Subject: Small milling machines

From: [email-masked] (Gary Rosenkranz)
Date: Thu, 25 Nov 93 22:18:00 -0500

I have a Bridgeport series 1 milling machine now and need a 2 nd machine
I do not have a lot of space and would like a small milling machine to
make injection molds. I need a machine that will not have a lot of
vibration when cutting. Is there a good machine ( that is also small )
that i should look for. I recently saw a small Classing at an auction
that looked nice. Any help would be appreciated.

                           Gary

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From: [email-masked] (Clive Washington)
Date: Thu, 02 Dec 1993 14:49:10 +0000

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked]

> that looked nice. Any help would be appreciated.

I have a Centec 2A with vertical head which has a 16" x 5" table.  It's
very solidly built and occupies only a few square feet on its cabinet.

I would avoid anything smaller like some of the hobby machines or the
round column mill/drills because they just aren't that rigid.  Go for
a machine with a box section column.  Senior are good too.  Both are
now secondhand only (at least I hcan't trace current addresses)

Clive.

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From: [email-masked] (James Kirkpatrick)
Date: 2 Dec 93 09:06:51 MST

Does anybody have experiences/suggestions regarding Prazi?
I see they sell small lathes and mills, and their ads make
it clear they are proud of them :-).

Direct comparisons of Sherline and Taig mills would also be
appreciated (the FAQ isn't clear on mills, and mainly
discusses capabilities, not experiences).

I, too, am shopping for a small mill (a friend has a large
Grizzley but he lives 250 miles away).

Jim

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From: Doug White <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 2 Dec 93 11:53:04 -0500

> that looked nice. Any help would be appreciated.

I have an old Clausing at home that I'm very happy with.  I know of 5 others
in the area that are also much appreciated by their owners.  If you buy one,
check it out carefully.  There were several variations as the years went by
that slowly removed a number of features.  The newest ones had no brake, and
no threaded nut at the top of the spindle spline.  This makes removing a
stuck collet a real pain.  The oldest ones (the best if you can find one in
good shape) had an arrangement that would push the collet out as well as
pull it in, which I'm going to retrofit to mine someday.  Many, but not 
all, parts are still available.  Anything requiring a casting may be 
difficult to get, but they will make (for $$$$) machined parts.  Things to
watch for:

1) Bad bearings:  The center idler bearing, the front pulley bearings, and
the top quill bearing have all died on machines I've known.  All but
the last are not tooo difficult to replace.  The quill bearing is a
standard motor grade, but you have to pull the $150/pair precision
bearings to get at it, at which point you might as well rebuild the
quill.  The best way to check this is to remove the belts, and turn things
by hand.

2) Brake:  A friends brake (an iron ring under the top pulley) split. 
This can be a bit of a pain to replace.

3) Worn quill feed gears:  Mine had been bashed at some point, and one of
the quill feed gears had a badly bent tooth.  In addition, the quill feed
pinion was badly worn.  Replacements were available, but cost around $75
for the pair.

Doug White
MIT Lincoln Laboratory

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From: [email-masked] (Michael J. Edelman)
Date: 2 Dec 1993 19:01:06 GMT

>it clear they are proud of them :-).

I had a chance to play around with a Prazi at Kitt's Tools- though
not to actually run it. They seem very well made, and use mostly steel
where the Sherline uses mostly aluminum. Prices seem to vary greatly, with the 
basic 5" lathe going from under $1K (Kitts) to about $1400 (Production Tool)
locally.
 
--mike