- Joined
- Sep 25, 2014
- Messages
- 1,113
I'd say Brino has the right idea.
I have one of the small German mills ( http://www.hobby-machinist.com/thre...ling-drilling-and-boring-machine-mh600.30766/ ), and really like it. The vertical head is fitted with a short manual quill - which is nice to have. However, I will often use the Z-axis power feed for drilling (compared to the manual quill it is very stable). On mine, the work envelop is also small, but with a bit of thought, I can generally complete the majority of projects (the biggest issue is the length of the drill chuck + adapter + drill bit). I have numerous modified / cutoff drill bits.
One consideration may be availability of tooling. What spindle does the candidate machine have? What tooling comes with the machine? One approach to address limited headroom is with direct mount collets (once you are set up with them, they are great). If the machine has an unusual spindle, be aware that you may have to spend money (or patiently troll the internet).
I have one of the small German mills ( http://www.hobby-machinist.com/thre...ling-drilling-and-boring-machine-mh600.30766/ ), and really like it. The vertical head is fitted with a short manual quill - which is nice to have. However, I will often use the Z-axis power feed for drilling (compared to the manual quill it is very stable). On mine, the work envelop is also small, but with a bit of thought, I can generally complete the majority of projects (the biggest issue is the length of the drill chuck + adapter + drill bit). I have numerous modified / cutoff drill bits.
One consideration may be availability of tooling. What spindle does the candidate machine have? What tooling comes with the machine? One approach to address limited headroom is with direct mount collets (once you are set up with them, they are great). If the machine has an unusual spindle, be aware that you may have to spend money (or patiently troll the internet).