Just got a killer deal on a bench mill

[AiR_GuNNeR]

I couldn't pass this up. I got it for $325. Although it was bought in 1996, I can see only the most minor whitness marks on the parts that it has ever been used before it was disassembled. The base looks brand new.

The guy selling it bought it at an estate sale from an older machinist that was clearing out a full workshop of machine tools to move to Florida.
It has a 2HP three phase motor on it. Only a dusting wipe-able surface rust. It's a China machine, but for $325, I had to get it. The only think I could see missing was the pulley cover.
This is the unit as advertised.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=33686

Here it is in a form condusive to sneaking it into the house...

[snowman]

I think I saw that on craigslist.

[Ken_Shea]

Right place at the right time gave you a great deal, about 1/3 the cost of new, that would be hard to pass up.

[wooleybooger]

not a terribly bad machine,fairly accurate.its a slow,all manual machine tho. youll need to get a couple of cheap ,mag-base dial indicators because the micro dials are about useless. the vise that came with it is pretty flimsy. a friend has had one for about 4 yrs that i can do pretty good work on if i set the DIs up.

[gnm109]

I had a similar Mill Drll until I sold it to get my present Webb. Mine was a Harbor Freight Rong Fu with a 2 hp single phase motor. I got $500 for it. $325 is an excellent price for a Mill Drill.

If you need a manual for it, look at the Manuals on Enco and Gruizzly Websites. You will find the exact same model and you can download one.

This was mine.

[AiR_GuNNeR]

GNM109, I think that is the exact machine. Looking at it under good light, I don't think it has ever been used. The pully system doesn't have any bright spots on it from the belt. From what I can see, the only things that are missing are the belts, the pully cover, and the motor switch. It looks like it was tore apart when new and never reassembled.

I was actually looking for something like a Millrite size mill, but this will be a good quick project machine that I can easily resell when I'm ready. I have a could of 110v motors laying around I might be able to use as well.

[Black_Moons]

Looks very nice. You might wanna research about the 'laser alignment' method many people with round collumn mills use to raise/lower the head without changing its rotation. (Laser as in, $5 laser pointer and mirror, Not some pricy laser system)

As much as you might wanna get started ASAP, One startup tip: don't try and use endmills with a drill chuck. Buy proper collets or endmill holders. Drill chucks CAN easily fall off the taper when subjected to milling side forces, and are only for holding drills.

[oldtiffie]

Black Moons.

What you say about drill chuck falling out of spindles if used for milling is true in the case of an MT3 bore with a slot for the tang of the chuck adaptor.

It may not be true in if the OP's mill has an R8 taper the same as gnm109's has as that chuck has an R8 tapered adaptor which will need a draw-bar to hold it into the spindle.



Some of the better key-less drill chucks grip very well and run pretty true as well. I'd be willing to give that chuck on that taper a go at milling provided the set-up was solid and the cutter was very sharp and not too large and the cut was not too deep or the speed and feed not too high.

Sure, there are a lot of negatives but despite the limitations, it may be quite "do-able" if needs be.

There are many people who do reasonably well milling in a lathe with the cutter held in a 3-jaw chuck with the job mounted on the cross-slide.

[ulav8r]

When I worked at Vickers in Omaha, I was talking to one of the toolmakers one day. He told me he had a mill-drill that he used with end mills in a drill chuck. He would grind three flats on the shanks to keep them from slipping. It provided more contact area to resist slipping out endways and the flats gave more torque resistance.

[Black_Moons]

Actualy my bigger worry is the fact that most chucks are on an R8/MT3 to JTxx adapator, and the JTxx taper isent the most secure (Untill it comes time to remove the chuck from the taper, then its impossable to remove of course)

a chuck with a built in R8 arbor would be 'ok' but theres still more reasons not to use a drill chuck.