Looking into milling..... what to look for?

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I keep on finding myself wishing I had a milling machine, but I don't have the :$ to buy a brand new one. I will not do anything with steel, just a little alum. and plastics (polyethalate [spelling :/ ] is butter under my drill press  ) and nothing huge ethier.My options are....-use my drill press and rig up a mounting assembly-buy a used machine (what should I look for?)Thanks for your time!
Reply:I'm in the process of converting my milling machine (an old clausing 8520, good size for a home machine) to CNC, not that this helps you at all !Anyway I just wanted to point you towards cnczone.com as a resource.- JohnP.S. how much you looking to spend?
Reply:Hey Steve,A milling machine is a fantastic machine to have, as is a lathe. When I retired from gunsmithing in '93, I sold my Bridgeport with some other gunsmithing equipment. I kept my lathe and was able to use my mill at work for anything I needed. A couple years ago, I needed a mill to make a part for a welding job that came in and decided to get another...and I decided a bench mill would suffice since 99% of my work was on small parts. I picked this one up brand new for 179.95 and 30.00 shipping. It was made in China, of course, but by a company named Sieg who produces very high quality products. This particular mill is no longer available and I could sell it in a heartbeat. I have it outfitted with a vertical dial indicator, horizontal DRO, coolant spray, and a rotary indexing fixture and have less than $500 in everything. If you want to keep your investment at minimum, there are a couple "mini" mills on HF, and they do have a nice one, #33686-4VGA that I've seen go on sale for $799. It is a well made mill and I have operated one at a place I weld for on occasion. Anyway, here are a couple pics of my setup. Look around at some school auctions or company closing auctions and you may luck out, or try E-Bay. Good Luck....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'd love to have a full size Bridgeport mill but I doubt I'll ever be able to afford a nice one. And in reality I don't need one that big. The little one you have there is probably plenty big for anything I'll ever need it for. But I just have a hard time with the idea of a "little one".  Maybe someday I'll run across a shop going out of business and pick one up cheap. The only problem there is that they almost always run on three phase. Converters are pretty cheap now but I think you're still looking at about 300 bucks maybe.Does that unit have enough power to drill large holes? By large I mean 1 1/2" or so?Stever, I'd say that the small machine yorkipap has would be more than adaquete for anthing you are talking about doing.Good luck,Wayne
Reply:Thats a nice looking machine, but I'm curious about the "vice" (the clamp that holds the workpiece). Can you twist it so you could cut plasic blocks on an angle?This one may be a keeper!
Reply:I bought one of these a few years ago, and still only know how to do 25% of what it will do. The 3 in 1 is not really good at anything but does a little of everything. If your just working with aluminum and plastic it may be something to think of.If you don't want to stand behind our Troops, feel free to stand in front of them.
Reply:I have a Harbor Freight Mill drill. I bought it abuot ten years ago for $799.00 on sale. It's not as stiff as a Bridgeport but it is certainly a useful machine. Besides being a very good drill press, it does passing fair on aluminum and mild steel. It uses Bridgeport R-8 tools and I've managed to collect a lit of them in the past few years. If I get a Bridgeport or clone in the near future as I plan to I will still keep the HF because its so useful for small stuff.Miller Millermatic 252Miller Syncrowave 200Liincoln AC-DC 225Victor O-A Set
Reply:Originally Posted by Stever PassonarThats a nice looking machine, but I'm curious about the "vice" (the clamp that holds the workpiece). Can you twist it so you could cut plasic blocks on an angle?This one may be a keeper!
Reply:Originally Posted by yorkiepapHey Steve,A milling machine is a fantastic machine to have, as is a lathe. When I retired from gunsmithing in '93, I sold my Bridgeport with some other gunsmithing equipment. I kept my lathe and was able to use my mill at work for anything I needed. A couple years ago, I needed a mill to make a part for a welding job that came in and decided to get another...and I decided a bench mill would suffice since 99% of my work was on small parts. I picked this one up brand new for 179.95 and 30.00 shipping. It was made in China, of course, but by a company named Sieg who produces very high quality products. This particular mill is no longer available and I could sell it in a heartbeat. I have it outfitted with a vertical dial indicator, horizontal DRO, coolant spray, and a rotary indexing fixture and have less than $500 in everything. If you want to keep your investment at minimum, there are a couple "mini" mills on HF, and they do have a nice one, #33686-4VGA that I've seen go on sale for $799. It is a well made mill and I have operated one at a place I weld for on occasion. Anyway, here are a couple pics of my setup. Look around at some school auctions or company closing auctions and you may luck out, or try E-Bay. Good Luck....Denny
Reply:Originally Posted by Stever PassonarI keep on finding myself wishing I had a milling machine, but I don't have the :$ to buy a brand new one.