Mini Bench Mill for Gunsmithing

’m Ia certified gunsmith with 18 years of service. In that time I have found a mini bench mill, the type of machine that fits on a bench, is ideal for me and my shop— and probably for you as well. As gunsmiths, we work on small metal gun parts. We usually don’t work on large metal machine parts or make large tools.

There are large bench mills and large floor Featuring a 1/2-inch drill chuck and drawbar, table locks, column lock and drill stop, power supply with feedback-sensing power boost circuitry, spring-assisted headstock return, V-way chip guards, chuck/collet chip guard, safety cut-off switch, and wrench set. The table has 0.050 inch-per-turn feed screws and dials and the column can be tipped for angled milling and drilling.

There are indicator scales for the X (8 inches of table travel) and Z (7 inches headstock) directions with a fine-adjust knob for the Zdirection. The cross slide travel (Y direction) is 4 inches and the column angle tilts from -45 to +45 degrees. mills costing a staggering amount of money. They are great tools, however, most of the time in service you will not recuperate the money spent on such large mills or lathes.

If you are good at using a hand file and a floor drill press, then you can do a lot to shape the metal to fit and work into a firearm repair without using a mill. Of course, if you area machinist you will need a large lathe and/or mill. Yes, you will likely learn how to work a lathe and a mill as a required course in gunsmithing school. That course shows what is needed when building guns or to make a large part or a tool.

When there is a need to turn a barrel, cut a groove on the side of the barrel or cut a dovetail, or to rechamber a barrel, a large lathe or mill is needed. However, in my nearly two decades in this field I have not needed to do this for the kind of work most common in my shop. Even if a job requiring such work does come up, it can be out sourced. Unless your shop is specifically structured that way, as a gunsmith we are not dedicated machinists.

There is no good reason to go into debt to buy a large, expensive floor mill to prove you’re a "real" gunsmith. There are many large machine tools out there for sale, new and used. If you have the money and if your consistent demand for jobs shows a genuine need (as in on a profit and loss statement, not because you want one so bad you "need" it) then go for it. When you come out of gunsmith school, money is very tight for a little while—maybe for along while.

If you need a mill, I’d recommend to start by looking into a mini bench mill instead of a large floor model. I use a mini bench mill and it works just fine for me. With the mini bench mill, the parts I make for the gun fit and work just as great as if I had made them on

a more expensive machine. If the part needs case hardening, I do that also. Even if you envision a large model needs to be in your future, I truly think a mini mill is a great investment. The mini bench mill fits on my bench and is out of my way. If I want to move it to another place I can do that also. Depending on the jobs you get, you may find that it is all you need. I have been using a mini bench mill for a number of years now.

The model I use and like is the Micro- Lux R8 Miniature Milling Machine from Micro-Mark MicroMark.com). This machine has a base price of about $1,400, including shipping, and I have been very pleased. It can do the same thing as a large mill on the small metal parts I normally work with. The R8 cuts in 0.001" increments and is very accurate. It has the same XYZ axes and you also can get it in a CNC mode.

Even though I only use it on steel parts, this also handles aluminum, plastic, and wood with the appropriate bits. There are a lot of mill tools for the mini bench mill to make work easy and accurate for firearm jobs. The collar is operated in thousands of an inch, allowing micrometer adjustments for setting the work in a given position to the cutter. You can do a lot of milling operations as there are a number of milling tools to purchase for the mini bench mill, the same as any big mill.

Quality mini bench mills are built sturdy, heavy, and with plenty of rigidity. They can also be bolted to a bench for even more stability. The weight of my bench mill is 110 pounds with dimensions of 30 inches high and twenty inches of depth and width. I use if for drilling, tapping, reaming, boring, slots, and shaping. It’s a horizontal mill and is a versatile machine tool capable of accomplishing a variety of mill machining tasks. You can use a collet or a drill head, the same as a large mill.

The mini bench mill does not have a knee to elevate the work to the cutter. Instead, you bring the head stock down to the XY table and the work piece. While offering the precision of a larger machine, the R8 like most mini mills operates on a standard 110V plug-in. Bigger mills typically operate on a larger voltage that needs to be wired into the shop. Once a bigger mill is placed, it is where it will stay as they’re way too big and heavy to move once placed, even without the special power requirements.

There are two types of mini bench mills: one operates with a gear drive and the other operates with a belt drive. Mini mills also come in high power It’s a great fit, by size and cost, for my shop. or low power. Be sure to research each machine’s specifications to ensure it meets your needs. While they are not cheap to purchase, they are much cheaper than a large mill.

I am not going to quote specific price differences here as they have a habit of changing (don’t ask me how I know that) and will fluctuate based on new or used condition, location, shipping, and other factors. You need to check the features that come with the mini bench mill and the cost factor to help make your decision. If you get on the Internet and search for "mini bench mill" you’ll find many of them listed side by side and the price.

They all look very much the same, the difference is the companies that sell them and specific specifications as different makers have their little twist attached to them. Despite different vendor brand names, many are made in China and in the same factories. A mill in a gunsmith shop will sit more than it is used. You need to think about that. Unless you’re into manufacturing guns or making large items, a large mill is likely not needed.

If I need a large mill, I am fortunate to have a friend that is a machinist and owns a commercial machine shop and can contract use of his large mill but I have rarely used it. I’ve found I only use a large machine for chambering, lining in a barrel, or for cutting threads on a barrel or for a compensator. Such a large machine (and investment!) would never pay off in my shop. If you’re not so fortunate as I am to have a machinist friend, such work can be contracted out.

My mini bench mill is my favorite machine to use and for most usage on making gun parts. I’ll bet it is an ideal choice for you as well. Oh, and don’t forget the cutting lubrication! AG