Mini milling machines - suggestions?
 

At some point in my life here (soon, I hope), I want to get a mill and start making my own parts for my rc's, and may even make my own car (and snowmobile!) Just wondered if any of you out there have a mill @ home, and what are you using? I've seen the Sherline units before, but that's a bit out of my league pricewise, unless I funded it by making custom one-off parts for people. I'd have no problem doing so, but the initial funds would be short of impossible to come up with.

I too want something to make small custom parts. There is only so much I can do with a drill and jigsaw :(

But, unless something comes along that can do some decent stuff and cost under $500, I don't see myself being able to get one.

links I found that might help:
http://www.mini-lathe.com/Mini_mill/Main/mini-mill.htm

http://www.harborfreight.com/garage-...CategoryExpand

sorry, double post

In same boat, but I have an additional issue, and that is the workroom in my house is extremely small, and can't fit most machines. I barely fit a bandsaw in it a few months back, and it was like the smallest bandsaw I've seen lol

i'm currently working on designs that use a dremel and an angle grinder instread of a mill. one semi-viable option would be a cheap benchtop drill press and a slide table (also called a mill bed, machining table and many other things). harbor frieght has the drill presses for about $100 and a small machining vice for $70. they even have a 20 piece set of end mills for $70. the drill press wont like being used as a mill but it should last for a while. chances are the bearings will give before anything else.

I've thought about the drill press idea, but I'd rather have something purpose built.

Yikes!

I'll check out that first link. Thanks!

yea it comes with living in an overly built up city. I'll be honest I've seen peoples storage sheds on this site that are like 3X bigger then my entire apartment

Things like that are reasons why I won't live in a metro. I dig my small town life, despite it being the same cliques 20+ years after high school. Someday we will move to the country, and I shall have peace. And a track ;), wife approved!

im in central "aka, rural" maine. I have to drive 2 hours to go to any large RC meets. But, I also get to have a 2000sq foot house, with a 300sq foot shed and a 1.5 car garage....all of which only cost $65k.
But in the future, I plan to buy a house outside of town so I can have 5+acres of land.
Tho, even now, I don't have to drive very far to find large spaces to drive my RC's

guys are lucky
I have to drive 2+ hours in traffic to get to any track
Drive 30+ mins to find a place to even run RC's as the city closed down the one park that was by me, and built schools... they never fix streets, or did stupid things at places I used to run em (why I've not run em much lately)... well that is in good areas. If I don't mind potentially being shot, or robbed I know a few huge places that would rock, but alas its in one of the highest crime parts of the city...

the building I live is 2,146 sq ft according to the tax assessor the entire property including front yard, back yard, and a 2 car garage is supposedly 3,750... I'd so ditch this city if I could afford to leave

I bought myself a mini mill many years ago, it is solid, cheap and tiny. Made in China and branded as Sieg, I have seen the same mill in the US but painted red and branded under another name (Harbor Freight I think).
If you are looking to keep costs down then go to a machinery sale (I presume you have them over there?), often you can find a decent used machine at low cost.
I would not recommend using a normal pillar drill with a table unless you are only cutting soft materials.

A machinery sale might be possible. I've seen them advertised around our area in the past, but they don't come about very often. The drill press idea would not be an ideal setup for me, as I plan to use aluminum for the most part. Maybe delrin in low stress areas, or some frp, that'd be about it.

I use a Bosch pilar drill with cross table as a mill, and find this sufficient for my use. It can take aluminium in very small cuts, but i mostly use it to mill plastic type material. If you have limited space, maybe i can give you an idea how to get some more table space? Here is what i did with my lathe which i just swing under my bench when not using it: http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/rc-c...l#post11084819

Here is one, it is a little above the $500.00 price.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Mini...-Machine/G8689


Buzz.

Decent looking machine. Thanks!

Grizzly is a small step above the Harbor freight stuff. Some things, you can even get parts for your Harbor Freight from Grizzly. Grizzly seems to have a tighter tolerance to fit and finish then HF does. Both are most likely made in the same sweat shops.


Buzz.