Machining frames for sound

[jdcolombo]

As someone with three milling machines and a metal lathe and has 'dremel warriored' lots of stuff, let me give you some advice.

Looking for a mill?  *if* you have the space, buy one two sizes larger than than anything you *think* you will use it for.

You will find all sorts of stuff you never thought you would use it for.  It won't be 'just trains.'

Expect to spend just as much on tooling as the mill itself depending on what route you go.

Wear safety glasses.  You only have one set of eyes. 

thin cuts until you figure out feed rates, spindle speed, etc.  After a while (especially with cast loco frames) it becomes sort of a feel and you learn where you have to tread lightly and where you can hog material.  Hard to explain.

Clamping- rigidity is everything.

Anywhoo...stay safe and have fun!

Kelley.

Agree with all this.  I wish I had bought a bigger machine now that I know what mills are capable of (and someday I might spring for the Sherline). 

John C.

[woodone]

When you say get a milling machine that is two or three times larger than you think you need, keep in mind when you machine a small N scale locomotive you sure do not need a machine that uses a two horse power motor.
Tooling will cost more too. 
Moving the table up-down & side to side will require much more effort to do so.
JMO

[peteski]

Yes, there is a such thing as overkill.    No Full l size Bridgeport Mills are in my future.  My Sherlines work just fine for all my milling needs.  Maybe if I was doing some professional installs in larger quantities, I might invest in some larger CNC controlled setup, and create fixtures (yes I know, Sherline is CNC capable), but I'm quite happy with manual feed for now.

[mmagliaro]

Perhaps people are over-inferring what "two or three times larger" means.
It doesn't mean a monster Bridgeport machine that weighs 5 tons.

I am not shilling for this vendor, but they had a selection of mills that make my point, so here's my explanation...

Little Machine Shop has a Seig X2D mini mill for about $900.  This is the same mini mill that many people buy under a variety of names from Grizzly, Micro-Mark, and others.  But LMS's version is the improved one with a solid column, air spring support for the head, and an R8 spindle (trust me, you'll find tooling a lot easier to find for that spindle).  Considering that I paid about $600 for the X2 20 years ago, *without* those improvements, this is a heck of a buy.

If you step up to $1200, you get the same machine with a 500w brushless motor (instead of 350w) and no gears on the spindle instead of  2-speed gear box on the cheaper one.  It will be a lot quieter.  It also has more travel length
in X,Y, and Z.

Another step up: $1900 for a "Hi Torque" mill, weighs about 250 lbs, 1 HP motor

Finally, go to $3000, and you get a 1-1/3 HP motor, bigger X-Y table, the spindle speed doubles to go up to 5000 rpm,
so it has heavier higher-speed bearings in it, and the machine weighs 350 lbs.

My point is that while these mills do go up in size, even the biggest one will still go on top of a sturdy steel or oak
table and isn't like putting a "refrigerator" in your work room.  But they go up in power and convenience quite a bit
from the cheapest to the most expensive.

[peteski]

. . .
Another step up: $1900 for a "Hi Torque" mill, weighs about 250 lbs, 1 HP motor

Finally, go to $3000, and you get a 1-1/3 HP motor, bigger X-Y table, the spindle speed doubles to go up to 5000 rpm,
so it has heavier higher-speed bearings in it, and the machine weighs 350 lbs.

LOL, if my workshop could only accommodate a mill that size  . . . 

I just find it amusing that we went from a drill press attachment for a Dremel, to a $3k 350 lb behemoth.   No, there is nothing wrong - just makes me smile and make grunting noises like Tim on the "Home Improvement" sitcom used to make.  I love buying good  tools, but I also know my limitations. 

[reinhardtjh]

I love buying good  tools, but I also know my limitations. 

[nightmare0331]

Perhaps people are over-inferring what "two or three times larger" means.
It doesn't mean a monster Bridgeport machine that weighs 5 tons.

I am not shilling for this vendor, but they had a selection of mills that make my point, so here's my explanation...

Little Machine Shop has a Seig X2D mini mill for about $900.  This is the same mini mill that many people buy under a variety of names from Grizzly, Micro-Mark, and others.  But LMS's version is the improved one with a solid column, air spring support for the head, and an R8 spindle (trust me, you'll find tooling a lot easier to find for that spindle).  Considering that I paid about $600 for the X2 20 years ago, *without* those improvements, this is a heck of a buy.

If you step up to $1200, you get the same machine with a 500w brushless motor (instead of 350w) and no gears on the spindle instead of  2-speed gear box on the cheaper one.  It will be a lot quieter.  It also has more travel length
in X,Y, and Z.

Another step up: $1900 for a "Hi Torque" mill, weighs about 250 lbs, 1 HP motor

Finally, go to $3000, and you get a 1-1/3 HP motor, bigger X-Y table, the spindle speed doubles to go up to 5000 rpm,
so it has heavier higher-speed bearings in it, and the machine weighs 350 lbs.

My point is that while these mills do go up in size, even the biggest one will still go on top of a sturdy steel or oak
table and isn't like putting a "refrigerator" in your work room.  But they go up in power and convenience quite a bit
from the cheapest to the most expensive.

Ironically at the $2-3k range, you can find used Bridgeport style knee mills all over fakebook marketplace and the like.  You'll have fun moving it though (that, and alot are 3 phase, so you'll need an inverter or commercial power).  That, and you will need space.  Granted, one of my shops is 1000 sq feet. 

Seig X2 variants are a pretty good compromise for most general work that anyone would do in model railroading and they're honestly not all that large.  You can easily fit one in a basement (or like me in the old days, an apartment).  There isn't that much footprint difference between a Sherline a Seig X2 variant, so that point is about moot.  Plus there is a huge knoweledge base out there on them along with aftermarket upgrades and support.  Just make sure you get one with an R8 spindle taper over the 3mt that a few variants used to offer as R8 tooling is much more common.  That said, mine sits because I have a larger machine I use much more as I do all sorts of other things.  You can do small work with a larger mill but can't necessarily do large work on a smaller mill.

Little Machine Shop is great for parts for all of the available Chinese mills.

Definately a rabbit hole to go down...

Enjoy!

Kelley.