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Has or does anyone use one of the combination Lathe/Mills for knife making? If so, how well do they work? I'd like to add a small mill and eventually a lathe for various knife projects but particularly for slotting guards. Would one of these be good? I like them because they conserve space and my shop is pretty small.

Here is a link to a Grizzly product that I'm looking at:

http://www.grizzly.c...the-Mill/G4015Z

If you look around on Grizzly, I'm pretty sure you can find an individual mill and lathe for about that same amount of money. Entry level, of course, but I am convinced you would be happier with two independent machines.

Or, spend a little more on a mill. Save up some money and then get a lathe.

Nothing is worse than buying something only to be a bit disappointed with it when it won't do all you desire.

|quoted:

Has or does anyone use one of the combination Lathe/Mills for knife making? If so, how well do they work? I'd like to add a small mill and eventually a lathe for various knife projects but particularly for slotting guards. Would one of these be good? I like them because they conserve space and my shop is pretty small.

Here is a link to a Grizzly product that I'm looking at:

http://www.grizzly.com/products/19-3-16-Combo-Lathe-Mill/G4015Z

Years ago, I got a combination unit Mill/drill/lathe. It was a less common one with the mill/drill head in the center of the bed, which was much more versatile, and it had an automatic feed with thread cutting abilities on the lathe. I have used that thing to death, and have slotted every guard I have made on it since then. It really doesn't take a Bridgeport to slot guards. I have a large U.S. Machine Mill that can do everything but I have never used it for guards, it would be more work than it is worth to fire up and crank that monster for an itty-bitty guard slot.

But... having said all that, I would go with what Karl suggests, if I had it all to do over again. Yes, a smaller mill is just the thing for slotting guards but it is miserable to have to switch from running one function to another on these combination machines. With a dedicated single machine you can put your dial indicator on it and true everything up once, and leave it. A good amount of machining is set up, much more than the actual cutting, and with a combination machine you will always be re-setting up.

A small mill is indeed just the ticket for quick slotting of guards, and I use my mills for all kinds of knifemaking applications, but not so much with my lathe. I have found that the mill is handy for making knives but a lathe is invaluable for making or fixing other tools. It seems every time I have the lathe running I am working on making parts for other tooling, the only time I regularly use the lathe for making blades is in the accurate recreation of sword and dagger pommels, and it always requires hand shaping afterwards as well.

I concur with both Karl and Kevin. I've also owned a Mill/Lathe combo in the past, and in my experience it does neither job well. I would add to steer clear of the "Mini" tools, either mill or lathe. They seem like a good deal because of the price, but they are only suitable for the smallest of work. You can always do small work on a larger machine, but you can't do big work on a small machine.

To echo Karl's input....

Nothing is worse than buying something only to be a bit disappointed with it when it won't do all you desire

Thanks you guys. I was at the hammer-in this weekend at Old Washington or I would have thanked ya'll earlier. I will go with a good mill first then get a lathe later. I figured those combo tools would be more hassle than they are worth but wanted to know for sure. I appreciate all your replys.

Any advice on table top mills.

The ones that run $1200 or so and can be set up on a bench.

Not a mini per se.

Grizzle actually sells a table top knee mill.

Lathe?, Mill/Drill? awhile ago there was a machine called the "Vega-matic" it chopped, diced, sliced cubed and generally achieved what was advertised....if you were making hash or stew! No one machine can do it all, well. If you need a lathe, why? go get a good one. the basic Mill/Drill design is OK but neither a good mill or a good drill press. The repeatability and accuracy of the Taiwanese machines is just not like the US made, when we used to make them here. So, if you're pushing out 30-35 hidden tang guards per month then I can see the need. If possible buy an older Bridgeport and make some setups for accuracy or get the shaper/slotter attachment for the back of the ram.