Advice On A Jet 16 Mill/drill

brownac1983

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Hey guys,
I'm in the market for a small milling machine (I simply can't commit the floor space for a full size machine). There is a Jet-16 coming up for auction not far from me. It's an older machine that was owned by a tool and die maker for his personal use. It appears to be in decent shape and has a good compliment of bits and accessories (I don't have a list, but there's a lot there). What is the general impression of these for light hobby use? Are there any weak points or common defects to look for? What do they typically go for? Thanks.
-Drew
 
Others here are more knowledgeable than I, but since nobody else has replied yet... I have a Jet 15; there is also an 18 but I've never heard of a 16, I assume it's similar. It's not a "real" mill like a Bridgeport by any means but it's quite adequate for light work and even heavier work if you take it easy and go slow. The round column can be a PITA if you need to make vertical adjustments beyond the spindle travel, but with some planning it's not too bad. The general consensus is that the older Taiwan made ones are better than the newer Chinese ones, and the Jet branded ones are better than the Harbor Freight . I paid $700 for mine in good condition with a floor stand, vice, and wood cabinet full of collets, clamp set, and a bunch of side cutters and slitting saws.
 
I have a Jet 16 made in 1978. It is a 12 speed machine it can be wired for 110 or 220. Round column takes R8 collets I paid 400.00 for it and am very happy with it. thomas s
 
I have a Jet 16 about the same vintage as Thomas S. Mine has the MT3 taper in the column instead of the R8 (it was available both ways). Normally this would be less desirable, but I can share quite a bit of tooling with my lathe which also has a MT3 taper in the tailstock, so it works great for me. Mine is 1 HP and is wired for 115v, so it was easy for a hobbyist like me to set up. I got it for a song ($300), and it is a pretty capable mill. If it's in good shape, and the price is right, I would buy it.

GG
 
The round coloum mills do have some issues, mainly having to re locate if you need to put the head up or down whilst working on a part. The downfeed has quite a lot of backlash so can make it tricky to maintain a depth purely using the dial's. (I find my quill often moves a little when I unclamp it)

Having said that they are very much in the range of moveable equipment (with help if its all together) and ive been very impressed with the durability and usability of mine (similar sized bench mill rf25). I think I would try and keep it around even if I got a bigger vertical mill.

I always lust after the bench mounted knee mills, but havn't felt it strongly enough to change it.

Stuart
 
I have a Jet 16 and have been very happy with it. The PO machine aluminum and plastic only. I would like to add power to the X-axis but know one will tell me if it uses the same units as full size knee mills or if it is the equivalent to one of the RF units.
Dan Coleman
 
Dan, it likely uses the same unit as a 1006 Grizzly. It's the one that mounts horizontal with a bracket attached to the table.
 
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