Sherline vs others?

[autobot]

Im new to this. What is the advantage of sherline (mill and CNC version) vs some other mills/CNC, e.g. JET/Grizzly/Proxxon mills etc that come in way cheaper and even look to be more powerful?

The sherline route seems to come double the price (at maybe $800 for a mill) of those other ones (that can come in at $400).

[photomankc]

Generally speaking, the Sherline comes with a lot better build quality and much less TLC needed out of the box to do anything precise with it. The other mini-mills often have various levels of issues that need addressing before you have a nice machine. I can appreciate that given the joys of standing in my hot garage fiddeling with the X2's horrible gibs, sticky Y axis, and wavy table-top for the umpteenth millionth time.

That said, you best not be in a rush on the Sherline. It's not going to be doing anything very quickly.

[autobot]

Why is the sherline slow?

Looking at the pictures, it looks like the sherline cant take larger milling tools whereas the cheaper ones can take the bigger milling tools and has more power, is that the difference also? The cheaper ones can mill big things faster but at lower precision?

The thing the sherline kinda bothers me is, what do you do with the milled chips? They dont have a cover for their linear stage so isnt it possible you get some wear or even obstruct its motion overtime or during a mill if the chips get stuck on the rails of the platform?

But the other tools don't look very 'benchtop' to me. The sherline looks more benchtop although they are probably occupying the same rectangular volume.

So if not the sherline, which do you recommend?

[photomankc]

Can't recommend without knowing what you want to achieve and there is always the: "Don't know what you don't know" aspect that means that even if you go in expecting that this one thing is what you want to do you may find yourself on a totally different tack in 6 months and then all the previous assumptions are wrong.

The Sherline is slow because it is not able to take large bites at a time so you take smaller bites and more of them. There are guys that make artwork on that little mill so there is nothing 'wrong' with it really. But if you have visions of tearing through metal quickly you should get them out of your head.

The X2 is no speed demon itself right out of the box although the cuts it can take can be improved with bracing the column and working on the gibs. Once you get into X3's, G0704's, BF30's, and RF-45's you are not even in the same ball-park in comparisons.

[rpovey]

I Own a Sherline converted to CNC (not using the Sherline kit) and for small parts it's fine, if you need to remove a lot of material you better have patience.
The Sherline weighs a total of probably 40lbs, and the rigidity of the machine is often the limiting factor in making a cut. Sure you can fit a 1/2 inch endmill with a 3/8th shank in the holder, but your not going to be making any cut deeper than 0.020 in aluminum, and at that you will see the column flex.
Cutting aluminum I usually stay below 0.015 DOC and at speeds < 12 ipm. I dread jobs where I have to remove a lot of material.

My lack of patience is the reason I just bought a G0704, which I will also convert to CNC.

Having said that from the factory my Sherline was as square as I could measure and had less than <0.002 backlash on every axis.

[Fixittt]

the pictures of the sherline can be misleading.

Remember the old 17 inch CRT monitors? The sherline is smaller then those. Read the specs and get a tape measure. measure it out. They are TINY! its not really a bench top, Its more of a desktop. The sherline mill can fit in the working envelope of an X3. And is less then 50 pounds if I remember right. I have an old sherline manual mill. I use it only for surfacing wax tablets from time to time. You are better off with a taig mill which is twice the size of the sherline. Unless you are VERY patient.

[Andre' B]

This guy has some good videos showing the type of work that can be done on a Sherline.

http://m.youtube.com/#/user/tryally?...user%2Ftryally

[GeneK]

Photomankc has it right, you must define what you want to do with the machine.
I have two lathes and three mills and for their size and horse power they are just fine, but you don't hog metal with them.
Also you don't pick up a Bridgeport and shake the chips off into the trash can either.

GeneK

[TarHeelTom]

I bought a Sherline first. A good machine. Later converted it to cnc, using the Sherline kit.

I was cutting huge globs of cast iron, and it did them without complaining, though it took a while. Read low rpm, low feed rate.

Trouble was that too many of the parts I was trying to cut were just too big for the Sherline. Every machine has its size limits.

Now I've added a Bridgeport. It's got a LOT more room on the table, and takes up a LOT more floorspace.

The Sherline takes up to a 3/8" diameter cutter. The Bridgeport came with a nice 1" diameter carbide end mill.

On the other hand, I've got two nice machinist vises for the Sherline, can pick up both of them in one hand.

I need help to lift the one vise I've got for the Bridgeport.

Same thing applies to the rotary table. Need to build a rolling hoist over the table on the Bridgeport.

On the other hand, I'm not about to scrap the Sherline. It's a good piece of equipment for jobs within its range, and rugged.

Don't remember his name at the moment, but one of the lads on the Sherline list makes a good living with his Sherline cnc mill making titanium wedding bands. Very nice products.

Tom

[Fastest1]

I want to chime in also. I too have a Sherline that was originally an educational model. I installed every A2ZCNC Monster mill part so that it is now a big Sherline. I do use a higher feed rate than some have posted but my doc's are in the .002 (in aluminum) if I expect great results. The machine will flex enough to see with the naked eye (not with the DOC mentioned). That all being said it is a wonderful machine for its simplicity and accuracy. It is very forgiving too. Most of the time nothing will break due to lack of power, well maybe the end mill or the part will be ruined but no machine damage. Also Luiz Ally's (tryally) link on youtube was given. He can do miraculous things on a Sherline, dont expect his results! I believe Luiz is probably a fantastic machinist on all of those machines in his shop. I have watched his videos hundreds of times in awe. For learning CAD/CAM and machining wax, wood or plastic the Sherline is great. If you ever want to work in metal move up.

[DMF_TomB]

i have a Sherline 5400 at home which i convert to CNC using Sherline kit.
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i also have a Sherline 2000 mill at work which i unbolt from a bench and pick up and put in a cabinet everyday when done. For professional use i like it as it can be used where the job is and if you need to mill a little then check the fit of a part it is convenient rather than walk all the way to the machine shop in a large building.
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For professional use first thing i had to do was bolt on a riser to raise "headstock/spindle" for more clearance with a big jacobs chuck mounted and a 3" vise on the table. also had to bolt on a piece of metal to keep the "ram" more secure to the column/riser. it has a habit of moving under heavy cuts. i also had to order twist drills in shorter screw machine length as regular jacobs length is a bit long.
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i also had to replace worn drive belt and make a new X axis nut as i wore it out. and i have had to adjust X axis backlash screws every 6 months (come loose from heavy use). crank handle's crank fell out (was press fit) and i tapped for a regular screw with loctite.
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biggest advantage is they sell replacement parts and have an extremely large selection of accessories. i like the Sherline for small parts less than 3' long and especially for smaller stuff you need a headband magnifier to see. it is 10x easier to sit down and comfortably work at a bench under bright lights and if you drop a small part it stays on the bench (everything in easy reach)
...... the Sherline will deflect under heavy cutting. i works best with 1/4" or smaller end nills. i have a 1.5" flycutter but seldom use it. A 3/8" end mill is really pushing the limits. if cutting Stainless 3/16" end mill is a reasonable maximum size.
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bottom line if Sherline made a heavy duty version i would buy one. and i am glad i have the Sherline at work. No regrets as it is extremely convenient to have around.

[Hans_G]

Sherline mills, lathes, and accessories will hold their value as well. I used my sherline to make a scratch-built CNC machine. I kept the sherline spindle and sold everything else on ebay. In general, stuff sold for 2/3 to 3/4 of sherline list price. Not bad considering I got 3 years of use out of it.