Bench top mill

[panderhorn]

I have a walker Turner 15 inch bench top Drill Press. I have recently decided to sell and use the money to help upgrade to a new drill press. Lots of options out there. After researching I have narrowed it Down to either Jet J2530 or Grizzly G7943. In the process I have started looking at bench top milling machines. I kinda like the Little machine shop 3990. Most of my work is fabricating and welding with occasional wood working. I’m worried that the small mill will end up being a crappy mill with a limited Drill Press. Milling would be very handy but I wouldn’t want to sacrifice drilling. Looking for thoughts and experiences

 

[niget2002]

Not sure about bench top mills, but I use my knee mill as a glorified drill press all the time. I can't see how a mill of any type would be a sacrifice when it comes to drilling.

 

[Mainiac Mat]

I have a Grizzly 0463 (which has been superseded by the G0704)

For drilling and tapping it's great. For milling soft metals (aluminum) it's pretty good. For milling steel, it's very limited.

It's all about rigidity with these machines... if you push them too hard, they flex and you lose precision.

I bought mine as a CNC conversion project and have tinkered with it for years. If you're into that, it's lots of fun.

I mostly use the CNC as a glorified power feed and DRO, but every once in a while I cook up some G-code and cut fairly simple CNC jobs.

OBTW, I also have the G7943 drill press. I set mine up with an oversized table and fence for woodworking. It's a decent drill press, but known to have a fair amount of runout (~0.005 or more). A variable speed drill press with a spindle that runs true would be the way to go for metalworking use.

 

[panderhorn]

Thank you guys for your thoughts. I think the 3990 mill would be a very precise for drilling but it is small for a mill. Which would limit width of pieces i could work on. I need to look closer at specs on the mill before i run out and buy. Runout is a problem with drill presses i cant find any so far that really wants to stand behind their runout. Looked up the G0704 looks to be quite a bit larger than the LMS 3990 . Sounds like milling mild steel would be challenging. I’m going to look closer at the mill. If it wont work for me I’m now thinking the Jet 2530 order it for pickup at Home Depot. It’s a few hundred more than the grizzly at that price i will box it up and take it back if runout isn’t acceptable. Thanks again for your input

 

[Slick111]

Precision Matthews 833T check it out I have one at work and push it hard on T-6 aluminum all day holding up fine will do steel with lighter cuts if you need close tolerance specs

 

[panderhorn]

Checked the 833T out. That is a nice machine. It’s out of my price range though. You get what you pay for in a lot of cases. In my case I’m thinking I would be better off with a higher priced drill press than a low priced mill. Thanks for the input

 

[panderhorn]

The mill i was looking at is about $1400 with shipping. My first thought about it was its not much more than a drill press. But finding out to get a mill that’s any good the prices aren’t even in the same ballpark as a decent drill press. It would have been fun tinkering with a mill though.

 

[manwithtools]

Take a look at a mill/drill. I've done a fair bit of fabrication with one of them. They have their limitations as a mill, but they are an awesome drill press. Rong Fu RF-30 or it's many clones is a good place to start. Grizzley and Jet have their versions too. Used one's can be found for something close to you budget and may come with some tooling as well.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

Thank you guys for your thoughts. I think the 3990 mill would be a very precise for drilling but it is small for a mill. Which would limit width of pieces i could work on. I need to look closer at specs on the mill before i run out and buy. Runout is a problem with drill presses i cant find any so far that really wants to stand behind their runout. Looked up the G0704 looks to be quite a bit larger than the LMS 3990 . Sounds like milling mild steel would be challenging. I’m going to look closer at the mill. If it wont work for me I’m now thinking the Jet 2530 order it for pickup at Home Depot. It’s a few hundred more than the grizzly at that price i will box it up and take it back if runout isn’t acceptable. Thanks again for your input

Drilling Capacity

0.5" (13 mm)

Throat

6.5" (165 mm

Machine Weight

124 lbs (56 kg)

That is a tiny machine. Those are the specs for the machine in the op.

 

[f150skidoo]

Not sure about bench top mills, but I use my knee mill as a glorified drill press all the time. I can't see how a mill of any type would be a sacrifice when it comes to drilling.

Depends what your drilling on the bench top mill. Before I bought my 9x42 bridgeport clone I had a bench top mill the same as the grizzly G0704 and I always pushed the machines limit. the small mills use variable speed motors and gear set to switch from high range to low range, but they have a sacrifical plastic gear that easy to strip the teeth off. where a belt driven drill press the belt will just slip. My old small mill I replaced the plastic gear three times and replaced the motor once

 

[karoc]

Wanting to echo what Mainiac, I believe that will work fine if you stay within their limits. Don’t ask benchtop to do what Bridgeport can do. Quality cutters is everything, put milling in your favor. Add a DRO will take any mill to next level.

 

[cruzer75]

Dad bought a round column mill/drill back in late 90s from grizzly. have used for lots of things.

If you have the space i see Bridgeport's and clones come up for 1000-1500 in my area(Connecticut) extensively.

If you are close to CT we are probably going to sell the mill/drill if you are interested.

 

[RoninB4]

the small mills use variable speed motors and gear set to switch from high range to low range, but they have a sacrificial plastic gear that easy to strip the teeth off. OR JUST SIMPLY EXPLODE. where a belt driven drill press the belt will just slip. My old small mill I replaced the plastic gear three times and replaced the motor once

-Aside from the terrible build quality of the small mills the above is one of my principal complaints, and a warning to others contemplating the Chinese **** directly from Horrible Freight or Northern Tool. Some importers of these machines do specify an upgrade to the known failure prone components so investigate before purchase. The electric motors are also a roll of the dice. AMHIK.

 

[Raydmo]

I am new to The Garage Journal. I have picked up a Northern Drill Mill for $100. I am trying to restore it but need a manual to better understand it. I know this is an old machine but does anyone know where a manual might be available for the Northern Tool 143352?

 

[jonesg]

I am new to The Garage Journal. I have picked up a Northern Drill Mill for $100. I am trying to restore it but need a manual to better understand it. I know this is an old machine but does anyone know where a manual might be available for the Northern Tool 143352?

try google.

https://manualzz.com/doc/7533165/manual

this is a good resource, i'm uh ....the president, yeh thats the ticket.

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[Raydmo]

Thank you... just what I needed.

 

[gearhead1]

Do have enough space for a Bridgeport? If so consider a used Bridgeport.

Where are you located? Here’s a full size mill in Kentucky for $1800

WELLS INDEX 1HP MILLING MACHINE R8 SPINDLE | eBay

WELLS INDEX MILL, MODEL #: 747, S/N: 17997. Spindle Speeds    (8) 75-2,850 RPM. Spindle Stroke    6. Motor 1 HP, 230/460 V, 3 PH. SPECIFICATION SUBJECT TO VERIFICATION.

www.ebay.com

Here’s a full size mill in California for $2000

supermax milling machine | eBay

supermax milling machine. ygm-12 1988 Condition is Used. Local pickup only.

www.ebay.com

Nevada Bridgeport for $2000

BRIDGEPORT MILLING MACHINE WITH AUTOMATIC FEED AND R8 COLLECTS WORKS GOOD | eBay

This Bridgeport milling machine with automatic feed and R8 collects is a reliable and efficient tool for all your milling and drilling needs. Equipped with a powerful 1 hp spindle horsepower, this machine can handle a wide range of materials with ease. The control is manual, giving you full...

www.ebay.com

If you can find a good deal on a used table top mill great. You’ll find one eventually if you look and wait long enough.

I’m not trying to steer you in the direction of a large mill per se. I was looking for a table top mill and found they are expensive because they are popular. My experience was that I could find a used full size mill cheaper than a used table top mill. The icing on the cake was the additional capability the full size mill gives me.

I use my mill for some fab work. Get some roughing end mills and go slow, you can hog out 3/4” plate.

 

[Innovate1]

I bought a Precision Mathews PM-25mv for work over 5 years ago. We aren't a metal fab shop - we do electronics so need to put holes in a heat sink or bracket or small, simple jobs in mostly aluminum so haven't pushed it's limits. We got the digital readout which is REALLY nice when doing hole patterns. The speed adjust pot went our recently but was an easy fix since that's the sort of stuff we do. Do both milling and drilling.

 

[CraigStu]

I don't know the correct terminology so bear with me. I got one of the LMS X-Y tables that comes w/ one of their mills to use on my drill press. It has been very handy over the last 3 years but....there are at least two types of mechanisms to move a table like this. One is just long threaded rods engaging internally threaded blocks. The other has some type of spiral channels in both an inner and an outer piece w/ ball bearings between them. My understanding is that the bearing style lets you crank to the left and then reverse and crank to the right w/ no slop when you change directions. My X-Y table has the threaded rod type. So you crank to the left and reverse and there is slop. The dial on the crank handle shows there is about .015" of slop at the scale on the crank. I can live w/ this for my uses but I don't think I'd want it if I had a mill.

 

[theoldwizard1]

It's all about rigidity with these machines... if you push them too hard, they flex and you lose precision.

Which is why the column and power head should be FIXED !

 

[gearhead1]

I don't know the correct terminology so bear with me. I got one of the LMS X-Y tables that comes w/ one of their mills to use on my drill press. It has been very handy over the last 3 years but....there are at least two types of mechanisms to move a table like this. One is just long threaded rods engaging internally threaded blocks. The other has some type of spiral channels in both an inner and an outer piece w/ ball bearings between them. My understanding is that the bearing style lets you crank to the left and then reverse and crank to the right w/ no slop when you change directions. My X-Y table has the threaded rod type. So you crank to the left and reverse and there is slop. The dial on the crank handle shows there is about .015" of slop at the scale on the crank. I can live w/ this for my uses but I don't think I'd want it if I had a mill.

With the lead screw type, this occurs even on a Bridgeport when wear occurs. So you have to account for the backlash depending on the direction you are traveling. You can also adjust the nut on a Bridgeport type machine to minimize it.

The other type with the steel balls is called a ball screw. The ball goes deeper in the thread as parts wear, so it is inherently anti-backlash. I would guess since there are balls rotating between threads, there is less wear to begin with.

 

[John in OH]

It really depends on what kind of work you want to do. You said that, "Most of my work is fabricating and welding with occasional wood working." But that isn't very specific as to how "heavy" your fabricating and welding really is. For example, fabricating scale model steam engines is a lot different than fabricating/repairing farm equipment.

Personally, for my farm repair/fabrication work, I have a 17" floor-standing, 1/2" chuck Delta drill press, a 20" floor-standing #4 taper Delta drill press, and an Enco bench-top mill/drill. Under no circumstances would I consider replacing the 17" Delta with a mill/drill. Yes, the mill/drill will drill holes ... and can be used to accurately locate holes ... but the machines sure aren't interchangeable.

The Enco mill/drill is not a heavy-duty mill, but it will easily handle a 1/2" multi-flute end mill if fed slowly and with light cuts. Accuracy has always been adequate for the modest work that I do. Sure, if given the opportunity, I would upgrade to a Bridgeport-style mill, but I don't do enough milling to justify the cost nor do I have the floor space.

A bench-top mill/drill is a compromise machine ... you get a "sorta OK, but less than ideal" mill and a "sorta OK, but less than ideal" drill press.

 

[My Old Tools]

I have a 17" Delta floor and a 15" Delta floor drill press, but for accuracy nothing beats my Burke Powermatic Millrite with a fast feed on the head. It's also a very capable mill, much more so than the tabletop mills. Its about 2/3 the size of a Bridgeport.

 

[tool_scrounge]

if your mill drill is too light duty for drilling big holes, you can use the mill drill to accurately locate and drill a divot using a spotting or center drill and then drill the the big hole on a drill press.

 

[whateg01]

Unless you are trying to drill pc boards or refuse to center punch your holes, I can't see where the runout on a drill press is really of any concern unless it's in whole inches.

 

[rbgearz]

I have the 3990 mill from little machine shop. Have owned it for about 5 years. No complaints. I added the power feed and DRO. Thing is a workhorse.. I can't hog off metal like I can with my Wells Index but I didn't expect to. It has a square column and the precision is right on. I The torque is unbelievable. I liked it well enough that I got the mini hi torque lathe a couple years later. I've done a lot of precision work on both of them and I'd recommend them to anyone.

 

[NDJ]

I wish I could find on of those $2000 Bridgeports.....


https://www.facebook.com/marketplac...wse_serp:87a443dd-fedf-44c6-9507-2c0444e3ec1e

 

[LopezBart]

I used a Rong Fu mill-drill for drilling many years with good success. It had no issues drilling 1" holes in steel if I stepped it up a few sizes. As a mill, it worked well for non-ferrous metals and light steel work - slots in plates for mounting small engines, for example. I built a new head for an refrigeration compressor and used it as a steam engine in my 19' boat for years.

I now have a Bridgeport I scored for $1200. Yes, it's a bit long in the tooth, but it's far more accurate than my Rong Fu was for milling. I've added a DRO and VFD and am quite pleased.

 

[gearhead1]

I wish I could find on of those $2000 Bridgeports.....


https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/863049508390570/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp:87a443dd-fedf-44c6-9507-2c0444e3ec1e

$12,500. Ouch. Not worth it. My mill is identical and drop a zero for about what I paid for it. I had to drive 8 hours one way to get it.

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[dutchgray]

$12,500. Ouch. Not worth it. My mill is identical and drop a zero for about what I paid for it. I had to drive 8 hours one way to get it.

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I sold one which was nicer than that with more tooling for £950 last year and it took a few months to get that much for it.

I paid £3,800 for the one I use myself but it was during the covid inflation period, but it is a pretty good example.