John P. wrote:
On 5 Jan 2006 21:23:03 -0800, wrote:

Also, concerning a Mini-mill, I'll need to make some small parts, and
I'm well aware that a mini-mill wouldn't be an adequate machine for
many here, but since I'm a newbie with very little space, and need to
begin somewhere, I was hoping to get reocommendations on what to keep
my eyes open for.(New or used).

I purchased the Harbor Freight Mini Mill about 6 months ago for
$449.00. 29 days into it, and on my 2nd use, the drive belt snapped.
Luckily it hadn't been 30 days yet, so I took it back to HF and
swapped it for another... this time purchasing the 3 year warranty!
:-)

I've used it quite a lot and think that for the money it is one of the
best equipment purchases I've ever made. I use mine for making custom
handles, guards and bolsters for hand forged knives. (You can see an
example he http://pozadzides.com/john/) I've also found a few
other interesting little projects here and there.

So, I'd find one of those HF coupons... wait till it's on sale for
$449.00... then snag one and get the extended warranty - just in case!

I've been looking at the mini-mills(or Mill/drills) that are all
supposed to come from the same factory in China, and noticed slight
differences the posted images/claims of these machines even though they
are supposed to be the same.

http://www.cumminstools.com/browse.cfm/4,1485.htm
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=44991
http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares...oduct&ID=82573

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.