[AJCoholic]

Originally Posted by RAMJET

Looks good Andrew , that mill drill is very similar to my first setup . it works well and is quite rigid for small projects and light cuts but I hated the round pole because every time I had to change tooling I would loose my set . It was like a chess game, thinking how to proceed without having to move the head . I have a full size Millrite now and the table travels up and down ,much better .. I put scales on my lathe too and use them all the time . you will love the DRO . .

For now it’s as good as I can justify... lol. Works well for the smaller stuff I do. Actually I’m happy I have this as I still remember milking everything with a milling vise in the lathe. Looking sideways gets old fast!!

[RAMJET]

Not knocking it Andrew, is a great little machine and I did lots of good work with mine , I just found the pole type quit time consuming but I was dong multi cylinder 4 cycle heads that had had more tool changes then I could count. many of the tool changes required more travel then the stroke of the machine LOL.

[AJCoholic]

Originally Posted by RAMJET

Not knocking it Andrew, is a great little machine and I did lots of good work with mine , I just found the pole type quit time consuming but I was dong multi cylinder 4 cycle heads that had had more tool changes then I could count. many of the tool changes required more travel then the stroke of the machine LOL.

No I understand.. it is what it is - I know the raising of the head on the round post makes it a glorified drill press. I completely agree, a proper knee mill would be head and shoulders better.

When I bought this in 2003, $2000 was a lot of money for me to spend. I was super happy to be able to get this one, and it’s served me well. Used machine shop equipment is rare up here. And most of what is for sale is old and beat up or way too large and expensive.

Some day I might look at a better mill but probably not until I don’t have to work a steady day job, which might be a while lol.

A machinist friend of my fathers always told me you can make small things on a big machine, but you can’t make big things on a small machine. That’s ok but you still need space to house the machine and the cash to buy it

My shop is tight. 6000 sq feet sounds big, but I have too much woodworking equipment- but that’s what pays the bills.

[madmike46]

Originally Posted by AJCoholic

You’re the one who suggested the feeder!

Guilty as Charged LOL.

[aspeed]

Originally Posted by AJCoholic

No I understand.. it is what it is - I know the raising of the head on the round post makes it a glorified drill press. I completely agree, a proper knee mill would be head and shoulders better.

When I bought this in 2003, $2000 was a lot of money for me to spend. I was super happy to be able to get this one, and it’s served me well. Used machine shop equipment is rare up here. And most of what is for sale is old and beat up or way too large and expensive.

Some day I might look at a better mill but probably not until I don’t have to work a steady day job, which might be a while lol.

A machinist friend of my fathers always told me you can make small things on a big machine, but you can’t make big things on a small machine. That’s ok but you still need space to house the machine and the cash to buy it

My shop is tight. 6000 sq feet sounds big, but I have too much woodworking equipment- but that’s what pays the bills.

A regular Bridgeport is often $1,000 around here, although lately they seem to have gone up a bit. I have seen them for $500 with a DRO a couple years ago. Of course they are 600 V. That was a major problem for me, and still is. Now there is a variable frequency drive, VFD, which makes things better. I don't think a regular mill takes up much more space, maybe two feet wider.
I paid $3500 for my Hartford Bridgeport copy. I could hardly get $1,000 for it a few years ago. I wanted to keep the Smithy like yours, but didn't want to take the hit. I got more for the little one anyway. The knee type is much nicer to work with. I have seen some guys make a tool that fits on a drill for power feeding the table up and down. Might try that some day. My little mill could hog out material pretty quickly. Never really shifted on me.

[AJCoholic]

Originally Posted by aspeed

A regular Bridgeport is often $1,000 around here, although lately they seem to have gone up a bit. I have seen them for $500 with a DRO a couple years ago. Of course they are 600 V. That was a major problem for me, and still is. Now there is a variable frequency drive, VFD, which makes things better. I don't think a regular mill takes up much more space, maybe two feet wider.
I paid $3500 for my Hartford Bridgeport copy. I could hardly get $1,000 for it a few years ago. I wanted to keep the Smithy like yours, but didn't want to take the hit. I got more for the little one anyway. The knee type is much nicer to work with. I have seen some guys make a tool that fits on a drill for power feeding the table up and down. Might try that some day. My little mill could hog out material pretty quickly. Never really shifted on me.

All my woodworking equipment runs on 240V or 600V three phase. I have about 20 machines in the shop from 5hp to 25hp. I don’t have three phase running to my shop due to my location, but I have a large three phase rotary converter that can run up to 75 Hp at once. Has served us well for the past 8 + years, I was skeptical. And I have a large step up transformer to get the 600V. My small mill and my surface grinder are already on 240V 3 phase, I can easily run a line anywhere if needed. My problem right now is space. But if I could get a real mill in good shape for a grand, I’d drive to pick it up with my 3/4 ton. I’d find room lol.