The Milling Machine

Even from "Day-1" when I realised I was going to get into the metalworking madness for real, I knew I was going to get a milling machine. True, I could have gotten a lathe/mill combo, or any lathe and upgraded it with a cross-slide vise, but I thought about the size and scope of the projects I would be doing and decided a full-sized milling machine was the way to go.

I looked everywhere I could for cost-effective alternatives to buying an import, but finally gave up and bought the Grizzly Industrial Model G3358 Mill/Drill machine. One factor in my decision was the 2 H.P. motor, as I hope to be working on larger-than-model-size engine castings someday. The 23" table travel doesn't hurt, either.

Things I like about the G3358

P-l-e-n-t-y of power. I've never once stalled it, or even slowed the spindle as far as I can tell.
Good variety of speeds. It is also reversible.
Table travel is smooth. I have no problem doing accurate work.
R-8 spindle taper is very common, I have had no problem getting accessories.

Things I DON'T like about the G3358

The owner's manual plain sucks. It isn't even up to Grizzly standards. From the factory it is wired for 220V, and there were absolutely no instructions to convert it to 110V.
The 3" face mill it comes with may be too low a quality to do accurate work. I haven't tried it yet so I don't know for sure.
The head swivels on the column easily. This might be an advantage in some ways, but when I want to adjust the Z axis and keep the head steady, there is no way to do this using the head height adjustment.
It is cumbersome to change speeds by moving the belts in the transmission case. I knew this when I bought it but now having used it I am convinced my next machine will have a geared transmission. Se la vie.

Other Pictures

The picture on the left shows the lathe on the table I made from scrap lumber. There is space beneath it for an accessory drawer and bulk storage space for the larger accessories like the dividing head. I intend to put a pair of doors to "neaten up" its appearance and you can see the European style hinges mounted to the frame, but I've been too busy to finish the job.

Inside the storage you can also see a set of casters. These are mounted on a homemade 1" angle iron frame which fit underneath the cabinet. If I need to, I can assemble the frame and "jack up" the whole table/mill onto it and it rolls around easily.

The other picture shows the accessory drawer conveniently below the machine, and some of the fun toys I got for it. Arbors, saws, endmills, cutters and collets are stored here along with some of the adjustment tools that get used frequently.

Accessories for the Mill

Here is a list of accessories I have obtained so far, including some justifications and experiences.

What Where Why

BS-0 dividing head Grizzly I really wanted one of these for gear cutting. Couldn't find a used one at a decent price -- they all sell for about the price of new ones so I bought it new. To save money, I adapted the 3-jaw chuck from my lathe to fit on its face plate.

Keyseat and profile cutters eBay I wanted an assortment at a good price as single pieces cost between $10-30 each when new. On eBay I got a nice lot with great variety. You can see some of the pieces in the photo in the drawer.

4" rotary table For small work when I don't want to set up the dividing head.

V-blocks Grizzly for round work, obviously

Endmills Grizzly Bought a set of 10 pcs TiN coated 4-flute mills and they work nicely. I have been looking for lots on eBay as well but none have the variety I seek.

Edge finder Grizzly $17 for four pieces seemed like a good price to me. They work fine.

Side mills eBay These lots don't come up often, but generally go for a good price. I think most of the ones for 1" and 1.125" arbors were originally for horizontal mills but they seem to work fine on an R-8 arbor in my machine. My lot came with several slitting saws.

Fly cutters Grizzly I was going to make a set of these, but $10 for a set of three seemed like too good a price to pass up.

The Milling Machine

Things I like about the G3358

Things I DON'T like about the G3358

Other Pictures

Accessories for the Mill

Other Tools

More Information

What	Where	Why
BS-0 dividing head	Grizzly	I really wanted one of these for gear cutting. Couldn't find a used one at a decent price -- they all sell for about the price of new ones so I bought it new. To save money, I adapted the 3-jaw chuck from my lathe to fit on its face plate.
Keyseat and profile cutters	eBay	I wanted an assortment at a good price as single pieces cost between $10-30 each when new. On eBay I got a nice lot with great variety. You can see some of the pieces in the photo in the drawer.
4" rotary table		For small work when I don't want to set up the dividing head.
V-blocks	Grizzly	for round work, obviously
Endmills	Grizzly	Bought a set of 10 pcs TiN coated 4-flute mills and they work nicely. I have been looking for lots on eBay as well but none have the variety I seek.
Edge finder	Grizzly	$17 for four pieces seemed like a good price to me. They work fine.
Side mills	eBay	These lots don't come up often, but generally go for a good price. I think most of the ones for 1" and 1.125" arbors were originally for horizontal mills but they seem to work fine on an R-8 arbor in my machine. My lot came with several slitting saws.
Fly cutters	Grizzly	I was going to make a set of these, but $10 for a set of three seemed like too good a price to pass up.