Mini mill or lathe

[freonr22]

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/tls/1326425541.html

http://visalia.craigslist.org/tls/1325610134.html for mills

[xxdabroxx]

Hardinge

let me know when yours comes in, i will help you get the most out of your money!

[bruce_ventura]

Good advice in this thread. eBay has been a good friend (but my wife's enemy!). I started with a small (8") South Bend lathe, then graduated to a new 13"x40" Chinese lathe, similar to the Grizzly G4016. Not a bad choice, but marginal for big gunsmithing jobs, which I don't tackle myself. The old, quaint US machines became collector's items a few years back and it was more expedient for me to by a new Chinese machine, even if it is of marginal quality.

Along the way I bought a used Chinese 3/4 vertical mill (8"x30"), similar to the Grizzly G9959. Both of my machines work fine and hold better tolerances than I can. I wedged both machnes into an L-shaped corner of my garage.

These machines have barely enough throw and mass to get projects done fast and with minimal set-up time. Smaller machines just chatter too much and force you to take miniscule, slow cuts. I've built most of an optical test lab using these machines. I also do some light gunsmithing and a lot of repair work.

You can move machines of this size (1,200-1,600 lbs) yourself using a hydraulic lift trailer, breakdown engine hoist, some steel pipes to roll machines around the floor, and a heavy duty crowbar ("gorilla" bar). Get yourself a high qaulity machinist's level too.

Be aware that one thing leads to another. Add tooling, horizontal bandsaw, drill press, bench grinder, mig welder, air compressor, good fluorescent lights, metal stock, etc., and you will more than double the investment. Still cheaper by far than buying custom optical test equipment.

It all depends on what you want to do. I didn't know I was going to get into optical test work - I figured that out after I got into it.

[nat]

So what kind of work do you want to do?

You will need a good sized lathe if you are going to be chambering, threading or crowning barrels.

A mill is perfect for AR work, 1911's, etc.

I started with a mid-80's Jet mill/drill and a 19th century era lathe. I sold both of those and bought a small CNC mill, about the size of my old mill/drill. I still need another lathe though, I have been thinking about a Grizzly Gunsmithing Lathe..............when I win the lotto

Yep the the guy above says, I also have lots more tools, horizontal bandsaw, floor drill press, 2 mig welders and a bunch of vises and tooling. Always keep an eye out for good deals.

[popeye4]

How much was the VFD though, those can be pretty pricey? Maybe not on a smaller scale though?

I got lucky and picked it up for $50 (it listed new for around $300).

It is one of these: http://www.hitachi-america.us/produc...200/index.html

[NeoWeird]

Get a mill first.

Most people, especially in the gun world, would only use a lathe for items like barrels, threading, flash suppressors/muzzle brakes, etc. All of these either require a good deal of knowledge in machining before hand (trust me - when your first bit of heavy chatter sets in on a lathe you will KNOW that you are in over your head) or they require a mill to do the finishing touches anyways.

A mill on the other hand is far more forgiving to a new-comer, can start and finish most projects by itself, and can fill multiple roles. The key to machining is thinking outside the box in a quick and effecient manner. A mill can do small turning jobs quite easily if someone uses their head; a lathe is a bit more tricky to use as a mill - at least for complicated shapes.

Just remember that the machine is the cheap part - it's the tooling that is the killer. Also remember that a chain is only as strong as it's weakest link. There is no point in buying a high end precission CNC mill if you're going to measure with $16 Harbour Freight calipers. I dropped $5k in measuring tools alone when I first started "working" working in a machine shop and I'm still picking up bits and pieces as I go.

Get the mill, and a cheap 1" micrometer and some end mills from Harbor Freight to learn on. Once the end mills are destroyed, and you WILL destroy them so wear eye protection, then you should have had enough time pass to pick up some better mics, travel indicators, etc. After that pick stuff up as you need it.

Remember it's not JUST the end mills, but the T bolts to clamp stuff, your indicators to setup your vice and head square as well as measure knee travel, wrenchs, snap gauges, bore mics, regular mics, height gauges, squares, levels, Sin plates, V blocks, drills, collets, jacobs chucks, jacobs keys, Tapmatics, etc. etc. etc.

The machine really is the cheap part. You'll find that you need $200 to make that $20 part that is saving you $15. Of course once you have all that tooling, you can make that $2k rifle for $200. So you have to look at it as an investment. If you're serious about it, it can have a huge pay off. If you're just interested, you might as well just got to a community college or trade program until you figure out if you like it or not.

[xxdabroxx]

Get a mill first.

Most people, especially in the gun world, would only use a lathe for items like barrels, threading, flash suppressors/muzzle brakes, etc. All of these either require a good deal of knowledge in machining before hand (trust me - when your first bit of heavy chatter sets in on a lathe you will KNOW that you are in over your head) or they require a mill to do the finishing touches anyways.

A mill on the other hand is far more forgiving to a new-comer, can start and finish most projects by itself, and can fill multiple roles. The key to machining is thinking outside the box in a quick and effecient manner. A mill can do small turning jobs quite easily if someone uses their head; a lathe is a bit more tricky to use as a mill - at least for complicated shapes.

Just remember that the machine is the cheap part - it's the tooling that is the killer. Also remember that a chain is only as strong as it's weakest link. There is no point in buying a high end precission CNC mill if you're going to measure with $16 Harbour Freight calipers. I dropped $5k in measuring tools alone when I first started "working" working in a machine shop and I'm still picking up bits and pieces as I go.

Get the mill, and a cheap 1" micrometer and some end mills from Harbor Freight to learn on. Once the end mills are destroyed, and you WILL destroy them so wear eye protection, then you should have had enough time pass to pick up some better mics, travel indicators, etc. After that pick stuff up as you need it.

Remember it's not JUST the end mills, but the T bolts to clamp stuff, your indicators to setup your vice and head square as well as measure knee travel, wrenchs, snap gauges, bore mics, regular mics, height gauges, squares, levels, Sin plates, V blocks, drills, collets, jacobs chucks, jacobs keys, Tapmatics, etc. etc. etc.

The machine really is the cheap part. You'll find that you need $200 to make that $20 part that is saving you $15. Of course once you have all that tooling, you can make that $2k rifle for $200. So you have to look at it as an investment. If you're serious about it, it can have a huge pay off. If you're just interested, you might as well just got to a community college or trade program until you figure out if you like it or not.

I understand this very well, and somewhat enjoy it. Its more fun to do it yourself than order one.

Thanks for all the info guys. I am saving my pennies.

[VaderSpade]

I got very lucky on craigslist (checked every day for months) and picked up a mid sized Grizzly for $850.00. It was less than 3 years old and showed no wear at all. AND it came with extras.
It weighs 850 pounds; I was able to move it with one friend and some 1 1/4 dowels to roll it on.

I have put about 40 hours on it and I’m hooked.

[TMC]

Thats a great deal! That machine goes for $3,000 new. You scored