Should I invest in Harbor Freight?

Frgood

Frgood

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I'm thinking it is time to 'bite the bullet' and get a HF mill and a couple blocks of aluminum. I always wanted to learn a new trade;)
 
You will need very good mill with a X-Y table that is true with no play.
pulse a carbide end mill set and drill bits. I know you don't need carbide but if have ever had a High-Speed bit chip, and they do it's another mess to fix. I thought about doing this too, but I cannot afford it, for now. I wish I could go back in time and have bought a secondhand mill and table grinder from work before I left.
 
As long as we have breath, we can adapt.
It is a skill everyone should have, anyway.
 
Ive known a few that had HF mill/lathe. For a hobbyist not needing a fine end product they're good enough.
From looking at them, they would require some work to produce a quality product.
Better than a cross slide and drillpress, but not by much.
Therr are quite a few quality mills and lathes that come up for sale in the used market. And for cheap considering.
If you're going to invest in something like that, get a good 1.
 
Thanks to the gub'ment, I may have a lot of time to learn. Maybe not HF, But I hear there are some hobbyist machines that are up to the task. I'm not talking any commercial venture. It would only be several when all is said and done. From a cost perspective, I think that is fine as I place the knowledge and skill learnt very high in my life priorities.
 
Ive seen some really nice professional machines here local for under 2k. Most capable of 230v single phase(220v).
1 individual had a Bridgeport 230v Mill +accessories for $500. I almost cried I missed it. IDK where Id put it, but damn.
Keep yours open, they're around
 
I been looking and trying to decide given the circumstances if I should pull the trigger.

Rick
 
oldtanker said:
I been looking and trying to decide given the circumstances if I should pull the trigger.

Rick
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Same....Been keeping an eye on secondary markets. keep us posted if you pull the trigger
 
Take a look at Fox or Grizzly before plunking down your cash.

Support and parts for my Grizzly mill have been nothing less than outstanding. I'd recommend a variable speed model.
 
It's nice to get a Bridgeport. Industrial-grade. The only challenge is they quite literally weigh a ton, you can't transport or move it yourself without six superheroes and a heavy duty fork lift. Most require 240VAC 3 phase. Some are 460VAC three phase.

I'd get get a hobby mill and learn how to use it. The Griz/Fox have self-paced training available, the machines are a bit more refined and they aren't too much more expensive.
 
I've got a guy offering to sell me the harbor freight brand new for 500.....I've got the 5D tactical so I'm not sure what advantage having that mill would do for me....
 
Viking2721 said:
I've got a guy offering to sell me the harbor freight brand new for 500.....I've got the 5D tactical so I'm not sure what advantage having that mill would do for me....
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Not long after I got my first milling machine, I wondered how I ever got along without it. With a milling machine and some tools and accessories, you can make things like this:

1682908567864.png
 
The "down side" of buying a milling machine (or a lathe) is that you will likely spend more on tools and accessories than you did on the machine itself. For example, for your milling machine you'll need basic things like a decent milling vise, set of end mills, collet set, clamping kit, set of machinist parallels, dial and dial test indicators, edge finder, etc.
 
Harold said:
The "down side" of buying a milling machine (or a lathe) is that you will likely spend more on tools and accessories than you did on the machine itself. For example, for your milling machine you'll need basic things like a decent milling vise, set of end mills, collet set, clamping kit, set of machinist parallels, dial and dial test indicators, edge finder, etc.
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Good tip. I hadnt thought of a lathe, but I have seen a few of them. I think I may have to head down that road as well.
 
Viking2721 said:
Good tip. I hadnt thought of a lathe, but I have seen a few of them. I think I may have to head down that road as well.
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I was advised to not buy the small combo lathe/mill. That was good advice. If you need both, buy them separately.

My uncle was a tool and die maker by trade. He had a Unimat. The old school version . They were very popular with hobby machinists. I looked like this one (see pic). My aunt sold all his tools when he died. I was just a kid and crushed that he was gone. He taught me about guns, hunting, trap and skeet, archery, and many other things.

Screenshot 2023-05-01 at 6.49.51 PM.png

You can still find these on eBay. They dont make 'em like the used to.
 
Thats bad ass. I was thinking more along the lines of that harbor freight lathe they have. I see them every now and then for 3-400 almost always hardly used
 
I have the Shop Fox. it's OK. Not great. I bought it to turn small parts for antique motorcycles and scooters. Plastic gears, so you have to be careful. It was fine for making brass bushings of different types, knobs, control rods. Better suited for softer metals.
 
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I wouldn't consider buying a new low-end machine tool at present. There are a lot of very nice used ones that come up for sale. And yeah, buy them as separate tools, not as a combo. Used Atlas or South Bend lathes usually come with the collection of tooling that ends up costing as much as the lathe itself in you purchase them bit by bit.

Unimat and other jewelers/watchmakers lathes also come up for sale. They are handy, but are targeted at doing certain tasks... if you want to make parts for you brass model steam engine, its a perfect tool. Making steel fireams parts... well, not so much.

The reality of it, at least here in the US, is the generation(s) that bought those tools are, well, there is no polite way of saying it, dying. Estate sales are the shopping market for those who want to pick up the torch of machining it yourself. For the same money, you'll find a much more capable used lathe. There is some real junk out there (i.e. used to the point of being in need of rebuilding) but there are also of lightly used ones.

Edit: One more thought... don't get a CNC, or even one with DRO's... The simpler, the better. In most cases we are not doing production work. It is just complexity. If you are also an electronics micro-controller tinkerer, you can probably figure it out when it doesn't work. But the all mechanical ones are easier to figure out.
 
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