Tool quality

[WesMan]

Does anyone know if microlux tools are worth the money? What about Sherline? I'm looking into mills in particular, but also considering an upgrade on my mini tablesaw.

 

[Stevedownunder]

Does anyone know if microlux tools are worth the money? What about Sherline? I'm looking into mills in particular, but also considering an upgrade on my mini tablesaw.

Hi WesMan,

I don't know about the Microlux or Sherline.
What sort of milling do you want to do and how big?

As for small table saws in my opinion you cannot go past the Byrnes table saw, I have one and it is a delight to use.
Here is a link. https://www.byrnesmodelmachines.com/tablesaw.html

Cheers,
Stephen.

 

[Dave Stevens (Lumberyard)]

i personally have not used a Sherline but a company i delt with in the past Kingshouse Minature Machine mentioned to me he had a Sherline mill and if you use it for very light duty work it is fine but as far as a working tool don't expect much. It is just a small hobby grade tool.

there are 3 categories of tools the small tools for hobby use, then the home use and the professional tools.

when you push the small tools to their limits you are putting the tool under a lot of stress and end up breaking them.

in Doug's opinion this is the best milling machine

 

[Jimsky]

While this video outdated, and specifically prices are not accurate, it will give you some ideas of what fetures to look for when choosing the minimill for your needs.

 

[pebbleworm]

I've been happy with everything I have from Microlux/micromark for model work. What tools in particular are you thinking about and what do you want to do with them?

 

[WesMan]

My girlfriend makes jewellery and enjoys working with copper and silver as well as some other metals. I have been a professional woodworker for many years, specializing in architectural woodwork. Now that I am disabled and unable to work, I have turned my attention to miniature woodwork. Of course, I have always been a model ship builder ( well, since I was 17), primarily scratch built pof. I would be using the mill for fabricating small parts from wood, notching keels, creating mortise and tennon joinery for ship parts, as well as other miniature woodworking projects.

 

[WesMan]

Tenon

 

[danielsje]

There are many opinions as to what tools are the best. For my modeling needs I look for good quality but not necessarily the best. I have a Microlux table saw and it works great. I added a splitter blade and can easily slice strips off of stock for planking. The MicroMark tools are adequate, good quality, and worth the money when used appropriately. Are they the best? Not necessarily. But they are adequate for normal modeling needs and a good compromise on the budget. I have several tools from MicroMark and have been satisfied with them all for my modeling needs.

 

[Dematosdg]

Does anyone know if microlux tools are worth the money? What about Sherline? I'm looking into mills in particular, but also considering an upgrade on my mini tablesaw.

Milling machines:

I have the Proxon MF 70 for 1 year. It does a great job. Nothing to regret and is very cheap, excellent quality !!!. Only for milling wood or very soft metals. (~$370)

This week I set up a new Sherline 2010 plus accessories package A . Cost 3 times more (~$1300). The amount of things you can do with the Sherline is far more (wood and metal) plus bigger jobs.

For now I will keep both.

With the Sherline there is no limit to what you can do for hobby or house needs.

Table saw:

I had for 2 months the Microlux (~$340). Excellent !! . When you start to add some accessories it will rump up a couple of hundred dollars.

I replaced it for a BYRNES table saw. The basic Byrnes table saw price is ~$450. Then you add accessories, if needed. A fully equipped Byrnes table saw is around ~$800 -900 (you can check the exact price at the Byrnes website).

The difference in price, at the end, between the Byrnes and the Microlux, considering all the accessories you will need to do precisely cuts for the hobby is not big. Could be around $300 (please, go , visit both sites and check all these numbers) .

Bottom line, a Byrnes table saw is an incredible precise table saw done with amazing materials. A tool for all your life.

Bottom line:

The Sherline and the Byrnes table saw, are more expensive, but you will pass them to your heirs. Or you can sell them, in a blink of an eye, if you need to do it. They both have an excellent resale price and is difficult to find used ones.

All goes in the balance.

Nevertheless, Microlux table saw is a good one as well as the Proxxon MF70 mill machine.

Cheers
Daniel

 

[Hoss6262]

I have the Sherline milling machine and can say it is a great tool. Not having a great deal of knowledge with milling, my goal when purchasing it was to fabricate components accurately and repeatedly to ensure I had a good standard and fitment for my projects. All I can say is all Sherline makes is milling machines and lathes. They are specialists and their products are reasonably priced and support service is gold standard. I posted a reply some time ago when another member asked the same question. Find the link below. Hope this helps.

milling machines

hello , L was wondering about milling machines to mill some of the intricate details. gussing with a knife and saw, can be difficult for me . I have a touch of the trembles since the age of about 14 years old. Doctors say i have some loose neurons. would a mini cnc be good. I have seen thecnc...

shipsofscale.com

 

[Hoss6262]

Ah, on another note, I also own the Microlux table saw. It is not quite as expensive as the Byrnes table saw and perhaps just a small rung below the quality, but quite capable tool and meets all of my requirements. It is made in Japan. With a few specialty blades and a couple of addons I'm able to make very precise cuts, including ripping cuts 2" thick, and fine precision cuts to 0.5mm repeatedly. Good luck!

 

[WesMan]

Thank you guys so much for your comments; I think I'm going to go with the Sherline milling machine. Still up in the air about tablesaws though. The one I have is just barely adequate. The issue I have with it is safety...not a very safe little machine. As for add-ons and jigs, I spent so many years as a professional woodworker that it became second nature to make my own jigs and fixtures,, usually out of scrap wood, and if it wasn't a jig I was going to use fairly regularly, I'd just toss it in the waste bin when I was done with it. Usually doesn't matter what the task is, you can almost always figure out how to make a jig for it, and save yourself a good deal of money into the bargain. Money you can spend on lumber, etc.

 

[Steviedean]

Hi all,
I've been replacing my old Dremel rotory tools with Proxxon-I've purchased the 12 volt type. All (3) are beautiful, well balanced and have plenty of controllable power.
This lead me to buy their miter saw, table saw, drill press stand, mini XY table and pen sander.
All of these tools seem well built and are precise, affordable machines. I am proud to own and use these in ship modelling and scale stick & tissue aircraft building. Like the gentleman above, I'm a Woodworker/carpenter for most of my life and routinely make jigs or fixtures as needed. Doing so increases the usefulness of my machines.
I'm retireing at the end of the year and suggested to my wife that I would like buy the Sherline lathe and mill with tooling as gift to myself.......
Took awhile, just like retireing early, but she agreed!!!
Tools help release creativity held in one's own mind, good ones last a lifetime.....
Steviedean