Looking For A Mini Lathe/mill

MemorY

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Oct 10, 2016
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Hey guys!

First post here and looking for some guidance. I'm looking to add some metal work to my prop making and armor construction. I've mainly been using 3D printing for both of these as well as resin casting. I would like to get a mill and add a 4th axis to it, but I'm not sure if that's ideal. So I've been focusing mainly on lathes. Any help is great appreciated! Thanks!

In my research I've come across a lot of things, and just want to know what you all think of these manufacturers and their products.

So here is what I've come up with:
Grizzly G8688 mini metal lathe
-Available on Amazon
-Relatively inexpensive
-Upgradable to CNC (based off of a review)
-7x12" work area

Little Machine Shop HiTorque
-Looks clean
-7x16" work area
-Lots of add-ons through their store
-Haven't come across any bad reviews on Little Machine Shop products

Micro-Mark MicroLux 7x16 lathe
-Really similar to the Little Machine Shop
 
Welcome Aboard!

I can't offer any advice on any of the machines that you have listed other than they will all work. Hopefully some of the other members have some experience with them.

Any lathe, milling machine, or any other machine tool can be converted to CNC if desired.

I think you are going in the right direction. In general some milling work can be done on a lathe, and conversely, some lathe work can be done on a mill. Normally a lathe will do lathe type work much better than a mill, and the opposite is also true of a mill. Adding a 4th axis to a mill opens up a whole new world of posibilities and functionality, but still is not a lathe.

We would love to see some pictures of your projects:)
 
Well now that I've posted a few time on the forum I should be able to share some of my projects.

This is a lightsaber prototype that I've been working on. Designed in Fusion 360.
Lightsaber%20Prototype%202%20ISO_zpswxy66fbs.png
Screen%20Shot%202016-10-11%20at%2010.49.01%20AM_zpswtb5bc2h.png
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WOW! That's cool! :encourage:

Mmmmmmm......Yeah, I think I see a 4 axis CNC mill in your future :) (along with a lathe ;))
 
WOW! That's cool! :encourage:

Mmmmmmm......Yeah, I think I see a 4 axis CNC mill in your future :) (along with a lathe ;))

Thank you!

Haha! Yes. That's why I've been thinking about going for a 4 axis mill. And I tinker enough that I'm sure I could make it CNC. :)
 
You should be able to do that just fine. Your design skills and your skills in Fusion 360 will be a big help.

My mill started out life as a 2 axis machine, and it's now 4 axis. So not really too hard to do, I built both my Z axis drive system and the 4th axis. My avatar picture is a side view of my 4th axis, with the ''smiling'' motor mount. Also built my own control system from the ground up.

If you have the room, a used full sized knee mill CNC mill with a bad/older controller might be a good option. That way you get all of the CNC mechanical hardware already in place, the control system is the easy part. But IMHO, you want one that has both manual and CNC capability.
 
That's awesome!

I just am not sure what mill to go for. And I'm more familiar with lathes, so I figured that'd be better to start with. But I'd be able to do more with a mill, projects, then a lathe at this current time.
 
No problem starting with a lathe, that's what I started with about 45 years ago. About 2 weeks later I bought a mill:)

Your space and budget will dictate what to buy. For most purposes a 13 or 14 x 40 lathe would really be the ideal size. It's easy to do small work on a larger lathe, but a bit of a challenge to do large work on a small lathe.;)
 
Ya... I don't have a ton of space, or a huge budget, but I can save up. lol :p
 
Not a recommendation but rather an illustration, for a mill, something like this one would be a good option. This one has already been converted to CNC, but can still be manually operated. Also looks like it would be easy to add the 4th axis.

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/cph/tld/5811896195.html
 
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