Small Mills

[FireReplica]

I'm thinking about getting a small mill and am looking at the one's offered by Taig, Sherline and Micro-Mark.

I would appreciate thoughts about how they compare.

Thank you!!

 

[Jeff02]

I have had a Sherline for a couple of years and love it, but it does have limitations. On the positive side Sherlins offers just about every accessory you could imagine. Other than size constraints this machine has not let me down AT ALL.

Hope this helps, Good luck!

 

[vlmarshall]

I have had a Sherline for a couple of years and love it, but it does have limitations. On the positive side Sherline offers just about every accessory you could imagine. Other than size constraints this machine has not let me down AT ALL.

I'll second that. ;D
A Sherline mill isn't the best choice for big parts or lots of hogging cuts, but for accurate, small work they're great. I run mine like a scaled-down (not just smaller) version of the Haas machines I run at work, and I'm very happy with it.

 

[Tin Falcon]

FR:
I have one of the Micromart millls. This is Seig X-2 from china. the taigs and sherlines are made in USA.
The Seig is a capable little machine but they are better if you do a little fit and finish tuning when you get them I have the # 3MT spinde version but grizzly and others sell the R8 spindle version this is a more common mill spindle so more availability of collets mill holders etc.
Check Littlemachineshop.com they have lots of info on mini lathes and mills (mostly the imports)
Anyway I have had my since fall of 2001 and only a couple of minor maintainance issues.
The rubber bellows dry rotted after about 5 years. A few bucks from lms. the cooling fan got very noisy $20 from lms with new fan ps. Fans are available on line for $5. last summer I had a power surge take out the ps board. $5 bridge rectifier from radio shack.
http://www.siegind.com/product.php?id=24
So all of thes work.
Tin

 

[shred]

I have a couple Taigs. One CNC and one not. For a while a Taig was my only mill. It works great for small stuff and small cutters (3/8" and below, most commonly 1/4" and below). Even now that I have a 8x36 baby-Bridgeport, I can't part with the little Taigs. The ER-16 headstock is very useful.

 

[Deanofid]

FR, I've had both the Sherline and the Taig mills. They are both really fine small machines. I made a lot of stuff on my Sherline and have made a lot more on the Taig. My (informed) opinion is that they are both capable of doing the same quality of work when compared to what the Sherline will handle. When you get past a certain point, the Taig surpasses the Sherline in the DOC and feed rates it can take. The Taig is quite a bit more machine when you start talking weight and rigidity. It also comes with an ER-16 spindle, which is a real plus.

If I were offered my choice of either one at the same price, I'd take the Taig.
If I were offered the Sherline for $500 and the Taig for $1000, I'd take the Taig.
I guess that about says it. (This is a free opinion, and worth every penny...)

 

[vlmarshall]

When you get past a certain point, the Taig surpasses the Sherline in the DOC and feed rates it can take. The Taig is quite a bit more machine when you start talking weight and rigidity. It also comes with an ER-16 spindle, which is a real plus.

If I were offered my choice of either one at the same price, I'd take the Taig.
If I were offered the Sherline for $500 and the Taig for $1000, I'd take the Taig.
I guess that about says it. (This is a free opinion, and worth every penny...)

Good opinions, too. As a Sherline owner, I can agree, the Taig has more mass, and should be able to do heavier work.

An ER spindle is an option on the Sherline.

 

[black85vette]

Interesting how few of these small mills you see on Ebay and Craigslist. People must hang on to them forever. Small lathes are all over the place but mills seem to be pretty rare.

 

[Krown Kustoms]

I have used a few, but I like the grizzly the best.
It was easy to convert to cnc and its heavy enough to take some decent cuts.
The only problem I had was the spring assisted lift, it was sticky when you plunge.
The setup was metal on metal, I fixed that with some bearings and a homemade axel for them.
For the price I couldnt pass.

 

[gmac]

+1 on black58vette's comments. I couldn't afford new equipment and spent a lot of time watching ads for used. Out of the blue I quickly found a Taig lathe for cheap, but have spent about 2 1/2 years watching for a small mill of any description. Yesterday I hit gold - found a year old BusyBee (Sieg) X2 for a great price. I've been very happy with the quality and support for the Taig lathe; but I'm a noob :big:

My interest in this class/size of machinery is because of lack of a shop, so I'm constrained to working in the house or on the patio.

Good luck with the search.

Garry

 

[Deanofid]

An ER spindle is an option on the Sherline.

That's a plus for both of them, then. It's a very effective tool holding system. Keeping the cutter shank as far up in the spindle as possible does a lot for these small milling machines.

Dean

 

[FireReplica]

Really appreciate the varied opinions!

Most all my work is pretty small, so it boils down to need for stability and accuracy more than the ability to make large cuts.

By the way, it really can be a tough decision, so any more thoughts out there, please keep them coming!!

 

[deverett]

Are you able to get your hands on any of the machines that you fancy? That will help you plenty in your decision.

At the end of the day, whatever machine you decide on, there will be parts of it that you love and maybe parts that you hate. It is a question of learning to adapt it (and you) to beat the parts that you hate.

Dave
The Emerald Isle

 

[Maryak]

It is a question of learning to adapt it (and you) to beat the parts that you hate.

Sometimes a very big hammer and a piece of scrap are wonderful therapy. ??? : ??? :

Best Regards
Bob