Some of you may remember my last post, where I indicated that I was expecting a budget of about $7000 to obtain a mill for my home shop. Well it looks like my windfall will only be about $4000 when I go to upgrade from my mill drill so I guess I will have to revise my dreams a bit.
Are the Grizzly mills any good and if so which ones in my price range. An attractive point about the Grizzly mills is that many are available in single phase which would solve the power problem for me. I think I remember something about the Girzzly's lacking dove tail ways under the saddle.... is this a problem
Buying a good piece of used american iron would be a good deal but I would have to avoid getting a lemon and it would probably be 3 phase and would require me to spend part of my budget in obtaining or building a phase converter. (are they that hard to build?)
Are there any good sources of single phase mills I should look at besides Grizzly
Where can I find a selection of good used vertical mills. What I really want is one with a DRO and variable speed. (are the belt driven units much different for speed changing than the typical mill drill?)
All help will be appreciated especially the help that tells me what to avoid as well as what to seek.
Looking for a vertical mill
What area of USA? Re: Looking for a vertical mill
As people have said here, the market price of a used Bridgeport type mill varies greatly depending on the region.
If I were in your situation, I would try to find a used Bridgeport, or, better yet, a used clone. Here in CA, you can find Lagun brand mills, which are as good as (or maybe better than) Bridgeport, which used to be manufactured in the Los Angeles area. You can get one in good shape for $1500-$3000, and then spend $1000 on tooling, and still be within budget. I think the most useful tooling is:
6-inch or 5-inch vise : about $100, used
Hold downs and bolts
DRO for X-Y axes (Mitutoyo for under $600)
Rotary table (9-inch Troyke from eBay, for under $200)
New Collets (from Enco or other cheap place) and new or resharpened end mills from eBay.
If you don't find a used American mill, then I would buy a new Bridgeport clone from Taiwan, rather than one made in China.
If I were in your situation, I would try to find a used Bridgeport, or, better yet, a used clone. Here in CA, you can find Lagun brand mills, which are as good as (or maybe better than) Bridgeport, which used to be manufactured in the Los Angeles area. You can get one in good shape for $1500-$3000, and then spend $1000 on tooling, and still be within budget. I think the most useful tooling is:
6-inch or 5-inch vise : about $100, used
Hold downs and bolts
DRO for X-Y axes (Mitutoyo for under $600)
Rotary table (9-inch Troyke from eBay, for under $200)
New Collets (from Enco or other cheap place) and new or resharpened end mills from eBay.
If you don't find a used American mill, then I would buy a new Bridgeport clone from Taiwan, rather than one made in China.