Enco 8x30 knee mill vs round column

Investigator

Investigator

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Quick question, I have a round column 8x29 enco mill. I have a chance to by an 8x30 Enco knee mill, basically a copy of the Clausing 8520. Is that a worthy upgrade?
Pros or cons?
 
I would say yes. But I like having a knee. Better than being cut off at the knee
Check the cranks and see if it's 0.1 inch per turn or 0.125 inch per turn
Usable either way but the former is more convenient if you aren't planning a DRO install
Also, I would check the quill very carefully and make sure it's a nice, snug fit in the head. That's something you can't fix.
Not easily, anyway. You want a fit there that's a thousandth or less
 
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Definitely an upgrade.
 
I had a round column for a number of years. My dad has a baby knee Enco. Between the two, I prefer the knee. You give up some capacity in exchange for more traditional operation. Plus sheave heads are a pain to change speeds on.
 
This one has the same speed change set up as the round column I have, 3 step pullies.
 
Investigator said:
This one has the same speed change set up as the round column I have, 3 step pullies.
Click to expand...

Well, that means it's stronger than the nylon gear in the geared head, so still a win in favor of the baby knee.
 
Another vote for that being an upgrade.
 
Would be an upgrade if the price is right, and you should be able to flip the one you have. A number of previous posts on this mill, it use to be that Enco carried some decent machines (typically Taiwanese manufacturer) in the earlier years. I sure miss Enco.
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Enco 8x30 Knee Mill weight

Hello everybody. I'm picking up an Enco 8x30 mill Friday and wondering if anybody has an idea how much this machine weighs? It's vintage 2002 in perfect shape from my untrained eye. Looking forward to getting it home and learning how to use it. I'm completely new to machine tools but hope to...
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