Customer Reviews

JET JHM-610 Hobby Mill

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was looking for a small milling machine to repair clock works that I could mount on a bench. This fit the bill. It needed a set of collets though ($75) and I had to make a new draw bar because the one that comes with it is metric. It did come with a small vice and some clamps that were not advertised in the add. It seems a bit more noisy than I expected. Maybe cheep gears. All in all I'm happy with the purchase though.

I purchased the JET JHM-610 Hobby Mill for model building. This machine is also known as the X1 Micro Mill. It's manufactured by SIEG Industrial in China and sold by various companies with different options and colors. I decided to go with this one from JET because it already included the extended Y-axis and the tilting column.

PROS:
- Good solid table with t-slots that are completely open the ends. (easier to remove chips)
- Came with a 10mm keyless drill chuck, 50mm quick vice, 12-piece clamping kit, wrench set, drawbar, and an oil tray.
- Various mods/upgrades are available for this mill. (long table kit, cnc kit, etc.)

CONS:
- Fit and finish. (paint is chipped and bubbling up in some spots; labels starting to peel off)
- Does not include any collets or end mill holders. (got some MT2 collets from littlemachineshop which work great)
- I had to adjust all the gib screws on the x/y/z axis before I could get good results.

Final thoughts:
Not perfect, but pretty good for the price. Also purchased the JET JHL-610 Hobby Lathe, and a set of optional stands. (JET 350213)

By far the worst equipment purchase ever. Small 1.8amp motor locks up on minimal drilling resistance. Chuck flies off even when checked and mounted by Jet certified maintenance (which destroy expensive milling bits!). Can't mill 1/8 wall out of 5051 aluminum channel. Fails as Mill and Drill. Owned for 3 weeks, 2 service calls, and sent back to China where it was designed, mfg, and supported.

This may cause me to never buy another Jet product, and I have several.

I have purchased one to learn with and like the machine very well, Ive used it a few times to fix automotive parts mainly to plain a flat surface or to cut slots, I actually made a custom fan spacer for my corvette with this mill to clear a super charger installation. The only issue is I had to find a collet to fit the jet draw bar, I havent experianced any problems with the drill chuck as in the other review. I have good results using the machine, the key is to take light cuts and use slow and steady feed rates matched to material you are using, ALSO dont try to use the DRILL chuck to hold END MILLS as the DRILL chuck is MEANT for DRILLING not MILLING as the there is side loading forces produced in MILLING that dont occur in Drilling. Overall I have learned alot from using this machine I would suggest it for anyone wanting to learn the basics of machine work, The only downside is its capacity but depending on usage some may find the machine a good fit