Ok, heres the story..
I work in a shop were I have every imaginable machine available, but I've decided to build a modest shop in my basement at home, I'm in my 50s so It's a kind of retirement planning.
While I could spend "real" money, it's a nice personal challenge to look for bargains, and so far I'm doing pretty good. Older Dalton bench lathe ($125) which I've converted to a 3 phase VFD, A decent modern standing drill press, and last week a Logan 8" shaper with vise ($350).
Of course right now I'm feeling pretty good about things, and I might be willing to actually spend a few bucks on the right vertical mill.
The question is which one? I suppose an older bridgeport would be a good choice, It would be difficult, though not impossible to get it in my basement since It is a walkout. Still it would be a pretty big footprint, and I'm trying to keep the peace with my wife. I've successfully negotiated a decent sized piece of the basement, I just need to be careful and not get too carried away. (at some point I see a small grinder in my future also).
It looks like my possibilities are either the Rockwell-Delta mill, or the Clausing, or possibly a Benchmaster. there may be other more obscure possibilities, and certainly if I lived in England/Europe the possibilities increase. Of the three mentioned above the Rockwell seems to be the most visually appealing, Maybe it just looks more like a shrunk down Bridgeport? Also has R-8 spindle. The Clausing has a more bare-bones look, and either B+S or morse taper spindle, but it looks like it might be a stouter machine. I don't know that much about the benchmaster They seem to be more rare, so I probably shouldn't get my hopes up on finding one.
Then come the asian imports.....
I've ruled out the round column mill drill, because I don't like the hassle of loosing location when moving the head up/down. (Actually I have one that I inherited from my Dad, but it's at my Brother in laws house, and I intend to let him keep it.
That leaves two other choices one from Grizzly or Harbor freight that is essentially a clone of the Clausing, with a moveable knee. since I'm used to a Bridgeport this is the form that seems "right" to me.
But I see that there are quite a few now available with a moveable head mounted on a column with ways. That's the one I know the least about... will I be satisfied with the rigidity of the whole thing? price wise, it seems I can spend more on a new import than on a older used American made machine.
Please discuss, and thanks for being the "friendly" site.
Levi in St Louis.
I work in a shop were I have every imaginable machine available, but I've decided to build a modest shop in my basement at home, I'm in my 50s so It's a kind of retirement planning.
While I could spend "real" money, it's a nice personal challenge to look for bargains, and so far I'm doing pretty good. Older Dalton bench lathe ($125) which I've converted to a 3 phase VFD, A decent modern standing drill press, and last week a Logan 8" shaper with vise ($350).
Of course right now I'm feeling pretty good about things, and I might be willing to actually spend a few bucks on the right vertical mill.
The question is which one? I suppose an older bridgeport would be a good choice, It would be difficult, though not impossible to get it in my basement since It is a walkout. Still it would be a pretty big footprint, and I'm trying to keep the peace with my wife. I've successfully negotiated a decent sized piece of the basement, I just need to be careful and not get too carried away. (at some point I see a small grinder in my future also).
It looks like my possibilities are either the Rockwell-Delta mill, or the Clausing, or possibly a Benchmaster. there may be other more obscure possibilities, and certainly if I lived in England/Europe the possibilities increase. Of the three mentioned above the Rockwell seems to be the most visually appealing, Maybe it just looks more like a shrunk down Bridgeport? Also has R-8 spindle. The Clausing has a more bare-bones look, and either B+S or morse taper spindle, but it looks like it might be a stouter machine. I don't know that much about the benchmaster They seem to be more rare, so I probably shouldn't get my hopes up on finding one.
Then come the asian imports.....
I've ruled out the round column mill drill, because I don't like the hassle of loosing location when moving the head up/down. (Actually I have one that I inherited from my Dad, but it's at my Brother in laws house, and I intend to let him keep it.
That leaves two other choices one from Grizzly or Harbor freight that is essentially a clone of the Clausing, with a moveable knee. since I'm used to a Bridgeport this is the form that seems "right" to me.
But I see that there are quite a few now available with a moveable head mounted on a column with ways. That's the one I know the least about... will I be satisfied with the rigidity of the whole thing? price wise, it seems I can spend more on a new import than on a older used American made machine.
Please discuss, and thanks for being the "friendly" site.
Levi in St Louis.