anyone got this mill?

[holmsy2000]

hi guys, im looking at buying a mill and i was wondering if anyone had bought the one sold by ozmestore on ebay?
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ZX30-MILLING-AND-DRILLING-MACHINE-NEW_W0QQitemZ250038644688QQihZ015QQcategoryZ105827QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

is it worth the money?? is it built well and all that other stuff?

also does anyone know of any good solid mills for around $1000-$1200. looking for something of a reasonable size.
thanks
brett

[glock40sw]

I wouldn't go for a round column mill.
I went for a Seig X3 square column.
Round can be a pain to reset after a height change.
Mate in Tamworth has an RF31. He wishes he spent the extra $ and got the HM45.

[Metal Head]

Hi holmsy2000,

Given what glock40sw said makes a lot of sense but then if you don't plan on moving the head up and down then I suppose it isn't a worry. Is the vertical shaft keyed to allow the head to move (up or down) without moving off it axis?.

Cheers
David

[Sterob]

I'm pretty sure the column is not keyed, so the head will move laterally when you loosen off the column lock to move the head up or down. You may not think that this will be a problem but I have noticed having to to it quite a bit , when changing cutters, drilling, using dial indicator to find the centre of holes,etc.
I'm a newbie, but this was a consideration when I bought my mill a few weeks ago and I have not stopped changing the head height since!
Gear drive was also mentioned to me and so I ended up buying the HM-45. It's a fair bit more expensive, but I think you will not be sorry. Good Luck.

[holmsy2000]

thanks for all your help so far guys, im getting exactly the same response from another forum i asked about this, they say the round collum will cause a world of problems. so it looks like im back to square one.
buying tools is the only time i wish i lived in the U.S. on the other forums theyre always whinging about the quality of the grizzley and harbour freight tools, at least they have them as an option.

i looked at the HM-45 and the X3 and its looing like i might need to spend alot more money, even the 1200 was more than i wanted to spend so 1600-2000 is gonna be a problem. to date my most expensive tool is $69 so buying a mill is a ral struggle for me, and unfortunately all the ones in my price range seem too small.

does anyone know a good place to look for a second hand machine?

brett

[glock40sw]

G'day.
It depends on what you want to machine.

The X2 is a good little machine. A lot have been sold and are in use every day.

I do a bit of gunsmithing and the X3 fits the bill.
I also make xmas light displays (god I hate Xmas) and use the X3 for machining alloy fittings for the movements.

As they say...hourses for courses.

Rodm on this forum seems to have a lot of experience with mills. drop him a PM.

[holmsy2000]

the x2 looks like a defianate contender. sure fits neatly in to what i can afford. maybe i will have to get something like this and then down the line when i can afford bigger i will get it.
I guess the small mill also has a portable factor, because these days i seem to be moving house(and state) allot, and plan to for the next few years.
i plan on useing it to make custom knives , there are alot of jobs that a small machine will handle quite easily and then there are allot that it wont. maybe i will just have to make small knives.
thanks for all your help,
Brett

[Sterob]

Worse case senario......Buy the X2 and see how it goes. If it turns out to be too small or not do what you want, you can always sell it and buy something bigger. I don't think you will lose too much on it and it won't be hard to sell. Worth a thought....

[Fossil]

My brother has an RF31 which that one is cloned off. I have used it for about 10-12 days work over the past five years. I have read everywhere what people are saying about the round column, and really don't think it is an issue for the home hobbyist. The RF31's quill extends 125mm which is plenty for most work that I have done. Post adjustment is rarely made, and I would be happy to own his machine.
Having said that, every time I use it, I always bitch to my brother about it.
Mabey he will get a bigger one soon, and I have a corner of my shed spare :D

[rodm]

Hi Brett

As far as mills go the X2 is more a model makers machine. It has a small cutting envelope and is only capable of light cuts. I assume you will be cutting stainless for knife making so this will test an X2 even on light cuts.

Rigidity is the key to good results and the X2 falls well short of the RF31 on that score. IMHO this carries more weight than the inconenience of a round column.

I think the RF31 would be a far better choice than the X2 for what you intend to do but it is certainly not portable so if moving is a big factor then the X2 is the choice. Obviously the X3 or HM45 with dovetail columns are better but I am ignoring this because of your budget.

The round column is a bit of a pain but you can always reference you job after moving the head with a wriggler, dial gauge or laser pointer. For knife making I don't think this is a problem as a few thou off the mark will not be an issue for you.

One thing you will have to get used to is the price of tooling. If funds are tight and you are stetching to get the RF31 then all you will have is a fancy drill press for a while. Expect to pay some serious bucks for measuring and tooling for the mill. I have lost track of what I have paid but it must be more than the original purchase price of the mill by now. Of course you can spread the cost on a needs basis.

It is always difficult making a machine purchase but one thing in your favour is that mills and metal lathes and tooling hold their value well. I am amased at the prices these bring on ebay so if you make a wrong choice then you should be able to sell it off without loosing too much.