Milling Machine

[MWitte]

I'll offer another endorsement for the old Millrite milling machines. I have had one for years, and have moved it twice. It can be broken down with a cherry picker. It is small enough to fit into a basement shop. Mine came with a 1 hp 3 phase motor. VFD's for a 1 hp motor are not terribly expensive, and add some nice features to the machine.

 

[jmarkwolf]

I was looking for a Millrite when I encountered my Bridgeport in a pawn shop of all places.

The table was in very good condition, the backlash was minimal. Just needed some cleaning, new belts and the head needed a little work. But I found all the parts and info I needed were readily available. I installed a DRO on it and it works very well for me.

It has a 42in table so the footprint is relatively small.

Millrites are few and far between in my neck of the woods, and they cost more than many of the Bridgeports I've seen. Certainly more than the $900 I paid for my Bridgeport.

I don't think parts are as plentiful for the Millrite, but they are a nice machine. Might still buy one if the condition and the price is right.

 

[Falcon67]

That's really the two "prongs" of buying a used machine - finding something decent for the asking price, and availability of parts to repair the machine. The good thing about a B-port is that you can buy almost every part to fix one.

 

[My Old Tools]

When I found my Millrite (Powermatic vintage) it had been used strictly as a drill press by a fixture company. As a result, not much wear anywhere. I'm reasonably sure all of the Powermatics are R8. I moved the vise that was on it to my 17" drill press and dropped a new Kurt 6" on it (got to love those Enco 25% off and free shipping).

 

[Tommy J.]

Hi. Most of the PM mill reviews I've found were dated 2013 or before. At that point, posts were overwhelmingly positive. Is the quality still as good now? Thanks in advance for your thoughts.