Mini Mill Comparison

[ZNiner]

The mill is getting delivered this Friday. I still need to get a nice milling vice for it along with some tooling.

I hear what you guys are saying about going with something bigger but the reality for me is that I will never do anything beyond hobby level work.

If the need arises in the future, I can always go bigger.

Any recommendations on specific vise?

[LONGRANGER777]

Check craigslist and backpage. Always some good deals on milling tooling and vices.

[xfer42]

I have this one:

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Premium-Milling-Vise-4-/G7156

It was perfect when I got it. Then I realized why some are $500+. If I had to buy again, Id do the same since I only use it for hobby. When I true up my vise on the X axis, clamp a cube in, I can expect it to be slightly off on X,Y & Z. This requires a bit of hammering to square it up. Im guessing a better quality vise would require less work, but I cant justify the cost since its its just a nice to have for me.

[xfer42]

R8 Collets:

http://www.grizzly.com/products/12-pc-Precision-R-8-Collet-Set/G1646

You will need edge finders:

http://www.grizzly.com/search?sq=H5556+

Then get some cheap endmills to start off with. Dont buy expensive quality ones until you know you need it. Burn up the cheap ones as you get a feel of the feeds, speeds and rigidity of the machine.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/10-pc-4-Flute-TiN-End-Mill-Set/G9762

Then maybe a boring bar for making nice big holes:

http://www.grizzly.com/search?sq=H5939+

[762x39]

This.^^^

I have a mini mill with DROs and I'm very happy with it. The achilles heel of these Sieg X2 mills is the tilting column. If you beef that up a little (many solutions for this are on the net) these little mills are pretty accurate if you get them trammed up correctly.
It is certainly accurate enough for this type of work. I am not planning on doing any aerospace industries components on it.

[Contract_Pilot]

Spend a little extra $$$ and get the G0704 from Grizzly or the Precision Mathews PM-25MV. Having owned and knowing others who have owned the smaller machines Never Again just not ridged enough. After seeing my Friends PM-25MV I would go with it Vs. the Grizzly.

[grymster]

.................... Any recommendations on specific vise?

I most always used and bought Kurt vises, but even a 4" would likely cost ~$500. If you didn't mind spending that, you'd have a very nice vise. You might luck out by finding a used one somewhere, but it seems most people that own them know what they're worth. There are probably decent brands out there for much cheaper, but I'm not aware of which ones they might be. You might consider joining a hobby machining forum, they'll help you out with those kinds of things.

Good luck with your new mill!

[grymster]

One more word to the OP here. Don’t let the naysayers tell you what can and cannot be done with your little machine. Sure, it’s not a Fanuc RoboNano, but you can do pretty much anything you want with it. Go slow and when you set up your machine, make sure it is level, and try to get all the axes as square as possible to each other. There are other things you can do also, and you can find everything you'll need about them on hobby machining sites. Think about what you want to do with the machine and set about doing it in a methodical manner.

Finally, google some of the steam engines and such that hobbyists build on their little machines (including tiny Sherline mills and lathes), and you will be amazed and encouraged.

Have fun!

[milotrain]

This is a good 4". It is not cheap but it is well made. You could wait for a sale but rarely are Glacern's sales more than 10%

https://www.glacern.com/gsv_440

[xsefan]

Harbor freight! Then get a ebay belt kit for speed adjustment. Then go with the cnc conversion! Then cut out anything that will fit in that little guy. Be careful or you will end up with all kinds of aluminum and stainless steel stuff all over the house. A buddy made me a set of 4 coasters with different logos on them! He makes toys for his kids. He upgrades plastic parts on all kinds of stuff in his home. I'm still waiting on my brass trigger gaurd for 870 and 1022!