Hey guys new to milling work and i am looking for a bench top mill. I am the owner of a paintball field in Austin Texas and would like to be able to do some custom mill work and even be able to build the gun body's. I am looking to buy a mill and would like to spend less than 1500 for the mill. What mills should i look at and would these mills be able to do what i want.There are some good pictures of the custom mill work i would like to learn how to do here http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?t=1240949 i would also like to be able to cut the bodys of the gun myself but i dont know if a mill this size could do that.

Thanks,
Chris Shaffer
Outlaw Paintball

You won't be able to cut full bodies on a desktop mill. Things like the through bores require much more of a stiff machine with more travel than you'll ever get out of a benchtop mill or a standard vertical mill. To do the body tubes you'd really need a full sized horizontal mill or a full sized lathe with a 4-jaw chuck.

You could definitely do custom milling using a desktop, i've done plenty for paintball stuff myself. It will be nowhere near as quick as using a larger manual mill for most jobs however. The only thing I would use the cnc for is complex shapes. Also, you need to remember that you will probably spend several thousand (if obtained legally) on CAD software to draw the designs, CAM software to write the tool paths, and the control software to actually run the machine. You'll also put in at least 100 hours learning to use the different software packages.

$1500 is cutting it pretty close just for hardware, you can do it, but it won't be ideal and won't include any of the neccessary tooling. $2k would be a much more realistic goal I would say. Also, plan on spending a couple hundred on top of that for aluminum in to learn to use the machine before actually throwing gun bodies on it. The reason you should use aluminum is to get an idea of what type of depth cuts at what feed rates you can actually make with the mill. If you machine wood, that tells you nothing about how the program will run on an actual aluminum body. It also gives you a chance to experience setting up the machine, zero'ing different bits, changing bits, and writting/running programs.

I would probably go with the Industrial Hobbies square column mill (http://www.industrialhobbies.com/), and do the ballscrew/servo conversion if you have the money. Enco and Grizzly also sells the square columns for around $1600. You will have to do a fair amount of work to any asian mill to get good repeatability, but they are very strong/rigid...

I don't know if a smaller mill like a Taig would be big enough to make gun parts.

For CNC control, I would go with Mach3Mill (http://www.artofcnc.ca) and get yourself some Geckodrives (http://www.geckodrive.com). For CAM software, there's no cheap way to do it, You're looking at at least $1-2000. VisualMill might be OK for what you are doing.

If you're serious though, your CNC will pay for itself in no time. Mine already has.

I will be adding a full lathe to my workshop soon so with a good benchtop mill and a good lathe do you think it would be possible to make a full gun body? I dont really want a CNC yet i would rather learn to do it by hand. I would like to spend 1500 on the mill just the mill with no tooling 500 or so for tooling

With a fully tooled lathe, You'll have much better luck doing gun bodies. It's going to take a lot of practice though. Also, expect the external milling to take literally close to a full days' work just chugging along on the benchtop cnc.

My desktop cnc is nothing more than a crutch to help w/ what I can't do manually. I also find my self regularly wishing I had space for a full sized cnc mill. Maybe in a couple years.

Keep in mind guys that he said bench top, not desk top. Typically a bench top is 400 pounds plus.
http://www.grizzly.com/products/item.aspx?itemnumber=G1007 has variable speed x feed and is 1550. 670 pounds. It uses R8 tooling which is affordable too.
Converting to CNC may be a challenge for the Z axis, (I will let you know, I am doing one next month)
Colin

Well here are the models i am looking at tell me what model you would choose and why.

1) Rong Fu 31 milling machine <I dont know about this because it is not a square shaft type mill, anyone with ths mill know if it will loose the x,y if i raise the hight of the mill?

2) Sherline’s 5400 (this mill may be a bit to small but its an option.

3)IH mill is what i truly want but it is out of my price range 2400$

Give me some links to other mills to look at.

Well here are the models i am looking at tell me what model you would choose and why.

1) Rong Fu 31 milling machine <I dont know about this because it is not a square shaft type mill, anyone with ths mill know if it will loose the x,y if i raise the hight of the mill?

2) Sherline’s 5400 (this mill may be a bit to small but its an option.

3)IH mill is what i truly want but it is out of my price range 2400$

Give me some links to other mills to look at.

I would NOT recommend the Sherline, unless you plan to make parts no bigger than say 4"x4"4". I own a 2000-CNC and love it for smaller stuff, but it's way too small for most of the stuff I do.

In my opinion, the RF31 is a bad deal... It is a round-column mill, which isn't as rigid or as accurate as a square-column (by square column I mean the Z axis uses dovetail ways (like these (http://www.rjwest.ca/truecut/1115hd/pic3.jpg)). Also when you move the head on a round-column you have to re-zero all three axes (like a drill press, the head would swing in a circle).

You can get a brand-new Grizzly square column for $1495. This is the same on as the IH, just a smaller table. Here's the link:
http://www.grizzly.com/products/item.aspx?itemnumber=G0519

Only $200 more than the Rong-fu 31, and a lot better of a deal.

They have this mill on sale at my harbor freight tools for 699 what do you guys think?

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=33686

For $1000 not on sale, I would find a machine tool auction house and buy a used one that was American made. It would be easier to find parts and upgrade.

They have this mill on sale at my harbor freight tools for 699 what do you guys think?

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=33686


can you send me the add for that? i would buy that mill for $699 and then convert it. i've got a slightly smaller one that just a little too small for what i want to do. i would like to get an industrial hobbies one but its just way to expensive right now

Hummmm. I dont know if it is online but if it helps you at all the sale is at the store on Mopac and Palmer in Austin Texas...I dont know if harbor freight tools matches prices on other stores.....

I just wish it was a squar column mill but for the price i may just go with it.

I believe that is the same mill that was in the latest HF flyer which arrived last night for $899.

I wouldn't buy that mill for your use. I used to own a similar model and it was fine for hobby stuff but I wouldn't use it for commerial use. Plus it will be hard to do the Z axis. All the conversions I have seen I am not too happy with the way the Z axis is actuated. Most of them result in a large side load on the spindle and I doubt they would be very accurate, especially for drilling.

Why not look for a used square column mill. Keep an eye out on eBay, I have seen a few go for under $1000

I would go to ebay but the cost on shipping is 200 or more on most mills.I just saw that mill in the HF news paper for 899 to i wonder if it just has the wrong tag on it at the store.

Please, let us not forget Lathemaster. The equipment is top notch and the support is very good. Bob is easy to work with and the mill, after cleanup is a nice piece of equipment.
billyjack

Yeah, Look at Lathemaster's X3. Square column and $895 plus shipping.

Alan

Where do you se the 3x for 898? Can you give me a link?

Where do you se the 3x for 898? Can you give me a link?

http://www.lathemaster.com/SIEG%20X3%20MILLING%20MACHINE.htm for $945.. I was going to recommend this one too, it would be a lot better than the Harbor Freight machine.

Where do you se the 3x for 898? Can you give me a link?

Sorry, the price has gone up to $945.

Alan

I noticed the price increase yesterday as well. Also there is no stock until at least December according to the email I received from them a few weeks back. The X3 looks like a nice machine if we could only get them.

Keep in mind guys that he said bench top, not desk top. Typically a bench top is 400 pounds plus.
http://www.grizzly.com/products/item.aspx?itemnumber=G1007 has variable speed x feed and is 1550. 670 pounds. It uses R8 tooling which is affordable too.
Converting to CNC may be a challenge for the Z axis, (I will let you know, I am doing one next month)
Colin


yukonho, did you figure out the z-axis yet?