A review of a Mini Mill from Little Machine Shop

[Q A's Revenge]

The biggest problem importing stuff from the US these days is the cost of shipping. It used to be reasonable but even suppliers in the US have complained to me that it's damaging their sales.

[Modeler12]

Those shipping prices from the States are really 'interesting'. Yesterday I was searching on eBay for a headphone plug and I found it: Price of plug was $1.20, shipping $45 !!!!!!!!!!!!! Unbelievable. And the same applies for nearly everything. I used to buy a few things from Micromark but I completely gave it up now because of the horrendous P&H charges.

Janos

Bad, to be sure. You live in Australia and the actual shipping costs would be higher but not that much.

Here is another example. I live in California, A few weeks ago I decided to buy a couple more hemostats, or forceps. There is a small company about forty miles from where I live and they sell them for $1.68 but their 'S&H charge' is $9.25. Total cost to me $10.93. If I order more I get the message 'temporarily out of stock',

 

When I order something from Amazon the same thing. However, with them you don't get to find out what the S&H charges will be until you have practically placed the order. Now they have your name, address and email so they send you their junk mail.

[Modeler12]

I asked Chris Wood at LMS about their charges. Here is his answer:

 

Jay:

 

We charge what USPS or UPS charges us. And in the case of UPS, it’s discounted from the standard rates because of our volume.

 

We do not charge handling.

 

That said, it’s still expensive to ship heavy items. And many people do not understand that shipping cost is based on weight and not the value of the product. As an extreme example, a 9x12” surface plate costs $32.95, but it’s $40.32 to ship it across the country.

 

Regards,

 

Chris Wood
LittleMachineShop.com

[Modeler12]

I have some practice using the mill now and I would like to add a few comments here.

 

I used a block of 6061 aluminum to practice some basic cuts. The machine runs very quiet and the speed control and indicator gave me a good feel of how fast I was cutting. With practice I was able to generate some good size chips and the motor never hesitated or stalled.

I know that was a concern by some of you, but even at the 5000 rpm all went well.

 

 

I also took some other material that I then used to make a slitting/routing fixture (another thread above). Notice the tall end mill I used for cutting the ends of the 2x2 aluminum angle. While going from the 1/4 inch thickness to the full 2 inch, the cutter changed its tune but the machine never hesitated.

   

 

Even with the large bed I had to change the set-up for the vise several times. I know purists will balk at this, but I found that using a small carpenter's square to align the vise with the bed worked very quickly and good enough for my purposes. I have the dial indicator and magnetic vise for other checks.

 

Thus far I would say that this mill compared with others in its class certainly has features that are important to keep in mind if you are considering getting one. Besides that, the tooling that I bought from the Little Machine Shop are much less expensive than what I have seen published elsewhere.

Edited March 17, 2014 by Modeler12

[Martin W]

Hi Jay -- This thread has been very interesting for me.  I bought the Micro Mill from Micro Mark last summer and am just now trying to figure out how to run the dang thing.  I went to the MM site, and this mill is no longer listed, so I guess it's been discontinued as being too small.  It was what I could afford, though, and since I don't plan on milling metal, it made sense.  The main difficulty for me is that there is no such thing as a "User's Manual" that might show how to attach the vise to the table.  My vise looks just about like yours, though I can't find the pieces in what I got that would seem to hold it down.

 

I'm sure I'll be coming back to this thread, to compare your photos with what I see on my machine.

 

Cheers,

 

Martin

[Q A's Revenge]

You may need some of these Martin.

 

http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=2675&category=

[Modeler12]

Martin, go to the web site for Little Machine Shop. There is a section 'learning center' that gives some good advice and instruction on how to use a mini mill. They also are not picky about mentioning several other mills (and lathes) and I found them to be an excellent source for replacement parts for all sorts of machines. In addition I found that their tooling is a lot cheaper than Micro Mark's.

I am sorry if this sounds like a sales pitch, but I have had some good experiences with them for my mill and an old Harbor Freight lathe.

 

http://www.littlemachineshop.com/default.php?Source=Google&gclid=CKfPtMS1x70CFZNqfgodAyUAPw

 

BTW the 'instruction manual' is for an older model than the one I have now, but most of what is there applies to several other mills of this caliber.

Revenge, you helped me a lot when I decided to buy this mill. Thanks again.

Edited April 4, 2014 by Modeler12

[Martin W]

Thanks a lot you guys.

 

Revenge, I might just have what you show.  Here's a photo of my mill and the vise & clamps. 

 

First my mill:

 

                   

 

And here are the clamps:

 

                    

 

These don't have the double prongs like the ones you recommend, but they seem to follow the same principle.

 

Jay, that User's Guide is exactly what I've been looking for.  Thanks loads.

 

But the down side to your generous help is that I wish I'd heard of The Little Machine Shop last summer, since the price on their Mini Mill isn't much more than I paid for my Micro.  Ouch! 

 

It's good to know there's another place for accessories, though.

 

Cheers,

 

Martin

[Modeler12]

Martin, I am sure you realize that the clamps also need the T-slot nuts and a couple screws to hold the clamps to the table.

Mine actually have some grooves in the back and another matching plate so I can apply leverage to the downward force. It is similar to the slotted clamping blocks that are part of another accessory.

I also must admit that a mill needs several different cutters, clamps, parallel plates and more, adding to the cost.

 

Edited April 5, 2014 by Modeler12

[Martin W]

Thanks Jay, the photo tells me quite a lot.  I have the nuts -- 4 of them, which seems like double what I need, since the clamps each have only one hole.  What I'm missing are the bolts that would pass through the clamps to the nuts in the t-slots.  Your clamps are bigger than mine.  And I don't know what I would use the allen wrench for on mine either.

 

One other question:  how do you move the jaws of the vise?  There's a heavy pin holding it in one of the holes.  So how do you move it to another hole?  Stupid question, to be sure, but I am an utter novice with this.

 

Cheers,

 

Martin

[Q A's Revenge]

Martin,

 

Info on how the screwless vice works is near the top of this page:

 

http://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catalogue/Workholding/Machine-Vices

 

You need cap head socket screws for the clamps, they are tightened with an Allen key.

 

Modeler12,

 

Glad you're enjoying your mill. It would be my choice if I needed one!

 

Vic.

[Martin W]

Thanks for that, it explains the works clearly.

 

Cheers,

 

Martin

[Mahuna]

Hi Jay

 

I've been looking for longer end mills, similar to what you were using in post #37.  Can you tell me where you found the longer end mills?

 

Thanks!

 

Frank

[Modeler12]

Hi Jay

 

I've been looking for longer end mills, similar to what you were using in post #37.  Can you tell me where you found the longer end mills?

 

Thanks!

 

Frank

Sorry, Mahuna, the one I showed came from my father-in-law who used to have a die casting shop. 

I inherited that one and several others, but I have no idea where they came from originally.

 

However, have a look at what is available from McMaster. I just plugged in 2 inches for the length, but there are lots more to choose from.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#end-mill-cutters/=rgbit2

 

Oh, you have to use the column to the left and plug in the length you want. 

Edited April 8, 2014 by Modeler12

[Mahuna]

Thanks Jay - this is what I've been looking for.

[mtaylor]

Resurrecting this just for a bit...

 

I finally tossed out my MM Micro-Mill and bought the one from Little Machine Shop.  What an amazing difference.  First, it weighs twice as much.  The base alone was heavier than the Micro-Mill.  Everything is dead on solid.  The X-Y-Z handles rotate extremely smooth and it's a lot quieter than the MM machine.  I'm especially loving the larger table which was what drew me to this machine in the first place.  

 

This one is rated for 5000 rpm as opposed to the old one's 2,500 (which I modified to get 10,000 but ran it at half speed most of the time).  The X-Y-Z knobs are larger, and the drill press handle is going to be an added blessing.

 

I bought the one using the ER-16 collets as I had a set from MM and they fit perfectly.    I also bought the sensitive drilling attachment just for those little holes that need to be precisely drilled like for belaying rails, etc.

 

Overall, on the bench it looks smaller than the MM I had.

 

I also moved the drill press out of the shop as with this mill, I can use it as a drill press.  Now to go find something to mill....  

 

I don't guarantee that it'll make me a better modeler but I do think I'll enjoy using it more than the old one.

 

 

 

[Modeler12]

Congratulations, Mark. I know you have been thinking about buying this mill, and I know you will enjoy learning what can be done with it.

I have used mine numerous times as a fine drill press as well as a milling machine. 

 

I notice a pencil mark on the base. That would be a good cut-out since the y-axis knob can be a knuckle buster as you rotate it. I have mine mounted close to the front of the table and have better clearance that way.

[mtaylor]

I just wish this one had been available when I ordered the MM one.  I guess as we get older, we hate fiddling with "make it do want you want instead of buying that way". 

 

I'm holding on cutting that reinforcement piece for now.  The feet raise it up enough to give me clearance but I won't really know until I start using it in earnest.

[A_Fox]

On 9/4/2016 at 9:21 PM, mtaylor said:

Resurrecting this just for a bit...

 

I finally tossed out my MM Micro-Mill and bought the one from Little Machine Shop.  What an amazing difference.  First, it weighs twice as much.  The base alone was heavier than the Micro-Mill.  Everything is dead on solid.  The X-Y-Z handles rotate extremely smooth and it's a lot quieter than the MM machine.  I'm especially loving the larger table which was what drew me to this machine in the first place.  

 

This one is rated for 5000 rpm as opposed to the old one's 2,500 (which I modified to get 10,000 but ran it at half speed most of the time).  The X-Y-Z knobs are larger, and the drill press handle is going to be an added blessing.

 

I bought the one using the ER-16 collets as I had a set from MM and they fit perfectly.    I also bought the sensitive drilling attachment just for those little holes that need to be precisely drilled like for belaying rails, etc.

 

Overall, on the bench it looks smaller than the MM I had.

 

I also moved the drill press out of the shop as with this mill, I can use it as a drill press.  Now to go find something to mill....  

 

I don't guarantee that it'll make me a better modeler but I do think I'll enjoy using it more than the old one.

 

 

 

I know it's been a long time since these posts, but maybe someone is still out there to answer!  😉

How deep can you drill with this mill, when using it as a drill press?

[mtaylor]

Looks to me to be about 1 inch using the lever.  Since all I drill is holes a lot less than 1" deep it's not a problem. 

[A_Fox]

On 5/20/2022 at 3:10 PM, mtaylor said:

Looks to me to be about 1 inch using the lever.  Since all I drill is holes a lot less than 1" deep it's not a problem. 

 

Thank you!