Thinking about ordering a bench mill - have a couple questions

[tominboise]

I am thinking of ordering a bench mill, right now the two contenders are the PM78VT and the Grizzly G0755. Probably buy the PM. Anyway, is it best to order some accessories with these machines, like a collet set, clamp set, vise, chuck, etc from PM / Grizzly, or buy that stuff from the aftermarket? And If I order a collet set, do I order the high precision version or the standard? Same with the vise? What about the stand that comes with the PM? I am set up to cut and weld, so I could fab a stand but don't have a feel if its worth it or not.

 

[David2011]

No opinion on the machinery but a thought or two on stands. At the price of materials including finishing materials, buying instead of making is becoming more economical. If you have a reliable source of economical steel that helps, of course. Every stand in my workshop with the exception of the woodworking jointer has drawers in it. Being able to store each tool’s accessories with it is so handy in my small shop. That can offset the cost of building custom stands.

 

[markba633csi]

The quality of PM accessories is probably a bit better than aftermarket- Worth the extra cost I think
For Grizzly I would likely buy aftermarket stuff

 

[RaisedByWolves]

I am thinking of ordering a bench mill, right now the two contenders are the PM78VT and the Grizzly G0755. Probably buy the PM. Anyway, is it best to order some accessories with these machines, like a collet set, clamp set, vise, chuck, etc from PM / Grizzly, or buy that stuff from the aftermarket? And If I order a collet set, do I order the high precision version or the standard? Same with the vise? What about the stand that comes with the PM? I am set up to cut and weld, so I could fab a stand but don't have a feel if its worth it or not.

For the money their stand looks like a no brainer.

As to collets, if you were talking about c-5 or ER collets Id say buy the best you can afford.

As far as R-8 collets, the collets we use at work are in rough shape and work fine. The one standout I bought a "Good" R-8 collet for was to use with my Haimer taster. For that I wanted a known good collet so I didn't have to indicate the setup every time I decided to use it. If I need to I can, but using it on the same machine with the collet orientated to the spindle in the same way every time is usually good enough.

For general shop use, especially for a hobbyist I would just buy their budget set and be happy.

Put the extra $100 towards a good indicator and you'll be way ahead.

 

[Janderso]

No opinion on the machinery but a thought or two on stands. At the price of materials including finishing materials, buying instead of making is becoming more economical.

I haven't given it much thought but you may be spot on.
I've always prided myself on saving money by making, building or fabricating things myself when I could.
The price of materials today does indeed make buying the better option when considering price alone.
Too bad!! dang it.

 

[tominboise]

Thanks for the input so far. Today, I did buy a nice Greenlee job box to use as the base for the mill. It weighs like 350lbs and seems to be quality construction. I am going to order the mill in the morning and get this party started.

 

[tominboise]

Mill is on order. I did order a vise, collet set and clamp set with it. I did not order the stand or a drill chuck, as I bought them last night from a local guy.