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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    texas, queensland
    Posts
    248

    Default re my first mill /drill

    can anyone steer me towards one of these machines over the other one , they are very close to each other , slight difference in travel , h.p. and one is mt4 and the other is mt3 . different drilling max also .
    just like to know if anyone has used both and if one was ahead of the other .

    MILL/DRILL GH-45 G/HEAD 1PH, Mill/Drilling Machines - Engineering Tooling Supplies

    M123 | HM-46 Mill Drill - Geared & Tilting Head | machineryhouse.com.au

    thanks in advance

    johno
    'If the enemy is in range, so are you.'

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    4,779

    Default

    The number of 45 size mill/drills on the market is enough to do your head in when looking to purchase your first mill/drill. All the little features that one has over the other that usually end up forming some basis for a decision end up being irelevant because at the end of the day they are all made in China and of a similar quality.


    I agonised for months on what brand/type of 45 mill to get and to be honest, I should have just picked one at random! 2 years on and all the features that I thought were important and were the basis for some decision, were in fact not that important.


    Since you have decided on a 45 geared head mill/drill, the single biggest variation on such a beast will be the spindle type. MT4, MT3, R8 etc etc. I would be spending more time on making sure a MT spindle is what you will want. While I have a MT4 on mine and I'm happy with it, some swear by the R8 taper or others. The rest of the stuff is all pretty much the same, give or take. I notice one of the mills comes with a cabinet, but to be honest, I am yet to see a half decent 45 size mill table so don't look to that as a deciding factor, you will most likely build your own in the near future. Actually, one thing that is pretty much a necesity (due to the amount of backlash in the spindle rack & pinion) is a DRO on the spindle downfeed, so if possible look for one that has it as standard OR an optional extra OR one that will be easy to retrofit later. I could not live without a DRO on the spindle downfeed, in fact I'm almost at the stage where I'm ready to purchase a 2 axis DRO for X and Y for the same reason!
    There's a $500 difference in those two machines but I'm yet to be convinced that one is $500 better than the other! Make sure you look at both but also be aware that what you end up with maybe better/inferior to what's on display, since the quality control on these machines is hit and miss.

    Also, once you make a decision on the specifics, the next best thing is to purchase from a reputable dealer, one that has a good name for after sales service.

    Good luck!


    Simon
    Girl, I don't wanna know about your mild-mannered alter ego or anything like that." I mean, you tell me you're, uh, super-mega-ultra-lightning babe? That's all right with me. I'm good. I'm good.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Central Coast
    Posts
    23

    Default

    Hi Johno
    I think most of these Chinese mill/drills are six of one and half a dozen the other.I have an HM-48D and the big thing I think is availability of parts and warranty back up. My experiance of Hare and Forbes,Sydney on both these are Excellent. So far I'm very happy with what mine is turning out
    Phill

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    texas, queensland
    Posts
    248

    Default

    ok thanks , i am kinda leaning towards the h&f hm46 ,and they should have a sale coming up soon , if i go the hm46 i will need to have a good look at the package which includes the stand and so on or just buy the mill and build my own stand and buy the other bits as i need them . i already have one of thier mill cutter sets , what i will need is a half decent vice and a clamp set then next in line will be a rotary table me thinks , then a dro and so on and on and on .....................

    johno
    'If the enemy is in range, so are you.'

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Far West Wimmera
    Age
    63
    Posts
    4,049

    Default

    Just to complicate matters, although this is a bit far away. This is the mill I bought nearly a year ago. 2hp motor, mt4 spindle and a swivelling table, which may be a waste of time.

    MILLING MACHINE - DOVETAIL SHAFT » Paramount Browns'

    They really are very similar tho. This one was the cheapest then of all I found and still is in this lot. If there is a particular feature that one has it can help but othe than that go for the H & F.

    Interesting that the mill with the biggest drilling capacity is the one with the smallest motor.

    Dean

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    near Warragul, Victoria
    Posts
    3,718

    Default mill drill

    I have the DM 45 , the yellow machine Standaco used to sell .

    Apart from the clunky backlash in the spindle feed , it has been a good machine . Some owners have done a fix for the spindle problem , if you search this forum you will find out what is involved . I just live with it ............the gearbox is noisy too . Mike

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