info and opinions of small mills needed. . please ?

GaryK said:
You can't tram either style fore and aft since the head is fixed. Also you can't tram a round column head in either direction.

With a rectangular column you can usually tram left and right.
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I tram my round column RF-31 clone with shims under the column.
 
SHOP 3.jpgI have both round and dovetail. The dovetail is in the background on the left and the round is on the right. They each have different characteristics which have been mentioned so far. I will always want a dovetail over a round. Moving a head up and down after set-up is an important trait to me. Mine have different attachments so I use the round column for drilling mostly as it has a dro. The dovetail has power "x" feed and power head up and down. My dovetail has metric lead screws, so is difficult to use hand wheels. I usually true up blanks and use with rotary table. Anyway, there are many options as you have found. If buying new at the budget you stated, you should have no problems finding what will work for you.

Frank

SHOP 3.jpg
 
It's a copy of the RongFu RF45. Generally pretty well regarded. They are pretty stout machines for their size. There are a couple guys on here that have done CNC conversions of these types of machine.

I toyed with the idea of purchasing one of these when I was looking for a mill. I ended up going for a used knee mill, but I think they are a worthwhile machine.
 
We have a PM-45 due in around the middle of the month. Pretty much the same foot print of the PM-30 but more robust machine for not much more dollars. Will have a digital z-axis, coolant system, and a stand as standard equipment, should be a good value. We will be picking it up in Pittsburgh so that saved us some cash. :))
 
Have had the Grizzly G0619 mill for several years and have been pleased with the purchase for several reasons. The price (at that time) was slightly better than now but it still offers a pretty decent mix of range in X and Z axis needs - wish that Y-axis had a little more to offer but that's what it is. Have resisted the urge to turn it into a CNC version mostly because I already have that covered but rigidity wise, it would be an interesting package to setup that way. Grizzly sells the kits at higher than normal prices but it's pretty much a "bolt on" arrangement so not a lot of re-engineering to get it to work. I did add a decent DRO and that has made this small mill a great "bridge" for drill press work, light milling, angular setups that are pretty easy to re-set from and with the R-8 spindle and variable speed setup for the motor, it's very adaptable to a lot of tasks. The super low speed with the instant reverse actually works very well for tapping. Finding the right vise for the table is a bit of a test as the table width (in Y) is short and the placement of the vise is limited. You don't have to settle for what Grizzly offers in vises - there are others that are far more practical on this machine.

I would probably buy this again if it craps out beyond repair but that's mostly because I'm not relying on it as the "be-all / end-all" machine in the shop. It's a great "bridge tool" for the money. Thanks.
 
FWIW I too looked till I was dizzy. The PM45 clone is everywhere for parts and such. Same with grizzly and the robust aftermarket kits and user base. Check out Hoss at g0704.com and all his youtube vids. Check out the charter oak threads here for their x45 mill. There were a lot of threads recently. Either way I think you will enjoy! Have fun selecting. Always a fun time. CG.

outsider347 said:
Anyone have a opinion on this mill

thanks
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davidh said:
Does a round column or dovetail column have advantage as far as ability to tram properly or easily ?
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I have an rf25 size round coloum, the tramming thing isn't realy achivable on mine as it changes a bit with head height adjustments.

Some heads may be much better fitted to the coloum.

Stuart
 
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