- Joined
- Feb 2, 2017
- Messages
- 1,236
I'd really like to get a mill. After thinking about getting a better drill press to replace my Atlas bench-top, I looked at drill presses. Then started looking at the bench-top models from Weiss, and the WMD30 looked like it it would be a great drill press and get me started on machining. Then I read about the PM833T and THAT seemed like the bees knees. Along comes the 835S and I'm thinking it's perfect for me. (See a trend?)
So, why do I want a mill?
1) So I can drill big holes in stuff (the Atlas belt slips or motor stalls when trying to drill holes approaching 1")
2) To learn about milling: to make faces of things flat and square
3) To repair and/or make parts for my Cobra replica
I have limited space in my shop (a good sized 2-car garage), and multiple hobbies (woodworking, auto repair, metal working), so I decided on a strategy of putting everything on mobile bases. This is working very well for me, and I plan to put the mill on wheels as well.
My plan for the WMD30 or PM833T was to get a sturdy steel cabinet with drawers that I could augment with a steel frame with casters--voila a mobile mill with storage space for tooling. I still like this idea, although have pretty much dismissed the WM25 as too small. ThePM833 would be about 1100 lbs on cabinet full of tooling, which I figure is about as massive as I want to try to wheel around.
The new 835S appears to have all the feature of a Bridgeport clone, but at 3/4 size (and weight). The weight's about the same as the 833, but instead of extra storage, I get 17" of Z travel.
I've read the multiple recommendations to just buck-up and get a Bridgeport. Given my interests, I just don't want to make that much of a commitment to a mill.
I'm not in any hurry, so I'm not terribly concerned that Matt only has a drawing of the 835 at this point.
Thoughts? Comments? I definitely want 3 axis DRO, but how many axis auto-feed? What about chuck choice? Collets? Vise?
So, why do I want a mill?
1) So I can drill big holes in stuff (the Atlas belt slips or motor stalls when trying to drill holes approaching 1")
2) To learn about milling: to make faces of things flat and square
3) To repair and/or make parts for my Cobra replica
I have limited space in my shop (a good sized 2-car garage), and multiple hobbies (woodworking, auto repair, metal working), so I decided on a strategy of putting everything on mobile bases. This is working very well for me, and I plan to put the mill on wheels as well.
My plan for the WMD30 or PM833T was to get a sturdy steel cabinet with drawers that I could augment with a steel frame with casters--voila a mobile mill with storage space for tooling. I still like this idea, although have pretty much dismissed the WM25 as too small. ThePM833 would be about 1100 lbs on cabinet full of tooling, which I figure is about as massive as I want to try to wheel around.
The new 835S appears to have all the feature of a Bridgeport clone, but at 3/4 size (and weight). The weight's about the same as the 833, but instead of extra storage, I get 17" of Z travel.
I've read the multiple recommendations to just buck-up and get a Bridgeport. Given my interests, I just don't want to make that much of a commitment to a mill.
I'm not in any hurry, so I'm not terribly concerned that Matt only has a drawing of the 835 at this point.
Thoughts? Comments? I definitely want 3 axis DRO, but how many axis auto-feed? What about chuck choice? Collets? Vise?
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