Trying to choose milling machine

[tim.coddington]

Hi, I'm new to this site. I'm very encouraged by the post I've read. If I may impose, I'd appreciate your opinion on which milling machine to buy.

My priority is versatility and quality. Sure I have some imediate needs but its the future projects and uses that I'm not sure of. i want a mill that will have as many options and featurs i can afford.

- Price range $1200-$2000.
- I want to avoid cheap chinese products-proven/respected chinese brands/models are OK
- at least 24" by 10" X/Y table travel
- power feed is a plus
- CNC option for later
- 1 phase, >= 1HP
- I want to work in mm and inches

I suspect there are a lot of choices given the contraints above and I've been looking pretty hard for the last 3 weeks. But I get nervous when I recognize the same machine sold under different brands and I read consistent negative comments.


Any opinions?

[jalessi]

Welcome to the Zone!

For around $2,500.00 or less you can find a full size CNC that may need a control retrofit.

Jeff...

[TOTALLYRC]

Originally Posted by tim.coddington Hi, I'm new to this site. I'm very encouraged by the post I've read. If I may impose, I'd appreciate your opinion on which milling machine to buy. My priority is versatility and quality. Sure I have some imediate needs but its the future projects and uses that I'm not sure of. i want a mill that will have as many options and featurs i can afford. - Price range $1200-$2000. - I want to avoid cheap chinese products-proven/respected chinese brands/models are OK - at least 24" by 10" X/Y table travel - power feed is a plus - CNC option for later - 1 phase, >= 1HP - I want to work in mm and inches I suspect there are a lot of choices given the contraints above and I've been looking pretty hard for the last 3 weeks. But I get nervous when I recognize the same machine sold under different brands and I read consistent negative comments. Any opinions?

24" x 10" is a lot of travel and will limit your choices significantly. Do you have room for a full size bport or clone?
Hard to beat good old american cast iron if you get one in good condition and of course have the room. On the plus side is if you get an old machine with good ways and and dead controls, you can just replace the control and be way ahead of the game.

Industrial hobbies makes a nice square column bech top mill with the travels you need but it is $2400US.
Or this one from lathe masters
http://www.lathemaster.com/HEAVYDUTY...E%207045FG.htm
but it is a little shy in the y travel

Don't worry so much about 1 phase, as a 1 to 3 phase vfd works real well, and it will open up oportunities to get a machine that everyone else is scared of.

[dang]

Originally Posted by TOTALLYRC Industrial hobbies makes a nice square column bench top mill with the travels you need but it is $2400US.

http://industrialhobbies.com

That IH mill is nice. What about tooling?

[TOTALLYRC]

This may be hard for some people to believe, but is is easy to spend as much or more on tooling as you paid for the mill. If your question is what kind of tooling the IH mill uses, it takes r-8 collets and tool holders.