I posted on another thread about a smaller Nantong mill/drill that I can purchase locally, but I'm leery about a Chinese machine that looks to be a bit rough but, it comes with tooling and probably $600-$700 worth of vises with it for $1200. That said, I was looking on Dallas CL and found a Gorton Mastermil for $1000, but it has no tooling and it can't be powered up because the motor isn't mounted. The gentleman said that he bought it with no motor and then purchased a Bridgeport motor on eBay, but never mounted it. Now, health/age issues are forcing the sale. He claims that the machine seems good and tight with no discernible slop anywhere. I asked about the somewhat oddball taper of the early Gorton mills and he said the guy he got it from claimed it is a late model machine with an R-8 taper, but he based that on the 5" handwheel, saying the early models used a 3" wheel. Can anyone here shed any light on this? It's 150+ miles away, so I want to have a little knowledge before I drive all the way there to look at it, then I have to figure out how to get it back her and unload it. I'm assuming he has a way to load it if I take it.
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Gorton Mastermil opinions.
- Thread starter toolman
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toolman,
Your choice depends on your objectives, time and patience. Sounds like the drill/mill will be operable with less pain. However, the Gorton will likely be more accurate when complete. I was very satisfied with my Rong-Fu Mill/Drill. However, she had clear limitations. With considerable help from HM Users my Cincy is in place and operable. The Mill/Drill was a great starter mill. And I certainly wouldn't be writing this without that first date with her. But, after that first kiss I wanted more and she didn't have it to offer. However, I would hesitate to castigate anyone who chooses a mill/drill and sticks with her, she does a great job for the purpose she was designed for. It all really depends on your needs and applications.
Please keep us posted on your choice and progress.
Daryl
MN
Your choice depends on your objectives, time and patience. Sounds like the drill/mill will be operable with less pain. However, the Gorton will likely be more accurate when complete. I was very satisfied with my Rong-Fu Mill/Drill. However, she had clear limitations. With considerable help from HM Users my Cincy is in place and operable. The Mill/Drill was a great starter mill. And I certainly wouldn't be writing this without that first date with her. But, after that first kiss I wanted more and she didn't have it to offer. However, I would hesitate to castigate anyone who chooses a mill/drill and sticks with her, she does a great job for the purpose she was designed for. It all really depends on your needs and applications.
Please keep us posted on your choice and progress.
Daryl
MN
Last edited:
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I would say get the gorton too. I've never regretted buying more machine than i need....ever. But I've regretted buying smaller/lesser tools more times than I want to remember. Look at everything else real good shake the table run the x and y , the knee, table wear, the quill. This also gives you time to feel the guy out and try to judge his character. If your confident that he seems to be a solid guy, and the machine looks solid, make him an offer.
Because you can't see the machine run, tell the guy, "I'm taking a chance here on your word that this machine is good" and then offer him $700
) You guys will go backa nd forth and settle somewhere in the middle. Because the fact is that you are taking a chance. Risk vs. reward. But you've done your homework. My character sniffer works pretty good, but everybodys gut is not as intuitive as mine. You can always get tooling, and it won't bother you so much if you know you have a good solid machine.My 2 cents.
Marcel
Thanks for the advice guys. In all honesty, it's probably a lot more machine than I need, BUT, it's hard to make a smaller machine do what a big machine will sometimes. The primary usage will be very light duty drilling in my gunsmith shop, but there's always something that needs to be milled, and I have some ideas for different jigs that I want to try. My biggest concerns are the condition of the machine, distance, and loading/unloading. I'm still trying to get the shop outfitted and opened (sure wish ATF would hurry on my FFL application!), and I can't afford a lot of extra expense or another project ,like the 12x36 lathe that I ended up with. The guy has already told me that he's firm on the price, so if I have to pay for $200 worth of fuel, and pay for a wrecker to unload it, then start gathering tooling and a vise, my $1500 budget is pretty well blown if the machine has any other issues. I'm waiting on a call back from him to see if he has a means of loading it and what type of motor it has (may have to buy a phase convertor as well), so we'll see what happens.
Well, he's not sure on the loading (may have a buddy with a tractor who can load it), or the voltage, but I did find out that it's a 3 phase motor. He's going to call me back tomorrow (oops, that would now be today) with all of the specifics. At this point, I'm seriously looking at getting a Grizzly G0704 for now and upgrading to an actual mill after I get some money coming in instead of just going out. I hate to let this one go, but I'm afraid it's going to be more money than I can spend at this time considering the other equipment/tooling that I still need in other areas of the shop. If anyone is interested, I can hook you up with his number...
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I don't know how long you've been actively looking to pull the trigger on a mill and how urgent your need is for one. I would wait it out a little while longer and see if you can't find something else closer by, or more suitable. These things do take awhile to appear. In the mean time you can keep socking away a few bucks into your mill fund. I'd hate to see you sink some money on something that your not gonna be happy with. What about your buddies mill?
It's a chinese mill as well and has not been well taken care of, but it does have two vises and quite a bit of tooling, but he wants his $1200 back out of it, which I think is way too much. I also found a like new Enco for $900 about 200 mi. away, but my thinking is, the Grizz would at least come with a warranty and does not require a phase convertor, plus it would be delivered directly to my shop. I could use it while I save for a better one, then sell it to recoup some of my cost later. I may just hold off, but I could use it to build some of the parts I need for the 12x36 Craftsman lathe I bought, plus some other light-duty projects that I'm working on. If you can't tell, I'm pretty wishy-washy about the whole deal! :roflmao:
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I know the feeling about wanting to get a new toy to play with in the garage and the prospect of having a shiny brand new one seems like a great idea. I agree, I think $1200 is too much for your buddys mill.
A couple of years ago, i was so close to pulling the trigger on a HF 7x10 mini lathe, but i couldn't justify the money they wanted for such a small lathe. I called my buddy, that has a machine shop in his basement, to see if he knew anybody that had a small lathe for sale. He said, he had a small south bend 9" that he needed to get rid of to make some room. I paid $100 for it. I've probably put another $500 into it, it needed a chuck , and a thread dial, and a couple of gears were missing,and i wanted a quick change tool post. It has served it's purpose and I still have it, but I quickly outgrew it.
My suggestion is to go out there and shake a few bushes and put the word out that your looking to buy a mill. Once you buy that Grizzly, you're gonna be stuck with it for awhile, not to mention that you're gonna need a whole bunch of tooling.
It's your money, after all. I'm just trying to talk some sense into you...:LOL:
A couple of years ago, i was so close to pulling the trigger on a HF 7x10 mini lathe, but i couldn't justify the money they wanted for such a small lathe. I called my buddy, that has a machine shop in his basement, to see if he knew anybody that had a small lathe for sale. He said, he had a small south bend 9" that he needed to get rid of to make some room. I paid $100 for it. I've probably put another $500 into it, it needed a chuck , and a thread dial, and a couple of gears were missing,and i wanted a quick change tool post. It has served it's purpose and I still have it, but I quickly outgrew it.
My suggestion is to go out there and shake a few bushes and put the word out that your looking to buy a mill. Once you buy that Grizzly, you're gonna be stuck with it for awhile, not to mention that you're gonna need a whole bunch of tooling.
It's your money, after all. I'm just trying to talk some sense into you...:LOL:
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+1 on xalky's thought to shake a few trees.
When I simply told everyone I know what I was trying to do, starting a little home shop, one friend gave me a really beat up Atlas 618 which changed my ability to machine, and taught me SO much.
Other friends found machines for me to buy cheap, or mint machines for a great deal. Some others sold me spare machines that they were happy to get out of their way, but even easier to let go of knowing who it was going to.
Your buddy's machine sounds like too much $$. You said something about recouping his costs. Did he buy it new?
CRAIGSLIST*****!!!!!!
Bernie
When I simply told everyone I know what I was trying to do, starting a little home shop, one friend gave me a really beat up Atlas 618 which changed my ability to machine, and taught me SO much.
Other friends found machines for me to buy cheap, or mint machines for a great deal. Some others sold me spare machines that they were happy to get out of their way, but even easier to let go of knowing who it was going to.
Your buddy's machine sounds like too much $$. You said something about recouping his costs. Did he buy it new?
CRAIGSLIST*****!!!!!!
Bernie