Help me choose a bench mill

[grateexpectations]

I’d like to buy a small bench-style mill.

I don’t see any for sale on the local classifieds so I think I’ll have to buy one new.

I’ve looked at grizzly and Harbour freight and busy bee (I’m in Canada). I’ve used busy bee and grizzly lathes and find grizzly much higher quality. I would feel pretty confident just ordering one off their website. But I can’t seem to choose one, they all seem almost the same with small differences that I don’t know how to evaluate.

My budget that I could stomach is up to 2-3k usd including tooling.

I already have a 10x20 lathe and have experience using a mill at school (two or three small projects).

I would like to have a DRO. Based on YouTube research it seems I can get one pretty cheap from China and install it myself and get better bang for the buck.

This is mainly for fun hobby use. I’m not building anything particularly large but then I would prefer to have a machine and is capable of doing a good job of small projects (generally less than 6” in Y axis).

Not sure if posting the link is allowed, but I’m basically looking at the selection of grizzly. Can anyone help me narrow down my options?

Be well


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[shooter123456]

The G0704 is a popular one. Not sure if Precision Matthews ships to Canada, but the PM-25 and PM-727 are also popular choices (And both superior to the G0704 in my opinion.)

 

[Aaron_W]

If you want something bigger than a mini-mill then I agree with shooter that the GO704 or PM25 are popular smallish mills. They have a 7x27" table, but they still only only weigh about 300lbs so if broken down they can be moved with a couple of people, maybe even just one. They seem to be a popular companion to 10x lathes.

I was actually considering a PM 1022 lathe and PM25 mill when some vintage machines of a similar size became available to me.

Either mill costs about $1700 so with a $2-3,000 budget that would leave enough to at least get some basic tooling to start. Powerfeed and DRO could always be added later when budget allows, although PM offers a factory DRO installed.

 

[markba633csi]

The Grizzly 0704 has gears in the head that tend to break, I've heard. I would get a belt driven machine, like the PM25
-Mark

 

[grateexpectations]

I've got it narrowed down to either the G0781, or the G704 / G0759 (the latter being a G704 with a DRO added).

 

[Aaron_W]

G0704 /G0759 is a lot more mill, for not quite double the price. The G0781 is basically a large mini-mill and you might find it small compared to your lathe.

Also not only size, but look at accessories you might want in the future. Like a power feed. That is readily available for the G0704 and PM25, I don't see that as an option on the G0781.

I have an 11x24" lathe and a 6x26" mill and I think they are a good match. I suspect you may find the 0781 a bit small for your lathe, but that all depends on what you make and space available.

 

[WCraig]

I've got it narrowed down to either the G0781, or the G704 / G0759 (the latter being a G704 with a DRO added).

Hi, I'm next door in Oakville!

I've got an older BusyBee milldrill that I got through an auction last year. They don't come up all the time but with patience, you can grab one. If you'd like to come an have a look, I'd be happy to show you. Unfortunately, it is not under power at the moment (220V).

Craig

 

[WCraig]

BTW, there are a couple of mill/drills available on Kijiji at the moment:

Kijiji - Buy, Sell & Save with Canada's #1 Local Classifieds

Visit Kijiji Classifieds to buy, sell, or trade almost anything! New and used items, cars, real estate, jobs, services, vacation rentals and more virtually anywhere.

www.kijiji.ca

Kijiji - Buy, Sell & Save with Canada's #1 Local Classifieds

Visit Kijiji Classifieds to buy, sell, or trade almost anything! New and used items, cars, real estate, jobs, services, vacation rentals and more virtually anywhere.

www.kijiji.ca

And if you have a little more space:

Kijiji - Buy, Sell & Save with Canada's #1 Local Classifieds

Visit Kijiji Classifieds to buy, sell, or trade almost anything! New and used items, cars, real estate, jobs, services, vacation rentals and more virtually anywhere.

www.kijiji.ca

Kijiji - Buy, Sell & Save with Canada's #1 Local Classifieds

Visit Kijiji Classifieds to buy, sell, or trade almost anything! New and used items, cars, real estate, jobs, services, vacation rentals and more virtually anywhere.

www.kijiji.ca

Kijiji - Buy, Sell & Save with Canada's #1 Local Classifieds

Visit Kijiji Classifieds to buy, sell, or trade almost anything! New and used items, cars, real estate, jobs, services, vacation rentals and more virtually anywhere.

www.kijiji.ca

Craig