Not Exactly a Pen Tool

[Rockytime]

Not a pen tool but I'm excited. Since selling my Bridgeport I've been having withdrawals. Sooo I purchased a new little friend. It is a Grizzly mini mill. I hope to get it mounted and operational this weekend. I still have a EmcoMeyer MaxiMat7 which really needs a partner.

 

[randyrls]

Sure it's a pen tool! You can drill pen blanks accurately with no run-out or inconsistent hole sizes.

You may want to look at some of the things sold by Little Machine Shop. I added an air spring to mine and put DRO's on it. The head is just a bit too low to allow drilling with some of the larger bits. The air spring gives you about another 1" of height. You may also want to replace the large washer at the back of the column with something a bit better to reduce the flex in the column.

 

[oneleggimp]

Not a pen tool but I'm excited. Since selling my Bridgeport I've been having withdrawals. Sooo I purchased a new little friend. It is a Grizzly mini mill. I hope to get it mounted and operational this weekend. I still have a EmcoMeyer MaxiMat7 which really needs a partner.

That's a neat little vertical mill.

 

[TurtleTom]

DRO is what it's all about. I may not need, but I want one of those mini Bridgeports. Then I can retire this *$#@% index table on my drill press.

 

[low_48]

You'll want to be conservative with motor loads with that machine. Terry Quiram, on this site, had a motor failure. Grizzly had no motors in stock. After waiting quite a while, he finally took it to a motor shop for repair. When he next talked to Grizzly, they said, oh, we could have done that. Ask him how he feels about Grizzly now?

 

[Rockytime]

You'll want to be conservative with motor loads with that machine. Terry Quiram, on this site, had a motor failure. Grizzly had no motors in stock. After waiting quite a while, he finally took it to a motor shop for repair. When he next talked to Grizzly, they said, oh, we could have done that. Ask him how he feels about Grizzly now?

I know it will not replace my BP but is adequate for what I need it for. I'm discovering little irritations already. The 1/2" slots are slightly under which means I can't use 1/2" stock in the slots for indicating. I've drilled the mm holes in the t-nuts to 3/8-16. The lead screws are metric which means I will have to add DRO's. The fine down feed is crappy otherwise things are perfect. HaHa. I know things will go on and on but I'm pretty well aware of it. Several in my machinist group have Chinese tooling My best friend has built a 7 1/2" gauge live steamer with a Grizzly 7X14 lathe and the small Grizzly mill. Things can be accomplished but with more fussing around. I want to get back to building small steam engines this winter.

 

[KBs Pensnmore]

Hi, I have a similar unit, remember to take fine cuts only, I've gone through several sets of the gears both internal and externals, eventually replaced them with metal ones and smashed them as well, doesn't help with jerky hand movements, 2 circuit boards. Looking at fitting a variable speed drive to the X cross feed and 3 speed belt drive to mine when I get the parts back. seem to spend more time in pieces than working.
Kryn

 

[skiprat]

Was the choice of a 'tilt column' over a 'tilt head' deliberate? I went for the latter because I thought the other would be more restrictive.
I would have also thought that a metric version would be prefered by an old machinist, rather than Imperial.

 

[TurtleTom]

Was the choice of a 'tilt column' over a 'tilt head' deliberate? I went for the latter because I thought the other would be more restrictive.
I would have also thought that a metric version would be prefered by an old machinist, rather than Imperial.

That would depend on just how old the "old machinist" is. There were no metrics in machine shops where I worked. Given a choice, but guaranteed no switching, I'll take metrics every time.

 

[Rockytime]

That would depend on just how old the "old machinist" is. There were no metrics in machine shops where I worked. Given a choice, but guaranteed no switching, I'll take metrics every time.

This old machinist is 77 and I have never worked in metrics. All my measuring instruments with exception of the electronic devices are imperial. I'm too old to fiddle with metric. I kinda regret not buying the Micro Mark machine which has inch lead screws. I did not because of their usury shipping charges and it seamed to be a smaller machine. The Grizzly will work with some tweaking and adjusting. DRO scales will be coming soon. That will take care of my problem.

 

[skiprat]

Les, just for the record...when I said 'old machinist' I was referring to someone that had been a machinist for a long time, rather than inferring that you were old.
No offence intended...:redface:

 

[Rockytime]

Les, just for the record...when I said 'old machinist' I was referring to someone that had been a machinist for a long time, rather than inferring that you were old.
No offence intended...:redface:

Yes, but I am OLD!:biggrin:

 

[TurtleTom]

I'm not as young as I once was,
But I'm not as old as I'm gonna get. Hagar The Horrible @1970