Purchasing A Mill

[Boojie]

A friend has a 3-4 year old Grizzly G0678 for sale. It has less than 100 hr on it I’m certain ( probably more like 25-50). They paid $4300 for it new and are asking $3000 for it. Is that fair?

Seems a bit high to me. (But then again Im one to always want a super bargain. )


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[ThinWoodsman]

A couple things to consider:
* is there a lot of tooling thrown in? (milling vise, cutters, collets, clamps, etc) that will save you money down the road
* is delivery/installation included (even if it means you help)? that can get expensive as well
If no on both, I'd say it's a bit on the high side. Somewhere in the 2K range if in good condition. It's used, after all, and right now the same mill is 4K even with the crazy tariffs.

 

[Cooter Brown]

He doesn't sound like a great friend if he's trying to scam $3000 out of you.... Tell him $1500.....

 

[JimDawson]

That does seem like a lot of that mill unless it comes with a lot of tooling.

 

[Boojie]

He doesn't sound like a great friend if he's trying to scam $3000 out of you.... Tell him $1500.....

Actually the adult child of a deceased acquaintance - they are trying to move his stuff and has asked for help valuing it.


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[mikey]

You're looking at a light duty knee mill that is made in Taiwan and has a 3-phase AC motor with a Yaskawa VFD. Not a bad hobby shop machine if you ask me. It is used but only slightly so it will come down to what it's worth to you. There are better machines in this category (have a look at the PM 835S) but if you can get this one for $2500 then it might be worth a shot. If that is too much for you, pass it on.

 

[Aaron_W]

I don't know what the Florida machine market is like, but location can play a huge part in pricing. Small knee mills don't seem to come up for sale that often and if priced right they move quickly. I have seen a few older import mills similar to that one which were asking $2000-2500 in well used "as is" condition. The fact you know the history of the machine should play a part, this isn't a random CL ad, how did this person care for their tools? If they took very good care of their things that is worth something.

When you factor in shipping, taxes and the basic tooling that the owner likely added, then to buy new it would probably cost you around $5000 (from Grizzly $4100, + $300 shipping, + vise ($170 for a 4" Grizzly, $550 for a real Kurt vise) + misc tooling + sales tax).

Your particular needs play a part too. Once you get into a budget range of $2500+ you have options. There are new bench mills complete with power feeds and DRO for less than $3000, and while Bridgeports tend to command a premium, you can often find used examples of other brands of large-ish used mills for $2000-3000 if you have the space for them.

 

[bob308]

first it is a real knee mill not a mill-drill. offer $2000 see what their come back price is.

 

[Boojie]

first it is a real knee mill not a mill-drill. offer $2000 see what their come back price is.

Ok here my noobiness shows up. What distinguishes a knee mill from a mill-drill?



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[Aaron_W]

On a knee mill the table moves up and down as well as side to side / in and out. The spindle also has a limited up and down range but the head doesn't move up and down. The head also may tilt (tip side to side), swing (rotate side to side) and / or nod (tip in and out).

On a mill / drill or bench mill the table only moves side to side / in and out. The entire head moves up and down and the spindle may or may not move separately from the head. The head may tilt side to side, but usually can not swing or nod.

Knee mills are generally more stable so can be more precise. Knee mills are also typically larger, but there are some pretty big bench mills available so there is some overlap. Not really sure what if anything distinguishes a mill/drill from a bench mill.

Knee mill



Bench mill / mill drill