Advice on End Mill Machine

[12six]

Hello all,

Going in the morning to pickup a end mill. Wanted to know what to look for in the mill being good or bad. Also, found out that the mill is 7 to 8 years old, but was used only 30 hours. It is a Central Machinery(Harbor Freight) and looks very similar to this one, with the differ of the unit I am buying is a 2hp 220v, instead of the 1 1/2hp 120v.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=33686

Has the machine changed for the better at all during the past 7 to 8 years on this model? What would be a fair to good price on this end mill ?

Thanks in advance,
Charles

[blackbeard52]

Beware of the owner claiming that his machine was a better one. Usually means he wants more than it is worth. I wouldnt pay more than half of the current cost. you can find those for a song on Craigs list or ebay but shipping is a problem. I think if anything the casting was better 8 yrs ago than today. but the parts to replace something broken are non existant. So look it over very well and make sure it is fully operational and not sloppy or broken.

[LUCKY13]

Is the one your looking at a round column mill like the one you listed ?


What are you wanting to do with the mill ?



I think its possible the casting of a machine that is 8 to 10 years old "might" be a little bit better casting than what you could buy now. But there is not going to be a lot of differance between them really. The main thing is getting a mill that will fit your purpose. If your wanting to do some heavy cutting a round column is not going to be a idea machine. It will do it but it will be limited, but still if you put thought into your work you can work around the round column problems. Even with its problems it has advantages in some work. SO there again it depends on what you want to do with the machine.


Also a mill that old, with that little use has had to set a lot. I just bought one myself and where it had set I found the upper bearings had drawn mosture which in turn caused them to rust. When the mill was put into use the bearings destroyed themself and I had to replace them. It wasnt a big deal but bearings are not cheap so it added to the cost. I only replace the ones on the top of the head and I still spent $100.00. The rest of the bearings seem like they are good but that want be known until I put some hours on the machine. If it gets to the point the spindle bearings have to be replaced this whole deal is going to be costly.

So checking the bearings in the head unit is something to really look out for. The dove tail ways where the table axes moves is another place to watch out for. If you look real close at them you will see markings/lines on each surface where the table slides. These marking should be very even all the way across the sliding area. You can ajust the gibbs with the table in the center possition and see if the table still moves good to its extreme ends. If there is a problem it will bind on the ends of travel if you ajusted the gibbs when the table was at center. Stilll you have to bear in mind that these are still China built machines and even with no wear it may be possible to show signs like this because of bad machining from the factory.


A mill like this that had Dovetail Z column instead of the round column is a lot better machine in many ways. But if your only doing wood work the round column machine may be a better one for you because of its versatilty (spelling) .

The machine I bought also had the 2 hp motor and mine was built in 2002. The motor seems like a strong one and works good even though it had set. Mine had zero use on it, it even still had the cosmoline on the machine from where it was shipped. I havnt got to use it enough yet to know if its worth what I put in it but time will tell. Still I made some test cuts on some steal and the 2hp worked good without stalling while cutting with a 5/8th 4 flute end mill at .050 doc. I didnt push beyound this until I get a few things worked out but it made the cut with ease. The motor is only wired for 110v at this time, it can be wired with 220v and this should make the motor even stronger if I choice to do so.


Hope this helps and good luck with your purchase.


Jess

[12six]

Thanks for the replies guys, but how to know if it is a dovetail column or round column ? I will be making slots for keyway on 3/4" to 1" mild steel to cold roll steel solid rod.

Thanks,
Charles

[12six]

Well, I went to look at the machine today, and everything looks good. Only concern was when the seller turned on the machine, he seemed kinda anxious to turn it off, but then I could be wrong. With the machine on, it was noisier than my drill press. Is that normal? Also, the lever to bring down the drill(don't know whats it called) same lever as the one on a drill press with the three handles, well that part was a little stiff, and was told it needed greasing. Would this be a problem instead of being it lacked of grease?

Thanks again,
Charles

[joeybagadonuts]

Most likely the friction you are talking about is fine.

Here is a link to a better manual so you can understand more about how it works.

http://www.grizzlyindustrial.com/ima...s/g1005z_m.pdf

This mill is a little noisy.


http://www.flashcutcnc.com/downloads...%20Cutting.wmv

[12six]

Originally Posted by joeybagadonuts Most likely the friction you are talking about is fine. Here is a link to a better manual so you can understand more about how it works. http://www.grizzlyindustrial.com/ima...s/g1005z_m.pdf This mill is a little noisy. http://www.flashcutcnc.com/downloads...%20Cutting.wmv

Thanks Joey, great vid.

[12six]

Sorry for all the newb questions. Other than moving parts, where does the machine need to be filled with oil?

[joeybagadonuts]

Since all bearings are shielded and permanently
lubricated, simply leave them alone until they
need to be replaced. DO NOT lubricate them.
Keep quill, spindle, column, and table top well
lubricated to prevent rust.
Each table handwheel must be oiled periodically
to prevent binding. For each handwheel, use an
ISO VG 68 or SAE-20 oil in the location shown in
Figure 26.


Straight out of the manual!

JoeyB

[TOTALLYRC]

Originally Posted by 12six Well, I went to look at the machine today, and everything looks good. Only concern was when the seller turned on the machine, he seemed kinda anxious to turn it off, but then I could be wrong. With the machine on, it was noisier than my drill press. Is that normal? Also, the lever to bring down the drill(don't know whats it called) same lever as the one on a drill press with the three handles, well that part was a little stiff, and was told it needed greasing. Would this be a problem instead of being it lacked of grease? Thanks again, Charles

If you haven't picked it up yet, run the machine for 10 minutes to make sure the gears are running fine. If there isn't any problem that he knows about he won't mind.

[12six]

Thanks again, will do.

[blackbeard52]

Better still ask him to machine something...even aluminum.