info on milling machine needed please

[drhawks]

hello guys i am new to the site and figured this might be the best place for me to get the right info ... im looking into buying a milling machine id like to be able to do everything ill need to make my own guns .. i have 0 experience on a mill but im a fast learner i just need to get the right one in my shop .. price range is 10,000 be better if i didnt drop that much but "you get what you pay for" is what ive realized over the years ...please let me know what yall think !! thanks in advance

 

[TNBilly]

Hard to go wrong on a Bridgeport type machine with a table around the 42" size. I'd be envious for sure, wish I had one to use!

 

[Bishop Fistus]

I'm also interested on obtaining a milling machine.

I've recently got laid off from a job at Tyler Pipe after the plant explosion so I haven't had the chance to use a machine since then. They were actually selling their old Unisig deep hole drilling machine but it weighed around 100 tons (literally) and cost more than a house in Phoenix. Plus the minimum bit size was around 2", so it was of no use to me.

I've been shopping on a few Chinese/Japanese sites and they're either requiring an overhaul or cost an arm and a leg. No results on Ebay and maybe thirty on Alibaba, but that site is a minefield.

Eh, I guess I can deal with it. I don't see the economy deflating any time soon so it would be nice to have a financial cushion.

Good luck Dr. Hawks.

 

[Rinspeed]

The market is flooded with good used equipment so I would go that route. You should easily be able to get into a nice shape Bridgeport with DRO for less than $3000. Obviously it would make sense to look in your general area but just to give you an idea take a look at these.


http://cgi.ebay.com/2-HP-Bridge-Port-Variable-Speed-Milling-Miller-DRO-/370397647532?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item563d6b92ac



http://cgi.ebay.com/Bridgeport-Knee-Mill-DRO-/260810280061?pt=BI_Mills&hash=item3cb9810c7d




http://cgi.ebay.com/Bridgeport-Mill-Power-Table-Feed-and-DRO-/260809025376?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cb96de760

 

[Bishop Fistus]

Did I say milling machine? I meant deep hole drilling machine, Unisig doesn't make milling machines.

I'm sure OP doesn't mind if I piggyback his thread with my request too.

 

[Howard Roark]

I bought my 9x48 Excello for under a grand at an equipment auction. There are plenty of machine shops and factories that had internal machine shops going out of business. A new BP will cost around 15K.

I've never seen a deep hole drill come up for auction.

 

[dprice3844444]

check craigslist in your area for machines, or go to grizzly.com

 

[moonpie]

if you're REALLY serious about DIY these guys carry plans for a scratch-built machine shop (homemade lathe, mill, tools, welder, foundry, etc). they even have blacksmith manuals from the 1800s http://www.lindsaybks.com/prod/index.html

 

[Sunray]

"...to make my own guns..." You have the licence?
E-Bay is evil.
"...a deep hole drill..." Highly specialized kit.
You might find something useful at an industrial auction or used machine, um, shop. Mind you, it's not the machine itself that gets really expensive. It's the tooling. Vises, tool heads, end mills, side mills, etc. You won't be making a whole firearm on a mill either. You'll need a good lathe and all the tooling that goes with them too.
"...have 0 experience..." Check your local Community College for a course. Forget the videos. You can't learn it from a video.

 

[rskent]

E-Bay may be evil but it is a great place to buy used tooling. I would think with ten grand you should be able to pick up the tools and tooling to build a firearm such as a 1911.
If you are talking about building something like a black powder musket, I am sure you wouldn’t need near the tooling.

Having said that, making parts in a home machine shop tends to take a lot of time. If you figure your time to make a part like a hammer or a barrel compared to just buying them it’s hard for me to justify the time.
I like spending time in the shop as much as the next guy but life is only so long.

 

[brickeyee]

Count on some electrical work.

Most real machines use 3-phase AC.

A variable frequency drive can be ruin from 240 V single phase and generate 3-phase.

Much better than even a rotary phase converter.

 

[MattTheHat]

Hitachi even makes a VFD drive that runs in 110 VAC input and runs 3-phase 220 VAC output. I've got one running my 10x22 lathe.

-Matt

 

[brickeyee]

"...to make my own guns..." You have the licence?

While some states have laws about making guns, there is no federal law that prohibits you form making a non-NFA gun for yourself.

Making them for sale requires a license.

 

[rondog]

A small milling machine is on my pipe dream list! But the tooling costs.....

 

[Dafish2011]

Mill

I own a Harbor freight mill (bought it for $400 used) and it is not great but it got me started and all the tooling I have purchased can be used on my next mill
(58" Vertical Mill, Bridgeport Series Ii Special Vari-Speed) these go for around $8000 and were built in the early 80's.

The nice thing about owning the cheaper mill is that I have motorized it and know what I want out of my next mill, it also makes a great drill press..

 

[Clipper]

I don't know where you're at, but I have a Syl America super X-3 CNC mill that has never been used, with several upgrades and accessories that I'll sell for $2000.00. If you plan on making several of the same parts, you really need the repeatability of CNC.

 

[Deus Machina]

As mentioned, most larger machines are 220 3-phase. Generally not something residential areas have, so be prepared to either get some wiring done or buy a phase converter for the dryer plug in the garage. Or wire one in.

But, yes, some really good equipment can be found on craigslist. You can find a great mill for $3k or under, but the mill will be at most only half the cost. Then you have to buy a good drill chuck that you will not use as an end mill holder, holders or collets that you will, a good machining vice, a kit of hold down clamps, probably a rotary table and the chuck and/or clamps for that, dozens or even hundreds of end mills in both flat and ball-end, reamers in dozens of different sizes, countersinks, deburring tools, threadcutting taps, and specialty tools like slitting saws and cutters for slots, chamfers, dovetails, and so on.

And that's not even including the costs of calipers, micrometers, other layout tools, or the materials.

Or that a lathe is as useful, if not more so, than a mill.

Thankfully, all you need to start is a pair of calipers, a vice or clamps, the drill chuck, a couple collets or end mill holders, and a few of the cutters themselves. The rest will be spread out to buy tools as the need arises.

Has someone guessed what my weekend hobby is yet?

And, no, you can't learn machining just by watching videos. You learn it by watching lots of videos, and reading lots of books, magazines, and websites, and looking at lots of other people's work, and making lots of chips and lots of mistakes, many of which you will only notice once the part is finished or while attempting to fit it to something else.

There is nothing more aggravating than finishing a part, making the last crucial slot or hole that will mount it to the other parts, and then having it slip in the vice, or turning around and whacking a dial and setting the cutter off at an angle.

Anyway. It's still the most rewarding hobby I've ever tried. Just be prepared to read a lot before buying anything.

Oh, and you are going to have to buy a pallet jack, engine hoist, or other heavy lifting equipment just to get it set up, and rent a U-haul to pick something up, unless you have a decent truck. My 'light duty benchtop' lathe weighs upwards of 600 pounds, and it's on the lightweight side and doesn't have the base and other 'inactive' material a freestanding mill does.

 

[brickeyee]

As mentioned, most larger machines are 220 3-phase. Generally not something residential areas have, so be prepared to either get some wiring done or buy a phase converter for the dryer plug in the garage.

A single phase VFD works better than any of the phase converters ever did.
Real 3-phase for not a lot of money or trouble.

 

[rondog]

As mentioned, most larger machines are 220 3-phase. Generally not something residential areas have, so be prepared to either get some wiring done or buy a phase converter for the dryer plug in the garage. Or wire one in.

But, yes, some really good equipment can be found on craigslist. You can find a great mill for $3k or under, but the mill will be at most only half the cost. Then you have to buy a good drill chuck that you will not use as an end mill holder, holders or collets that you will, a good machining vice, a kit of hold down clamps, probably a rotary table and the chuck and/or clamps for that, dozens or even hundreds of end mills in both flat and ball-end, reamers in dozens of different sizes, countersinks, deburring tools, threadcutting taps, and specialty tools like slitting saws and cutters for slots, chamfers, dovetails, and so on.

And that's not even including the costs of calipers, micrometers, other layout tools, or the materials.

Or that a lathe is as useful, if not more so, than a mill.

Thankfully, all you need to start is a pair of calipers, a vice or clamps, the drill chuck, a couple collets or end mill holders, and a few of the cutters themselves. The rest will be spread out to buy tools as the need arises.

Has someone guessed what my weekend hobby is yet?

And, no, you can't learn machining just by watching videos. You learn it by watching lots of videos, and reading lots of books, magazines, and websites, and looking at lots of other people's work, and making lots of chips and lots of mistakes, many of which you will only notice once the part is finished or while attempting to fit it to something else.

There is nothing more aggravating than finishing a part, making the last crucial slot or hole that will mount it to the other parts, and then having it slip in the vice, or turning around and whacking a dial and setting the cutter off at an angle.

Anyway. It's still the most rewarding hobby I've ever tried. Just be prepared to read a lot before buying anything.

Oh, and you are going to have to buy a pallet jack, engine hoist, or other heavy lifting equipment just to get it set up, and rent a U-haul to pick something up, unless you have a decent truck. My 'light duty benchtop' lathe weighs upwards of 600 pounds, and it's on the lightweight side and doesn't have the base and other 'inactive' material a freestanding mill does.

You're a man after my own heart! I used to LOVE being a machinist (late 70's to early 90's), but I realized back then that the costs would just make it impossible to do as a hobby. Fortunately, several of the shops I worked in would let me bring in my car and Harley parts to work on whenever I wanted to. One employer would still let me even after he had to lay me off, as long as I brought cold beer! It really is a lot of fun, and a very handy skill to have. I miss it.

 

[Deus Machina]

You're a man after my own heart! I used to LOVE being a machinist (late 70's to early 90's), but I realized back then that the costs would just make it impossible to do as a hobby.

Well, I'm a hobbyist, not a gunsmith, and limited to 110 power. So my most expensive toy was $1200 including freight. Only a 10x22" lathe.

Still using the cheapie Harbor Freight chinese benchtop mill, but soon to upgrade to the biggest mill 110 will push, hopefully.

I work on paintball equipment mostly, but I do make sure the tools pay for themselves. The actual tooling, however...