning the trade in their garage...there's a place for everything, and I'm sure quite a few of you spouting off about how someone should buy a Bridgeport or nothing probably barely know how to use one...

 

A good option to buying a mill is to take a night machine shop course at a technical college. They have a wide range of equipment, tooling and an instructor to help you out. The instructors usually like to see some of the projects we come up with instead of the standard projects they have for students.

 

I totally agree.. I have a Bridgeport and three clones. But many years ago. I bought a new large table top Jet mill.. This machine has been in shop use for 35 years and is still going strong. Quick to set up for small jobs, runs on 110 power. Used for years primarily as a valve guide and seat machine and one off small milling jobs. Only drawback is the head doesn't tilt and the column isn't heavy enuff for HEAVY milling cuts in some materials, it will get some vibration. But then thats what the "real" mills are for..


Also, I special ordered this machine as a Morse 3 drawbar taper.. As this area of Michigan was all GM manufacturing at the time and tons of surplus Morse tooling was always available at pennies on the dollar. Works just as well as R-8 and more variety of adapters, mills, cutters are readily available. I have several tool rooms full of the stuff and I mean top quality stuff, Cheap!!

 

This actually looks like a pretty good little machine, and the price is a little less than you are going to pay for a used Bridgeport/clone mill around here. Looks like it would do everything I want anyway. Looks alot better than the sorry-assed table tops I have looked at around here, anyway.

http://www.littlemachineshop.com/3900

 

my father bought a little machine like this and it has so much chatter, it wants to loosen up everythig! you can't beat a heavy casting for smooth cuts. try and not settle when picking out a machine.

 

Man I opened up a can of worms. Thanks for everybodys thoughts.

 

check out the rong fu 45 and its clones. You get a gear head drive pretty decent bed. Lots of review online for them.