mill help

[Loose nut]

I posted this over at the HSM site but I would like any opinions for here from a modelers point of view as opposed to a machine shop view.


I'm looking to upgrade my old RF mill/drill to something better, and I need opinions and or advice on which is a better deal. Has anyone owned on of these mills. The first point is "why not get a bridgy clone", I wish, but there are a couple of reasons
1-I could probably get one for a song now that machine shops are folding left and right but I don't really need anything that big.
2-3PH power, not insurmountable
3-To big, not enough room in shop
4-can't get it to the shop, 5' wide gate downhill on grass, a disaster waiting to happen
5-can't sing!!!!!!

This one is the larger of the two, heavier, has 220 volt 1 HP motor but has a smaller table with less travel and is belt driven which isn't a deal breaker but a gear head would be nice.

The second one is basically a square columned dovetailed version of the old RF mill/drills. It has a bigger table with more travel, this would be useful, but only has a 110 volt 1 1/2 HP motor.

My main questions are:

1--will the difference in the motors 110/220 and HP make much of a difference in power, life expectancy, usefulness etc.
2--does it make much of a difference weather it is a knee type mill or has a movable head on dovetails for vertical alignment, some of the new Seig mills have this feature, how are they.

Any opinions on this would be helpful, there isn't much difference in price , so it's a matter of what is the best choice and this has me impaled on the horns of a dilemma. Thanks

 

[Powder keg]

I have the one on top with the knee. I love it! The only drawback was, like on a lot of these smaller mills, I was running out of room. Mainly when drilling. By the time you get your vise, drill chuck, and drill bit in there wasn't much room for a work piece. But I think this is a common problem with smaller machines. I usually cut a grill bit in half and reground it to work around this. After about a year with the mill, I decided to make a spacer for the head. I added 6" and the mill came alive! I haven't had any troubles since)

Wes

 

[Loose nut]

What about table size and travel (X and Y directions), the knee type seems to be a bit restrictive. I have in the past milled some articles over 16" long (and need to again shortly), my old RF mill had the table size to handle it, I don't know that I want to take a reduction. Has this been a problem.

It's kind of buying a new car that gets 25 MPG when the old one got 45 MPG it can make a big difference.

 

[Powder keg]

You will never have a mill big enough. The new CNC mill I run at work has a 25" X 60" table and it's restrictive at times) It hasn't been a problem to me.

Wes

 

[Bogstandard]

Loose Nut,
Over the last year or so I have been looking at new mills, to keep within a budget but also get the best value for money. I looked at almost all the millers available around the size of the 626, and also asked people about their views, just to see if they had any problems.
In almost all areas the 626 came to be the machine of choice, and as mentioned, very easy to modify to get that little bit more out of it. But it is all down to personal choice.
It is only this last week that I have actually decided on a small Bridgeport clone, and that was only because I will be having it partially financed from elsewhere. If that was not put on the table, I would still be going for the 626.

John

John

 

[Charlie J]

I have the HF version of the 6X26. HF is by far the cheapest brand of this particular model. The reason I selected the cheapest brand was that my intention was to extensively modify the mill to overcome some it's shortcomings. If I wasn't successfully the finanical loss would be minimal.
The X , Y and Z travels of the 6X26 are the reason most people opt for a square column Mill/Drill. As delivered the HF 6X26 had 15 1/2" X, 5 7/8" Y and 12" Z, rather short for a 26" table. After reworking my 6X26 has 20 7/8" X (with power feed) and 7 7/8" Y. I intend to build and install a 5" column spacer to increase the Z travel.
I have also added a 2 hp 3 ph motor and VFD to provide variable speed. The recent addition of a tach has given me the ability to match cutter diameter to SFM, a real plus. My setup also includes a 3 axis Shooting Star DRO. The Z axis readout is on the knee, I have a cheap single SS DRO to install on the quill.
Like all Chinese tools the mill delivered is a "work in progress". I deburred, retapped, replaced fasteners etc, but the work was worth it. The mill with all improvements listed above cost me less than $2600.
As soon as I can figure out how to post photos, I will. I took a step by step photographic record of each mod with the idea of submitting an article one day.
After using a RF30 mill/drill for 25 years this modified 6X26 has been a dramatic improvement. Although I have the room(my shop is 24X48) and could afford a bridgeport I am quite satisfied with this mill.
Just my 2 cents...