Mill/Lathe combo - garbage?

[slotard]

I've been looking for a small mill (maybe 400lb max due to where I can keep it) to use mostly on aluminum. Haven't had much luck finding one.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/tls/5573739576.html

Is something like that horrible or is it adequate for hobbyist use? I've used a 7x12 mini lathe and it seemed to be adequate for hobbyist use, so I'm mostly curious about the mill part.

 

[ibedayank]

you can do more then 1 thing half *** or do 1 well... you pick

 

[IndyGarage]

I had one of those. They work. They aren't the easiest to use, and they don't have a ton of capacity, but I was able to get work off of mine down to less than +- .001. I learned to thread on it, but you have to change the gears to get the right pitch.

The lathe works pretty well, the mill is pretty limited due to cross travel and the size of the "table". The worst part is that some of the hardware is typical chinese junk. I had to rebuild the motor tensioner and some other parts to make it work correctly.

If you want to do some small projects and something to learn on that doesn't take up much space, it's pretty good.

When I went to sell mine, I had people calling me from all over the country to get it. At that price it's probably already gone.

 

[royesses]

In Pasadena:
R8 spindle $599
http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=4962&category=1387807683

R8 spindle $895
http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=3990&category=1387807683

2MT spindle $699 Not as desirable as R8
http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=4700&category=1387807683

I have the Harbor Freight (happy fart) mini mill with R8. I love it. $599 but mothers day 25% off coupon brings it down to $449. Add an airspring and belt drive kit from Little Machine Shop and some work on your part and it is a good little machine for small projects. As long as you realize its limitations it will do very nice work. The cost of tooling for a mill or lathe can be 2 to 3 times the cost of the machine.

 

[1982fxr]

Surprised the ad is still up...Granite is their good ones, I believe...

 

[toolchaser]

Better than nothing, but not much...

 

[Davefr]

For small/hobby projects they're worth their weight in gold IMHO. (Limited by the skill of the operator.)

For larger projects they become very limited. It all depends on the scope of your projects.

 

[rsanter]

They are limited but will,do on for light hobby work.
With that said I think it's too expensive. I see them for sale from $200 to $400 without tooling and at $400 don't sell that quick.

Bob