Looking for my perfect size hobby mill....

[mikey]

I don't really have a purpose for the lathe / mill / shop etc. I will be retiring sometime in the next 10 years I expect. I have always enjoyed designing things and making things. My undergrad degree was Biomedical engineering before medical school. So I have some background... even if it is covered in 30 years of rust. I just want to be able to explore ideas and make things that interest me, keep my mind nimble and have some fun.

You guys are going to find that your machine tools will herald a brand new phase of life for you, no kidding. You are about to experience a period of tremendous personal growth that you cannot yet imagine. If you think you're capable and self-reliant now, just wait 5 years and reassess. There is NO other hobby I am aware of that builds knowledge in so many different areas or provides the skills to make you far more capable than machining. And while your knowledge will be built on those who came before us, your skills will be developed by you alone and that is very, very cool! If you are self-confident now, you will be ten times that in the years to come.

Welcome to the Rabbit Hole!

 

[Aukai]

My wife has Sudoku, I left 911, and will be working on things that don't bleed, unless it's me to keep sharp(I hope)

 

[ArmyDoc]

My wife has Sudoku, I left 911, and will be working on things that don't bleed unless it's me to keep sharp(I hope)

What did you do before? I've already slowed down. I was working two jobs at over 60 hours a week. I finally asked myself why? I wasn't enjoying it. Now I'm working 4 tens, and it is awesome. I have time to spend with my wife, time for my interests and I'm enjoying my work again. I can retire in 4 years, but I cant see stopping right now. Maybe I slow down again and move to part time at some point, but so long as I enjoy it, I'll probably keep working.

 

[Buffalo21]

I have 3 mills, a larger Bridgeport type (Franken-Mill), a Jet JVM-836 and a Rockwell vertical mill, so I have a big, medium and small (all floor standing). I end up using the Jet the most, I could use the Rockwell, as most of the work would easily fit into the Rockwell’s work envelope, but the Rockwell lack power feeds (on the list of things to-do), and the other two mills have power feeds on X, Y and Z axis. The good thing for me is all of the mills use R8 tooling. I‘ve had two different bench mills and I would be hard pressed to go smaller than the work envelope of the Rockwell.

 

[Mr Mike]

Hi all...
I was watching some gear cutting videos, And that got me thinking...! that is something that I would like to be able to do. Does anyone know if these smaller bench mills like the 728VT is capable of cutting teeth into a 6" diameter iron blank, so i can make a missing gear for my lathe...?

Both Mr Pete and Keith Rucker used large machines, The small gears both < 6" didn't tax the machines in size or power needed to make the gears.

How would I find out what the max size gear I could make on the 728VT, I'm thinking this scope of work might help me figure out what size machine I need to get..?

Thanks for any help with this... Mr Mike.

 

[Aukai]

ArmyDoc, I'm a Paramedic retired from 911 EMS (8 stars), now just doing interfacility transports to keep my medical.

 

[Papa Charlie]

Hi all...
I was watching some gear cutting videos, And that got me thinking...! that is something that I would like to be able to do. Does anyone know if these smaller bench mills like the 728VT is capable of cutting teeth into a 6" diameter iron blank, so i can make a missing gear for my lathe...?

Both Mr Pete and Keith Rucker used large machines, The small gears both < 6" didn't tax the machines in size or power needed to make the gears.

How would I find out what the max size gear I could make on the 728VT, I'm thinking this scope of work might help me figure out what size machine I need to get..?

Thanks for any help with this... Mr Mike.

Most mills can do the job, may take longer on some. A rotary index tool is required for all. It can be done on horizontal or a vertical mill.

 

[5tmorris]

Lol ya I should have stated perfect size for me..!

As with most things you can buy both way too little and way too much, Like the new Saw Stop I just bought... I knew 100% going in that I would need the professional size cabinet saw right off the bat based on previous knowledge and usage. At one point Iv'e had each class of saw and know their pros and cons.

Now, starting as a new beginner with a mill I would prefer not to run the whole mill machine gambit from mini to industrial wasting both money and time buying and selling Mills till the right size porridge bowl crosses my path, And being me when I do pick one I know right then to get one size up.

If I knew how big an item Id like to mill is then I would have some where to start, But I don't.

I went from a HF 7 X 14 to a 9 X 20 lathe in two weeks.. Today I believe the 9 X 20 would do 85% of what I'd like to do, and figured I could at least learn allot of my first mistakes on it, But much too soon ran into a huge short cumming... The Compound & tool holder would just buckle under most any stress... Nothing but very light cuts were acceptable, So off I go to find a bigger lathe...

BAM my prayers were answered, right there on craigslist... This beautiful 50+ year old Logan 1875 school lathe that's been in storage for the last 30 years rust and all. I had it 90% restored and almost ready to play with, But I had to donate the lathe to another person due to life events. then a year and a half later here I am again with an even bigger 12 X 36 lathe, But only cause I had some lathe time and some hands on to touch and feel,

I would prefer not to go through that whole escapade again with a Mill. Here in Las Vegas I don't know anyone with a Mill.. I have never seen one in person because there are no tool stores that sell them here.. I see them in videos but I am at a complete loss of reference.

And honestly I think that if I just start trying out milling and decide its to small or to large I wont be able to sell it except at a drastic loss because its a niche machine even more so than a lathe... I would prefer not to buy a PW-935 and find out its way bigger than I will ever need because bigger it's even harder to sell.. And while the New PW 928 VT is close, I can see a couple short comings already... Its light 370 Lbs and uses 120V power, And then theirs what appears to be the best buy the PW 932M 850 Lbs....

Lol in the end I might be better off like wrmiller says and get the Knee Mill... Thanks for the Info Man I appreciate it and all the points you brought up here.. Thanks Mike.

I just bought the 932 mill and have been using it for about a month. I had a LMS mini mill and the difference is amazing. I would highly recommend the 932 mill with the DRO, Z axis drive and table drive.

 

[addertooth]

I really enjoyed reading through this thread. So many of the concerns mirrored mine on my recent Mill choice.
Not surprisingly, a lot of the candidates were the same.

Some notations: Large mills do rock, as they allow you to be more "wrong" with feeds/speeds/tools, and still get good results.
If you are a grab a random tool.. and are a "use the Force" kind of machinist, then a large and heavy mill will be your huckleberry.
If you are a "look up the specs on the endmill, do the calculations for feeds and speeds" then a larger/heavier/more-forgiving mill
approach becomes less critical.

A 3 inch quill can be a limitation *if* you can not turn the X/Y axis handles to move the spindle Off the part you are machining to gain
more clearance. Almost everything I mill is small. Cranking the handles and moving a couple inches is no big deal. Remember, often
the part you are machining is in a vice, or a jig which lifts it above the table. As said above, moving the table a bit will give the clearance
to change another bit into the chuck/collet. Moving the table can be problematic if the movement is not "repeatable". But then, if you
bought a mill which is not repeatable, that is unfortunate.

I am not as enamored with big motors, as most of the end mills I use will be half inch or less, and most of the facing mills will be in
the category of about 2 inches. I used to be a full-time Machinist years ago; now I am a hobbyist. Should I ever feel the need to
do real production work, then larger equipment will make complete sense.

 

[MERLIncMan]

You want Taiwan - 728. Get the variable speed, and get the DRO.
Ok with China? 727 (what I have). I've got the variable speed and DRO.

4" everything (vise, DH, Rotab... actually the DH isn't 4", it's 5" a BS-0, but close enough)
You want bigger, I'd recommend a Knee - but that's just an opinion.

I ADORE my 727v!