G1007

[jlesser27]

Help? I have been looking for a mill for the house. I would love a Bridgeport but space is limited. A friend acquired a Grizzly G1007 with what looks like quite a few upgrades, DRO, VFD. Pictures attached. I have been thinking about getting a PM30-MV but I can pick up the Grizzly with some vices and the stand for $1k. Anyone have experience with this machine your feedback would be great appreciated.

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[mikey]

Looks like a modded RF-30 to me. A ubiquitous model with a large following, it is a beast of a bench top mill. Good price and I would jump on it provided you are aware of the limitations of a round column mill.

 

[jlesser27]

Mikey, thanks for the response. I’m new to machining and have taken it up as a hobby. Can you fill me in on the disadvantages of a round column?


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[mikey]

It mostly has to do with the fact that the head can move radially when you raise or lower the head. Say you had a work piece in the vise and drilled a hole but discovered that you needed a longer drill. Naturally, you would raise the head so the longer drill will fit, right? But on a round column mill, just like a drill press, the head can move off center of that previously drilled hole and the longer drill may not drill dead on center. THAT is the disadvantage.

Now, here is the reality. These mills have a 5" long quill travel and that quill is a full 3" diameter steel column, meaning it is damned stout. It is meant to be able to mill and drill at full extension. Most of us simply locate the head with the longest tool we need to use in mind before we start to work. Then we use the quill travel to get everything done without having to move the head so most round column owners do not feel that the loss of centering is a big deal. Over the last 5 years I have not had a single time when this was a problem.

I just wanted you to know about this before you jumped. Many of the current crop of benchtop mills have square columns and are thought to be superior in design but this round column beast can weigh up to 800#, two or three times the weight of many hobby class mills. It is a common mill/drill used in production shops for second operations so if I had to choose between it and say, a PM25V at less than half the weight and spindle travel, guess which one I would take?

For me, I would not trade my RF-31 for most current bench top mills. If I do trade up, it will be for a knee mill.

 

[jlesser27]

Thanks for the great info. I’m stopping by Monday to put my hands on it so hopefully it is in good working order. I will keep you posted if I buy it. I’m sure I’ll have a few questions.


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[mikey]

There are a bunch of round column mill owners on HM. I'm sure you'll get other opinions before Monday but for that price, I would seriously consider it.

 

[Papa Charlie]

Use to live in Martinez, moved to the PNW back in 2010. If I were there right now, it would be loaded in the back of my truck and headed home.

You can also add DRO to it for around $200 off Ebay. I just ordered a 2 Axis DRO with scales for my lathe for $199 plus tax and free shipping.

 

[jlesser27]

Thanks Papa, it has a 3 axis DRO on it. I will most likely buy it as long as its operational. Like I said a friend acquired it and I have first dibs on it but he doesn’t know much about it.
Where is PNW?

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[Papa Charlie]

PNW = Pacific North West.
I am in Everett Washington. Closer to where I grew up on the Oregon Coast. I moved to the Bay Area after graduating college at Oregon Tech in 1978. No jobs in Oregon that paid at that time and ended up moving to Pleasant Hill and working for Delaval Engine and Compressor Div in Oakland. Got married and got stuck in the area until 2010 when we moved up here for work at Boeing.
Two more years and I will be retiring and moving back to the Oregon Coast and setting up my shop. Sometimes think the clock has stopped moving. But with the impact to my 401 after the 737 and Covid, I may have to add some time to the clock.

If you want a dual purpose unit, you would be hard pressed in my opinion to find a better deal, again as you pointed out, if it works. Even if you have to replace the DRO.

Good luck.

 

[hman]

I'm one of the G1007/RF-30 owners that @mikey was talking about. Another (local) forum member and good friend, Rick Sparber, owns the Enco equivalent and has converted it to CNC.

I bought my mill (in Portland, OR) in 2013 for $700. It was an earlier model, with a tin belt cover. And it no DRO, the original single speed motor, and an inoperative table power feed. So I'd say you're getting a very nice deal, indeed! Will you be getting some collets with it? And a hold-down kit?

You'll probably find that the larger of the vises is way too big for the mill, so you might even get some of your investment back by selling it.

I've added some goodies to mine over the years (VFD/3 phase motor, cheap 3 axis DRO, repaired the table power feed, etc.) and posted about several of them on the forum. You can find them by using search feature (upper right corner of the page). Rick Sparber has posted a number of articles about his mill on his website, https://rick.sparber.org

As for the round column - yup, as Mikey mentioned, it's sometimes a pain when you have to change the head height and re-find your zero in the middle of a job. What makes it especially bad is having to turn that large crank on the left side of the head. The cranking action "loves" to swivel the head on the column. Plus, it's on the opposite side of the head from the tightening bolts. Other than that, the mill is easy to use, and nicely robust and sturdy. As I said, I bought it in 2013. Been using it since then, and though I do have the room for a larger mill, I'm satisfied with what I have.

Once you get your hands on it, do feel free to ask questions!