Does anyone have this mill that can give opinions on it? If not, what do you think of it? I'm considering buying it but was hoping to get some feedback from people first. http://www.grizzly.com/products/Mill-Drill-w-Variable-Speed-Power-Feed/G1007
Grizzly Mill
- Thread starter DD Custom Cues
- Start date
I've been using it to do my points since my third cue. Works fine for me.
I also have the H/F mill and basically that is the same mill but there are a couple of differences. I don't believe the H/F mill has the Y travel that that one does and the H/F does not come with the auto feed. It must be purchased elsewhere.
Dick
Points
Does anyone think the mill is better than using a Hightower Deluxe or a metal lathe adapted Or a Brianna Storm to cut points?
Hate to highjack your thread/post. Just having to make that decision right now myself. Tony Zinzola uses this and I value his opinion highly, but I have a bunch of stuff home and would like to fit it in, but want accuracy and quality to be number one priority. ANYONE??
thanks JerseyBill
Does anyone think the mill is better than using a Hightower Deluxe or a metal lathe adapted Or a Brianna Storm to cut points?
Hate to highjack your thread/post. Just having to make that decision right now myself. Tony Zinzola uses this and I value his opinion highly, but I have a bunch of stuff home and would like to fit it in, but want accuracy and quality to be number one priority. ANYONE??
thanks JerseyBill
The first cue I ever built had points that I cut on the Hightower Deluxe. I never want to have to go through that again.
I have the mill all set up to cut 4, 6 or 8 pointers. Since I normally do 4 pointed cues, I almost never have to move anything. It took me a day or two to get it to where I want it, but now there is no setup. I put the forearm in and start cutting. I cut the points in 4 passes. I could probably do them with less.
I use my CNC to cut points if I have to do something other than a normal 4, 6 or 8 pointer. The nice thing about doing them on the CNC is that you can calculate where your points will touch at the bottom and where they will end easily. This involves more time with the setup. Especially with mine because I'd have to change out the spindle for a router. Since I'm using a little router bit instead of a large cutter, it takes a lot more passes to cut a point.
A metal lathe with one of those Deco Taper bars would be nice. I've never actually seen one of those bars in person, but they look really nice. He also makes a tapering machine for a table saw (I'm not sure if he sells it or not) and that thing looks sick.
I guess it depends on what you have room for. I would prefer the mill because then it's set up for points all the time. I never have to spend time with any setup other than marking where I want my points to start and end and setting the stops on my mill. About 2 minutes worth of work.
I don't really know how many cues you make per year or what your cues cost. Is it worth $1,500 to just cut points? When I bought my mill, I had no intentions of ever selling a cue. I just wanted to build some cues for myself. I still spent the money on the mill because I didn't like having to deal with the setup to cut the points on the Hightower. I also made good money back then, so it wasn't a big deal. Now, I'm just a poor cue maker, so I don't know if I would buy it so quick if I was just starting out.
I have the mill all set up to cut 4, 6 or 8 pointers. Since I normally do 4 pointed cues, I almost never have to move anything. It took me a day or two to get it to where I want it, but now there is no setup. I put the forearm in and start cutting. I cut the points in 4 passes. I could probably do them with less.
I use my CNC to cut points if I have to do something other than a normal 4, 6 or 8 pointer. The nice thing about doing them on the CNC is that you can calculate where your points will touch at the bottom and where they will end easily. This involves more time with the setup. Especially with mine because I'd have to change out the spindle for a router. Since I'm using a little router bit instead of a large cutter, it takes a lot more passes to cut a point.
A metal lathe with one of those Deco Taper bars would be nice. I've never actually seen one of those bars in person, but they look really nice. He also makes a tapering machine for a table saw (I'm not sure if he sells it or not) and that thing looks sick.
I guess it depends on what you have room for. I would prefer the mill because then it's set up for points all the time. I never have to spend time with any setup other than marking where I want my points to start and end and setting the stops on my mill. About 2 minutes worth of work.
I don't really know how many cues you make per year or what your cues cost. Is it worth $1,500 to just cut points? When I bought my mill, I had no intentions of ever selling a cue. I just wanted to build some cues for myself. I still spent the money on the mill because I didn't like having to deal with the setup to cut the points on the Hightower. I also made good money back then, so it wasn't a big deal. Now, I'm just a poor cue maker, so I don't know if I would buy it so quick if I was just starting out.
Thanks for the comments guys. Hopefully in the next week or two I will be able to order it.
Chris Drew
Chris Drew
Trepla
Registered
I have the same mill also. Be careful with Grizzly. I ordered mine and was given the run around for 7 months until it finally came in. I got all sorts of excuses "back ordered", "stuck at customs", "waiting to be assermbled", etc... So I did the next best thing- I used Tony Zinzola's until mine came in. Much cheaper that way if you can find one to borrow. Now that I have it set up, it is very convienant to have a mill that is always ready to go for points.
Alex Alpert
Alex Alpert
Another option is to look around for a Bridgeport, American made and super accurate , lots of deals can be had at the moment. A full sized Bridgeport 2hp mill will weigh around 2500 lbs and take up a fair amount of space, and you can double the travel of table top mills. They do run on 3 phase, which will require a phase converter or VFD. You would be surprised what you can get in the $1200 to $1500 range.
same mill
Is it possible the exact mill went for 700, the other one is over twice that?
I'd love a bargain, are the quality and options equal?
thanks, Bill
Is it possible the exact mill went for 700, the other one is over twice that?
I'd love a bargain, are the quality and options equal?
thanks, Bill
As has been pointed out, they are not identical mills, they are similar. Basically they are the same but the Grizzly has a power feed which cost 2-300 additional and has a longer Y travail which I'm sure costs more if needed. The Grizzly will come cleaned up better but that is about it. I have the one from H/F that I bought about 6 years ago for 500.00 plus tax because the switch cover was bent. I repaired with a pair of pliers and since have not had to put one thin dime into it. It works just as great as the Grizzly or for that matter, from any of the many other companies who are selling the same mill/drill but under different labels.
Dick