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  1. #1
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    Apr 2009
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    Default Advice on selecting a mill

    I am looking at upgrading my current mill/drill machine to a mill.Can any members give any advice based on their experience with the different styles ie horizontal,vertical,combination or turret style. I will be looking for a reasonable robust machine 415 volt two/three hp 1500 kgs weight.No CNC but fitted with DRO's and power feeds on all/most axis.
    Thanks Bob

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    Mt Crosby, Brisbane
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    If you have the space commercial mills are relatively cheap, have a look on ebay. Obviously a combination is the most versatile, and a horizontal is the most limited.

    Personally I like horizontal mills and what they do they do better than vertical mills can. Also you can pick up a cincinnatti for about $800 any day of the week, but there is a bucket of things a horizontal mill just won't do and as a hobbyist they are things you probably want it to do...

    Bridgeports are a handy size and very versatile, but the name pumps up the prices a bit. There are some good copies I've seen but can't recall brands.

    Milling Machine.Bridgeport.3Phase.Single Phase. Mill - eBay Equipment, Machinery, Metalworking, Metalworking, Woodworking, Business, Industrial. (end time 29-Jan-10 11:56:54 AEDST)

    bit dear.

    Milling machine, digital readout - eBay Equipment, Machinery, Metalworking, Metalworking, Woodworking, Business, Industrial. (end time 10-Jan-10 15:58:53 AEDST)

    Might be worth a look especially if the dividing head is included

    Sorry I can't be more help.
    I'm just a startled bunny in the headlights of life. L.J. Young.
    We live in a free country. We have freedom of choice. You can choose to agree with me, or you can choose to be wrong. Me.

  3. #3
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    Default

    What sort of budget have you got.

  4. #4
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    Aug 2008
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    Bob
    I'd agree with Damian. A horizontal with a vertical head attachment would be good. The Blue machine in the ebay link that Damian posted looks like an old "Metal Export" brand. Unfortunately not the best quality. There were several of them in the F&M section of the TAFE college I work at. They were there when I was an apprentice in the mid 1970's so I reckon they would have probably been early to mid 1960's machines. Even when I was an apprentice there was always one of them out of service. Apparently parts were hard to get and didn't always fit properly either.
    We had an ex student Metal Export in the section I worked in up until a few years ago. It was the best one from the F&M section when they upgraded. It wasn't real good for accurate work but for rough stuff it was ok. We mainly used it for machining impact and tensile specimens from test welds in 25 - 30 mm thick plates. Had plenty of grunt. We would slice the plate up using a 3mm X 200mm slitting saw.
    A good american, english or euro (except for some of the former soviet machines) machine would be a better buy if they had the same amount of wear.
    Another plus with a horizontal machine is you quite often see used cutters at auctions and they don't seem to bring anywhere near the money they should.
    A good horizontal can really remove some metal with a decent slab cutter.

    Having said all that, I personally have a Hafco Bridgeport clone. Its a 1983 machine and it spent its first 20 odd years in a small machine shop. I've had it about 3 years. It seems ok though I haven't used it a lot yet. I replaced the table leadscrew nut and fixed the one shot oiling system. There is a little bit of wear in the table ways but not enough for me to worry about. The quill power feed is busted and thats a job on the "to do" list. Most parts are still available through Hare & Forbes. I think the leadscrew nut cost about $86 about 2 years ago. Couldn't even buy the material to make one for that.

    regards
    bollie7
    Last edited by bollie7; 5th Jan 2010 at 07:58 PM. Reason: spelling

  5. #5
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    Apr 2009
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    Default Advise on selecting a mill

    damian,Pipeclay & bollie7. Thanks for your quick reply's and good advise.I have looked at a couple of older machines but they were very worn and generally had had a hard life and I thought were somewhat overpriced. We seem to have a shortage of good older machines at the moment,as well traveling around the countryside just to look takes up a lot of time. The new machines available seem to be predominately Chinese or Taiwanese or a mixture of both. As this will be a one of purchase I was budgeting on around $8000-00. I will keep an eye out as there is no rush.
    Regards Bob

  6. #6
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    Bob
    For around $8K you will get a reasonable machine I reckon.
    ie
    https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/Pr...tockCode=M604D

    this is the 3 phase one with 16 speeds, single phase one is the same price but only has 8 speeds.

    this one from Asset is a variable head (variable belt by the look of it) and the price is GST ex. It doesn't include clamp kit or vice like the hafco machine.
    SM-KD0VS. Steelmaster Turret Type Mill with Two Axis Power Feed, Three Axis Digital Readout - Asset Plant & Machinery

    this one might be even better as its a combination

    SM-MGH50CW. Steelmaster Universal Mill with 3 Axis Easson Digital Readout - Asset Plant & Machinery

    Hope this helps.

    bollie7

  7. #7
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    bollie7,Thanks for your help with the links,I have a few Hare & Forbes machines in my workshop and have seen the machine you linked to on the web. The Steelmaster range I have not seen and will enquire about,they do appear to be of a bit lighter construction than the Hare& Forbes machines and do lack the tooling package. The "K" series vices that are included with Hare & Forbes are only compromise sort of vice as they only open about 2/3 of their width.
    Regards Bob

  8. #8
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    Bob
    I didn't think the vice would be much to write home about, but then better than nothing I suppose. I haven't looked at the steelmaster mills but I did have a look at a couple of their lathes at a trade show in 08. They were not powered up so didn't hear them running but the fit and finished seemed to be ok. Felt pretty good giving the handwheels a whirl. Looked a lot better than a couple of other China made lathes on display on another stand which were obviously Friday machines. LOL

    bollie7

  9. #9
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    Another company is Milling Machines - Turret Mills in Brisbane... I have one of their turret mills and it is quite satisfactory.. it is a X6323 model.. You will find with turret mills there are only a few different models made and all the manufacturers make those models with the only difference being fit and finish..

  10. #10
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    Probably one thing to be aware of is you don't get something for nothing.. Don't expect a cheap $5000 bridgeport clone to perform as well as a genuine $20 000 bridgeport..

    Hard experience has taught me when buying new machines, you get what you pay for... If one model from one seller is a couple of thousand cheaper, it will probably mean the manufacturer has cut corners somewhere..

  11. #11
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    .RC Thanks for the link I have downloaded the brochure and will check the mills out when I am in Brisbane next time. Did you find the Puma machines of equal build quality to the Taiwan built mills that Hare & Forbes have?
    regards Bob
    PS That new lathe of yours looks like it could handle some heavy cuts.

  12. #12
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    I don't really know how the H&F mills perform, I have only seen one and I only quickly gave it a glance over...I expect they would be similar if not maybe a bit better..I know when I purchased my turret mill years ago it was at the lower end of the price spectrum as far as new turret mills went and I now know the manufacturer took short cuts when making the head that makes it perform less then a better quality machine (the machine chatters a bit).

    One thing I go by now it how rattly a machine...I will admit my turret mill head has rattly knobs and levers that scream cheap cheap.. And if they have gone cheap on the fitting of the knobs it makes you wonder what else they went cheap on with the internals of the machine..

    I looked at a 500X2000 lathe that was made in China by Yunnan.. It was under 12 months old but you could see the build quality was cheap in it...levers rattled like it had done a zillion hours...

    Yes the new lathe can take a decent cut although my old purcell can still out cut it with it's 10hp motor and heavier construction...The new one is a very nice bit of gear though..I can put a cut on with it and it takes off the amount I dial in, unlike the olf AL1000C which I had trouble keeping size with it due to what I assume was spring in the cross slide..

  13. #13
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    .RC Thanks for the hands on advice,just what I was after.It is hard to tell just looking at a new machine,rarely are they ever hooked up to power and I can only judge them by the feel of the controls and the quality of the fittings that are available. In my experience the Taiwanese seem to build a better class of machine,the Chinese build varies a lot and is usually of a lower standard. I have a AL1000 D Hare 7 Forbes lathe and understand what you are talking about with heavy cuts in steel,I have to creep up on final size.Before I bought this lathe I looked at older,solid constructed machines working on the theory of more mass the better but all examples I saw were worn well beyond holding any close tolerance.
    Bob

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by krisfarm View Post
    Before I bought this lathe I looked at older,solid constructed machines working on the theory of more mass the better but all examples I saw were worn well beyond holding any close tolerance.
    Bob
    That is exactly what I found..I did find what appeared to be nice ones, pity they were 3000km away and going up for auction...

    I am a firm believer that if you live in Melbourne or less so Sydney you would be able to find a nice heavy good condition second hand machine in about a year or so...

    If you live elsewhere it is pot luck and you can blow a lot of money on plane tickets chasing that second hand machine.. Which you then have to take the gamble with freight companies to get it safetly out of the where it is located and onto a truck...

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