Harbor Freight mini mill

DennisK

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Feb 19, 2014
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Well,after about 2 months of messing with my mini mill,I finally did what hundreds of other have done; broke the plastic gear.And I didn't just chip a few teeth off,I shattered it. It came out in about 5 pieces.So,I was wondering what other people have done when this happened to them. It seems to me there are 2 options. The metal gears replacements,or convert to belt drive. I'm leaning towards the metal gears because they are a third of the price.Does anyone know if you have to be Mr. Goodwrench to change these(there are 3 gears in the set), or can just about anyone do it? TIA
 
If you can run a mill you can change a gear. Mechanic work is nothing more then nuts and bolts. Be it a spark plug or a cam shaft it just bolts together.:wrench:
 
That plastic gear is the weakest point. It is especially prone to failure on interrupted cuts. I did change the gear in my spindle on my lathe and it wasn't too bad but still a pain. I put the metal gears in and they were really noisy in comparison. The mill is about the same arrangement. I did the belt drive conversion on my mill but never broke a gear. I put the belt on just after I got it.

It is much nicer with the belt drive. No regrets and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Quiet. Smooth. If I stall it out, the belt just slips a bit.
 
That plastic gear is the weakest point. It is especially prone to failure on interrupted cuts. I did change the gear in my spindle on my lathe and it wasn't too bad but still a pain. I put the metal gears in and they were really noisy in comparison. The mill is about the same arrangement. I did the belt drive conversion on my mill but never broke a gear. I put the belt on just after I got it.

It is much nicer with the belt drive. No regrets and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Quiet. Smooth. If I stall it out, the belt just slips a bit.
Since I lost much of my hearing over the years,I doubt a little extra noise would bother me. Did the belt conversion kit come with the belt,or was that an extra cost?
 
Get the belt drive conversion - you won't regret it. I shattered my plastic gear early. Installation was easy, took 15-20 minutes. Much quieter, and far more forgiving.

Tom
 
Get the belt drive conversion - you won't regret it. I shattered my plastic gear early. Installation was easy, took 15-20 minutes. Much quieter, and far more forgiving.

Tom
I understand all this,but the cost is 3 times the price of the metal gears. I would like to also be able to buy their tool post grinder. Has no one used the metal gear upgrade?
 
I did the belt drive upgrade, ordered the eBay kit. Would do the LMS kit if I had to do it over.

I have my take-off gears and my back up set of gears you can have. Send me a PM with your address.
 
I did the belt drive upgrade, ordered the eBay kit. Would do the LMS kit if I had to do it over.

I have my take-off gears and my back up set of gears you can have. Send me a PM with your address.

I appreciate that, but I just ordered the belt drive from LMS. Thanks anyway.
 
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