OK im buying a mill now what accessories? UPDATE

cbr900son

cbr900son

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Mar 3, 2011
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So I sold some stock and did pretty good and decided to treat myself to a mill. Ive always wanted to have one as a new toy in the shop! Still not sure if I want a mini one like

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Mini-Milling-Machine/G8689

or spend alittle more and get

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Drill-Mill-with-Stand-29-inch-x-8-inch-Table/G0705

or do you think a lathe/mill combo would be any good?

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Combo-Lathe-w-Milling-Attachment/G0516

Also what accessories do you recommend?
 
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The combos are not so good.


From that list, I'd pick
http://www.grizzly.com/products/Drill-Mill-with-Stand-29-inch-x-8-inch-Table/G0705

That way the R 8 tooling can travel to the next bigger mill.


or spend more and get a square column knee mill



accessories ?
lots

try a search on a machinist forum & read the answers there.

vise
centerfinders
drill chuck
R8 weldon shank endmill holders
fly cutter with carbide inserts.
indicators


and so much more




I suppose the real question is what do you want it to do?
 
cbr900son said:
or spend alittle more and get

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Drill-Mill-with-Stand-29-inch-x-8-inch-Table/G0705
Click to expand...

I don't have any real experience but I just went through the process of shopping for 2 months and I'm buying the mill above, sort of. That is I'm buying a used Rong Fu RF-30 which is an earlier version of this model. I presume Rong Fu is making these for Grizzly, or else someone else is producing an amazingly accurate copy.

I had to pass up some great $1000 deals on 2500 pound mills because my workshop has an elevated wooden floor. I basically targeted the biggest one I felt confident would not fall through the floor, 660 pounds for the RF-30. If you are interested in used it's easy to get discouraged because the good ones seem to sell at around 80% off new price (in my area) and very few have any decent tooling. But bargains do come along.
 
If you decide on a "Mini Mill" check this one out made for Little Machine Shop http://littlemachineshop.com/3900 It is the best one of the style. Also look at Grizzly for DRO of various sizes http://www.grizzly.com/products/0-6-Digital-Fractional-Horizontal-Vertical-Remote-Scale/T21577

My scales on my DRO are taking a dump after many years of hard use. It was cheaper to buy a complete unit from Grizzly then replace my scale. These little unit work great and are very cheap way gettting a DRO on your mill that is very accurate.

You will need to make mounts but can find examples online
 
Hmm just noticed that it weighs 600+lbs. Wonder hwo they will delier and if I need to arrange anything on my end
 
Buy the largest heaviest mill you can afford and fit into your shop. Rigidity is everything in a mill. After the initial outlay for the mill the real cost starts adding up. End mills, vise, indicators, hold downs, and more and more and more. Best thing to do is buy a tooling kit with a quality vise, Kurt is an industry standard. Then a few endmills to see what you will be doing. Then if you will be doing more hogging pick up a multipoint carbide face mill. I normally use 1/8th. 3/16th, 1/4, 5/16 and 3/8 endmills. Face mills I use on a rare occasion but they are nice when you need them. After you get used to the mill you can decide what extras you need.
 
cbr900son said:
Hmm just noticed that it weighs 600+lbs. Wonder hwo they will delier and if I need to arrange anything on my end
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I think you are responsible for getting it off of the truck. The way I have done it when ordering machines from Grizzly is I have them ship it to the nearest shipping terminal and then I go pick it up on my truck. The terminal has always loaded it on my truck with a forklift.
 
Being a truck driver for many years I can tell you that most carriers only require the driver to get the item to the tailgate. Some have a liftgate to get it to ground level and some don't. Some even charge for the liftgate service. Glad to hear you're getting one, keep us posted.
 
When I move my equipment I normally rent a forklift. Last time it cost me about $65/day plus delivery charge. The money was well spent. This was just to get it off/on the truck and into/out of the shop. Once inside the shop I used hillman rollers and a pinch bar to move it around on the floor. 600lbs is not too bad. A lift gate and a few friends can handle it to the shop then the old pipe rollers will work ok. Like Darren mentioned though some delivery companies charge for lift gate use.
 
Hey Will, send me a PM or email if you need a set of R8 collets. I have an extra set that I could part with.

-John
 
Any mill is a good addition. I hope that when I get to that point, I'll be buying a manual bridgeport. Resale and quality will make your life more comfortable.

Tooling will still be expensive, either way you go . . .

I agree that you need endmill collets to 3/8" size for knives, a good drill chuck, nice vice with soft jaws, etc. Costs add up quickly.

I'm jealous.

Mike L.
 
I dont mind paying for the liftgate service but just wondering if me and a handful of friends could maneuver it into the shop.
 
Buy the biggest mill you can afford. Rigidity is everything.

The cost of the mill is only part of the picture. Figure money for parallels, vise(s), chucks, clamps (a good set of toe clamps is only a start), a good indicator (a cheapie will work, but expect to throw it away at some point- buy a good one and avoid the headaches), indicator arms, a GOOD set of drill bits, and cutting tools, just to get some chips.

Moving heavy equipment isn't all that bad on a good surface. Some black pipe will roll just about anything around a garage. A forklift makes it easy, but a set of ramps, a come along (or winch) can get things on and off a trailer relatively easy.

For accessories, beyond what was mentioned above, sine bar, angle plate, sine plate, rotary table, 1-2-3 blocks, 2-4-6 blocks, face mill and extra inserts. More indicators (wait till you throw one across the shop), a good set of micrometers, depth mics, a GOOD set of calipers, edge finders, DRO for X and Y axis. Get an Enco catalog and add from there.

BUy the most mill you can afford, and save some pennies for tooling.
 
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cbr900son said:
So I sold some stock and did pretty good and decided to treat myself to a mill. Ive always wanted to have one as a new toy in the shop! Still not sure if I want a mini one like

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Mini-Milling-Machine/G8689
Click to expand...

I have one of those and wouldn't recommend it to anyone. It is only good for slotting guards and nothing else. There have been several discussions on here about mills. After the last discussion I am now looking at this model.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Vertical-Mill/G3102
 
Yeah once you break into that 1.4k$ + range seems like the power output increases which is a good thing.
 
Put my order in and decided to pic up a mini lathe!

G0705 - Drill/Mill with Stand 29 inch x 8 inch Table
G9756 - 20 pc. HSS End Mill Set
G7154 - Premium Milling Vise - 5"
LIFTGATE - Freight Destination Liftgate Service Add-On
G8688 - 7" x 12" Mini Metal Lathe

Ill get the other odds and ends like collets etc once it gets here. Wonder if harbor frieght has anything worth getting qulaity wise for a mill or lathe.
 
cbr900son said:
Put my order . . .

G0705 - Drill/Mill with Stand 29 inch x 8 inch Table
G9756 - 20 pc. HSS End Mill Set
G7154 - Premium Milling Vise - 5"
LIFTGATE - Freight Destination Liftgate Service Add-On
G8688 - 7" x 12" Mini Metal Lathe
Click to expand...

Congratulations, brother. I'll be wrestling mine into place Saturday. I'll try to remember to take some pictures ala that "What have I got myself into" thread.
 
MountainBilly said:
Congratulations, brother. I'll be wrestling mine into place Saturday. I'll try to remember to take some pictures ala that "What have I got myself into" thread.
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LOl sounds like we will be cursing at the same time. Actually im pretty sure ill get it next week sometime. I didnt need the lathe but I WANTED it. Guessing Ill prob just rent a forlift for a day unless i can find someother way to get it into place.
 
For framelocks and liner locks, a slotting saw and slotting saw arbor with R8 shank are good to have...
 
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