- Joined
- Sep 27, 2007
- Messages
- 7,680
Hey all,
I've been reading and studying and comparing for a few months now. Trying to decide on which mill to get for my small shop.
Before anyone suggests a Bridgeport type mill, let me just say I'm not set up for something of that size at this time. Maybe a few years down the road, but not now. I've got it narrowed down to a either a square column Weiss BF20 or clone like the Grizzly 704 or a beefier round column model like the Rong FU RF-31 or it's Grizzly clone the 705.
The smaller square column mills have variable speed control, dovetailed column, but a smaller and less powerful motor, often said to be much less than the quoted 1 horsepower. http://www.grizzly.com/products/Drill-Mill-with-Stand/G0704
The beefier round coulmn mills have a lot more strength with 1/5 horsepower and are quite a bit more rigid due to a whole lot more weight, in the neighborhood of 250 pounds or more. http://www.grizzly.com/products/Drill-Mill-with-Stand-29-inch-x-8-inch-Table/G0705
The drawback to the larger round column Rong Fu is that you can't raise or lower the spindle during a project without losing you center. The swiveling of the column prevents you from keeping your chuck on center with your workpiece if you have to change a bit and need to make a height adjustment. I believe though, that with good planning you can prevent this type of situation, especially since the Rong Fu has nearly five inches of spindle travel, more than double the two inches on the smaller BF-20. With that much travel you shouldn't have to loosen the column for bit changes very much if ever, especially for knife making.
The BF-20 comes with variable speed control, which is sweet of course, but that's also more electronics that can fail and cause hefty repair costs down the line. The Rong Fu has a step pulley system which is a bit more hassle but replacement belts are an economical alternative to having to replace electronics. The Rong Fu has 12 speeds from almost nothing all the way up to over 2500 RPM, so there should be a speed available for just about any application.
Is the larger mill overkill for knife making applications, does the smaller mill have everything I'll need? I know many say to get the biggest and most powerful mill you can. What are some opinions here? The price difference is only about $200 so that's not an issue in the decision.
Thanks guys!
I've been reading and studying and comparing for a few months now. Trying to decide on which mill to get for my small shop.
Before anyone suggests a Bridgeport type mill, let me just say I'm not set up for something of that size at this time. Maybe a few years down the road, but not now. I've got it narrowed down to a either a square column Weiss BF20 or clone like the Grizzly 704 or a beefier round column model like the Rong FU RF-31 or it's Grizzly clone the 705.
The smaller square column mills have variable speed control, dovetailed column, but a smaller and less powerful motor, often said to be much less than the quoted 1 horsepower. http://www.grizzly.com/products/Drill-Mill-with-Stand/G0704
The beefier round coulmn mills have a lot more strength with 1/5 horsepower and are quite a bit more rigid due to a whole lot more weight, in the neighborhood of 250 pounds or more. http://www.grizzly.com/products/Drill-Mill-with-Stand-29-inch-x-8-inch-Table/G0705
The drawback to the larger round column Rong Fu is that you can't raise or lower the spindle during a project without losing you center. The swiveling of the column prevents you from keeping your chuck on center with your workpiece if you have to change a bit and need to make a height adjustment. I believe though, that with good planning you can prevent this type of situation, especially since the Rong Fu has nearly five inches of spindle travel, more than double the two inches on the smaller BF-20. With that much travel you shouldn't have to loosen the column for bit changes very much if ever, especially for knife making.
The BF-20 comes with variable speed control, which is sweet of course, but that's also more electronics that can fail and cause hefty repair costs down the line. The Rong Fu has a step pulley system which is a bit more hassle but replacement belts are an economical alternative to having to replace electronics. The Rong Fu has 12 speeds from almost nothing all the way up to over 2500 RPM, so there should be a speed available for just about any application.
Is the larger mill overkill for knife making applications, does the smaller mill have everything I'll need? I know many say to get the biggest and most powerful mill you can. What are some opinions here? The price difference is only about $200 so that's not an issue in the decision.
Thanks guys!
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