Suggest a Mill
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Coolant mister is from Amazon. The unique part is that it’s positioned using a magnetic base so it can easily be repositioned (or quickly moved to the band saw).
Several Forum members have the same DRO as I have - Ditron D80. Excellent unit IMO. I posted a couple things about it. Lots of ways to mount the monitor, mine is on the left side with all the cables and clutter hidden behind it. Susquatch has the D80 too and has done several post about his. Do a search - Subject ‘Ditron D80’ by either Susquatch or myself.
Several Forum members have the same DRO as I have - Ditron D80. Excellent unit IMO. I posted a couple things about it. Lots of ways to mount the monitor, mine is on the left side with all the cables and clutter hidden behind it. Susquatch has the D80 too and has done several post about his. Do a search - Subject ‘Ditron D80’ by either Susquatch or myself.
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Dabbler
ersatz engineer
A lot of really great advice so far...
Used VS New
I'm a fan of used, only my first mill was new, and I paid a LOT too much for it. You are right in saying that you need knowledge when buying used. No matter where a used machine crops up, the is likely a member nearby to evaluate it for you. Lots of guys here have great experience and can help you, even with a remote purchase.
However, buying new means no hidden flaws or maintenance that turn you machine from a tool into Project Number 207. Several of the guys here have imported tools- the downside is support across the border is complicated. PM seem to handle this well, and I've heard some positives about Grizzly in this respect.
For 4000$ CAD for mill and tooling, a new mill will get you a rather small one . If you were milling plastics and aluminum, this would be more than fine, but knifemaking requires tool steels that are tough to machine. Even full sized mills require skill and practice to machine tool steels well. On a smaller, less rigid mill, it becomes more difficult.
A very tough call.
CNC vs Manual
If you are planning to CNC in the future, this complicates your purchase. I'm not a fan of CNC conversions - and many will diasgree. My take on this is that even a small footprint CNC is designed completely different from the Bridgeport format machine. Too many details to post here, but if you insist on converting, consider a Deckel FP1 or similar design. Your result will be far better.
Used VS New
I'm a fan of used, only my first mill was new, and I paid a LOT too much for it. You are right in saying that you need knowledge when buying used. No matter where a used machine crops up, the is likely a member nearby to evaluate it for you. Lots of guys here have great experience and can help you, even with a remote purchase.
However, buying new means no hidden flaws or maintenance that turn you machine from a tool into Project Number 207. Several of the guys here have imported tools- the downside is support across the border is complicated. PM seem to handle this well, and I've heard some positives about Grizzly in this respect.
For 4000$ CAD for mill and tooling, a new mill will get you a rather small one . If you were milling plastics and aluminum, this would be more than fine, but knifemaking requires tool steels that are tough to machine. Even full sized mills require skill and practice to machine tool steels well. On a smaller, less rigid mill, it becomes more difficult.
A very tough call.
CNC vs Manual
If you are planning to CNC in the future, this complicates your purchase. I'm not a fan of CNC conversions - and many will diasgree. My take on this is that even a small footprint CNC is designed completely different from the Bridgeport format machine. Too many details to post here, but if you insist on converting, consider a Deckel FP1 or similar design. Your result will be far better.
Nice. I like the setup......i will look up the Ditron unit..
In Harold Hall's book on getting started with milling (good book BTW) he describes a method to make T nuts without T nuts.
Harold Hall's Workshop Practice Series/Fox Chapel Publishing, Books.
"The Milling Machine and Accessories, Choosing and Using" Workshop Practice Series book 49, The Milling Machine for Home Machinists, Fox Chapel Publishing.
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ThanksIn Harold Hall's book on getting started with milling (good book BTW) he describes a method to make T nuts without T nuts.
Harold Hall's Workshop Practice Series/Fox Chapel Publishing, Books.
"The Milling Machine and Accessories, Choosing and Using" Workshop Practice Series book 49, The Milling Machine for Home Machinists, Fox Chapel Publishing.homews.co.uk
@MikeANW Since you’re starting the DRO hunt it’s worth searching around the forum for options & advice/member’s experience. There are several threads with good advice about DRO type and installation tips. I don’t know where you are on the learning curve so I’ll throw out some ground up advice to start.
Apart from the high end Accurite etc. segment there are proprietary Chinese consoles and Android based systems (TouchDRO) to look at. If you’re shopping Chinese and especially Ditron there is plenty of advice about not paying list and negotiating.
As an alternative to Chinese consoles, TouchDRO is an interesting option that puts the software on a non-proprietary Android tablet platform and the software is very capable. The developer is a home shop guy whose personal DRO (software) project mushroomed into a product. He has a company forum on Hobby Machinist. He’s also a software professional and the product shows it.
I‘m speaking well of TDRO because it sold me, it’s what I chose to install and I’m a satisfied customer. If it pleases you, you can run your lathe & mill DRO on the same tablet, I do that. There are several TDRO installations in our group.
TDRO and the Chinese consoles use the same (RS-232) scales in both glass and magnetic so it makes that part easy.
Bottom line, there are people that have gone before you that can offer advice if it’s needed not to mention do a good job of spending your shop money for you!
Enjoy & let us follow along on your journey!
D
Which X-ais power feed is that on the mill? I cannot seem to find a horizontal feed anywhere..........
Horizontal feeds are tougher to find.
Ebay: https://www.ebay.ca/itm/333231538298
Precision Matthews: https://www.precisionmatthews.com/shop/pf-bench-alb-310s-x/
Mine is ASONG.
As i said above - Modern Tool supplier it with the mill. One of the benefits of buying new. I think they unintentionally quote me the price at their cost. I picked up the mill and then a couple months later the power X came in. They stuck with the quoted price of $550. (or maybe that was $525 - can’t remember).
Note (in one of the pics) - I added an access hole to get at the lube button (the suppled manual said to remove the unit to to get lube access - WOW)
CW
As i said above - Modern Tool supplier it with the mill. One of the benefits of buying new. I think they unintentionally quote me the price at their cost. I picked up the mill and then a couple months later the power X came in. They stuck with the quoted price of $550. (or maybe that was $525 - can’t remember).
Note (in one of the pics) - I added an access hole to get at the lube button (the suppled manual said to remove the unit to to get lube access - WOW)
CW
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Just looked at DavidR8’s comments- so guess i paid a fair price.
It works great.
It is almost a must have accessory IMO.
Only complaint is that it is too powerful. If you make a mistake and have a conflict with the vise or the clamped piece hitting the column - you know right away when using the hand wheels (you can feel it) but with the power feed, by the time you hear the motor start to grown, it’s too late. I’ve had to re-tram the mill twice because the clamped piece conflicted with the column.
It works great.
It is almost a must have accessory IMO.
Only complaint is that it is too powerful. If you make a mistake and have a conflict with the vise or the clamped piece hitting the column - you know right away when using the hand wheels (you can feel it) but with the power feed, by the time you hear the motor start to grown, it’s too late. I’ve had to re-tram the mill twice because the clamped piece conflicted with the column.
A BP style PF can be adapted. They are far more common and less expensive (less than $200 from VEVOR) than the horizontal models.
Both @David_R8 and myself did this.
Yes that makes sense also does it stick out as far on the side. Thanks!!!
It definitely sticks out less than the horizontal style but it will likely remove about an inch of X axis travel.
This is the approach my friend Joe used for his powered knee. He had various pulleys, belts, sprockets and chain in his junk pile. I think he's using a 12V battery charger to run it. I've asked and when I find out I'll post the info.
