Milling Around
January 21st, 2009You Know the Drill
I resent people saying I have a tool addiction. I can stop any time I want. But first I have to find out which expensive tools I need in order to do that.
I continued Googling milling machines last night. I blame reader Jdunmyer. He posted a comment linking to some photos of beautiful machinery a guy made on a Harbor Freight combination machine. Here’s the link. Look, and weep.
A combination machine performs functions that would ordinarily require several machines. People buy them to save money, and because they take up less room. These machines are often criticized because they don’t do everything well. But this guy’s work seems to demonstrate that the man running the machine is a bigger factor.
Anyway, I looked at that stuff and got all excited. He made little engines, mainly. I can’t really see myself making those. But the quality of his work and the relative cheapness of the machine he used made me realize you can do a lot with small machinery that doesn’t break the bank. You can do more than enough to make the expense and effort worth it.
I don’t think I’d buy one of these things. The man who made those little machines says the milling part is very, very cramped. That’s bad. But you can get other machines that save space and money, without losing so much functionality.
One type of machine that interests me is the mill/drill. This is a milling machine that also functions as a drill press. They make them big enough to do respectable milling jobs, and they’re excellent drills with deep strokes and a wide range of speeds. Some people buy them and use them for both metalworking and woodworking. Obviously, that appeals to me. A good drill press–good enough so I’ll never have to replace it–will run me at least nine hundred dollars. A mill/drill that will do nearly everything the drill press will, plus much more, will cost twice that much. And it will take up roughly the same amount of space as the drill press.
The obvious difference is that the mill has a short column, so there is a limit to the distance you can put between the work and the spindle. I think. Maybe you can spin the head around and drill on the other side, with only the floor below the spindle. I don’t know. If you did that, you’d have to come up with some kind of rigid substitute for a drill press table.
Another concern: to do woodworking on a drill press, you need a suitable table. How do you manage that on a milling machine? And if you do manage to attach it, how do you swivel it and rotate it in the small space between the drill spindle and the bed?
Still, neat idea. I have read that you can do a fair amount of metal turning on these things, so presumably, a mill/drill would–to some degree–be a full-blown combination machine.
Here’s a link to a guy who uses a mill/drill primarily for woodworking. Looks like he has no real problems. He has a pretty expensive machine; it doesn’t have a round column. Machines with round columns are cheaper. Grizzly makes a similar machine (G519) for about half of that price. Whoops…the Grizzly is 3-phase. And it looks like they came out with a single-phase version. People are 3-phase is better, because you can put a $200 VFD on it, and it has a tapping function, which somehow relies on the ability to reverse the motor. Refresh my memory…will a VFD reduce the power of the machine?
Anyway, it’s all very interesting. And I am not addicted to tools.
I hope my miter gauges arrive today.
January 21st, 2009 at 11:59 AM
Don’t bother with a mill/drill. The ones I’ve seen are a bastardized machine that isn’t really good at either one.
If I was going to get a combination tool it would be a mill/lathe. I’ve seen some excellent work done on that type of machine. In any even’t you’ll be spending more $$$ on the tooling for whatever machine you buy. I’ve personally found a lathe (8′ x 3 foot Logan screw-cutting lathe) to be more generally useful than a mill, but YMMV.
January 21st, 2009 at 12:02 PM
Why do you say the mill/drills are bad choices? Many people on the forums like them a lot, and they seem very pleased with the work they’ve done.
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How do you overcome the tiny vertical capacity of a lathe/mill combination?
January 21st, 2009 at 1:12 PM
Your puns are terrible! My co-workers think I have stomach cramps from all the groaning.
So, good work then!
January 21st, 2009 at 1:46 PM
I know it has gotten to be common usage, but it still throws me how everything that anyone is heavily into is described as an “addiction”.
January 21st, 2009 at 1:53 PM
I suppose it depends on that you’re doing. The mill/drills I’ve seem tended to the flimsy side for milling. I’ve never personally worked with one, so this may not be a problem in use.
For the lathe/mill, mostly I’ve seen them used for relatively small parts, like the model engines you’ve mentioned or for gunsmithing, where the small clearance is not really an issue.
Any combo machine you’re looking at is the result of a series of compromises, so you just have to decide what you think will work out best for you.
BTW that lathe I mentioned above is an 8″ lathe, not an 8′ LOL.
Besides, you still need a plasma cutter and an EDM machine.
January 21st, 2009 at 2:18 PM
I see a new Twelve Step Program on the horizion.
The meetings would open something like this:
You: Hi…I’m Steve…and I’m a grateful recovering tool-o-holic.
Hi Steve (from the group)
You: I’m still on step #1, and I’m still wondering if someone can tell me a valid reason why it’s wrong for me to own my own Home Depot and Harbor Freight store in my Garage?
Me: Hi Steve…I’m Virgil…a recovering Workmate addict…
Group: og…og…OG…come back in here and sit down…
January 21st, 2009 at 3:08 PM
I too can stop at any time. Done it dozens of times.
January 21st, 2009 at 3:12 PM
“BTW that lathe I mentioned above is an 8? lathe, not an 8? LOL. ”
.
I really thought you meant 8 feet. I get a lot of comments that are just that crazy.
January 21st, 2009 at 3:13 PM
“Group: og…og…OG…come back in here and sit down…”
.
“It’s my mother. I’ll put it on speakerphone.”
January 21st, 2009 at 3:14 PM
Don’t even bother reading about other mills. They are trash.
Find a nice used Model 1. Bridgeport Mill.
It’s the Colt 1911 of machine tools.
http://www.astratool.com/
January 21st, 2009 at 3:15 PM
“I get a lot of comments that are just that crazy.”
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See previous. No offense, George.
January 21st, 2009 at 6:47 PM
Steve,
To refresh your memory: yes, a VFD reduces the power of the motor, in direct relation to how much you slow it from “nameplate”. IE: if you run the motor at half-speed, it will generate half the rated power. That is not usually a problem, especially on a decent milling machine, and the tradeoffs are well worth it. My own BridgePort is an old, 1Hp step-pulley unit, with a 1Hp motor. As I have “factory” 3-phase power, I connected it and ran it that way for a couple or 3 years. Then, my buddy got his own B’Port, and we installed a VFD immediately, as he doesn’t have 3-phase power. Once I played with it for a bit, I installed a VFD on my mill. I’ve never run out of power.
July 29th, 2009 at 12:54 PM
LeBlond Regal Lathes are one of the most sought after used engine lathes in the US, for good reason. They are simple designs, easy to operate and easy to repair. They are a medium duty lathe, neither too light nor too heavy duty for general, all purpose machining. To further enhance their appeal, LeBlond Ltd offers wonderful support with documentation and parts available for most any age and model machine. For these reasons, the LeBlond Regal engine lathe is quite possibly, the world’s most popular general purpose engine lathe.