Re: Help: CNC mini-mill comparison

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@egroups.com, mnels@p... wrote:

> I'm sure this has been discussed before, but I'd really appreciate
> any advice on a CNC mini-mill purchase. I primarily want the mill
> for machining plastics, PCB drilling/machining and some light metal
> machining. Some of the plastic work will be for semi-production

use

> (so speed is important). The three obvious choices are:
>
> The MaxNC mills... probably the 10-2. It's the cheapest turn-key
> solution but I've not heard good things about the mill or the
> company. I've heard the spindle/motor mount has problems and the
> motor speed and CNC control electronics are very substandard. The
> rest of the mill looks pretty solid.
>
> A Sherline 5400 retrofit (probably Progressive Logic or do it
> myself). The wide variety of accessories for the Sherlines are

great

> but the mill itself seems less rigid and durable than the others?
> Another downside is a low 2800 rpm max spindle speed. This mill

also

> has only a 2.25" throat depth.
>
> The Taig Micromill. Using the MicroProto CNC package, it seems to

be

> the fastest (30 in/min rated and they claim up to 60 in/min). It
> weighs over twice as much as the Sherline and is supposedly much

more

> rigid. The CNC version has a max spindle speed of 8500 rpm which

is

> better suited to our needs. It has a 3 5/8" throat which is a big
> improvement over the Sherline. It also has 1/2" leadscrews versus
> 1/4" on the Sherline.
>
> Does anyone have anything to add to the above? Specifically, does
> anyone have anything bad to say about the Taig Micromill?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Mike

I had a sherline mill retrofited to cnc,if you get the delux
ones,it should come with a headstock spacer,that would give you 3.5"
throat.The biggest problem with sherline is not wheigt but the
leadscrews are so small that you'll need to adjust the backlash very
offen,I use to cut aluminum at 8"/min and a depht of 0.050" each pass
using a 2 flute Hss and mill.It will do just fine cutting plastics.
Trying to do better,I've sold the sherline and bought a Grizzly
minimill,and I'm working to retrofit it to cnc (allover again)but
this time I'm going to use ballscrews and bigger motors.
I've found that the grizzly is much more rigid than all others
minimills.
if you want a benchtop cnc mill to do shortruns on aluminum,you
better of buying a heavier machine.
well, good luck!