Newbie Question About Buying a Bench Mill

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BKDavis

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So my basic question, after doing a fair amount of research on models available from several vendors, is about advantages/disadvantages of tilting heads.

The models I'm looking at are from LMS (6500 or 6550), Grizzly (G0704) and Precision Mathews (PM-25MV). The LMS has a fixed head and the Grizzly and PM have heads that can rotate.

I can see potential benefits and negatives for both designs and I'm wondering what you've learned from experience. Also any thoughts on selecting among these models based on other criteria would be appreciated.

The space I have available is pretty limited, so I think these are the largest machines I can consider for now. Thanks in advance.
 
I can tell you that the tilting head is a "b!tch" to get trammed back in perfectly again after you use it.

The alternative to the tilting head are vises that tilt, rotary tables, sine plates,...
 
In that class of mill I would not want to have a tilting head. They need all the rigidity they can get. That said, the PM25 has a good reputation so perhaps it's the exception to the rule.
 
Mitch Alsup said:
I can tell you that the tilting head is a "b!tch" to get trammed back in perfectly again after you use it.

The alternative to the tilting head are vises that tilt, rotary tables, sine plates,...
Click to expand...
I don't think I would ever use the tilting head feature unless it was necessary to tram it. As DavidR8 states, there are alternatives (even the PM manual suggests finding an alternative rather than tilting the head).

I guess what I'm really I'm wondering is if they ever drift out of tram while in use. Is this something I should be concerned about?
 
I think there's the possibility that it could drift if something was not adequately snugged down.
Also bear in mind that because there are slots to allow for titling, there's less overall casting to secure the head to the column.
I don't know that it's a major consideration on this form factor but something to consider.
I recall seeing a head casting crack on one of the videos from Meanwhile In the Garage series.
Different class of mill of course but a titling head nonetheless.
 
DavidR8 said:
I think there's the possibility that it could drift if something was not adequately snugged down.
Also bear in mind that because there are slots to allow for titling, there's less overall casting to secure the head to the column.
I don't know that it's a major consideration on this form factor but something to consider.
I recall seeing a head casting crack on one of the videos from Meanwhile In the Garage series.
Different class of mill of course but a titling head nonetheless.
Click to expand...
Hilarious and impressive. I doubt I would ever test the head with a hydraulic jack!
 
BKDavis said:
I don't think I would ever use the tilting head feature unless it was necessary to tram it. As DavidR8 states, there are alternatives (even the PM manual suggests finding an alternative rather than tilting the head).

I guess what I'm really I'm wondering is if they ever drift out of tram while in use. Is this something I should be concerned about?
Click to expand...

I have had mine drift out of tram once:: this took place over 6 months of use, almost always cutting with the table moving in the same direction, and was just enough to notice when using a fly cutter with a 4" cut diameter. The tram was off by a couple of tenths at most.......you may not consider this enough off to worry about.
 
Mitch Alsup said:
I have had mine drift out of tram once:: this took place over 6 months of use, almost always cutting with the table moving in the same direction, and was just enough to notice when using a fly cutter with a 4" cut diameter. The tram was off by a couple of tenths at most.......you may not consider this enough off to worry about.
Click to expand...
Thanks, that's good input. What mill do you have?
 
I don't think the tilting head is a major concern, and it does add an ability even if not a common need. My Clausing has a head that tilts, swings, and extends / retracts. I haven't had any issue with it moving without being asked, and it is pretty easy to get it back into position if I were to move it. Different system being a round ram / round column knee mill, but I would think the tilting head on the PM25 / G0704 is at least as stable. That said the lack of a tilting head would not cause me to take a machine out of consideration either, as there are ways to create tilt other than tilting the head.

Between the three I'd be leaning towards the PM25 myself. With smaller mills even an inch or two can make a difference and the PM25 gives you a bigger table and a little more travel in the Y and Z axis which are fairly limited on all of these smaller mills. The PM25 is a little bit cheaper than the 6500 and quite a bit cheaper than the 6550. The G0704 and PM25 are quite similar but the PM seems to get better reviews from the people who have them.

As it sounds like space is tight don't forget to factor in table travel side to side when figuring out the space you will need around the mill.
 
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