BoldasLions Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 I'm looking to buy a Machining Mill, primarily for slide cutting. I'm totally new to milling and would like to hear some of your recommendations. What companies do you prefer? What models do you have? What models do would you like? What features are musts? What features are nice but aren't totally necessary? What should be avoided? What is a good budget to set aside? What else should I look for? Thank You Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny hill Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Any good 9x48 or so will work. Make sure to get auto feed & digsical read outs. About $6500.00 avg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toolguy Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Number One thing to avoid - Do Not get a round column mill drill. You have to have a good mill vise, 4 to 6 inch jaw width. The quality of your work will only be as good as the machine and the vise. I strongly recommend a 2 axis Digital Readout (DRO). That tells you exactly where you are at at all times and helps avoid costly mistakes. It also will help make your work go a lot faster and be very accurate. A power feed for the X axis is nice, but not required. You may be able to find a good used Bridgeport, but if you don't know machinery, you may avoid a worn out piece of junk by buying new. Look at Grizzly.com and PrecisionMatthews.com and use-Enco.com to see what is out there and get some prices. If you can afford it and have the space, get a full size machine (9 x 42 or 9 x 49 table). Make sure to get a machine with an R8 spindle taper. If your budget or space is less, look at mills like the PM-45M. That one is around $2000 with free shipping. That one will be fine for slides and pistol work, might be a little small for long guns. Once you get the machine you will need tooling. A good mill vise, drill chuck, set of R8 collets, basic set of end mills, set of drill bits, edge finder, dial test indicator. This is the basic starting point. You will have to add more endmills (maybe carbide) other drill bits, taps, etc. as each job requires. Don't try to get one of everything. Get the very basics, then add what you need as you go along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANeat Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Certainly get a floor model 9x40something if you can afford it. Ive seen and done good work with lesser machines but the aggravation isnt worth it. Dont overlook used, as more and more shops go for the smaller CNC machines standard knee mills are being sold off. I still see great deals popping up. Most of the bridgeport copies are very nice. I agree, get a DRO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loves2Shoot Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Any good 9x48 or so will work. Make sure to get auto feed & digsical read outs. About $6500.00 avg. What he said, plus take your budget and double it. If you plan on making good cuts, you will need good tools. We do a lot of refinishing and you can easily tell who has good tools and know how to use them versus the guys doing it on the cheap or are just plain don't know how to run a machine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANeat Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 I should add, dont let 3 phase scare you off. A small VFD (variable frequency drive) is very affordable and a very good way to generate 3 phase for smaller machines up to about 5hp. If you have 3 phase, thats great. If not, not a problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracker Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 If your budget allows check out a proto-trak. Can be very easily programed (2-axis K3) or run manually. If you have any questions about programing please feel free to ask! The 2 axis programing is not required but sure is nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSEMARTIN Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Call Barry @ http://www.machinerypartsdepot.com/site/1478157/ Buy one of his refurbished Bridgeports. Get an X-axis powerfeed and a 2 axis DRO. You can also pick up a good used Kurt vise off of eBay for around $125-150 bucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Miles Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Any good 9x48 or so will work. Make sure to get auto feed & digsical read outs. About $6500.00 avg. What he said, plus take your budget and double it. If you plan on making good cuts, you will need good tools. We do a lot of refinishing and you can easily tell who has good tools and know how to use them versus the guys doing it on the cheap or are just plain don't know how to run a machine. +1. The machine is just the beginning. Tooling goes on forever with the big hit coming right after you buy the machine. It can get expensive but it sure is fun to be able to do stuff yourself. I'm in the process of cleaning up a surface grinder that I found on Craig's List. Have a few things I want to try and I'm sure I'll find many other uses for it. Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik S. Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 I'm not at all trying to kill your thread, but are you really going to be doing THAT much milling to make the investment worth it? You would probably spend less money in the long run paying someone else for machine work. And, chances are they would be doing it on a very nice machine well over your budget and already have the tooling. The fact that it's being done by an experienced machinist on a high-end machine would be worth it to me. Again, not trying to be a smart arse, just a different perspective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rub'n Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Call Barry @ http://www.machinerypartsdepot.com/site/1478157/ Buy one of his refurbished Bridgeports. Get an X-axis powerfeed and a 2 axis DRO. You can also pick up a good used Kurt vise off of eBay for around $125-150 bucks. +1 on a Bridgeport.........much better than the knockoffs! ...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny hill Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Yeah, what tool guy said. I was trying to say the same thing but since I'm a gunsmith I did'nt know how. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracker Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 I'm not at all trying to kill your thread, but are you really going to be doing THAT much milling to make the investment worth it? You would probably spend less money in the long run paying someone else for machine work. And, chances are they would be doing it on a very nice machine well over your budget and already have the tooling. The fact that it's being done by an experienced machinist on a high-end machine would be worth it to me. Again, not trying to be a smart arse, just a different perspective. Agreed, the initialal investment will be alot. So is good tooling.....A good quality solid carbide variable helix 1/2" diameter end mill can be $60.00 on up. Dont forget a good .0001" resolution indicator and much more! But on the other hand, learning and doing this stuff yourself is a great pleasure! And you will KNOW it is a quality job! Will you make mistakes? Yes you will. Will you ruin a good gun? Very likely. Am I trying to change your mind? No, just be prepared for that! Besides it is difficult to find a expierienced machinist to produce quality work, doing it yourself....you will know the quality! I have only ever met a couple that I would trust doing work for me. Jusy my 2 cents......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMC Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Get a used full size mill. I've done a good slide or two on a mini but its a hassel. The pistol below was done on a mini. I got a used Sharpe (Bridgeport J-head clone) 3ph, variable speed, 9x42, powerfeed, DROS and one-shot oiler for $1,900 on eBay. It was less than 50 miles from my house. I have a static converter and it runs fine on 220. The best part is it will probally last longer than my interest in shooting and will be worth what I bought it for when I want to sell it. Like other have said, you need a good vice, I have a Kurt, bits, collets, edge finders, indicators, and on and on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSEMARTIN Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 I'm totally new to milling and would like to hear some of your recommendations. You might want to start with a class and learn how to run a mill first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m134b Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 (edited) If you don't have a local Vocational school that offers machining courses, you can sometimes find an old codger (said with the greatest respect! ) who can instruct you. I've learned more from these living encyclopedias than I EVER did in school! If you think about it, the 1911 we are all so fond of was prototyped on manual machines! The sky is the limit! It all depends on your desire to learn, and to a much lesser extent on your budget. With knowledge you can make just about anything you could want. Ken Edited March 2, 2011 by m134b Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoldasLions Posted March 6, 2011 Author Share Posted March 6, 2011 I believe I will set aside time for some eduction from either a vocational school or an experienced gunsmith. Are there any smiths on this forum that would be willing to offer training?. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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