# milling machine question



## johndaddy (Nov 28, 2011)

I am new to the forum and am in the process of buying a milling machine. Which is better Grizzly G0619 at $1469.00 with shipping wt. of 418 lbs or Lathemaster LMT25L at $1389.00 with shipping wt. of 340 lbs? Will be using for hobby building.


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## Chazz (Nov 28, 2011)

Generally, the rule of thumb for Milling machines is; "Get the biggest machine you can both afford and have room for. Our smaller 'hobby' machines need all the weight and ridigitity we can afford.

After that, bells and whistles, R8 has a larger holding range than MT3, power z or y axis, how much HP etc.

Have fun,
Chazz


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## Entropy455 (Nov 28, 2011)

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Mill-Drill-w-Variable-Speed-Power-Feed/G1007

My first milling machine was the Grizzly G1007 (see above link). In my opinion, the G1007 is an excellent starter mill. It is not as rigid as a knee mill, but its very robust by mill-drill standards. It has more than enough horsepower  so much so that if you attempt heavy cuts, youll have the power, but the bit will chatter. With light (reasonable) cuts, it works great. The power feed is a dream! I could not imagine attempting to machine anything without the power feed. On that note: my next machine will have power feed on the y-axis also. . . The G1007 is easily maneuverable with a small shop engine crane. (See below link).

http://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-foldable-shop-crane-35915.html

I built a lifting fixture consisting of a small trapezoid piece of steel welded a 5/16 chain. The trapezoid steel piece will wedge-fit into the top inner-lip of the mills vertical cylinder (casting lip) providing an easy means of rigging the entire mill. Just pop off the dust cap and slip in the chain assembly for easy moving.

Im not familiar with the G0619.

I do agree however that you should purchase the largest machine you can afford (and fit into the shop). The only exception would be if youre only looking to manufacture the smallest of components  where a smaller machine might be desirable.


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## Troutsqueezer (Nov 29, 2011)

Ask ten hobby machinists a question and you'll get eleven different answers. With that in mind, here's my response. Buy the smallest and cheapest machine that will get the job done. Take the money you have saved and spend it on your wife. You will be much happier in the long run.

Trout


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## moanaman (Nov 29, 2011)

I would prefer the Grizley over the Lathemaster of the 2 you are considering. It appears to have a larger column and hopefully more rigid.

Barry G


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## bearcar1 (Nov 29, 2011)

Troutsqueezer  said:
			
		

> ............... Take the money you have saved and spend it on your wife. You will be much happier in the long run.
> 
> Trout



Spoken like a true gentleman. Well done Trout'. 

BC1
Jim


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## larry1 (Nov 29, 2011)

Trout, Truly spoken like a true gentleman thank-you very much.  larry


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## S3MIH3MI (Nov 30, 2011)

I'll bet he's away from the computer for a minute and that was his wife posting...
LOL


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## Swede (Nov 30, 2011)

A good wife would not begrudge her man a modest toy that would bring years of joy.

In the grand scheme... it's $1,400 bucks. Millions of men spend 8X that on motorcycles or other gadgets, or spend that annually on a golf course.


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## Troutsqueezer (Nov 30, 2011)

Trout has learned a thing or two in his old age. 

Sometimes I scratch my head at some of the advice given as to which machines are best. Best for you is not necessarily best for me. Whatever fits the bill is 'best'. So then we have to ask, what _is_ the bill? Given this is HMEM, some terms come to mind such as 'hobby' and 'model'.

Now I don't know about you but when I think hobby, I don't think hogging out material as fast as I can. I might think along those lines if this were a production machinist's forum. No, I think that enjoyment, relaxation, taking all the time I want and thinking things through is where the rewards are in this hobby. Oh, and discussing those attributes in forums like this. 

After dinner and watching Jeopardy with the wife, I head out to the shed for a couple hours each evening. I am quite satisfied upon entering to see my Harbor Freight mill and lathe sitting there, waiting for me to figure out my next part. I remove small bits of metal at a time. One evening, one small part, eventually an engine. Life is good. I also enjoy tweaking with those machines, make them as good as they can be. All at low expense. Contrary to belief, these machines bring "years of joy" as well as any other. 

I have other hobbies. They require a budget as well. Most here probably do too. It just wouldn't work for me to starve my other hobbies because someone else thinks bigger and more expensive is always better. It's about enjoyment on as many levels as you can swing it, not about having the biggest and best toy. I need something that works. I don't need a monster truck if my Toyota is going to get me there and back. But hey, that's just me.


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## LongRat (Nov 30, 2011)

Can't remember the last time I read a post that well written. Nice one Trout!


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## jpeter (Nov 30, 2011)

An older Bridgeport's not a bad way to go. Price might be about the same.


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## mklotz (Nov 30, 2011)

Yes, Trout, well written indeed. Like you, I get upset with the application of job shop criteria to the hobby venue.


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## ileed (Nov 30, 2011)

I prefer to keep the wife happy, and thereby myself a little happier. There is one way to accomplish both, when thinking about this problem.

Research the machines, and make a selection, and a purchase. Accept delivery when the wife is not home, and wrap the machine in gift paper. Now the kicker.

Pick the appropriate date, and give it to your wife, and be happy for her. Now, when you have the urge, ask her if you can use her machine.


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## Entropy455 (Nov 30, 2011)

My wife is a Mechanical Engineer also (we met in school).

She actually encourages me to purchase the bigger and nicer machines. . . . .

And doesnt feel guilty about it. . . . .

Now thats love!!!!!!


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## Mainer (Dec 1, 2011)

Like a lot of other things, "it all depends." How serious are you about the hobby? If you have the dreaded Machine Cookoo virus for which there is no known cure, ensuring that you will forever be plagued with an uncontrollable urge to build things using lathes and milling machines and whatever other machines you can cram into your shop, I'd suggest you spend more money and get a knee mill like the G3102 http://www.grizzly.com/products/Vertical-Mill/G3102. If you are in the advanced stages of the disease, look at the G0695 http://www.grizzly.com/products/VS-Milling-Machine-with-Ram-Head/G0695

Now, they are two or three times the price of the ones you're looking at so it may not be feasible, but give it thought. If you look at it as a lifelong investment with the cost spread over 20 or more years of enjoyable use, the cost may look a bit less daunting. For instance, if you take the $2,695 cost of the G3102 and divide by 20 years, it works out to $184.75 a year. Not so bad. The problem of course is coming up with the total $2695 up front.

If you just testing the waters of machining, to see if you like it or not, then a small machine like the G0619 may suit you fine.

It also depends on what you are going to make. Ignoring for a moment the Rule of Milling Machines that says the table on a milling machine is never big enough, assume everything you are ever going to want to do will be "small" and reasonably within the capacity of the G0619, there may be little point in getting anything bigger. I suspect you will discover, however, that the Rule of Milling Machines applies in your case as well, and projects will come along for which the G0619 will be inconveniently small.

Whatever you get will be better than no milling machine at all.

So...I'm not sure that tells you anything definite, but it may give you some things to think about as you decide.


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## johndaddy (Dec 2, 2011)

Thanks for all of the good advice! Have ruled out Lathemaster. Too lightweight. More weight is good. May try to find a used milling machine locally since my lathe is a 1947 9" South Bend. I will "sneak" it in when my wife is not looking--then she won't know how long I have had the old machine.


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## jpeter (Dec 2, 2011)

Check out this link.
http://www.repocast.com/details.cfm?ID=703191


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## Propforward (Dec 13, 2012)

What an excellent thread. It's my turn to drag up an old one - demonstrating again what a mine of knowledge this forum is.

I am hoping, and quite confident, that in the first quarter of next year I will be in a position to acquire my first milling machine. I already did the starry eyed bit and was drooling over used Bridgeports, and the larger knee style grizzly machines. Once I got past the wanting of the very best, I started trying to decide what I was actually going to do, and tried listing features that I thought were of most importance. Having done that, I surveyed some of the available machines, and started looking for "the biggest machine available" within my confines.

I came up with the Grizzly G1007, and having done that did a bit of a search around the site and found this thread. I am encouraged by what I have read. Seems to me that the G1007 is a plenty capable machine. I figure it want be as manly as the knee machines for hogging out big lumps of billet, but I don't think I'll do much - if any - of that anyway. Mostly I am interested in smaller stuff. So I was very pleased to read Entropy455s review ( I do like the idea of power longitudinal feed), and Trouts post is excellent.

Does anyone have any additional commentary to add - any features that I should specifically be looking for in a mill? The speed range of the G1007 looks good to me, about 150rpm to nearly 3000 rpm. Does that seem reasonable? Does anyone have any experience with this tool that says it is a BAD purchase in any way?


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## lennardhme (Dec 13, 2012)

I concur Trout -  a great philosophy for model making.


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## keskeesha (Dec 13, 2012)

> ask her if you can use her machine


Ileed
What happens if she says "NO" 

keskeesha


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## lensman57 (Dec 13, 2012)

johndaddy said:


> I am new to the forum and am in the process of buying a milling machine. Which is better Grizzly G0619 at $1469.00 with shipping wt. of 418 lbs or Lathemaster LMT25L at $1389.00 with shipping wt. of 340 lbs? Will be using for hobby building.


 
Hi,

Do you have any machining experience? What do you mean by hobby?
If you were abit more specific perhaps, the advice could be more precise.

Regards,

A.G


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## aonemarine (Dec 13, 2012)

keskeesha said:


> Ileed
> What happens if she says "NO"
> 
> keskeesha


 
Sometimes its just easier to ask for forgiveness after the fact....:hDe:


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## Sshire (Dec 13, 2012)

We see this question (or those like it) frequently. The variety of equipment that is in members' shops will probably cover nearly every mill ( or lathe, bandsaw, surface grinder, etc) that was ever made. That range includes everything from Unimats and Sherlines, up to Bridgeports and big Hardinge, Southbend and God knows what else.
The good part is that someone has whatever you are considering and can give hands-on pros and cons.
The difficulty is that we don't get enough information. Not about what you are going to build, but about your budget, space available, power available, ease of moving the machine, etc.
I'd love to have a big knee mill but with a 7' basement ceiling and no garage door into the basement, that's not going to happen.
I really enjoy the replies that are along these lines, "So I picked up a (insert manufacturer and model here) this weekend. No big deal. 12 of my friends who are all Olympic class weightlifters put it in my (insert name of largest truck in the world here), backed it into my shop, hooked up the 6 ton overhead crane and in 2 minutes, I was making chips."
All of my friends have bad backs or knee replacements. 
I have a 1999 BMW (it does have a fold down rear seat)
My shop is in the basement with access through the front door, a tight turn into the kitchen and then down a 30" wide staircase.
I had to disassemble my G0602 into 3 parts (head, column, table) to get it into the shop. 
And if the next guy who says "Get a Bridgeport" can get one at a reasonable price, can get it to my house and into my shop, he can have my Grizzly and I'll throw in dinner.


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