Milling Machine purchase

[slaurenson]

hey folks,

Just starting to look around now for a milling machine for home, I dont really want to spend much more the 3,000 NZD and second hand would definately be an option if one came up.

I have been pondering over this mill - http://machineryhouse.co.nz/M123

I just wondered if anyone has had an experience with it? I am not keen on the tilting head but it ticks all the other boxes for me and also the right price. I am guessing that the dovetail head would be better than a round coloumn?

This will be used to build small steam engines so the size seems about right.

any advice or help would be much appreciated.

 

[Dave Sohlstrom]

Stay as far away from round column as possible. Tilting head is handy for making angle cuts.
Spindle is 3MT (morse taper) would be much better if it was R8
Max speed is a little low at 1600RPM

Dave

 

[gus]

Stay as far away from round column as possible. Tilting head is handy for making angle cuts.
Spindle is 3MT (morse taper) would be much better if it was R8
Max speed is a little low at 1600RPM

Dave

Hi Dave,

You are right.I am very much restricted by a round column vertical mill.
Now looking for a larger mill.

I am limited to surface milling. Boring is very much limited by a 15mm vertical travel.

The subject mill from Auckland looks good. My next holiday trip to Auckland will be side-lined to view mill.

Gus Teng.

 

[gus]

hey folks,

Just starting to look around now for a milling machine for home, I dont really want to spend much more the 3,000 NZD and second hand would definately be an option if one came up.

I have been pondering over this mill - http://machineryhouse.co.nz/M123

I just wondered if anyone has had an experience with it? I am not keen on the tilting head but it ticks all the other boxes for me and also the right price. I am guessing that the dovetail head would be better than a round coloumn?

This will be used to build small steam engines so the size seems about right.

any advice or help would be much appreciated.

Mill looks great and the price attractive. Please advise country of origin.
Saw the cheapy Chinese mills in Hongkong and I am impressed.I would shy away from variable speed controls.


Gus Teng from faraway Singapore.

 

[slaurenson]

Thanks guys, good advice.. I hadn't considered the slower speed, would this be a big consideration for milling or is the higher speed more important for drilling? i am saying that because I have a pedestal drill at the moment that can run quite fast which I could hold on to as well.

I am not to sure where Hafco is manufactured, best guess from searching the interweb is Taiwan..

And Gus, next time you are in Auckland, I will quite happily take you on a tour (of the tool shops)

 

[///]

These machines are another Rong Fu RF-45 clone. The clones are pretty popular worldwide but there are so many manufacturing clones, and they are all slightly different so quality varies.
I have no experience with the HM-46 but it is one I have been seriously looking at for a while(along with others like an SX3) in my desire to upgrade from an X2.

Hafco is short for Hare And Forbes COmpany, the Machinery House parent, and like many other retailers they just buy the machines from many different manufacturers and re-badge them.
They list the major sources on their website: "Australia, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey"
Strangely they don't re-badge the Seig machines, possibly because Seig is now very well known with an OK reputation.
Hafco themselves also have a pretty good reputation when it comes to after sales service, so whatever machine you do decide to go with you can be sure they will back it up.

 

[slaurenson]

Oh wow! thanks that makes a lot of sense... I did also look at the Sieg Super X3 but it has variable speed and I think the table is a bit smaller than the Hafco - http://machineryhouse.co.nz/M155

My biggest issue when buying large tools is I can never make up my mind and end up not getting anything!! I have been milling with a vert slide on my myford but it's a PITA trying to change over the setup everytime I want to turn something..

 

[Wizard69]

hey folks,

Just starting to look around now for a milling machine for home, I dont really want to spend much more the 3,000 NZD and second hand would definately be an option if one came up.

I have been pondering over this mill - http://machineryhouse.co.nz/M123

Looks nice!

I just wondered if anyone has had an experience with it? I am not keen on the tilting head but it ticks all the other boxes for me and also the right price. I am guessing that the dovetail head would be better than a round coloumn?

Dovetailed columns are very important if you have CNC intentions.

This will be used to build small steam engines so the size seems about right.

Small means different things to different people. If you buy a machine that is too small you are screwed. One that is too large is often just inconvenient.

any advice or help would be much appreciated.

1.
Avoid buying too small.
2.
Variable speed is always nice
3.
What are your future plans. Far example is a machine that is easy to CNC important.

 

[slaurenson]

Thanks Wizard, that's another good point around CNC that I didn't realise - no doubt in the future I will try and do something with CNC.. and yep I am trying not to buy to small but also weigh up functionality etc against cost. (and also where in my work shop I can shoehorn it in!!)

great feed back as usual from everyone, thanks!

 

[gus]

Thanks guys, good advice.. I hadn't considered the slower speed, would this be a big consideration for milling or is the higher speed more important for drilling? i am saying that because I have a pedestal drill at the moment that can run quite fast which I could hold on to as well.

I am not to sure where Hafco is manufactured, best guess from searching the interweb is Taiwan..

And Gus, next time you are in Auckland, I will quite happily take you on a tour (of the tool shops)

Thanks for the offer. Planning to visit a fisho mate in Hamilton to go fishing.
Now raiding the market. So far so good. Enough to cover up hobby expense
and this year's travel. Looks like will be 2014.See you.
P.S. My former purchasing agent now scouring Taiwan for min lathes and mills.Might drop by Taiwan next month to windowshop.Prefer Taiwanese quality over China. Saw some Sieg lathes and mills in Hongkong and not impressed by displayed quality.

Gus.

 

[Wizard69]

Thanks Wizard, that's another good point around CNC that I didn't realise - no doubt in the future I will try and do something with CNC.. and yep I am trying not to buy to small but also weigh up functionality etc against cost. (and also where in my work shop I can shoehorn it in!!)

Finding the right balance in size and cost is always difficult for hobbiest. In many cases interests develop in ways that are unexpected. Also buying too large is a certain waste of money unless there is a real good deal involved.

great feed back as usual from everyone, thanks!

Well we try! We all have limitations on what we can put in our shops, my shop happens to be in the cellar. As such machines go in fairly easy but I have no idea how they will come out! Sadly that has meant passing up good deals at auctions simply because of the effort or the impossibility of moving the tool into place.

The funny thing is how easy it is to move something into a cellar when gravity helps you. I have a 17" band saw that I moved in myself but I imagine it would take 3 guys to move it out of the cellar. Sometimes I think I should build a ground floor shop but I don't see myself retiring in NY so that idea is on hold.