Dremel 'mill' coming soon

[grammaton76]

Just thought I'd throw this out there: I've got one of the Acra Mills from here coming in:

http://vanda-layindustries.com/

Mine should look about like this:


Reviews and such will of course be pending. Its first assignment - and yes, I do intend to go REALLY slow - is to mill out a Garand receiver enough to function as a BM-59 receiver for one of those BM-59 kits I picked up off of Sarco for $495.

My basic thought is that this is nothing more than a glorified tool holder with x-y-z axis adjustment. It'll be amazingly slow vs a real mill - but the cutting tools should be really cheap and with the right mindset (uber slow, mark everything carefully, etc) it should perform just fine.

[SmellOfCordite]

Interesting concept, milling and Dremel do not really belong in the same sentence imho. I just think Dremel's have to small of a motor compared to an actual mill.

[Briancnelson]

I own one of these. They are made for fine model building (ships, dioramas, model train accessories, etc), which is one of my other hobbies.

They can probably do what you want to do, but you are right in that it will need to be done slowly and painstakingly, with great attention to detail. It's surprisingly precise for the price however, and quite sturdy.

I have used it for minor gunsmithing work, including polishing an su16 bolt, milling the back of my PRP trigger kit for my XD to fit, and making minor alterations to a pistol grip to fit a magwell. It served amply for all these purposes.

If you are using it to mill out a receiver, I recommend you purchase the optional Y table, and Z adjustment, and also the precision vise. These will add about $150 to the price but ought to make your job much, much easier.

There's also a drill press attachment that can be very useful. All in I think I have about $500 into mine.

Another consideration is that it is only as powerful as the tool you put into it. Not all Dremels or other rotary tools are the same. Put one with as much power as you can get into it.

[grammaton76]

I own one of these. They are made for fine model building (ships, dioramas, model train accessories, etc), which is one of my other hobbies.

They can probably do what you want to do, but you are right in that it will need to be done slowly and painstakingly, with great attention to detail. It's surprisingly precise for the price however, and quite sturdy.

I have used it for minor gunsmithing work, including polishing an su16 bolt, milling the back of my PRP trigger kit for my XD to fit, and making minor alterations to a pistol grip to fit a magwell. It served amply for all these purposes.

If you are using it to mill out a receiver, I recommend you purchase the optional Y table, and Z adjustment, and also the precision vise. These will add about $150 to the price but ought to make your job much, much easier.

There's also a drill press attachment that can be very useful. All in I think I have about $500 into mine.

My order was around that, so I think we've got most of the same stuff. I do have the extra tables, vise, extra-length axis screws, etc coming in. As well as the aluminum baseplate. I didn't do the lathe, because I can't think of any lathe work small enough to bother with for that. And, I've got a big old Craftsman lathe in the garage which I have yet to set up.

Another consideration is that it is only as powerful as the tool you put into it. Not all Dremels or other rotary tools are the same. Put one with as much power as you can get into it.

Yep, I'm running a Dremel XPR400 - 2.0A motor, while the top of the line Dremel has now is the 4000 with a 1.6A motor. I'll be sad if it burns out, and probably switch to a Foredom or other big fancy version of a dremel.

[adamsreeftank]

Milling a steel receiver with a dremil sounds like an ambitious project.

I'm not sure why you didn't spend the 500 on a mini-mill or a used small benchtop mill, but good luck and post lots of pictures.

[nicoroshi]

Milling a steel receiver with a dremil sounds like an ambitious project.

It is.....but it can be done>>>
Milled out result from one of my re-welds using a dremel with diamond bits

Interested in pictures/ thoughts on the set up when you get her rolling G

[wilit]

Maxnc used to make a CNC similar to that. I think it was the Maxnc 5.

Also, love the name of that company, Vanda-layindustries. LOL... I wonder if George Costanza answers the phone when you call.

[goober]

handy little setup for small work, but seems hardly the tool for the job you described.
not sure putting "mill" in quotes is enough of a disclaimer... you might need to use an alternative spelling as well, like that "krab" stuff made from pollack... maybe call it a "milll".

at the price you are paying for all the accessories, i'd rather have a mini-mill (which is why i do).

but as others said, if you can make it work for you, right on! good luck and more power to you. keep us posted.

[Jeepers]

be sure to let us know how it works and maybe a vid looks like a cool lil cnc

i have the plans for a cnc Solsylva router i have been putting off for way too long

heres one "routing" a army logo in AL

[Merc1138]

Wow, that's pretty interesting.

Obviously it wouldn't replace something in a serious shop, or even that of a very serious gunsmithing hobbyist, but it's definitely something that someone could do some minor work with doing minor fitting and stuff.

[h0use]

Nice concept. But for that price you can get a 3 and one mill lathe and drill press from harbor freight. I own one and have made many ar lowers and finished alot of 60% 1911 with it.

[Briancnelson]

Yeah, it's not a real mill by any means, but it is better and more versatile for the purpose it is intended for, creating and altering small model parts. I can make my dremel very precise, and turn it into a drill press, lathe, or precise milling machine rapidly. Or i can just use it to hold the dremel while I use the flextip for freehand work. It also breaks down and stores in a closet in a shoebox, something I can't say for a full size mill.

I own one for another hobby, so I just happen to use it for minor gunsmithing. If I were buying new to do specifically milling of receivers, I'd get the mill.

If you intend to use it for other work around the house or modelling (I use it to modify and customize Warhammer 40k miniatures, and build small wargaming and model railroad scenery) it's the tits.

[grammaton76]

Milling a steel receiver with a dremil sounds like an ambitious project.

I'm not sure why you didn't spend the 500 on a mini-mill or a used small benchtop mill, but good luck and post lots of pictures.

Nice concept. But for that price you can get a 3 and one mill lathe and drill press from harbor freight. I own one and have made many ar lowers and finished alot of 60% 1911 with it.

Three points guided my decision to buy this:

#1, I can mess with this at the kitchen table, over by the TV, etc. It doesn't have to live in the garage, and it's portable enough to be used for a variety of things in a variety of places. If you're willing to go slow and be patient, you can do just about anything.

#2, Eventually, I'm getting a good mill. Upon doing so, any money spent on a mini or micro mill - or alternatively, whatever junk happens to come from Harbor Freight this week - is absolutely WASTED because if I've gotta go out to my garage and use a mill, I'm going to use the good one. However, this fills a different ecological niche. Even if I had an absolutely awesome mill, I'd still find a use for this once in a while. I can't say the same for a mini or micro mill, especially not a cheapo one.

#3, I write a lot of stuff on Gunwiki. How-to's which basically say "you need to buy yourself a mill or lathe for this" pretty much rule out the college students and apartment dwellers because they figure if you HAVE to have that, they won't even undertake the project. This is somewhat like building an AK in a cave with rocks and sticks to prove it can be done.

[Merc1138]

#3, I write a lot of stuff on Gunwiki. How-to's which basically say "you need to buy yourself a mill or lathe for this" pretty much rule out the college students and apartment dwellers because they figure if you HAVE to have that, they won't even undertake the project. This is somewhat like building an AK in a cave with rocks and sticks to prove it can be done.

If you found a dremel operated lathe, please lets us know so we can laugh at it.

[vf111]

Hmm, interesting. I'd love to hear how this works out as I'm looking into doing some 80% AR receivers...