Harbor Freight Mill

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Anyone have any thoughts how much this thing is worth? Central machinery 590 mill made in Taiwan. 1985 vintage. Supposedly great shape. How would it compare to the newer harbor freight one which lists for $2499.

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Millermatic 211Lincoln Precision TIG 225Century 250 MIGLincoln 225 AC Box (sold)I support my local welding store (Amazon, McMasterCarr, Cyberweld, EBay).
Reply:I have the same mill. The only difference is mine is from Grizzly and is all SAE instead of metric. Paid $500 with all the standard tooling and got a B&S 6" vise too.ChrisAuction Addict
Reply:That 2500$ one is a small version of a knee mill. The table is on slides and is adjustable vs the head on the one pictured. That version pictured is marked as unavailable at a price of 1199$. I have one of the style pictured that's 4 years old. Other than mine being a darker color it's pretty much identical. I added a import DRO to mine which greatly improved accuracy and overall use . It's a great machine for drilling as it's very powerful for it's size and has a wide range of speeds. For milling , it does a decent job if you make lighter cuts. The biggest issue is getting it positioned to center if you raise the head. It's not a huge deal as it has over 5" of quill travel. I would think 700$ or so would be a fair price. I would verify that it has a R-8 taper as I think some may have a MT 3 spindle.
Reply:Looks like the Rong Fu mill I have.Apparently they are sold under various names.Good for drilling. Does light milling in a pinch.I wouldn’t pay the $2500+ I see some of themadvertised for. Expecting to do any real milling on it might lead to some serious  disappointment.To me, if it comes with a vise,collets,chuck etc., it would be worth $500-600.Miller a/c-d/c Thunderbolt XLMillermatic 180 Purox O/ASmith Littletorch O/AHobart Champion Elite
Reply:They are asking $2100 which I thought was overpriced.Millermatic 211Lincoln Precision TIG 225Century 250 MIGLincoln 225 AC Box (sold)I support my local welding store (Amazon, McMasterCarr, Cyberweld, EBay).
Reply:Did you check on Harbor Freight site and Amazon for new prices?Dave

Originally Posted by Fab54

They are asking $2100 which I thought was overpriced.
Reply:

Originally Posted by smithdoor

Did you check on Harbor Freight site and Amazon for new prices?Dave
Reply:Do you really give up 1/2 hp?  Do you really get 1.5 hp?  I had a smaller version from hf.  Got it close out for $150.  They are a lot of work to prepare to be useful. The quil was a pain to keep aligned/referenced.  Note size you are interested in machining the compare that to 1/2 the machine capacity. E.g. add vise for drilling and the machine only slides 1/2 the capacity in x direction.Also, note drill/mill vs mill /drill.  It is a limited capacity drill press that can mill.I would be best for a hobbyist who wants to refine a machine or a machine for a specific task that does not get adjusted much.2k is too much.
Reply:You will find the belt will only at most 3/4 hp unless you doing aluminum.  Until the 1960's Bridge Port had 1/2 HP. But down side is if using the mill for drill press and easily use 1 hp for drilling big holes. Then you need to address the belt for more torque to use the higher horse power. Dave

Originally Posted by tapwelder

Do you really give up 1/2 hp?  Do you really get 1.5 hp?  I had a smaller version from hf.  Got it close out for $150.  They are a lot of work to prepare to be useful. The quil was a pain to keep aligned/referenced.  Note size you are interested in machining the compare that to 1/2 the machine capacity. E.g. add vise for drilling and the machine only slides 1/2 the capacity in x direction.Also, note drill/mill vs mill /drill.  It is a limited capacity drill press that can mill.I would be best for a hobbyist who wants to refine a machine or a machine for a specific task that does not get adjusted much.2k is too much.
Reply:The machine you're looking to buy is really only a drill with an adjustable table.  To do any milling, you really need a knee mill.  Knee mills hold center when raising/lowering the knee..........allowing you to change tooling without losing center.  Other benefits are too numerous to mention.I've been running the equivalent of this machine since 2011.  https://www.grizzly.com/products/gri...wer-feed/g0731

I picked mine up about 10yrs ago for around $1200 out the door.  I wouldn't feel real good about spending over 6K for one nowdays.They're good machines, with fair rigidity, limited spindle clearance, and limited table capacity.  In short.....................a half azz substitute for a Bridgeport.  If I had room, I'd own a Bridgeport.  The little machine leaves you walkin' when you need to do large parts, or mount fixtures (rotary tables, dividing heads, and other stuff).  You're always fighting for headroom.Looking at the specs for the Grizzly, I noticed it has 30" spindle to table clearance............mine has about 13.5".  The Grizzly has better clearance, but I'd wager you lose some rigidity.Last edited by farmersammm; 1 Week Ago at 01:11 PM.Reason: added last paragraph
Reply:I've thought about making a riser for my machine, but never have gotten around to it.  Be fun to do, involving some scraping to fit it to the mill.............which sorta sucks if you don't have a granite surface plate.  A guy could get by using the mill table, but it would be very sketchy.Hard to find a chunk of iron big enough to make one.  You could use steel, but steel doesn't dampen vibration as well as iron.
Reply:

Originally Posted by farmersammm

The machine you're looking to buy is really only a drill with an adjustable table.  To do any milling, you really need a knee mill.  Knee mills hold center when raising/lowering the knee..........allowing you to change tooling without losing center.  Other benefits are too numerous to mention.I've been running the equivalent of this machine since 2011.  https://www.grizzly.com/products/gri...wer-feed/g0731

I picked mine up about 10yrs ago for around $1200 out the door.  I wouldn't feel real good about spending over 6K for one nowdays.They're good machines, with fair rigidity, limited spindle clearance, and limited table capacity.  In short.....................a half azz substitute for a Bridgeport.  If I had room, I'd own a Bridgeport.  The little machine leaves you walkin' when you need to do large parts, or mount fixtures (rotary tables, dividing heads, and other stuff).  You're always fighting for headroom.Looking at the specs for the Grizzly, I noticed it has 30" spindle to table clearance............mine has about 13.5".  The Grizzly has better clearance, but I'd wager you lose some rigidity.
Reply:

Originally Posted by Fab54

They are asking $2100 which I thought was overpriced.
Reply:The OP should add his location,, I have a JET that I would let go for that kind of $$$,, the Jet is a nicely assembled machine,, and it is R-8,,
Reply:

Originally Posted by SweetMK

The OP should add his location,, I have a JET that I would let go for that kind of $$$,, the Jet is a nicely assembled machine,, and it is R-8,,
Reply:

Originally Posted by farmersammm

I read the specs wrong..............the Grizzly is 20" spindle to table clearance.  Now I gotta go out and measure my machine to see how it stacks up.  I just don't get stuff right these days