Lincoln Mill Drill Worth Getting ?

[turnitupper]

Every time you move the Z axis, which would be anytime you change tools, you have to re-tram the head and re-zero your X/Y points to the work. Round-column machines are far less "mill", and really just glorified Drill-Press with a slide table.

Re-tram with a $5 laser pointer and a bit of JB weld. 20 seconds.
John.

 

[great white]

For 300 bucks I'd be out the door so fast it would leave burn marks on the floor.

But that's here. Metal working tools just don't show up used around these parts....

 

[roadie33]

If I was closer, I would already have had it loaded and home by now.
As was said earlier,

Any mill is better than no mill until something better comes along.

 

[barkoguru]

For 300 bucks I'd be out the door so fast it would leave burn marks on the floor.

But that's here. Metal working tools just don't show up used around these parts....

Problem is I still don't know what all goes with the machine and he hasn't set a price yet, when I know what all is included I'd like to figure a ballpark figure to throw at him before I make the drive to check it all out.

 

[wawoodman]

Hey Mike, can you expand on that?
Was it difficult to get the column locked rigidly enough?
Was it chatter?

Thanks,
-brino

What owdlvr said!

But I'm always willing to learn: turnitupper, could you expand on that method of retramming?

 

[stupoty]

Re-tram with a $5 laser pointer and a bit of JB weld. 20 seconds.
John.

I like the er collet chuck for holding everything, helps me reduce the amount of readjusting the head.

You could look at it as an ER32 collet holder and set of collets with a free milling machine if that makes you feel better

If it was purchased new it should be in fairly good nick so long as it hasn't had any accidents which would probably be fairly obvious. It does just look very grubby.

I've got a slightly smaller bench mill very similar and for any of it's faults it's been very hardy and given good service for the few years that I've had it. If you do decide to upgrade I would think you wouldn't lose money on it, although they tend to be a bit more pricy hear in the UK.

I think it's the same one that chucky2009 from youtube has recently got, he's a realy good welder thats just got into lathe and mill so you can see one being properly tortured on his channel

Stuart

 

[Charles Spencer]

I'd go on Craigslist and do a search for mills and mill/drills in your area. If the ads are old you can see what people AREN'T getting in your area. Here's one from Houston:

http://houston.craigslist.org/tls/5358954999.html

It looks similar and was listed for $300 about a month ago. If you're getting a fair amount of tooling that might be a good price.

Of course, as everybody else has said, condition will most definitely into it.

 

[barkoguru]

I'd go on Craigslist and do a search for mills and mill/drills in your area. If the ads are old you can see what people AREN'T getting in your area. Here's one from Houston:

http://houston.craigslist.org/tls/5358954999.html

It looks similar and was listed for $300 about a month ago. If you're getting a fair amount of tooling that might be a good price.

Of course, as everybody else has said, condition will most definitely into it.

I set up a cl alert for milling machine but I just really started seriously searching for one, I'm pretty sure someone on this forum purchased that machine and the ad is just still running.

 

[brino]

Every time you move the Z axis, which would be anytime you change tools, you have to re-tram the head and re-zero your X/Y points to the work.

I have never use one of these machines, but I think I get it.....when changing tooling you sometimes need to move the head due to the length of the tooling before it goes back up into the spindle....like a drill press. On my drill press I expect to be able to change tools (say go to a larger diameter bit) with the work clamped to the table and just simply drill, change and drill again all on the same centre. However, sometimes the tooling is too long......then I need to un-clamp the table, and therefore lose rotational reference. Major bummer!

The difference is unclamping the head with the mill and the table with my drill press.

Something you try to plan for and workaround, unless you can't then you re-centre and move along....what a PITA!
Thanks guys!
Thanks for the education.

-brino

I suspect this info to be useful to the OP in evaluating this machine....hopefully this is not seen as a thread hijack.

 

[barkoguru]

I suspect this info to be useful to the OP in evaluating this machine....hopefully this is not seen as a thread hijack.

All useful info and greatly appreciated, it will be very useful for future shopping if this one doesn't pan out.