On Wed, 24 Jan 1996, Brandon Dixon wrote:
> So my question is: What do people think of the "Import" brand vertical
> mill/drill combinations? There are some that are just a little bit bigger
> than a floor standing drill press. I think that I could fit this in, but
> should I just wait until I have the space and buy the real thing?
There are several considerations about milling machines. They tend to
interact with other.
Productivity: How fast can it do the work. Since you are a Formula Ford
tinkerer, this may not be your biggest problem. You are not running a
business. Taking twice as long to mill up the one little part you need
may not be huge problem. In a commercial application it's the difference
between profit and bankruptcy.
Capacity: How large a piece are likely to want to carve on? Are you
likely to try to bore the rear uprights for a an FF? Drill and tap
cylinder blocks? Make brake parts from scratch? Think about what you
are doing with your lathe to help you think about what you want to do
with your milling machine. Is there enough little stuff that a small
machine would be just darn handy to have around? Or would you be likely
to wind up sending most of your work out anyway?
Rigidity: The holy grail of machining. A mill which is not very rigid
can do only the lightest work. Slowly. A small mill that looks good
in the showroom might get up and walk out the door when you try to make
it work. You have no doubt learned the importance of a rigid setup from
your lathe experience. Be sure the machine is not part of the problem.
Don't depend on a machine unless you have seen one run under load, or have
a testimonial from a reliable user.
Precision: Are you planning on working to tenths? Or is a tolerance of
several thousandths adequate for the kind of work you will be doing?
The quality of the parts and the rigidity of the machine will limit how
precise you can be. I know that most of the stuff that I would mill up
if I had machine access would probably not have to be to rocket-science
tolerances. You may have something different in mind.
I think that if you have the means to afford a small machine, and the
space to put it, you should not wait for a bigger shop. A rigid small
mill can open new vistas to you. Properly maintained, it should still be
worth something when you do get the opportunity to up-size. In fact,
that may be the best way to acquire a small machine. Find someone who has
just gotten a Bridgeport/Lagun-size machine and is looking to unload a
small one. Buying out a used outfit can supply you with a lot of handy
tooling at good prices, too.
Phil Ethier <ethier@freenet.msp.mn.us>
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