- Joined
- Dec 17, 2012
- Messages
- 630
How do you like the HF? Any problems? I'm just about to order one myself. Also a question for those with experience, I was going to order some basic stock to start with. What is recommended? Hot rolled, cold rolled, something else entirely? Thanks.
Go with aluminum until you get things settled in and you are used to the machine. I have milled some fairly hard stuff but the most enjoyable steels to use are 12L14. and 1144.
I upgraded to the belt drive almost immediately. The gear in the spindle is prone to breaking. You want a bit of speed if you are going to use smaller tooling. The belt drive is quieter, faster, and more capable of dealing with the occasional catch or interrupted cut. The only real "problems" are that they are not a big mill. Capacity is always a concern along with rigidity. I push mine pretty hard at times and it does fine although loose stuff might walk off the table it is bolted to. Especially when I am using unbalanced tooling like a boring head or fly cutter. Be sure and lock down any axis that you are not moving.
In general, these are really basic but fairly rugged little machines.