Mini Benchtop Mill/Drill Machine?

[243Mendoza]

Soliciting suggestions/opinions on best/reliable mini drill/mill machine for minor gunsmithing and brass prep for less than $1000.

 

[JSH]

I will preach what I was told. Drill/mill you get a pretty good drill press and a half hearted attempt at a mill.

I have looked and looked, procrastinated. Precision Matthews is where I am going to drop my $$$$. I have passed on some used and will pass on “other brand” new ones. I don’t need a project, I need to finish some. The PM may need a small amount of tuning but near as much as some.
I have already picked up a bit of tooling and don’t have a mil yet.

 

[Papa Charlie]

From my research the PM, JET and the Grizzly are pretty good. Most have a round support for the head, you will want the largest that you can find. JET use to have one with a really stout support.

 

[jdh47]

Les Brooks did some pretty good work on a tiny Rusnok mill. I've played with a few mill drills over the years and they do as good of work as the guy running them.

 

[tobnpr]

I bought one of these six years ago...
Fitted mine with DRO's, very capable little mill when used within it's limitations.
Dovetail column (light years better than round column mill drills), decent power (2/3 hp inverter motor).

https://littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=3990&category=1387807683

 

[ebb]

A mill is like a router. I have a porter-cable 690 router and they cost between $170 and $200. The problem is to get any use out of it you need $1000 worth of bits and guides. A friend gave me a 9x49 (I think) MSC mill and no bits and accessories. The mill is about enough to figure out you need to spend 3 times as much to accomplish any thing. Price a Kurt Mill vise, a rotary table and a whole bunch of carbide tooling, you will wish you didn't have a mill.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Table travel is the issue with tabletop rigs. Its a pain in the rear to change a setup just to mill a barrel channel

 

[hoz53]

Soliciting suggestions/opinions on best/reliable mini drill/mill machine for minor gunsmithing and brass prep for less than $1000.

I don’t think what you want exists. I have had a jet jmd18 for 30 some years. Like tobnar said try to get s dovetail or square column. The round column ones don’t maintain their zero when you want to move the quill up or down like a knee mill does. That’s one of the big things to me. Also try to get one you can tram(square) the table to the quill. The table top mill I’d buy now costs enough I’d rather just put the money in a full size mill.

 

[hoz53]

Table travel is the issue with tabletop rigs. Its a pain in the rear to change a setup just to mill a barrel channel

Yeah in mine that means my wrist/arm gets sore since I don’t have power feed on X

 

[Daddymac]

Depends on what you call "minor gunsmithing", just remember, a mill can be used as a drill, but a drill can't mill. The machine is the tip of the iceberg, tooling and set-up jigs and rigs can also get pricy, I have seen used milling equipment at online auctions that looks good, and this my be an option you could explore and possibly get a better machine that fits your budget.

Good luck, and don't put your best gun in it first!

 

[Shooting in the wind...]

Do not buy used unless you know EXACTLY what you are look for, also availability of parts and the history of the machine.... even a machine that appears nice in the outside can quickly turn in a majior headache when you " dig" into it. I am in the same boat as you, except i can absolutely not get a bridgeport into my basement, height restraints and to heavy. I was looking at precision mathews because i dont want another project. I am in the final stages of restoring and rebuilding a Delta Rockwell 11x36 lathe. I just nedd a mill no heavier the 500lbs and has precision ground ways and column. The grizzly go704 does not have that feature like the mathews pm25, plus the pm has precision tapered roller bearings, metal gears, dro for spindle speed and also dro for z axis. I believe a minimum of 1 hp is needed but 1.5 would be bette . The pm727v fits the bill pretty well. Not to mention 3 year warranty.