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- Feb 1, 2015
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Buying a used machine will often give you the additional hobby of machine restoration. If you're up for it, you cou;ld get a lot more machine for your money.
As to buying a benchtop mill, I would try to go with a square column rather than a round column mill. Round column mills are limited in vertical movement to the quill travel before having to raise or lower the head to extend the travel, thereby losing registration. A square column mill operates more like a knee mill except the head moves rather than the table, giving you the combined travel of the head plus the quill without losing registration.
As to buying a benchtop mill, I would try to go with a square column rather than a round column mill. Round column mills are limited in vertical movement to the quill travel before having to raise or lower the head to extend the travel, thereby losing registration. A square column mill operates more like a knee mill except the head moves rather than the table, giving you the combined travel of the head plus the quill without losing registration.