Thread: Hercus No.0 mill

Hi Ken,
I have a late one of these and I love it.
I have the standard 3 phase motor, no VFD, Speed range is great for what i do. I have not done much horizontal milling other than brass but for small vertical work it is great. Super accurate. I have a large mill drill for bigger work but it cant deliver the finish or accuracy of the little hercus. (Both are as new condition)
If you can get one for a good price I doubt you'll be disapointed.
I have a VFD on my lathe and planned to install one on the mill but I doubt I will bother, the speed range is fine on the later machines.
Lyle.

Hi Ken,

I like my Hercus. The small foot print and weight make it easy to move. The vertical height can be a problem. I'm running a VFD without any problems.

Ben

Surely there are more than two Hercus 0 owners out there.

I'm still seeking opinions about this machine.

There doesn't seem to be much forward/backward movement of the table, longitudinal travel seems ok.

It also seems a very low height machine vice is necessary.

Mal, Allterain50, tells me the serial No. is under the top slide. Is it anywhere else?

I did lift a P/N off the Hercus name plate inside the side door, it was 10L2145. Reckon this is just a Hercus factory No.

Ken

You have been here before Ken - https://www.woodworkforums.com/showth...11#post1316111 And while I have commented off forum, here's a bit more....

When I acquired my No.O I entered another world. I could machine things that I couldn't when restricted to only a lathe with vertical milling slide. Projects became more adventurous, I probably ended up using the mill more than the lathe. You accept that the work envelope is restricted and tailor projects to suit. I made a fair amount of stuff using the mill and probably would have made more had the 13 not appeared.

I imagine few of us could make an Arboga / Hercus comparison. While I have seen Arboga drills I haven't laid eyes on one of their mill drills. The drills I have seen have been of exceptional quality, I'd replace my Waldowns with an Arboga in a flash if I chanced upon something affordable.

If you have an X and Y table combined with a quill and ample Z, why not stick with the Swede?

BT

G'day BT,

I must be getting old, do you know I don't remember that old post you linked to, sometimes I can't remember where I left the car at the Supermarket or what I did yesterday.

Strange that I can always remember how many bottles of medicine are left in the fridge. At the moment, one.

I have been a Hercus fan dating back to my Tech school days. We had about a dozen 9" imperial models and it was always a fight to get on one. That's where I cut my teeth, at school.

Strangely enough, not one Hercus mill.

So my desire to own a Hercus mill stems from that, plus the fact that it's nice and compact, and I love the look of them. It's a bit like desiring a HP calculator years back.

All my turning and milling work has been done on my Unimat 3 lathe/mill so I'm used to making smallish things.

I still don't have a workshop, insufficient funds, I live with my son, so parts of my house become workshop areas, and a Hercus 0 mill would slip in easily in a corner somewhere.

I like the Arboga, still in storage, but it's about twice the size I can deal with.

Bob, thanks for your input on and off the forum.

Ken

Ken
Agree with Bob.
The Hercus O Mill I own is 3 phase.
Purchased it 2nd hand about 20 or so years ago.
Done plenty of work with it, a good solid little mill.
Hand scraped the X & Y slides a little while back,& peened the bronze nuts to tighten up a slight wear & backlash.
Its now as good or better than new
The main limitation is the head room or Z movement, but it has done everything, I have needed to accomplish.
A moveable quill as in Bobs 13 would be an advantage.
Purchased a Hercus Dividing Head for it, & will use that from time to time.
The no 3c Collets I use on my Hercus 260 lathe are also excellent on the Mill.
regards
Bruce
ps Like yourself, I have always been a Hercus fan. They make quality stuff.