[RA-Bowtie]

G'day all,

I've been using my (manual) mill for many years and I'm going to order my 1100 in the next few days.

Here's my question .... does the Tormach 1100 make my old mill obsolete, or are there still some jobs that are easier to do on a manual mill ?

Michael

[Don Clement]

does the Tormach 1100 make my old mill obsolete, or are there still some jobs that are easier to do on a manual mill ?

NO! Nowadays I rarely use my manual Rockwell mill. With the Shuttle jog controller and MDI I use the Tormach 1100 just like a manual mill 30616 - Shuttle Jog Controller There is no job I can't just as easily do on the Tormach1100 as can be done on the Rockwell manual mill.

Don Clement

[ErnieD]

Depending on what you do, the manual mill could be a good second operation machine.

Ernie

[popspipes]

I have an old Bridgeport and I use it occasionally, usually its large cutters or a steel project, and mainly because I have it, its not really needed though.

I learned years ago not to sell tools, later on I always found a use for them, but it does get a little crowded in the shop.

[300sniper]

I wish I had a manual knee mill along with my 1100. If I had the space and already had one, I would not get rid of a manual.

There's times when I want to face something real quick or drill a few holes that would be far faster on a manual than powering up the Tormach and writing a quick program.

[shred]

i have a Millrite next to the Tormach and use it all the time, but I also like manual machining. There are some things you can't do on a Tormach that you can on a knee mill-- the other day I put some tapped holes in the end of a 18" bar-- hang that off the side of the table on the knee mill and its even well supported, but that not happening on the Tormach.

[RussMachine]

No, it is not obsolete.
Some jobs are actually quicker on the manual, than on the CNC.
Drilling a simple hole for example.
Or fly-cutting a block real quick-like.
Keep your manual mill.

[SCzEngrgGroup]

With a good CNC pendant having a good MPG, anything you can do with a manual machine, you can do just as fast with a CNC machine, and a lot more accurately. Face-milling is particularly nice, since you can use constant-velocity mode to get a nice, steady feedrate with no effort. With step-jog, you can easily machine parts to exact dimensions much faster than you could do manually. I like the pendants from VistaCNC.com - wide variety of functionality, excellent support, and very reasonable prices.

Regards,
Ray L.

[waltpermenter]

you don't say what your old manual mill is, if it's a bridgeport then by all means keep it. it makes a very nice drill press naturally but it but will be there for the odd job that it's rotating/tilting head, sliding ram and rotating turret will allow you to machine that your tormach will never handle.
walt

[Steve Seebold]

G'day all,

I've been using my (manual) mill for many years and I'm going to order my 1100 in the next few days.

Here's my question .... does the Tormach 1100 make my old mill obsolete, or are there still some jobs that are easier to do on a manual mill ?

Michael

Absolutely not, there have been many, many times I have wished I had a manual mill.

They are great for block prep, and they can even be used if you miss a hole on your CNC program. Or you can just use the table to store stuff on.

[MichaelHenry]

A manual mill is also good for those times when your Tormach mill is set up for a job and you don't to tear down the setup. The manual mill also makes for a very nice drill press for those quick and dirty hole drilling jobs or when you want to get a feel for how the tool is doing in the work.

Mike

[BAMCNC.COM]

I wish I had a bridgeport - does that help?

[mountaindew]

I wish I had a bridgeport - does that help?

Ditto

[mioduz]

Your manual mill is useless peice of cast iron. You'll never need it ever again. You should probably just send it to me.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[RA-Bowtie]

Hi guys,

Thanks for all the replies.

I'll probably hang onto the old mill and see if I do use it. It's just a small hobby mill, the bed is just about the same size as the 770. I've added the auto feed and the digital read out. And to be fair, it has served me very well.

I'm curious, why do you guys call them "knee" mills, I've never head that before?

Michael

[RA-Bowtie]

<lol> Yup ... great idea.

I'm in Sydney (Australia) and you're in the US ...... you're paying the freight, I assume?

[philrose]

I have a Bridgeport and an 1100. There is no way I would willing give up either one on them. Sure, you can do most things on both machines, but there are still ops that only one machine can do. Obviously, you won't be using the manual machine as much as you do now, but it will get used.
Phil

[RussMachine]

I'm curious, why do you guys call them "knee" mills, I've never head that before?

..
The "Knee" is an old slang term used to describe the part of the mill that supports the table.
The "Knee" moves up & down, raising and lowering the table.

[popspipes]

I have a Bridgeport and an 1100. There is no way I would willing give up either one on them. Sure, you can do most things on both machines, but there are still ops that only one machine can do. Obviously, you won't be using the manual machine as much as you do now, but it will get used.
Phil

I have one of each as well and I wouldnt part with either one. I dont use the old Bridgeport much but there are times when it comes in handy, plus my son uses it regularly. I dont like to sell tools, as soon as thery are gone you will find a use for them.

[Don Clement]

. I dont like to sell tools, as soon as thery are gone you will find a use for them.

+1

Don C.