Beginner looking for opinions on getting started

[Paintzapper]

Howdy all!

I've been wanting to get into some metal work for some time so I can make my own paintball parts (adapters, grips, ect ect) and other random things that pop into my head. I won't need anything big or capable of retrofits/upgrades for future proofing, just something to get me learning and thinking. Primarily looking to get a mini mill and possibly a lathe as well. I want to try and keep the voltage to 110/120V and amps below 5A just for general usability in my garage. I would also prefer to buy new over used as from my experiences, learning how to use a tool in (hopefully) ideal working condition leads to better understanding.

Budget - $1500-$2500 for machine(s), bits and other various tools
Material - Plastics (Delrin and ABS) and 6061 aluminum
Project size - Fist size and smaller
Experience - Primarily hand tools and drill press, nothing with mills and lathes.
Available space - limited, looking for a tabletop/mini versions.

I wold love your guys opinions on where to look, if there are any cool "starter kits" I'm not aware of, or what I should expect. I ran across a couple mills that I figured wouldn't hurt to ask questions on. Again, I don't need anything moderately powerful. I am more than happy to cut slowly if need be.

In my initial searches, I had saved the the Grizzly Mini mill on my list. It looks like it would do the trick, think it would be adequate for a beginner to start tinkering with?

Thank you for the help!

 

[dtsh]

Some may disagree with me, but honestly I think the best tools to start with are files and a good set of drill bits. Files don't get the fanfare that power tools do, they aren't the fastest, but they have been the go-to tool for shaping since the dawn of metalworking. There are few parts that come out of my shop that haven't seen at least a few strokes from a file, they probably see as much use as the lathe and mill.

That said, I doubt you want to hear about files. My lathe is an ancient machine and I have very little experience with the imports so I cannot fairly comment in that regard, but I do have an RF-30 style mill/drill from Harbor Freight which I am very happy with (~$1200 shipped to the door). It's larger than the mini-mills at around 700lbs, so may be more than your tasks require. I suspect I've thrown half as much as it cost at it in tooling (clamps, vise, endmills, collets, etc, etc) so don't forget to include the additional costs of tooling.

Things I would do differently would be to but only the tools I need for the task at hand and not buy "sets", such as endmills or collets, as I tend to use a few sizes far more than others; the extra pieces in the sets only take up valuable storage space. Your budget sounds reasonable, but expect it to be more at the high end.

 

[Paintzapper]

Well I do have plenty of files and have made plenty with them, I just have some projects I want to do that require more than a file could accomplish without wearing out my hands.

I have that mill from Harbor Freight on my radar but as you mentioned, it may be a bit excessive for what I need. Plus the ideal of finding a place to put the 700+lb piece of equipment and moving it there is a little daunting at this point in time.

I expect I will be spending more towards the higher end as well. Still, I can be hopeful

 

[wrmiller]

I started with sherline lathe and mill setup. Built my first competition pistol on them.

There is also Taig. Little Machine Shop (LMS) carries slightly larger machines to, if interested.

Welcome to the forums!

 

[ttabbal]

For the small stuff, Sherline gets really good reviews. If the work envelope is big enough for your needs they might be a good choice.

They are probably on the large side for your needs, but you might also check out Precision Matthews. I really like my 1127 lathe from them, but it's not a mini/tabletop machine.

One thing to keep in mind with the little machines, they list the length without tooling. So once you add a drill chuck in the tailstock and a 3 jaw in the headstock, you have taken up a fair bit of space on a 7x10 for example. This might not be an issue for your parts, you will have to decide that, but it's something that people have been surprised by when they get a lathe. Mills are similar with the Z axis being taken up with a vise and whatever tooling you need for the job. Both of my machines lose more than 6" of space to tooling and workholding. You can get around some of it by clamping to the table rather than using a vise etc., but that comes with it's own tradeoffs.

 

[mikey]

Fist sized - you are not looking at a mini-lathe!

I would third the suggestion to look at the Sherline tools. They are capable of making many of the small parts needed for paintball or airsoft guns or pellet guns, and they're precise enough to do really good work. You can turn up to about 1-1/4" over the cross slide and the long bed lathe will allow you to do most things needed for prototype work. The accessories will be far cheaper than for larger machines and Sherline stuff is very good quality for the money.

Best thing to do is define your work envelope. That will guide your purchasing decisions.

 

[Paintzapper]

Such good info! I will look more into the Sherline equipment. I keep seeing them pop up in all of my searches so I guess they must be popular.

 

[SamI]

Fist sized - you are not looking at a mini-lathe!

The mini lathe is capable of machining parts of 4-5" diameter (bigger than my fist size anyway - maybe I've just got small hands!). You will likely be limited to shallow cuts and it may take a long time to complete a part but for hobby use (i.e. where time isn't an issue) then there's no reason that a mini lathe won't be up to the job.

That being said a bigger machine will not be running near its full capacity so it will be much easier to machine the same parts. If fist sized is truly the largest you would go and the vast majority of your projects will be smaller then a mini lathe could be a good choice. That being said, the vast majority of my work is 1" and under and I recently upgraded to a 13" x 30" lathe and I absolutely do not regret that decision. I use mine daily though.

You mentioned earlier that the idea of a new machine appeals to you because it should work perfectly straight out of the box. You may be disappointed with a mini lathe. They are very much built to a price and one thing that seems to suffer across the board is the assembly quality of the machines. From that point of view a used machine could be the simpler plug and play. Then again there's no knowing what a previous owner has or hasn't done to the machine.

If you do buy a new machine I'd set aside a full day to get it set up. The temptation to turn it on straight away and play about is strong (I know I couldn't resist when I started using mine!) but the machine will run better if everything is properly adjusted prior to use. Generally speaking the bigger (and more expensive the machine) the more care has been taken during assembly and adjustment. Stripping down your machine also helps you to understand it better. When I first started using my mini lathe the thought of stripping it apart seemed daunting but once you’ve got it apart they really are remarkably simple.

 

[Downunder Bob]

Welcome to the forum. The perennial big question. What to get? I always tend to say the biggest and best you can afford and have space for. However if you have a fairly well defined envelope of what you want to do, let that be your guide. But be warned you will suddenly find a need to make something bigger, So try to aim a little oversize, it won't be long before you'll be glad you did..

I have no personal experience with sherline, but if Mikey thinks they're ok I wouldn't hesitate. PM also appear to have a big following. Always remember cheap aint good, and good aint cheap.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[bill70j]

Such good info! I will look more into the Sherline equipment. I keep seeing them pop up in all of my searches so I guess they must be popular.

Paintzappeer:

Welcome to the forum!

If you are seriously considering a Sherline machine, you may want to spend $20 and get the book entitled Tabletop Machining, written by Joe Martin, who owns Sherline.

His book gives you a good idea of the capabilities of his machines, including endless examples, but also covers machining fundamentals. Table of Contents:

1. General Machining
2. Lathe Operations
3. Milling Operations
4. Other Machining Topics
5. Projects and Resources

Good luck with your purchase, and keep us informed!

Regards, Bill