sherline mill

[oregonsteam]

I am considering purchasing a small mill. Has anyone an opinion of the Sherline model 5000 series mill? Their website says the starting price is $670. I would like to find a mill to supplement my HF 7inch mini lathe for making small steam engines. $670 is the top end of what I want and am able to spend.

Thanks!

Mike

 

[jthulin]

I don't have any first hand experience with the Sherline mill (I have a Taig lathe), but remember to leave some room in your budget for accessories!

 

[kuhncw]

Sherline makes a fine little mill. You might also take a look at the Taig mill. It is a solid machine for it's size and a little larger than the Sherline.

www.taigtools.com

Regards,

Chuck

 

[Bernd]

Mike,

I don't have the Sherline mill, but what I do have is a Sherline lathe, the 4400 model, that can be converted into a mill. Here's a link to my website. I used the mill for building Elmer's Wobbler. I also started work on a PM Research Coke Bottle Engine using the Sherline lathe and mill conversion.

http://www.kingstonemodeleng.com/EngineShop/Wobbler/wobbler.htm

Another option is the small mills from Grizzly. I have the G8689 Mini-Mill. Check my website for the mods I did to that.

http://www.kingstonemodeleng.com/MachineShop/minimill/minimill.htm

Oh, and back to your orginal question. The mill is great for doing small parts. But, there'll come a time when you'll want to do a bigger part. So remember "You can always make small parts on big machines, but you can never make large parts on small machines."

Regards,
Bernd

 

[JimN]

I have the Sherline Mill model 5400, for me its great although not yet really being any kind of expert on milling, its hard for me to say how good it really is. I have seen several engines built with the mill and they are very nice. The saying goes, its not the machine but the machine operator that counts most times.

One thing is I have spent more money on add ons and tools, than the machine cost me to start with, but all in all I am very happy with it. Not having a shop to work in, I use it in the spare bedroom so size was a big thing for me.

Jim
Abbotsford, BC

 

[vlmarshall]

I have a '96 model Sherline 5400, in an enclosure and CNC'd. It's been a good little mill, but sometimes I wish I had more Z travel. Sherline offers a taller column and leadscrew, one day I'll get one.

I'm soon adding a lathe to my home 'shop', most likely it'll be a Sherline.

 

[ChooChooMike]

I have a '96 model Sherline 5400, in an enclosure and CNC'd. It's been a good little mill, but sometimes I wish I had more Z travel. Sherline offers a taller column and leadscrew, one day I'll get one.

A2Z CNC offers quite a few upgrades for the Sherline mill

http://www.a2zcnc.com/

including longer X table, and riser blocks for the Z-axis to give you more Z-travel

http://www.a2zcnc.com/machinetools.asp

Other goodies too !!

Mike

 

[ileed]

I have three mills, small, medium, and large. I started with a manual Sherline, with a DRO. I built my first three engines with it, and still return to it. It is a good machine, is honestly represented by Sherline, and have many accessories available. Replacement parts are no problem. The Web site provides much help, and part ordering is quick. Joe is a stand up guy, you can talk to, and is super honest.

I have not seen a Taig, but have had interest in them. Do a search on You Tube, and check out both machines. I lean toward the Sherline, only because of the available tooling.

Regards

 

[vlmarshall]

A2Z CNC offers quite a few upgrades for the Sherline mill
including longer X table, and riser blocks for the Z-axis to give you more Z-travel
Other goodies too !!
Mike

I know! I've ordered from A2Zcnc several times, and have gotten the best possible service from them, especially when dealing with a slight problem. I WILL be ordering from them in the future.

The long-travel X and Y parts they offer seem nice, but won't fit inside my Sherline's enclosure.

 

[Deanofid]

I owned one of the Sherline mills you are thinking about buying for about 10 years. They are an excellent machine. I now have a Taig milling machine. I will never say anything bad about the Sherline. It served me well for years. I'll just say that the Taig will do everything the Sherline will do, with the same fine accuracy, and it will do it a little better than the Sherline for a similar price. If you're considering the Sherline, consider the Taig too.

Dean

 

[ttrikalin]

I'm a happy sherline CNC 5400 owner. The machine is very well built and very accurate for it's money.
Consider bidding on e-bay on a used machine - they come with a lot of tooling.

t

 

[ironman]

Oregonstream, know this is late but if you have HF lathe why not get HF mill????? I have the Micro Mill and have it CNC. Works for what I do. Ray