which mill to get
 

So guys I have been looking at the mills on little machine shop and I wanted to get your opinions one which one I should get. I have been looking at the micro mill and the mini mill but cannot decide between the two on which one to buy. So guys let me know what you think. Thanks.

Re: which mill to get
 

Don't know anything about them,but I would go for the bigger,heavier machine of the two.

Re: which mill to get
 

I agree. I have http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/tools...ill-drill.html

It's a great little machine for a small shop, but it's not very rigid and it has a very light capacity.
If I had the room I'd get a full size mill and lathe"thumbsup"

Re: which mill to get
 

I had the same debate... went with the 3960 and there have been numerous times that I've been glad I didn't go with the micro.

Re: which mill to get
 

How much space is between The top of the table and the bottom of the spindle on the 3960 mini mill?

Re: which mill to get
 

I have this mill: https://littlemachineshop.com/3960
It is pretty sturdy and powerful. Im not sure what kind of space you have but take my word you will want a bigger machine sooner than later! I started with a Sherline mill and its nice but sadly it wasn't big or powerful enough for what I had in mind so I eventually bought that off my friend which I had CNC converted. There are a few quirks like the rack and pinion Z axis was a little funky for me but with a little messing around you can learn to use it.

Re: which mill to get
 

What material are you trying to cut?

Re: which mill to get
 

A friend of mine has this one,, It's all inch With some better up grades
MicroLux High Precision Heavy Duty R8 Miniature Milling Machine
"thumbsup"
But the bigger table is a very nice option ,,It would be a better mill ,,,

Re: which mill to get
 

Okay guys I will look around some more. I will probably be milling mostly delrin, aluminum, probably not Much steel. Maybe some brass mostly hobby stuff I think.

Re: which mill to get
 

10" quill to table. Personally I can't imagine anything RC/hobby related that would require a bigger mill. I've done skid plates, suspension stuff etc from aluminum, delrin and stainless and never loaded the motor in the slightest.

Re: which mill to get
 

I have 2 Sherline mills and a lathe. I love them! I have milled and lathed steel of verious different sizes without any problems at all. All small/mini mills and lathes have their good and bads. I highly recommend you buying what is available in your area so you will have local support and most of all tooling. I have looked at several different ones and I went with Sherline because the actual company is down the street from me and they are american made.

Again my 2 cents... Buy whats local... for suport if needed and tooling availability.

Paul

Re: which mill to get
 

For what your milling the HF mill will work great. You already found the best site at LMS, he sells all the upgrades you could need to make it perform. You should also check out hossmachine, he does some great builds, mods and conversions on these. I'm actually in the middle of building one now so I can work from home instead of my shop, I can send you some pics info if you need

If you really want to go bigger get the grizzly G0704 it's a great machine for the price and is completely upgradable as well.

--Dan

Re: which mill to get
 

I have a Grizzly ,,,,,,Grizzly.com,,,,
Have been using it since 2006 ,,,no problems ,,has paid for it's self ,5 times over,,,I added DRO ,,,,shars.com - Three Axis Electronic Digital Display wscales

It's been a good system scales are a pain ,,needs 357 a batteries,,last about 6 months ,,Have to set read out back to metirc berfore shut down or you will need to pull batteries to reset scale's ,,,Just push the yellow button ,,,Robert,,,