Grizzly G0704 mill/drill.

It's got twice the HP of the one I'm using. (Sieg X2D from LittleMachineShop.com) My little mill nibbles more than it cuts, but I get by. Truth be told, its #1 job is flattening handle scales and drilling pin holes and it works wonderfully for that. For small jobs, it has been worth its weight in gold. If I had it to do all over I'd have gotten a Bridgeport but at the time I didn't want to spend that kind of money because I wasn't sure I needed a mill at all.

Looking at the price of that mill new, you can get a used Bridgeport if you have the space.
 
I've owned one for over two years now. It's a decent mill for the price, but with the induction motor, it's for LIGHT duty only! Anything larger they about a 1/4" end mill, or a 1" face mill is over taxing the machine. I use mine primarily for folder work, and/or guard slotting. Personally, I have two mills, the G0704, and a large floor model Grizzly.

In the end, I would look at like this..... you can do little work on a big mill.......but you simply cannot do big work, on a little mill. :)
 
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...And will never have to wonder if you should have bought a Bridgy...lol

Buying the little mini-mill is what finally did it for me- I finally embraced the mindset of "buy once, cry once." If I had any inkling how much value a mill brings to the shop I'd have done whatever it took to get a proper knee mill from the get-go. Obviously nobody needs a Bridgeport to make knives, but not a single tool in my knife shop only makes knives. The premium in my little shop is SPACE. By the time I put my little mini mill on top of a rolling toolbox, it occupies the same amount of space as a small knee mill would, and a small knee mill would be a much more capable machine for that same amount of space.
 
Personally, I’d find a way to move a Bridgeport. It’s not like you’ll have to move it more than once, unless you move to another shop, at which point you can just rinse and repeat.
 
Do you think it can mill fullers

I've milled fullers with mine using a 3/16" ball end mill.....you gotta go SLOW or it will chatter and create a huge amount of cleanup work. I tried a 1/4" ball end mill....ONCE.....no matter how slow you go, it's just too much for the mill, and it's chattering all the way.
 
One thing I have done on old sloppy...or cheap...mills....is to LIGHTLY tighten the gib/way locks...takes up slop and greatly reduces chatter. Just keep an eye on 'em while cutting..don't want them loosening in mid cut. Don't tighten 'em so much it's had to turn the handle...

and of course...NEVER climb cut on a sloppy mill!

Hope this helps.
 
I'll add one more thought: I have a full size knee mill in my shop. Next to my 2x72 grinder, it's the most used tool in my shop. I use it for making knives, making other tools for making knives, and several other odd jobs. I couldn't begin to imagine using a benchtop mill for much of what I do, and there are actually many instances where I wish my mill was larger!

Personally, I bought mine used from a machinery dealer about 2.5 hours away. They dropped it off with a truck with a lift gate, and rolled it into the corner of my shop with a manual pallet jack. I had to tilt the head 90 degrees to get it into my garage, and the pallet was a little tricky to get out from underneath it, but at the end of the day, it was relatively simple. If I need to move it across the shop, a 4 foot pry bar and 2 or 3 pipes are all that is needed. Machine dollies or an engine crane would be useful to have, but not necessary. I say that just to say, it can be done.

Now, if you know you're JUST going to do basic folder work, then yes, a benchtop mill is certainly better than nothing, but there's definitely a lot to be said for having more weight, more power, more rigidity, and more capacity, even for the "small" jobs.
 
I agree with the thought of buying the biggest mill you can afford the first time. When I purchased my mill. I went through the same thing looking at the smaller Grizzly and LMS products, used Bridgeports, etc.

I ended up buying a mid size bench mill the PM932, which I have been happy with. I'm not a representative of this company, just a satisfied customer.

Here is link to their site.
http://www.precisionmatthews.com/product-category/millingmachines/benchmills/

Link to a subforum on a hobby machinist site devoted to their products.
https://www.hobby-machinist.com/forums/precision-matthews-sponsored.172/

Happy shopping
 
Just to let everyone know I got a Grizzly G0720R that has been converted to belt drive with a 3hp motor and VFD drive. Think this one will do what I need to do.
Thanks for everyone's help
 
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