Looking for my perfect size hobby mill....

[Mr Mike]

Here you go.

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I can only dream of owning a horizontal / vertical mill in a shop like that... I could buy and use it for a sun shade, but it'd get ruined rather fast sitting there next to the pool... Not to mention how hard it would be keeping the kids from splashing on it.. I have absolutely no where to put something like that...

 

[Mr Mike]

I thought having a larger mill would send my drill presses packing, but it hasn't worked out that way. Mills and drill presses are similar, but they have different priorities.

Exactly what I was thinking... Send my small drill press packing... lol, guess not.

 

[matthewsx]

I can only dream of owning a horizontal / vertical mill in a shop like that... I could buy and use it for a sun shade, but it'd get ruined rather fast sitting there next to the pool... Not to mention how hard it would be keeping the kids from splashing on it.. I have absolutely no where to put something like that...

Well, was really just kidding of course. But, if you can stretch for a small knee mill it does address some of the shortcomings of a bench mill. A knee and a ram are pretty handy to have.

John

 

[Windy city]

Here you go.

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Why would someone build an elevated platform such as this around their mill?

 

[matthewsx]

Why would someone build an elevated platform such as this around their mill?

Probably to reach the controls. It’s a monster.

John

 

[rodm1]

I would go with a full size if I could but a small floor model will do with knee.

 

[matthewsx]

I would go with a full size if I could but a small floor model will do with knee.

I have a baby Bridgeport that just fits my space.

John

 

[verbotenwhisky]

Right but you are talking about a fraction of an inch of extension, so 2" or 5" of quill range won't matter much except for drilling. Even with drilling it just adds a step, retract the quill and lower the head or raise the table as appropriate. My Clausing has 3" of quill extension, but I don't think I've ever maxed it out. For one thing drilling a hole more than 3" deep would be pushing the limits of space for the mill anyway, with only 16" spindle to table.

I have used the quill for fine adjustment, but talking about thousandths of travel. Personally I find using the knee to set height to be pretty accurate. My Sherline doesn't even have a quill, and it manages to be pretty accurate.

Quill is nice, but quill extension isn't the place I'd be be drawing a line between one mill over another unless it was one has a quill and the other doesn't.

16" (this is going to sound pornographic) mine has 22". The extra travel I have is the PDF boring depth

 

[verbotenwhisky]

you guys are assuming that square column mills are all small bench top machines but to by a knee mill with the work envelope of a PM940V or M (specifically Z axis of 22"), is an expensive large machine and the PM932 is pretty large as well with a table clearance of (Z axis) of 18".

 

[Aaron_W]

16" (this is going to sound pornographic) mine has 22". The extra travel I have is the PDF boring depth

I am quite happy with my mill, but you can understand my occasional mill envy. I'm thrilled to have 16", a lot of other mills in this class only have 12-13".