need opinions on small benchtop lathes and mills
Ok, We all know the saying about opinions and how everyone has them,
and that is exactly what I am looking for.
I am in the market for either a small-ish benchtop mill and small-ish benchtop lathe, or even one of those 3-in-1 bench top lathe/mill/drill machines.
I have looked at Harbor Freight, Grizzly, Syil, and a few others.
The largest piece I need to turn is about a foot in length and perhaps two inches in diameter, and would like to be able to have the same amount of travel from a mill, perhaps a little more.
Threading is not a neccesity at all, I do that all by hand.
I am not against belt driven or gear driven machines, I want info on both if possible.
Speed is no real big concern, whether the machine can't go fast enough, or go slow enough, though the opinion of such is welcome.
I am not putting this into any sort of production, it is for small hobby work, nothing more. I want to take it to my workplace, and make parts in my free time.
All my machining experience comes from larger, "shop size" machines, so this is a little different for me.
Again, I want your opinion, no matter how insignificant you think it is. I know quite a bit about turning and milling, but there are enough of you members out there that have used Brand "X" or "Y" and know the ups and downs of each. This is not a contest, nor is it an invitation to flame any company. If you can't say something nice.....
Thanks for your help everyone that posts.
(Note: The opinions expressed in this post are my own and are not necessarily those of CNCzone and its management)
"If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy"
-RedGreen show.