Got a mini milling machine today!

[billybob_81067]

Bought a mini milling machine from the Cummins tool sale that was in town today. I've been waiting a long damn time to find a decent used bridgeport or similiar larger milling machine to come up for sale from around here for our shop, but nothing ever has. So I decided I'd get myself a benchtop mill for my own garage as well as some other tools I needed to get stocked up on. Ended up spending over $600 total for everything I bought today.

I already partially set it up and made a few cuts with it and it rocks. Seems like its actually a pretty damn decent machine. Luckily we already had quite a few milling cutters stockpiled so I just had to sort through them and get the sizes I could use.

Now I just need to bring my welder over and get some work benches built for the milling machine and my 9x20 Jet mini lathe. I'm gonna have a whole mini machine shop in my 2 car garage! And when we first moved here my wife actually thought I'd let her park the car in the garage...

Here's a link to the same machine as I got... http://www.cumminstools.com/browse.cfm/4,1485.html

[maglover728]

Do people go to school to learn how to use these or just OJT? I would love to be able to make my own stuff. Where do you start?

[billybob_81067]

Do people go to school to learn how to use these or just OJT? I would love to be able to make my own stuff. Where do you start?

I messed with some bigger bridgeport mills when I was at a local university. I just kinda stuck around in the machine shop up there after my classes were done for the day and asked the shop guy if he would mind if I messed around with em. Just dove in and started milling a couple cocker bodies and made a frame adapter/mac mount for a rainmaker too. It's pretty easy to get the hang of, just take it slow and make easy cuts to start with until you learn the machines abilities.

It might not hurt to find someone that has done this stuff before to be a sort-of mentor and teach you a few basic things. I asked that shop instructor quite a few questions when I first got started and he showed me how to insert the collets and tighten everything up with the drawbar/etc...

[maglover728]

Cool, I guess that it's off to the local community college and such. Thanks for the info.

[Russ]

Do people go to school to learn how to use these or just OJT? I would love to be able to make my own stuff. Where do you start?

Trade schools have night courses

[Russ]

Sweet little machine, billybob. Have some fun with it

[billybob_81067]

Sweet little machine, billybob. Have some fun with it

Ohhh I'm planning on it!

Since the day I've bought the mini mill I've put up new lights in the garage (increased it from 4 bulbs in the entire garage to 12), and insulated and sheeted a wall with OSB. Also I bought some steel today for my work bench that I'm building... Cost me $275!!! but I'll have 20 linear feet of workbench so it'll be worth it.

I'll have to take a pic of the garage once it's all done.

/I should post up pics of the house since the remodel too, but that would be a lot of pictures...

[cyberave68]

A 20' long work bench... That would be freekin sweet. Alot better than sitting indian style on the garage floor like i do...

[Papa_Smurf]

^^^is this your work?^^^


What kind of mill do you use cyberave?

[cyberave68]

Yep thas my cocker i was half blocking... I was reading the info on billybob_81067 mini mill and they are pretty much the same. He got a hell of a better deal though.
Nice find billybob...
here's mine...

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=44991

[billybob_81067]

Yep thas my cocker i was half blocking... I was reading the info on billybob_81067 mini mill and they are pretty much the same. He got a hell of a better deal though.
Nice find billybob...
here's mine...

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=44991

Yeah the machine I got and the one that harbor freight sells are exactly the same only different colors. Also I think that there's a few other companies that import the same machine and sell them as their own. Its just like the jet 9X20 lathe I've got, Enco, Grizzly, and Harbor freight all stock the exact same machine.

I've got the work benches all built as of last night. Now I've just got to anchor the legs into the concrete for added stability, and grind the welds on the top smooth.

Pics soon to come

[billybob_81067]

Finally got some time to take some pics and upload them.



There's a pic of the new workbench where it wraps around the corner. It is 15 feet long on the long side and 5 feet long on the short side...



Shot of the rest of the workbench that was cut off in the previous photo... Vise on the corner.



Closer shot of the mini milling machine and mini lathe. I still need to get the lathe bolted down on the bench.



Here's a pic of the workbench that was left here by the previous owner. It was located where the steel bench is now, but I moved it over to the right side wall, put a galvanized steel top on it and added the sink that was previously in the kitchen before our remodel. Luckily that wall is adjacent to the laundry room so I had hot and cold water and a drain right there. Don't mind the mess on top of it, I need to clean it off and organize everything still.

And that's basically it. You can see some shelves in the top of all the pics that I put up to hold all our extra crap up and out of the way. They were leftover bifold doors off of all the house's closets. I built the brackets for them out of some scrap that I found at the dump. Theres a total of 7 approximately 8 foot long shelves, so they hold a bunch!

[Papa_Smurf]

Good job! Looks like you have a good place to play now...

The Cummins Tools Sale is coming to Castle Rock on monday, I think I'll have to mozie on down and see what they have..

[billybob_81067]

Good job! Looks like you have a good place to play now...

The Cummins Tools Sale is coming to Castle Rock on monday, I think I'll have to mozie on down and see what they have..

They have some decent looking wrenches and socket sets, but they're the higher dollar ones, and then they've got some horrible looking stuff too... I picked up a set of 120 drill bits there that I shouldn't have. They were never even hardened! Just check out what you buy closely.

Oh and I picked up a decent looking kitchen knife set there (alot better than the crap we did have) and a hammock too!

[Papa_Smurf]

I saw they had some coated bits I was thinking about,

Haha, Hammock? they carry some random stuff!

Is this mill like the one harbor frieght carries?