I have an older Atlas lathe 9 or 10 and I'm looking to add other machines in a similar scale to match as I'm severely limited on space. I know the lathe has chatter do to its size but I'm not looking to machine parts for engines just things like brass bushings, v-belt pulleys etc. I'm assuming similarly sized machines would also have this issue? I've found an older gentleman cleaning out his shop and he has an Atlas bench-top drill press and bench-top horizontal mill. Would the horizontal mill be up to cutting key ways in a shaft? What kind of tolerances would this be able hold? Is the drill press accurate for what they are? Are they noticeably better than a hand drill in controlling the bit? Again I don't need industrial grade machines that can last working hard everyday all day. If it takes 30-50% longer to do something that's fine I'm learning anyways and going slow.
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DIY/Garage Metal Working Machines
- Thread starter Zewnten
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I looked at the Atlas milling machines when I was trying to round out my shop with a mill. What I decided is that it would be cool to have, and people seem to like them, but at the end of the day a small vertical mill just seemed way more versatile. The problem seems to be that for regular endmill work your work is between you and the cutter so you can't see what's going on.
Then again you don't hear to many people bending over backwards to say how much work they can do with a small bench top vertical either. I got a mill drill, and most everyone hates those.
Anyway I'll be interested to see what the members with experience with the Atlas mills have to say.
Then again you don't hear to many people bending over backwards to say how much work they can do with a small bench top vertical either. I got a mill drill, and most everyone hates those.
Anyway I'll be interested to see what the members with experience with the Atlas mills have to say.
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As always, it depends....
If the price is right I'd say go for it. Yes, a drill press is way better than a hand drill for almost any circumstance where you can bring the work to the tool. Small horizontal mills do have limitations but are probably more rigid than a vertical mini-mill.
No matter what you will learn things, even the chatter you're getting on your lathe can probably be tamed with some adjustment and proper feeds/speeds.
Plus, there is something cool about a whole shop of vintage machines of the same make....
John
If the price is right I'd say go for it. Yes, a drill press is way better than a hand drill for almost any circumstance where you can bring the work to the tool. Small horizontal mills do have limitations but are probably more rigid than a vertical mini-mill.
No matter what you will learn things, even the chatter you're getting on your lathe can probably be tamed with some adjustment and proper feeds/speeds.
Plus, there is something cool about a whole shop of vintage machines of the same make....
John
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I look at a horizontal mill like I look at a shaper.
Looks neat, will remove a substantial amount of metal with little input, but considering how limited most people are on space there’s a bigger bang for your buck with a small vertical mill.
Looks neat, will remove a substantial amount of metal with little input, but considering how limited most people are on space there’s a bigger bang for your buck with a small vertical mill.
I know everyone recommends a vertical mill but they are non-existent in my area other than very small, HF or sherline, or very big, Bridgeport. Even the very small overseas ones are priced astronomically high around me, as much as the no name big mills. The horizontal mill is about $2000, with tooling, what is out there for that kind of money that isn't junk?
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As the term implies, a mill/drill will do double duty as a mill and as a drill press. I have had a Taiwan mill drill for some forty years and IMO, it is superior to a hobby class drill press with the possible exception of vertical working envelope. My first tool list would include a lathe and a mill/drill. A bench grinder and a horizontal band saw would follow. A horizontal mill or a shaper would be less desirable due to the lack of versatility. There are some operations that they excel at and are difficult to accomplish with a vertical mill but those are relatively rare.
PM makes some decent hobby class machines. Slightly down the quality scale, Grizzly also makes some and they tend to be less expensive. The Grizzly G0705 can be had for $2K. It is a round column mill which means the work has to be referenced if you need to move the head but with thoughtful planning, it isn't that big a drawback.
PM makes some decent hobby class machines. Slightly down the quality scale, Grizzly also makes some and they tend to be less expensive. The Grizzly G0705 can be had for $2K. It is a round column mill which means the work has to be referenced if you need to move the head but with thoughtful planning, it isn't that big a drawback.
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Welcome to the forum. When I was searching for my lathe and mill I used https://www.searchtempest.com/. It searches all of craigslist within whatever range you want to search. I set my search range at a long days drive. 400 miles. I looked for year before finding my lathe and mill/drill. I concentrated on estate sales. The mill/drill was 50 miles from my house. The lathe was 10 miles. Be patient.
Get to know your lathe while searching for the mill. If your lathe doesn't have a QCTP, consider making a Norman style QCTP. It will be a great learning experience and a fraction of the cost of a commercial QCTP. You can make it with your lathe and a drill. A lot of forum members have made them.
Get to know your lathe while searching for the mill. If your lathe doesn't have a QCTP, consider making a Norman style QCTP. It will be a great learning experience and a fraction of the cost of a commercial QCTP. You can make it with your lathe and a drill. A lot of forum members have made them.
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Yeah, for $2k I’d pass on that. My Hardinge was only $1100.
If space is limited and funds are too start looking for a RF31 or clone. They are abundant and can do serious work, yes a round column but that only is an issue with some operations and is easily compensated for.
The Grizzly referenced above is one such machine, the one I had was a Harbor Freight brand made in Taiwan that I paid $850 for used.
Also as above learn to get all the functions from your lathe, there are a surprising
number of milling operations that can be done on a lathe with proper setups.
If the Atlas was $1k or less then maybe, but for top dollar get something more useful.
John
If space is limited and funds are too start looking for a RF31 or clone. They are abundant and can do serious work, yes a round column but that only is an issue with some operations and is easily compensated for.
The Grizzly referenced above is one such machine, the one I had was a Harbor Freight brand made in Taiwan that I paid $850 for used.
Also as above learn to get all the functions from your lathe, there are a surprising
number of milling operations that can be done on a lathe with proper setups.
If the Atlas was $1k or less then maybe, but for top dollar get something more useful.
John
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- Mar 22, 2014
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Precision Matthews and Little Machine Shop have a variety of vertical bench mills.
I have an Atlas horizontal. It will do just about anything a small vertical will do but setup and visibility are more difficult. I rarely use it with an arbor. Most times I have an end mill mounted on the spindle. A small vertical would be faster to setup, require less tooling and provide better visibility. But the Atlas is what I have.
I have an Atlas horizontal. It will do just about anything a small vertical will do but setup and visibility are more difficult. I rarely use it with an arbor. Most times I have an end mill mounted on the spindle. A small vertical would be faster to setup, require less tooling and provide better visibility. But the Atlas is what I have.