Big or Small

[papermaker]

Trying to decide on whether to sell my full size BP clone and get a LMS mill or keep it. What are everyone's thoughts?

 

[Rbeckett]

Keep the BP and save up to get the LMS later on. The bigger mill is a great thing to have especially if you have a smaller mill too. That way you can do multiple operations fairly easilly and have the power to hog off stock quickly before you use the smaller mill to finish the part. Just sayin.. I vote for keeping both.

Bob

 

[Ruben]

Trying to decide on whether to sell my full size BP clone and get a LMS mill or keep it. What are everyone's thoughts?

Depends on what you intend to use the mill(s) for. If your BP clone already has all needed tooling (is there enough "needed" tooling?) and is functional, I'd keep it. Reasons:
- Since its more rigid, it is faster, due to being able to take deeper cuts.
- It has more table room than the mini mills.
- In theory, it should be a bit more accurate, especially in the Z axis.
- Moving it will be a distraction from whatever projects you have going.
- Its likely paid for and already set up.
- You're likely comfortable with its operation. Changing from a moveable knee to a moving head on the Z axis may take some getting used to.

Assuming you have R-8 collects already, the LBS mini mill would be easy to set up, but budget for the air shock, electronic speed read out, and powered Y axis. You might also want DRO on all three axis. Will your existing milling vise(s) (and rotary table, if you have one) fit on the mini mill.

The mini mill does take up less space, but has no stand of its own. Once the minor upgrades and issues are worked out, the LBS mini mill is an amazing piece of equipment, very slick and easy to operate. Much as I like it, if I had the room, I'd opt for a BP or BP clone, due to being a bit less limited as far as size of workpiece is concerned. Since I do NOT have the room, that option is forever closed to me, and so far has not been an issue for me. The mini mill can also be moved by one person, if that matters.

Of course, if money is no object, having both would be really choice! :thinking:

 

[papermaker]

My thought is to sell the clone and tooling. Then get the LMS mill and convert it to CNC.

 

[davidh]

in reading your response, I think you really are really wanting to get into the cnc stuff and to cnc a Bridgeport size machine might be pretty nice. unless the conversion is cost prohibitive.
we had a fellow here give us a "class" on g-codes and it was really interesting to me as I was going to attempt to do a small mill/router in cnc. after looking at all the stuff ya need to learn along with the additional expense of the software I just said the heck with it. the little bit I would use it for making patterns for casting could not justify all the time I would spend.
I hope I made the right decision for me. . .
I ordered a PM30 mill after I sold my Bridgeport and it should be satisfactory in my smaller shop that has everything under one roof. . . . good luck in whatever you decide to do.

 

[papermaker]

Thanks for your advice. The BP clone had at one time been set up for cnc and all of the major components are still there. It is a first generation CNC and it has to be programed manually and it is beyond my knowledge to figure out. I'm thinking that the newer stuff has to be easier to run and I too am cramped for space. Too many tools if there is such a thing.
Anyway I think the mill will be sold Friday as I actually had someone ask me if I wanted to sell it. With what I get for the clone I should be able to get set up pretty good!
I do see that the mill I want is backordered.

 

[Uncle Buck]

what is an LMS?

 

[papermaker]

Little Machine Shop

 

[wedge446]

Trying to decide on whether to sell my full size BP clone and get a LMS mill or keep it. What are everyone's thoughts?

I had a x2 mini mill for 15 years then found a millrite knee mill (3/4 the size of a BP)
I would go back to a mini for nothing. I made many items on the mini but its so much easier on the knee mill