dirtridn2010 - did you order a machine?

[mcphill]

If so, what is your expected delivery date? What did you end up ordering (servos, etc?)?

[dirtridn2010]

If so, what is your expected delivery date? What did you end up ordering (servos, etc?)?

Hi mcphill. I spoke (email) to Phil the other day and he advised that it goes into final assembly around 30 May, and being ready for shipment 2 weeks after that. And for me also 3 weeks on the ship to Australia. I'm not sure how long it will take to get to my door though.
In the end i did not go for the Servos. I discussed it with Phil and given that the recommended spindle starts at 7000rpm and goes all the way to 24,000RPM. Sounds nice in theory, but i felt that I would do most of my work below that. And the servos, while they have twice the power (watts), Phil actually advised that at low speeds (feed rates) they produce less power. I did get the 4th Axis, and will source a chuck once the machine arrives. Bit of a pain really, not getting one with it, even if it costs a few bucks more.
I have bought some ER25 and Er32 collet chucks, a drill chuck, a very nice face mill, and a 5/8" "mini Mill (2 inserts) with inserts for steel and Ali. All from Galcern (Glacern Machine Tools - Premium Quality Vises and Tooling). The tools I have received are of excellent quality, and very well finished. Phil is also getting two of the GPV-615 vices, at some very good prices. I have already seen the same vice. I have a friend from around my way, whom I met on CNC zone, told him about the Glacern tools and he went out and bought 2 himself. His arrived a little while ago, VERY VERY nice. But just a little surprised that it does not have a clamping cylinder, it's purely mechanical.
It feels like forever, I'm almost counting down the days (bit like christmas I suppose;-)) for it too arrive. I will try and get onto some photos and Vids once it arrives. Have you had your machine hitting the chips much yet?

Peter Saunders (psau7850@bigpond.net.au)

[mcphill]

That vise looks very nice. I am a little disappointed in the ones I got with the machine, these Glacern's look much nicer!

I am working on getting the 4th axis up and running today, planning to "carve" a statue of Mary for my sister's birthday. I'm 2 days late already, so I need to get it moving!

Still haven't done much on the machine. I travel a lot for work, and am away from home pretty much every other two weeks... The two weeks home don't afford me much time to myself, spend a lot of time fixing stuff that breaks while I was away, and catching up on lawn care, mail, the stuff built up at work, etc... I am hoping the travel will ramp down sometime, but I don't see that happening in the next year +...

Best of luck with your machine, and let us all know how it goes!

[dirtridn2010]

Hi Mike. Seen your work on the 4th Axis. Very nice. I am very happy that you have your machine makin' stuff. I was getting concerned that maybe I had bought a pup. I hope that my machine will do what I want. Peter

[BPR]

Aloha Everyone,

I have two of the 6" premium GMT vises as well. They are really nice, however, for those who might not be aware - the slot alignment guides on the bottom are 11/16" not 5/8". So to fit the Mikini you have to either remove them or machine them down. Also, all of the mounting hardware is 11/16" as well. I machined mine down, and use socket head cap screws with a 5/8" T Nut. This is a nice way to mount the vise using the counter-sunk holes in the GMT vise. Once fixed, the vises are sweet and solid! After all they are designed for a big bad boy like a Seki Mori on their website.

Another issue was with the alignment pin in the spindle. The ER Collets that I got didn't fit because of the clearance not being enough on the R8 body. Some machines might have a little less protrusion on the pin so it might not be an issue like on mine. I don't really like alignment pins anyway, so problem solved.

The other issue that I had was with the little spinner knob on the pendant. Mine sucked, and kept binding, making it impossible to get a smooth fluid motion for manually machining. Its a simple mod to fix and make it turn smoothly. Eventually, I am going to make a better knob with good bearing to make it even smoother.

All in all, this is one nice machine and cuts beautifully. Its been many years since I've been back to machining and I still can't get over how beautifully some of these new coated mills perform. Got to love that AlTiN micro grain carbide!

Good luck everyone!

[dirtridn2010]

Size of Tee bolts aside, does the alignment of the Slots in the vice (for the Tee bolts) align with the slots in the Machine table for both sets? Regards and happy machining

[BPR]

As for the T bolt slots, they do not align with the Mikini's. The 6" GMT vise is made for larger mills with 11/16" slots, and a different spacing on the table. It doesn't matter though, one set of bolts should be more than enough on a small mill like the 1610L or the Tormach. If you need more holding power, just put a toe clamp in addition to the bolt. I can't imagine moving this vise with a cutting operation! And when you clamp down on something, it feels really solid and secure.

[dirtridn2010]

Well it is getting close now. I ordered my machine on the 25 March and Phil finally informed me that it should be boxed up this weekend. That's 5 months. It has been a frustrating time given that I was told release would be 7-8 weeks plus delivery. Delivery for me is another 3+ weeks. There have been a few problems along the way, but at the end of the day if it means that I end up with a machine that run well and performs as advertised then I am a happy man. Phil has always answered my emails within 24 hours and I have been satisfied with his answers. I will be taking some video when the machine arrives and posting them here in CNCzone. These final weeks during the delivery stage will I am sure feel painful, waiting waiting. "Come on Mikini".
I have ordered the 4th Axis, two Glacern vices, a TC tapping head, ER25 collet chuck and some collets. I am also busy organising my garage to accommodate the new family member. Electrician is coming tomorrow to see what I need to make sure I have the correct power suppply. I expect to have a dedicated line from my powerbox to the machine. I believe my supply is iniform and I don't want anything that will give my machine any problems.

[dirtridn2010]

Well it is getting close now. I ordered my machine on the 25 March and Phil finally informed me that it should be boxed up this weekend. That's 5 months. It has been a frustrating time given that I was told release would be 7-8 weeks plus delivery. Delivery for me is another 3+ weeks. There have been a few problems along the way, but at the end of the day if it means that I end up with a machine that run well and performs as advertised then I am a happy man. Phil has always answered my emails within 24 hours and I have been satisfied with his answers. I will be taking some video when the machine arrives and posting them here in CNCzone. These final weeks during the delivery stage will I am sure feel painful, waiting waiting. "Come on Mikini".
I have ordered the 4th Axis, two Glacern vices, a TC tapping head, ER25 collet chuck and some collets. I am also busy organising my garage to accommodate the new family member. Electrician is coming tomorrow to see what I need to make sure I have the correct power suppply. I expect to have a dedicated line from my powerbox to the machine. I believe my supply is iniform and I don't want anything that will give my machine any problems.

Well it is now the 12-9-2011 and I still do not have a delivery date.
This is soooo frustrating.
I have had some thoughts about what I can do as an alternative to a Mikini.
To be honest, I still feel that I have bought the right machine. But I have just got to get the machine to feel vindicated for my decision.
Mind you, with all the things going on here in these forums, I am very nervous. I'm not electronically inclined and have no urge to tinker with that kind of thing. I want a Mikini Mill to machine stuff. Not a machine to repair, pull apart etc. My passion is machining, NOT fixing it.
But with that in mind, it does contain a lot (most???) parts made in China. And my opinion is that from my experiences, they do not inspire a lot of confidence. The more I think about this, the more upset I get. Bye for now. Peter

[howecnc]

Run away while you can and buy a Tormach or be prepared for an up hill battle that will last 6 months after delivery. Then you will have a very good machine.

[SWATH]

Run away while you can and buy a Tormach or be prepared for an up hill battle that will last 6 months after delivery. Then you will have a very good machine.

Haven't heard from you in a while Chris, have you had many problems?

[SWATH]

Run away while you can and buy a Tormach or be prepared for an up hill battle that will last 6 months after delivery. Then you will have a very good machine.

Haven't heard from you in a while Chris, have you had many problems?