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yes, its vanda lay industries...

http://vanda-layindustries.com/html/acra_mill_plus.html



getting one.

That is sweet! Boy are you going to have fun with that. Let us know how it works out for ya.

badhoopty wrote:yes, its vanda lay industries...

http://vanda-layindustries.com/html/acra_mill_plus.html



getting one.

Hilarious and cool all in the same post! Thank you sir for sharing.

Now that is cool. I got this in a couple weeks ago and have been playing with it a little:



It's ok but too much play to be accurate. But then again, it was design to be a simple drill press. It will come in handy but I am going to bolt on my X,Y table for fun and see what kind of milling I can get with it. I have a feeling I will stick to the big press though for aluminum milling.

The local Harbor Freight (I know, cheap stuff) has this machine and it is not but a few dollars more than that dremel rig + the price of the dremel. I have been over freights milling machines and I know they are not top of the line, but they are not bad looking machine. Especially for the money.

That dremel motor isn't going to have enough ummph! to mill much. That cheapy harbor freight mill would be a better choice.

Lots of helpful info on Chiwanese mills and lathes here:

http://www.mini-lathe.com/Mini_mill/Main/mini-mill.htm

The Acra rig looks really nice, too. It doesn't look like it would be too hard to rig a real drill into it for more grunt.

shodog wrote:That dremel motor isn't going to have enough ummph! to mill much. That cheapy harbor freight mill would be a better choice.

I was thinking the same thing, that a dremel wouldn't have the power or the accuracy to be much good.

another thing to consider is the side loads applied to the dremel it self when milling. the thin shank bits may break under stress or damage the case/bearing housings. i would only use something like that for wood or plastic not aluminum.
even when using a standard drill press with a milling vise attachment you could damage the drill press spindle bearings under side loads like that. but it can be done as long as the drill press is not to cheaply made, just use good sharp end mills and feed the work slowly.

i'm mostly interested in verstatility and uhh, not having a big huge thing to deal with in the garage.

yes the dremel doesnt have alot of umph, but i'm way more interested in being able to accurately cut or shave or shape the same kinda stuff i've been doing in my lap over the years freehand with a dremel. more importantly, i got a boatload of delrin scrap coming to me that i plan on using to make a bunch of stuff for my scale 4x4 projects. the price i payed for the front bumper on my highlift would almost buy the vandalay mill...

i also very much like the ability of the vandalay dooohickey to turn the dremel 90degrees and stuff like that.

i havent bought the vandalay mill yet, so i'll search around a bit still and take your comments into consideration. that harbor freight mill looks pretty good, but can a swivel the z axis and come down at an angle with it or would i have to angle the bed?

badhoopty wrote:i'm mostly interested in verstatility and uhh, not having a big huge thing to deal with in the garage.

i also very much like the ability of the vandalay dooohickey to turn the dremel 90degrees and stuff like that.

My experience with "multi-use" equipment is that they're really really good for ... collecting dust! Ok, seriously, gimmicks and gadgets that seem useful, particularly on things of this nature, are really nothing more than that, a gimmick or gadget that doesn't really work.

For example, when I bought my woodshop, the drill press came with a mortising attachment. The problem is, to use the attachment, it's a lengthy process to install, and then you no longer have a drill press for the duration. Because of this, I've never used the mortiser, even though it would be a better joining system in some cases. I can't name a project that I've built yet that didn't require every piece of equipment in the shop, so converting anything to any other function is a major hassle. I realize that this dremel mill is a bit of a different story, but you still see my point.

As far as flipping it 90 degrees and using it as a mini-tablesaw, what are you going to cut with a dremel besides balsa? That delrin will likely either melt or be too thick/hard for the dremel to be able to cut. You'll probably end up roughing out the piece with a coping saw or hacksaw, then cleaning it up with a sanding drum.

My suspicion is that while the Vanda Lay unit may seem useful, in reality it's not going to do what you need it to, making it a $200 boat anchor that takes up valuable bench space.

but i dont own a boat!

i'm just tired of literally sitting on a bucket in my garage and whittling out stuff the best i can holding the dremel in one hand and either the piece i'm working on in the other.

my current project thats getting the most attention is my hilift, and i plan on outfitting it with delrin rocker knockers and a rear bumper to match this juggsterr front bumper.

http://pics.montypics.com/badhoopty/2007-08-13/1187054319_hiliftbumper.jpg

there is just no way in heck i'm gonna match that sitting on a 5gallon bucket working the stuff in my lap.

If you have already been using a dremel for this stuff, you got it made. Worse case scenario, you might have to detach the dremel to do a couple things. But I mounted my 395 to the dremel tool holder and I use my Li-Po dremel for lap duties. You could pick up another dremel and do the same. For you, this Vanda Lay holder looks to be the bomb. I say BIN and tells us more about it

badhoopty wrote:but i dont own a boat!

Well, you'll have the anchor, all you'll need is the dingy!

All I'm saying is that for about the same money, you can probably find a better piece of equipment, even if it is the Harbor Freight unit. What's more, with a better piece of equipment, you'll be free to mill aluminum and other things that you just won't have the ability to do with the Vanda Lay unit.

I don't know how popular craigslist is in your area but I have bought quite a bit of stuff from people on it. you might be able to find a kick ass mill for a good price off of it.