Need advice on a mill purchase

[Walker]

I was up at friends shop who has a mill that he bought but never got going. It 3 phase and he hasn't wired in a converter. I think he just wants a small benchtop mill instead. It is a PAL mill with a W.T. Wills tag on it. The head hinges and pivots in every direction, so I am not sure exactly what to call it, other than a vertical mill. He has several boxes of bits for it but no collet. He wants $1000 for it, and he is a good friend and would refund it if I didn't like it. I already have a 3 phase converter to run it on. I looked at all the ways/moving parts and could find no visible wear. There is surface rust on it, so would require some work to get it though. The story was that it came out of a friends shop, where it had sat for 20+ years idle as the old man died and nobody did anything with it, or the other equipment there. It looks like a good, lightly used piece of equipment, though I can find very little inforation on it onthe web.
Does any body know much abot this brand and if it would be a worthwhile piece to have in my shop?

[USMCPOP]

Could that be a Beaver PAL mill? http://www.lathes.co.uk/beaver/

Here's a beautiful restoration of a Beaver mill: http://www.fleetradioproducts.com/mill/

[Walker]

Yep, thats the one. I found virtually nothing on PAL mills, but apparently PAL and beaver are one and the same. The picture from little machine shop is it exactly.

[USMCPOP]

Well, aside from parts availability, it is no doubt a very high quality mill, being of Brit origin. In the event that you do get it, I'm sure someone on PracticalMachinist.com has a bit of info. I think I did see a link to some outfit that did have some parts. If it is in good working condition and isn't lacking a critical part, I'd say it's probably a steal. Depends on the rust situation. If it's on the table and not too bad, I wouldn't worry much. If it is on the way surfaces then I'd be a bit more cautious.

I just paid $950. for an Index mill that is missing about $400. worth of parts and I consider it a good deal. Time will tell.

[LW Hiway]

Knowing me, if it was close enough to drag on a trailer, I'd jump on it, obscurity having no meaning or relevance concerning shop tools.

[precisionworks]

He wants $1000 for it, and he is a good friend and would refund it if I didn't like it.

Can you take your converter to his shop, hook it up & run it? That would save hours of time if it isn't what you want, or if the motor doesn't run (highly unlikely). Nice machines, built sort of like a Bpt, different in may ways including quill downfeed - couldn't be any worse than a Bpt in that regard

If it runs & the tables move, $1000 is a screaming deal & you should but it yesterday

[Fla Jim]

Originally Posted by precisionworks

Can you take your converter to his shop, hook it up & run it? That would save hours of time if it isn't what you want, or if the motor doesn't run (highly unlikely). Nice machines, built sort of like a Bpt, different in may ways including quill downfeed - couldn't be any worse than a Bpt in that regard

If it runs & the tables move, $1000 is a screaming deal & you should but it yesterday

I agree. There's a lot of resources available, here, on Pratical Machinist, and the other machining forums.

[kvom]

Darren over on madmodder.net just bought a Beaver mill. You might contact him for his opinion. John Stevenson has a larger one and likes it.

It may not have a R8 spindle, meaning tooling might be more expensive.

[Walker]

Okay, it looks like I am going to get a the mill. Unfortunately it will be about a week and a half until I can go and get it as I am booked up working for that long. It is frustrating because it is only about six blocks down my street. Oh well.
So, what books do need to get to start reading up on the care, feeding and use of a milling machine?

[Fla Jim]

Here's a start:
http://www.metalwebnews.com/machine-tools/fmt.html