# G1007



## jlesser27 (Aug 1, 2020)

Help? I have been looking for a mill for the house. I would love a Bridgeport but space is limited. A friend acquired a Grizzly G1007 with what looks like quite a few upgrades, DRO, VFD. Pictures attached. I have been thinking about getting a PM30-MV but I can pick up the Grizzly with some vices and the stand for $1k. Anyone have experience with this machine your feedback would be great appreciated. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			








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## mikey (Aug 1, 2020)

Looks like a modded RF-30 to me. A ubiquitous model with a large following, it is a beast of a bench top mill. Good price and I would jump on it provided you are aware of the limitations of a round column mill.


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## jlesser27 (Aug 1, 2020)

Mikey, thanks for the response. I’m new to machining and have taken it up as a hobby. Can you fill me in on the disadvantages of a round column?


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## mikey (Aug 1, 2020)

It mostly has to do with the fact that the head can move radially when you raise or lower the head. Say you had a work piece in the vise and drilled a hole but discovered that you needed a longer drill. Naturally, you would raise the head so the longer drill will fit, right? But on a round column mill, just like a drill press, the head can move off center of that previously drilled hole and the longer drill may not drill dead on center. THAT is the disadvantage.

Now, here is the reality. These mills have a 5" long quill travel and that quill is a full 3" diameter steel column, meaning it is damned stout. It is meant to be able to mill and drill at full extension. Most of us simply locate the head with the longest tool we need to use in mind before we start to work. Then we use the quill travel to get everything done without having to move the head so most round column owners do not feel that the loss of centering is a big deal. Over the last 5 years I have not had a single time when this was a problem. 

I just wanted you to know about this before you jumped. Many of the current crop of benchtop mills have square columns and are thought to be superior in design but this round column beast can weigh up to 800#, two or three times the weight of many hobby class mills. It is a common mill/drill used in production shops for second operations so if I had to choose between it and say, a PM25V at less than half the weight and spindle travel, guess which one I would take?

For me, I would not trade my RF-31 for most current bench top mills. If I do trade up, it will be for a knee mill.


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## jlesser27 (Aug 1, 2020)

Thanks for the great info. I’m stopping by Monday to put my hands on it so hopefully it is in good working order. I will keep you posted if I buy it. I’m sure I’ll have a few questions. 


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## mikey (Aug 1, 2020)

There are a bunch of round column mill owners on HM. I'm sure you'll get other opinions before Monday but for that price, I would seriously consider it.


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## Papa Charlie (Aug 1, 2020)

Use to live in Martinez, moved to the PNW back in 2010. If I were there right now, it would be loaded in the back of my truck and headed home.

You can also add DRO to it for around $200 off Ebay. I just ordered a 2 Axis DRO with scales for my lathe for $199 plus tax and free shipping.


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## jlesser27 (Aug 1, 2020)

Thanks Papa, it has a 3 axis DRO on it. I will most likely buy it as long as its operational. Like I said a friend acquired it and I have first dibs on it but he doesn’t know much about it. 
Where is PNW?

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## Papa Charlie (Aug 1, 2020)

PNW = Pacific North West.
I am in Everett Washington. Closer to where I grew up on the Oregon Coast. I moved to the Bay Area after graduating college at Oregon Tech in 1978. No jobs in Oregon that paid at that time and ended up moving to Pleasant Hill and working for Delaval Engine and Compressor Div in Oakland. Got married and got stuck in the area until 2010 when we moved up here for work at Boeing.
Two more years and I will be retiring and moving back to the Oregon Coast and setting up my shop. Sometimes think the clock has stopped moving. But with the impact to my 401 after the 737 and Covid, I may have to add some time to the clock.

If you want a dual purpose unit, you would be hard pressed in my opinion to find a better deal, again as you pointed out, if it works. Even if you have to replace the DRO.

Good luck.


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## hman (Aug 1, 2020)

I'm one of the G1007/RF-30 owners that @mikey was talking about.  Another (local) forum member and good friend, *Rick Sparber*, owns the Enco equivalent and has converted it to CNC.

I bought my mill (in Portland, OR) in 2013 for $700.  It was an earlier model, with a tin belt cover.  And it no DRO, the original single speed motor, and an inoperative table power feed.  So I'd say you're getting a very nice deal, indeed!  Will you be getting some collets with it?  And a hold-down kit?

You'll probably find that the larger of the vises is way too big for the mill, so you might even get some of your investment back by selling it.

I've added some goodies to mine over the years (VFD/3 phase motor, cheap 3 axis DRO, repaired the table power feed, etc.) and posted about several of them on the forum. You can find them by using search feature (upper right corner of the page). Rick Sparber has posted a number of articles about his mill on his website, https://rick.sparber.org

As for the round column - yup, as Mikey mentioned, it's sometimes a pain when you have to change the head height and re-find your zero in the middle of a job.  What makes it especially bad is having to turn that large crank on the left side of the head.  The cranking action "loves" to swivel the head on the column.  Plus, it's on the opposite side of the head from the tightening bolts.  Other than that, the mill is easy to use, and nicely robust and sturdy.  As I said, I bought it in 2013.  Been using it since then, and though I do have the room for a larger mill, I'm satisfied with what I have.

Once you get your hands on it, do feel free to ask questions!


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## jlesser27 (Aug 1, 2020)

Thanks everyone for the feedback. The stocks and Covid I think have set most of us working joes back. I’m in the mechanical trade (HVAC) which is still going but since I’m in the commercial side of things it has slowed down since buildings are not open still. We still have work but this year was supposed to be our best ever but thankfully the family and friends are all healthy and we can still afford a few toys. 


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## craptain (Aug 2, 2020)

Another vote for that mill at that price. I've had mine for several years now and it does everything that I need from it. As others have said, there's the one limitation and you will soon learn to deal with it, then it's no longer a limitation. I found that a 4" vise is the ideal size for most everything that I do. Also have a 6" rotary table and that is the biggest one I would put on that mill. 

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## RJSakowski (Aug 2, 2020)

Using collets instead of a chuck for drills and reamers will buy you a few extra inches and decrease the need for moving the head on a round column mill.  
I use the Tormach TTS system for my tooling on the RF30 and the difference in extension  between a 1/16" TTS mounted end mill and an R8 collet mounted 1/2" drill is 1-3/4".


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## jlesser27 (Aug 2, 2020)

Do they make an R8 system that pulls in with the draw bar? I’m not quite seeing this in my head how this gives you more working height than a collet? Do you have a picture you can share?


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## craptain (Aug 2, 2020)

jlesser27 said:


> Do they make an R8 system that pulls in with the draw bar? I’m not quite seeing this in my head how this gives you more working height than a collet? Do you have a picture you can share?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


The standard on my, and I believe most of them is R8 with drawbar. All my standard collets are R8 and it most certainly gives more room than a chuck. I also have ER 32 collet holder, also R8 but that uses a little more space. 
I can take pictures in a day or two if no-one else has anything to share. 

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## pontiac428 (Aug 2, 2020)

I am also one of those RF-3x owners.  It is a surprisingly rigid mill when tuned up for performance.  I run 3" facing mills without a grunt, and can turn 3/4 end mills (though I stick with 1/2" for most roughing work).  It's got plenty of power, and with a x-axis power feed and a DRO the mill is complete.  There are dozens of tweaks that owners have made, many posted on this site.  One thing that I don't fuss about is the round column return to zero.  There are many ways to skin that cat that don't involve modifying the front landing gear of a Boeing jet to attach to your column.

The price tag on that mill will ensure you have to run a few red lights to get to it on time.  A base Grizzly without any mods should go for $200 more than that, so it's a good deal.


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## jlesser27 (Aug 3, 2020)

I went and checked it out, it has power feed, variable speed drive, 3 axis DRO and is basically in good shape other than the light covering of sawdust from being in a wood shop. I turned it on and checked all functions and it all works and sounds good. We agreed on $1k including the pictured vices. My first question is there an upgrade for the head locking bolts to make that some sort of lever or cam mechanism. The loosening of the two bolts to adjust the head height seems annoying. Otherwise I’m excited to get it into my garage which will be this Friday. I did order one of those mobile bases that allow you to roll the machine and set it in place. 


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## mikey (Aug 3, 2020)

In my opinion, you got a smoking deal! Congrats!!


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## pontiac428 (Aug 3, 2020)

@jlesser27, search around the site here on RF-31 head fixing bolts.  I posted my excellent solution (if I do say so myself) along with the bill of materials from McMaster-Carr.  It's like $15 worth of hardware to solve the head clamping issue for good.  I didn't use levers because I keep a socket with a 10" breaker bar in the machine's tray on permanent head bolt duty.  The key is big, spherical, and snug!


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## Aaron_W (Aug 3, 2020)

I don't have one of these but I have seen them and have followed a lot of discussions about them. The plus is they are a pretty good size mill for the price, bigger than most bench mills. The bad as mentioned is mostly an issue of convenience / production speed if you have to alter the head height.

Like many of the import machines it seems like there are a million mods documented to improve them, and several people have come up with ways to make re-aligning the head after changing height easier.

The price seems good for what you are getting, and you should have no problem getting your money back if you later decide to get that PM-30 or other mill.


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## jlesser27 (Aug 3, 2020)

Thanks Pontiac, I can’t find the thread you are talking about but I will keep looking. I’m excited to get it cleaned up and start making a mess as my wife would call it. I think the first thing I’m going to do is make a better control box for the VFD and all the power wiring for the DRO, and power feed. My day job is in HVAC mostly building automation now so control panels are nice and easy for me. 


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## pontiac428 (Aug 3, 2020)

Try this, @jlesser27 








						RF-30 Clone Head Alignment Guide
					

Here is my latest mod to my Grizzly G1006 / RF-30 clone mill. Like everyone, I was annoyed by having to plan ahead so much in setting the head height so I could complete all the operations I had planned within the available travel of the quill. I searched online and YT many times for ideas and...




					www.hobby-machinist.com


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## jlesser27 (Aug 3, 2020)

Got it, that seems like an easy fix. Once I get the machine going and understand exactly the issue I think it will be worth the few bucks to give it a try. 


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## Papa Charlie (Aug 3, 2020)

Congrats, that is a great unit. I was just looking at a  CNC JR Mill in my area, they wanted $3000 for it.  You got a smoken deal.


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