About to take the plunge and want your opinions.

[ShootPaint]

I have been lurking around these forums for several months now and have seen mixed reviews on the Sherline mills. I am a hobby machinist (only do lathe work presently) looking to do custom 1 of parts that require the use of a CNC machine.

I will be working with 6061, 6063 aluminum and Acetal delrin. There is a very slight chance that some pieces maybe cut from 301 or 416r stainless steel. The stainless steel pieces are however very unlikely.

My question/concern is the mixed reviews I have seen on the Sherlines not being rigid enough for soft materials such as aluminum. I understand that the feed speed and cutting depths play a huge role in the amount of bit chatter and machine flex one can expect. I however have no experience with these little mills and cant seem to locate one locally to check them out. I would appreciate your input on where these little mills come in compared to other options out there in the $3000 dollar price range.

I am not looking to purchase tooling at the above price but I would like to have a fully functional 4 axis mill with motors, controllers and software. I have more than enough PC's to the operate mill so there is no need for a PC in the above price. It would also be nice to have a swiveling head or column, such as the Sherline model 8020. I am open to mills other than the Sherline, provided these meet the above requirements and stay within a couple hundred dollars of the defined price.

Thank you in advance for any insight you maybe able to give me about the Sherline or other mills in this price range.

[WhiteTiger]

It's about 30% outside your price range, but this one is intended for light working of metals and it's a 4 axis turnkey if you have a pc available.

I've had very good luck with microkinetics. They aren't cheapest, they aren't the flashiest, but their stuff tends to be solid and very dependable.



Tiger

[ShootPaint]

Originally Posted by WhiteTiger It's about 30% outside your price range, but this one is intended for light working of metals and it's a 4 axis turnkey if you have a pc available. I've had very good luck with microkinetics. They aren't cheapest, they aren't the flashiest, but their stuff tends to be solid and very dependable. Tiger

Thanks for the input. I check out the microkinetics website. I believe the mill you are referring to is at this link, http://www.microkinetics.com/4axis.htm . If I am correct I believe this is a Sherline mill that has been outfitted by microkinetics. Please correct me if I am wrong. I am still quite new to the mini machines.

[angelballer]

Forgive me if I'm wrong but guessing by your screenname and materials working with you are looking at doing prototype parts for paintball? If so check out www.tinkersguild.org and the forums at www.docsmachine.com . There are a lot of one-off tinkers there. Some of them have pictures of their Taig mills with rotary tables and what not and do some pretty amazing work with them. I would also look into retrofitting an X3 and putting a rotary table on it. Just remember that 4 axis software is by no means cheap and will in all likelihood exceed the price of your machine.

Josh

[WhiteTiger]

Argh! Sorry shootpaint, the url in my post went missing somewhere along the line. It was in the preview; I know because I tested it before I hit submit on that post. Fortunately you ended up at the right place though.



Tiger

[ShootPaint]

Originally Posted by angelballer I would also look into retrofitting an X3 and putting a rotary table on it. Just remember that 4 axis software is by no means cheap and will in all likelihood exceed the price of your machine. Josh

Would you have a site addy for the X3 mill. I did a search for X3 and X3 mill, on the forums, but I get no threads.

As far as the software goes I am looking at using the Mach3 software. From everything I have read it seems to be the best option for CNC controller compatibility.

[angelballer]

Mach 3 is just the controller software. I am talking about CAM software such as OneCNC, Mastercam, etc.

As far as X3 sites, www.lathemaster.com www.grizzly.com www.rlberg.com/CNC www.tedatum.com/thms are some. www.siegind.com is the manufacturer.

Josh

[ShootPaint]

Originally Posted by angelballer Mach 3 is just the controller software. I am talking about CAM software such as OneCNC, Mastercam, etc. Josh

Roger. I didnt quite understand what you were getting at earlier. I didnt think the Mach 3 price of $170ish was to bad

This is another reason why I liked the Sherline packages. They come with the needed software for operation of a 4 axis system, unless the salesman lied to me. The only thing I am not real wild about is the linux operating system. I am presently setup with AC 2004 and dont know anything about the CAD/CAM program that is provided with their software.

[ViperTX]

You may find the X3 a bit small.....how large are the parts you want to produce / modify?

[ShootPaint]

Originally Posted by ViperTX You may find the X3 a bit small.....how large are the parts you want to produce / modify?

The parts sizes will vary. On average we would look at a part that is roughly 6-7inches in length, 2-3 inches tall and anywhere from 1-2inches in width.

I will also be doing things that are much smaller. The most common items will be roughly 2 inches in length, 1 inch wide and a quarter of an inch thick.

I am looking at the purchase of this machine more as a learning tool. I will be building a decent size shop, 30x20, in the next couple of years to house my various machines. At the time I build the shop I will be looking in to the purchase of a bridgeport style knee mill. This however is still a couple years down the road and I am tired of waiting to learn the CNC aspect of machining.