Move to a Miller

Hi, I have been trying to mill on my Myford S7 but have run into problems re. capacity and lack of ridgity. Not sure about going for a new machine probably from the east or an older used UK make. Any suggestions would be helpful thanks.

Too many machines out there to make any kind of recommendations without knowing what size machine you want/have space for. Floor standing or bench top is often a starting point for many.

A Dore Westbury mill was listed on the GandMtools site when I was browsing this morning.

Hello Carl,

​If you can find a nice one, I recommend the Dore Westbury miller---I built mine >25 years ago and it is still giving top service.

Regards
Brian

Milling can be pretty arduous job for the machine (as you, and I, have already found out with the Myford). Which is why I bought a Mill/Drill; would have got a bigger and heavier machine, but unfortunately was limited by space.

So try to find a machine which is as rigid as possible. Almost always rigid equals heavy, which makes moving and siting hard work, but pays off when the machine is in use.

Howard

Hi Carl,

My first question is. What are you refering to as "a miller" ?

Wikipedia defines it as "A miller usually refers to a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a cereal crop to make flour.. I assume you are refering to a milling machine or mill. (sorry to be so picky)

I would chose the bigest, most rigid machine that you can accommodate in your workshop. Rigidity is the main feature you are looking for when buying a machine. Also ensure that there is enough height under the cutting tools to fit your project.

My first mill/drill was a Sieg SX3 which had a high torque brushless DC motor with variable speed control. It worked great for about a year (warranty period) but then started to have problem with the electronic motor controls. I now have an RF-45 clone, available under a lot of other names and is a bit bigger and more rigid. (the column on the Sieg would twist under heavy loads). This mill has an AC motor and a gearbox with steel gears and should last a bit longer than the SX3. My preference if I had the room in my workshop would be for a Bridgeport type machine with 3 phase inverter speed control. A tilting head in both axes is an advantage. Just remember too that tooling can cost as much as the mill.

Paul

Edited By Paul Lousick on 02/08/2017 07:00:50

Hi Carl,

My first milling machine was a Sieg X2, it is still running without problems after nearly 15 years. A bit small for some of the work I do so about four years ago I bought a Weiss WMD25 milling machine that has served me well with no problems so far. If I had the room a RF-45 would have been my first choice for a new milling machine.

Thor

Thanks for the input. I think that going for a generous size is sound advice and the availability of second hand UK make mills for the price of a new import makes me think of looking out for a well looked after example. Floor standing with power to the table preferably.

Carl

What material were you trying to cut out of interest and what depth of cut, tool diameter etc?

Only ask I have a job planned using my ML7 and am curious as to how it will fair?

I had a Vertical Slide, but that flexed, so bought a Rodney Milling Attachment for my ML7. Useful, but the lathe was not really rigid enough. Did not like the cruel way that it shook the ML7; so bought a RF25 Mill/Drill, and that is still in use many years later.

With hindsight a dovetail column would have been better, but none available for my space and budget, at the time.

Even a small milling machine will do jobs that cannot be milled on the lathe.

Howard

Yes I was trying to put a slot into a piece of 12 mm steel plate which I managed but you get the feeling the cross slide is not really up to it. The piece was mounted onto an adjustable vertical slide, older style which is lightly built. My real problem is capacity. I need to make some conical reamers up to 300 mm long, which may be possible by making up a jig to attach to the cross slide, but using a mill to do the job is pretty straight forward. I was spoilt in the past by having the use of a Bridgeport, rock solid. But it is an interesting challenge so perhaps I'll give it a go if I don't manage to find the right machine.

Carl

I don't normally recommend that well known auction site but I bought a Myford VMC for a very good price off it, it was a bit of a gamble but checking out the photos and asking a couple of questions helped to make the decision.

Long story short, it is a superb machine and looking at some of the offerings from the well known used machinery outlets I would say it was a very good bargain indeed, it more than meets my needs, so if your in no hurry, check out that site and see what comes up.

Have a look at the recent outbreak of shaper threads. One might could suit your needs, if they are limited to straight line cutting.