ProxxonMF 70 Micro Mill

Mills steel pretty well for its size, great for RC model use.

CAVEAT: I have only used this mill for a couple of hours, only for making very fine cuts in aluminum, and I am not a machinist.That said, I found this mill, in combination with the optional Machine Vise, to be more than adequate for my modest needs. One down side is that there were no instructions for either assembly or use, so one must do a bit of head scratching and problem solving in that regard.Some pics imply that bits are included, but they are not.The the screws provided with the optional vise are too short by approximately 1/4” but will just barely hold the vise by a couple of thread if you’re careful.

Great Mini Mill. You aren't going to machine an engine block with this, there is very limited height adjustment. But this machine is sturdy, stable and reliable. I've used it to machine stainless steel, brass and Delrin so far, in our prototyping lab. It's a great value.Picture below is a concept controller I made using this. I machined the cord grip hole and radius in the 1/8" stainless bar with this bar, and hollowed out the Delrin rod for the switches and electronics.

I use this to machine small pieces of plastic, etc., for prototyping. I've also converted it into a miniature overarm pin router so I can create multiple pieces to identical dimensions. If one doesn't overload this little machine, it works quite well.

If you buy one of these looking for an advanced Dremel you will be very happy. If you're looking for a mini Bridgeport, you may be a bit disappointed.The Proxxon MF-70 combines the utility of a Dremel with the precision of a mill. With it you'll be able to perform many operations that would be difficult or impossible holding the Dremel in your hand. Before I decided on the MF-70, I considered cobbling together a mill from a Dremel 220-01 stand and a HF X-Y vise but the Dremel stand is crap and HF X-Y vises seemed expensive and crude. I also considered getting a Vanda-Lay ACRA rig, but when you add in the cost of the adjustable X and Z axes it approaches the cost of the MF-70, and you have to add your own Dremel. In my case the MF-70 was not the cheapest option but so far it's been fun to have in the shop, and it has a lot of support if you want to go CNC. BTW I recommend picking up the 24260 precision vise, it complements the mill nicely.On the downside, the most disappointing aspect of the MF70 is that when cranking the X axis, the table deflects +/- 0.010". That's 20 thousandths total error. Using a twisting grip on the wheel rather than cranking the handle helps reduce this to a few thousandths. Tightening the gibs helps, however the motion then becomes "grabby." The Z axis scale ring hangs up sometimes which throws it off zero and causes errors. I also wish the head rotated since it would be useful to position the spindle horizontally at times.Another review mentions the Z axis has a lot of play or backlash. Most likely the problem is that the Z axis stop nut was set too loosely at the factory. Here's the fix: You'll need a 2.5mm allen wrench and a deep 10mm socket. Remove the four allen bolts on the top cover of the Z pillar, unscrew the Z leadscrew from the spindle nut, and remove the top assembly from the mill. Slip the 10mm socket over the leadscrew and tighten the nylock stop nut under the cover (it's left hand threaded so tighten to the left). Lightly snug the nut then back it off a bit so there's minimal axial play and the handwheel turns freely. Reassemble and test. The Z axis will be much tighter.UPDATE: After less than a month, and used only on weekends, the motor died. It was running fine when it went "POP", the GFCI it was plugged into tripped, and that was that. It's currently at the Proxxon repair center in NC. This is very disappointing considering I've had a Dremel for years and it's taken a beating and still runs strong. Apparently the handheld Proxxon unit also suffers from these types of failures. This review has dropped a star and will be updated after my repair experience.UPDATE 2: Prox-tech repaired the unit and it's running again. The motor and controller board were replaced. This motor is noisier than the original, similar to what other reviewers have noted, but it is tight with no excessive play as far as I can tell. Turnaround time for the repair was ~2 weeks not including shipping. Since I'm wary the motor is going to die again I've been running it at lower speeds, well off max, and it seems to be running cooler. I hope it continues to run for years because it's still a great little device and fun to use.

Not without it's share of shortcomings, as noted in the many reviews posted here, but if you're not overly ambitious in your usage plans and manage your expectations accordingly, it's a fairly worthwhile mill.Plus, it's so tiny and adorable on the bench.

Got this to mill out some N Scale aluminum locomotives bodies thereby allowing them to be upgraded with sound decoders and tiny speakers. Worked very well for this purpose. I have sent off for the kit to add Nema 17 motors given me a small CNC capability (many other things go into setting this up). This "micro mill" is sturdy enough to make this possible. Recommended.

My experienced metal fabricating brother was impressed. We drilled pips in square steel rod to make dice, and this machine performed precisely and consistently.