Mini Milling Machine Recommendations?

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Looking for a good Mini Milling machine in the $1k-2k price range.So far I'm thinking either the OTMT Super X3 Mill or the smaller X2 . . . would be cool to get a combo like the OTMT M6 . . . but don't really have the space for it.
Reply:What are you going to be using it for? Most "mini mills" are just toys.Lincolin Power Wave 450, Lincoln Powermig 255, Lincoln Pro Mig 140, Lincoln Squarewave Tig 275, Miller Big 40 G(with Hobart Hefty suitcase), Thermal Arc 95S and Esab PCM875 in an already full machine shop.
Reply:Do yourself a favor and skip the toys. Those mini mills do not have the work envelope to do much other than make toys. If that is all you are looking to do..fine! Try for a larger mill/drill otherwise from any of the typical sources...Grizzly, Enco, etc. When purchasing a milling machine, tooling is a primary consideration. If you find you enjoy the abilities/hobby potential of metalwork and wish to 'go up' to another machine later on it would be nice if the tooling purchases are already completed...they are a substantial chunk of change. The Rung Fu mill/drill has a fairly good reputation, not too large for a small shop and can be purchased with enough headroom to run a good sized project, work holding device...whether vise or jig and a moderately long tool holder...you won't find that ability on a mini mill. If you are looking to spend the money you should try for as much versatility as your dollar can provide for you.Last edited by WyoRoy; 01-20-2011 at 06:51 PM.Lincoln PrecisionTig 275Miller 251Miller DialArc 250Bridgeport millHossfeld bender & diesLogan shaperJet 14 X 40 latheSouth Bend 9" 'C'Hypertherm 900Ellis 3000 band saw21"Royersford ExcelsiorTwo shops, still too many tools.
Reply:You may want to think hard about investing in that mini-mill.  The price on the webpage was ~$1,800.  That's not much less than a nice knee type mill.I had a Rong-Fu mill drill for about 10 years.  It worked OK but I was always running into frustrations and limitations.  Having to re-establish a reference point every time I changed the head height was one...real PITA.  Cheap lead screws and saddle nuts needed constant maintenance.I finally got a nice 3 hp 10x54 and it makes a world of difference...big parts, small parts, you name it...it's a blast.  You may not need one that big but I would at least get a true knee type machine.As has been mentioned, if you are set on a small bench top mill be sure to get one with a spindle of the same type as the bigger mills.  The R8 is probably the most common.  That way, when (not if) you decide to upgrade, you can still use the very expensive tooling you've already purchased.Have fun!Miller 211 w/ spool gunMiller Dynasty 200DXLongevity 60i IGBT plasmaO/A w/ crappy chinese torch/gaugesSouth Bend 10K latheGrizzly 4029 10x54 millGrizzly 7x12 hor bandsawangle grnders, bench grnder, bench belt sndr7.5 hp 80gal cmprsor
Reply:In truth...I agree with BTD on a knee mill, but saw your reference to space limitations. As to the combo machines...usually the lathe is okay, but the mill side suffers some fairly gigantic limitations.Lincoln PrecisionTig 275Miller 251Miller DialArc 250Bridgeport millHossfeld bender & diesLogan shaperJet 14 X 40 latheSouth Bend 9" 'C'Hypertherm 900Ellis 3000 band saw21"Royersford ExcelsiorTwo shops, still too many tools.
Reply:thats a tuff one . trying to do too much with too small of a machine.or too many thing with one machine is never good.I don't have a whole lot of experience with mini mills or mill/lathe combos but what I have seen can't say I was impressed. I am sure they have there place.good luck  Daye
Reply:..I had one of those small Rockwell knee mills for a while.. Not much bigger than a stand-alone drill press, but infinitely more useful. Had to sell it in a move and have been kickin myself in the arse ever since. I think I paid $450 for it and had to chase out the chicken that was living in it.  Got it cleaned up and adjusted, turned out to be a pretty "tight" machine.. Food for thought anyways. You can't have too much room to work in a mill.    d:^)  Schneeks..ESAB 161 LTSCommunicate & adapt, diggit.?ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ
Reply:Starting to reconsider the Mini-Mill for a bench top mill . . . I've likely get enough bench space in the shop.Can anyone give me a rule of thumb regarding 'working arena req.' vs. the mill dimensions?
Reply:Originally Posted by JeffThomStarting to reconsider the Mini-Mill for a bench top mill . . . I've likely get enough bench space in the shop.Can anyone give me a rule of thumb regarding 'working arena req.' vs. the mill dimensions?
Reply:On a knee-type mill the mills table will move side-to-side, if you are looking at the mill's specs, take the table size (std. bridgeport would be 9x42") and add half the table X travel (on a 42" table, IIRC, thats 32" travel) to either side, plus the dims of your power feed and handles.  So on a 42" table,  (32/2) + ~6" (for handle or power feed) = 22" on either side of a centered table.  22" + 22" + 42" = 90" - this is probably a bit of a conservative estimate as its nice to be able to get to the side of a machine if necessary.My recommendation is for a smaller old mill like a bp M-head, I have one that is 1944 vintage, paid $400 for mill + vise + tooling, has a 32"x9" table with 20x9" of travel
Reply:I have one of the Grizzly G0463 table top mill with a 3 axis DRO. It is quite accurate and has a reasonably large work envelope. I of course listened to most of the internet gurus and searched for a used Bridgeport J head. The problem seemed to be either too expensive, worn out or too far away. Another issue (for me) was I was still gonna need 3 phase and a method to move it in the garage. All these things added up to a different decision than the conventional internet wisdom. Also Grizzly provided great warranty/customer service when I "accidently busted it". No blame, just tell us what's wrong. 5 days later I'm up and running again. Tooling is R8 and is readily available. it was a great decision "for me".
Reply:While I doubt the original poster is going to be looking at 3-phase machines, I'll say that not having 3-phase service in your shop to run a milling machine is all but a non-issue. VFDs are relatively cheap nowadays or rotary converters can be built cheaply from innumerable plans off the Internet.Personally, for a hobby user/home shop, I see nothing wrong with a table top mill. Probably a better choice than a used Bridgeport of nearly any condition for most folks needing rudimentary machining capabilities.Lincoln PrecisionTig 275Miller 251Miller DialArc 250Bridgeport millHossfeld bender & diesLogan shaperJet 14 X 40 latheSouth Bend 9" 'C'Hypertherm 900Ellis 3000 band saw21"Royersford ExcelsiorTwo shops, still too many tools.
Reply:Okay.  I'm considering this one. Westward Belt Drive Milling/Drillng Machine - WSWRF31Pretty sure it is a Westward branded version of the Rung FuThe 'discounted' price that it showes me when logged in with my account is $2,488 CAN . . . but I'll talk to the sales rep to see if they can do better (they usualy can).I've got a heavy duty bench grinder from Acklands that is Westward branded; and I'm happy with it so far.Does anyone have any experance with the Westward branded milling machines?
Reply:Hey Jeff,There can be a lot of controversy with the mini-mills as there are with the imported welders. I sold my Bridgeport when I closed my gunshop. Within a year after expanding my welding/fab shop, I needed another mill, although didn't have enough room for a floor mill. I got a Seig(import) bench mill w/16.5" X 6" table w/1.5hp belt drive. I did some tweaking with tips on one of the machine forums & it works well, although has its' limitations. You need to determine your overall needs as to size of materials you plan to do. Bigger is always better if you have the room. I simply ran out of room as many do. I even made a rolling stand for it so I can move it around. For all my projects, it has worked well & I do have access to much larger equipment at a friends' company only a quarter mile away if I need it. Here's some pics of my unit & some applications I did. Sharp tools work the best for all applications & so much easier on the equipment.Denny Attached ImagesComplete Welding/Machine/Fab. ShopMobile UnitFinally retired*Moderator*"A man's word is his honor...without honor there is nothing.""Words are like bullets.... Once they leave your muzzle, you cannot get them back."
Reply:I bought this one about a year ago, weight is about 1000lb. it has worked excellent for me, 2hp@single phase, R8... trouble with the bridgeport was moving it from trailer to shop. does everything a bp will do (i think)   I paid $700 for it, i thought it was a good buy, wife thinks i wasted $500.....The guy i got it from called it a 1/2 mill, i never could find a ID. tag on it. lightly used too.. Attached Images
Reply:Originally Posted by 1awert1I bought this one about a year ago, weight is about 1000lb. it has worked excellent for me, 2hp@single phase, R8... trouble with the bridgeport was moving it from trailer to shop. does everything a bp will do (i think)   I paid $700 for it, i thought it was a good buy, wife thinks i wasted $500.....The guy i got it from called it a 1/2 mill, i never could find a ID. tag on it. lightly used too..
Reply:yea, head swivels , i though it was great....i looked for BP for over a year, found lots of em, but always something comes up to spoil the deal, then i saw this and though PERFECT...
Reply:Also up for consideration . . . JET Model JMD-15OTMT Belt DriveOTMT Gear DriveOTMT Gear Drive (square column).G0519 Mill/Drill/ TappingThe responses here have been great – incredibly helpful.This might sound like are really dump question but what are the big differences between a belt driven and geared?  I'm guessing that one reason gear is better is that since there isn't the need to move belts for different speeds it is a lot quicker to switch between differant types of work.I am still pretty new to this stuff and the only milling machine that I've ever used was real old one that was bigger the two fridges put together.Last edited by JeffThom; 01-25-2011 at 09:17 PM.
Reply:Originally Posted by 1awert1I bought this one about a year ago, weight is about 1000lb. it has worked excellent for me, 2hp@single phase, R8... trouble with the bridgeport was moving it from trailer to shop. does everything a bp will do (i think)   I paid $700 for it, i thought it was a good buy, wife thinks i wasted $500.....The guy i got it from called it a 1/2 mill, i never could find a ID. tag on it. lightly used too..
Reply:Originally Posted by 1awert1I bought this one about a year ago, weight is about 1000lb. it has worked excellent for me, 2hp@single phase, R8... trouble with the bridgeport was moving it from trailer to shop. does everything a bp will do (i think)   I paid $700 for it, i thought it was a good buy, wife thinks i wasted $500.....The guy i got it from called it a 1/2 mill, i never could find a ID. tag on it. lightly used too..
Reply:Some mini knee mills.http://www.harborfreight.com/garage-...ine-40939.htmlhttp://www.wttool.com/index/page/pro...chine+%28WT%29http://www.grizzly.com/products/Vertical-Mill/G3102Lincoln SA200, HH135, Lencospot, HF80 Inverter, Rockwell 11x35 lathe, HF drill mill, Kama 554 tractor w/ FEL & BH, Belarus 250AS, lot's of Chinese tools
Reply:Originally Posted by 1awert1I bought this one about a year ago, weight is about 1000lb. it has worked excellent for me, 2hp@single phase, R8... trouble with the bridgeport was moving it from trailer to shop. does everything a bp will do (i think)   I paid $700 for it, i thought it was a good buy, wife thinks i wasted $500.....The guy i got it from called it a 1/2 mill, i never could find a ID. tag on it. lightly used too..
Reply:here is the link for the grizzly machine I mentioned earlier, it looks very similar to my jet.http://www.grizzly.com/products/8-x-...cal-Mill/G0678There is no failure...only feedback
Reply:I see the resemblance in the HF one, were mine is a little older and a little more solid, but otherwise very close...I think they are all Tiawan, which is 100 better than china.........
Reply:Originally Posted by brucerwish you could find out what brand that is...  thats about the perfect size for a smaller garage..Originally Posted by Showdog75Looks like a Clausing to me.