Another "what mill to get" thread.

[Biff]

Actually I had a search and there really doesn't seem to be many of these threads, surprisingly.

I'm starting to look into getting a mill and would like some advice on what to get. Initially i was looking at getting this mill but this one really has my attention. The lathemaster appears to have a slightly larger capacity than the BB but in a smaller package.

First problem is I'm in Canada so that LM in the end will almost cost as much as the BB, not to mention a PITA to get it from there to here. I'd like to keep the cost of the mill to about 2k so I'd rather put that precious money into mill rather than shipping charges. Those two are about the size I would like to get, I can't afford the space for a full floor model since I only have a single car garage. I like the fact that the motor is on top of the LM unit instead of hanging out the back, it will let me get it closer to the wall and make better use of space (every inch counts!).

Is there other mills I should be considering? And better yet something in Canada, in the Toronto area? Sorry for the noob question.
Ryan

[blades]

Personally, I like the BB knee mill over the other mill. I just really like the Bridgeport-style knee mill better. One cost (in addition to shipping) to add to the LM machine will be a very stout table or bench to put it on. The bb mill comes with a stand, so you are ready to go. Another aspect to consider is that the lm machine appears to be a gear-drive head, which will probably be much noisier than the bb belt-drive spindle. Gear drives can be very noisy. Both machines appear to be very capable small mills though.

[Biff]

Originally Posted by blades Another aspect to consider is that the lm machine appears to be a gear-drive head, which will probably be much noisier than the bb belt-drive spindle. Gear drives can be very noisy.

Didn't think of that. If it's too noisy then I'll never get to use it since most of my spare time is late at night after the wife and kid are in bed and the garage is right under the master bedroom. Thanks for bringing that up!

[pzzamakr1980]

Hey BB, depending on where you are in Canada, take a look at Industrial Hobbies mill since they are in Massachusetts. It is a super-duper version of the one sold by lathemaster and is an amazing machine. It also has its own forum on this website. The travels on the Industrial Hobbies machine is double what that Knee mill is for the same price. Also, why would you spend 2500 dollars on a machine with smaller travels than an x3. 14x by 6y is a joke, and those machines are a pain to cnc if you ever wanted to do that.

[Biff]

pzzamakr1980, I see that the X3 is a very popular mill on this forum and I did have a look at it (specs. here) but it is less capacity then the one I'm looking at from busy bee.

The BB is 14x by 6y where as the X3 is only 11.75x by 6.25y. I agree it may be not enough to justify the price difference though. Also the X3 only has ~3/4hp motor compared to 2HP, and it's DC. Every largish DC motor I've heard is a real screamer, maybe this ones different?. There's also no mention that the head tilts nor does it look like it does.

I don't have any immediate plans to cnc it but I may want that option in the future. The IH unit looks very nice but I think a little too big, plus the price of the stand and getting it from there to here is going to cost quite a bit, it puts me over budget.

[pzzamakr1980]

The x3 travels are incorrect. With a simple mod I actually get over 15 inches of travel and the y is around 6.5. If you want a tilting head, buy the sx3. It also has a servo spindle motor belt driven and its pretty strong. It also has a bunch of other fancy stuff and its still half of what the knee mill costs.

[cadmonkey]

And making a rotating adapter for the head on a std X3 wouldn't be hard. 15.25"+ X travel with one very minor mod. (on the stock ACME screw and nut x should go to around 17" but not fully engaged on the ways). My X3 even when milling is quieter than the compressor, my brother can't hear it through the bathroom wall that is shared with the garage right where my mill is.

Not trying to influence, just give my personal experience. Each person has their unique requirements/desires. Just make sure YOU are happy with what you decide upon. They're a lot easier to buy than return...

[pzzamakr1980]

And the reason why I'm trying to steer you away from that knee mill is it just doesn't seem like a great buy. Its twice the cost of any other bench mill, and the specs aren't any better. For a 1000 dollars you could purchase a 3phase ac motor and a vfd and the x3 or sx3 would be killer. I think that that is overkill personally, but to each their own. I intend to use a 2.5hp dc treadmill motor and a dc controller for mine. I have the same setup on my lathe and that runs continuously without a whine or whinny after 12 months, and its much quieter than the original ac motor. Plus its variable speed, which rocks. If it was me, which its not, the IH would be it without a doubt. Its much more machine than the knee mill ever will be and paying shipping would to me, be worth the extra travels and size. If its too big, throw something else out to make room. It cant be any heavier than the knee mill, nor as deep, so its only side to side. Just dont use the full travels. Where are you in Canada

[philbur]

This is of course a forum for DIY CNC, for which a column mill and particularly the X3 is a very good choice, so naturally you will tend to get a biased view. To balance that view read the archive and/or ask the same question here, it has been asked many times before:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/6x26mi...guid=239385462.

and here:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mill_d...guid=239385462

If you are going to do a lot of aluminium work then belt drives are generally preferable as the maximum spindle speed is higher and they are much more easily modified for even higher speeds. Tilting heads are generally of limited use and there is always a work around for the few times it might be useful.

The advice often given to buy as big as you can afford needs to be tempered with consideration for different features and the quality of construction.

Have you considered the cost of tooling in relation to your $2,000 budget.

Buying your first mill is only the start of the journey not the end, so just jump in and start learning. Personally for a first mill I would buy the X3. It's relatively cheap and easily resellable if you decide to move up. Lots of people want them for CNCing, so second-hand isn't an issue as they intend to rebuild/modify them anyway.

Good Luck
Phil

Originally Posted by Biff Actually I had a search and there really doesn't seem to be many of these threads, surprisingly. I'm starting to look into getting a mill and would like some advice on what to get. Initially i was looking at getting this mill but this one really has my attention. The lathemaster appears to have a slightly larger capacity than the BB but in a smaller package. First problem is I'm in Canada so that LM in the end will almost cost as much as the BB, not to mention a PITA to get it from there to here. I'd like to keep the cost of the mill to about 2k so I'd rather put that precious money into mill rather than shipping charges. Those two are about the size I would like to get, I can't afford the space for a full floor model since I only have a single car garage. I like the fact that the motor is on top of the LM unit instead of hanging out the back, it will let me get it closer to the wall and make better use of space (every inch counts!). Is there other mills I should be considering? And better yet something in Canada, in the Toronto area? Sorry for the noob question. Ryan

[cam1]

Hi: Get used to the sound of your wife stomping on the floor (at 11:30), and her reaction when you hop into bed (and wake her up) smelling like hot chips and coolant. Invest in some good ceiling insulation, and avoid making interrupted cuts.
It also helps to cut her in on 50% of the profit (and costs) of the business. She also picks up the material....and tolerates finding swarf on the carpets (yes honey, I did take my shoes off...)

If your marriage survives that (mine does) then you are lucky.

regards

[cyclestart]

Just some random thoughts on that BusyBee mill.

Gross weight is 430 Kg. Even subtracting the bench weight, that's subtantial hobby iron.

Knee mills are nice imo.

Price seems okay by Canadian standards. Might raise some eyebrows in the U.S.A.

CNC conversion would be an absolute pita.

If you need to clamp work directly to the table (clamping kit), 6" of table width isn't much. Another limatation to consider.