Local seller is asking $700 for this mill. I will find out more about it today might have more pics and see what tooling is included. Any idea what type it is? Looks like a knee mill. Maybe an older Bridgeport? Worth looking into further or bargaining on price a bit?
I do not recognize that mill. It looks like a very lightweight knee mill Or drill press. I would be very reluctant to suggest anything lighter than a Bridgeport or BP clone and I would not buy the old style Bp with the head on a round horizontal column. You should get a machine with power feed on the x axis and you should ensure that the condition of the ways is good. You should also get working digital readout on the x and y axis and on it is also nice but not crucial on the You live in an area of the country that has tons of used machines available. Take the time to find a good one. It makes all the difference. You can get the feed and DRO options on a machine for only a small fraction of the their value compared to the price of a bare machine. Enlist an experienced machinist to accompany you so they can look the machine over—-do not skip this step. Otherwise you can easily end up with a worn out , poorly functioning machine that will be a PIA to use. For the same money you could also get a very solid machine that will be a joy. You might l ok on PracticalMachinist for the perhaps hundreds of threads concerning used mill purchases. Time spent studying (not something foreign to you, I know) will pay off. I definitely would not buy what I think I see in that pic. Denis
It *looks* like it's a smaller round column mill, but I can't tell from the pic what kind of machine it really is. Bring along a dial indicator and test it out where it sits, no point in buying a machine and moving it just to discover it's clapped out. A lot of times machines come with some tooling and that should be considered when negotiating a price. Assuming it is a round column, they work OK, but introduce some issues with the Z axis that if you can avoid them you will be much better off. I've considered selling mine off and replacing it with a knee mill, but I don't use it often enough to justify the expense.
Hmm. Fair enough. I'll save up later and buy a proper one. Should complete the last of the machines I need to make just about anything.
Ha! We'll just see about that! Now that you've got your eyes open for one, one will come along. I came across a Clausing 8520 knee mill from a local college a few years back which proved to be in really nice condition. I got it at a really nice price as it was listed as a drill press as opposed to a mill but that's another story. It's not a Bridgeport, but it's perfect for most of my needs and space requirements. It's just a bare machine which is ok (until I'm endlessly turning and counting! Lol). Pete
I agree with Pete. With time on your side and living in the center of industry, a good one will pop up. The ideal situation would be to find some older gent who has had his for 30 years and has acquired the tooling to go with it. But needs to move out of his home and sell his mill and lathe to a “good home.” That will be me some day. ;-) Those kinds of deals pop up every once in a while. He’ll have you stop by and will demo the mill and show you a bunch of stuff he has made with it. You will know what you are getting and he’ll be glad to know where it’s going. I had a chance 40 years ago to buy a very nice lathe with tons of tooling in just such a situation. I passed as I felt guilty buying the lathe from the fellow that had terminal lung cancer. That did not do him or me a favor I now know. Denis
I'll definitely keep my eye out for one. I should probably save up for a few months though since looking at my finances after buying the house is pretty depressing haha. Then I can actually pay a grand or two and buy a nice one instead of hoping for the freebies to come along. I have a decent bit of tooling kit already. I bought it at a flea market for 60 bucks a few years back.
