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Thoughts on Van Norman No 12 Milling Machines

Bigtrucklover

Plastic
Joined
Aug 6, 2019
Just curious what owners/users of Van Norman 12's think of them and what are the biggest issues or failings of them? I've read through some past threads that shared a lot of good things, but not too much on their drawbacks other than odd taper and arbor sizes. Unless that's all there is?

There's one for sale I'm looking at that has an assortment of well used collets and two short 1" arbors, I think he said 8" long is all. Is that the normal length for No. 12's?
He said he might have some horizontal Cutters, but isn't sure as he's never used the horizontal attachment before.
It looks fairly clean and well maintained and has an Allen Bradley 523 powerflex controller wired up. Does not appear to have the coolant pump option.
What would you guys think is a good ballpark guesstimate for price? He's asking just under 3k for it. I'm in somewhat of a machine tool desert, but I don't want to get too crazy of course.

Thanks,
Jay
 
The price seems high, though I really havent kept up with what they're selling for. I think I paid $800 for mine about 15 years ago.

They are a good mill, more rigid than a Bridgeport, with the cost of slightly less versatility and work envelope.

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I liked mine and sold it only to upgrade to a larger one. I also like them so much I made a Facebook group for them when the Yahoo group died.

As far as short comings, the only thing that really does do these mills in is the small size of them. I have seen blocks added to give more Z room, but that is not really a big deal, since it is way easier to mill horizontally. The odd taper is a bit of an issue, but can easily be worked around if you have a lathe and order cheap import R8 shank stuff. I modified a load of R8 stuff to fit the VN taper until I upgraded to my 22L. They do not have a quill like a Bridgey, but that is also easy to deal with by either doing a sensitive drill upgrade or just mounting a Bridgey head on it.

Personally, I like the 16 a bit more than a 12, but a 12 is still a beast. I personally hate Bridgeports and mills like them, but I tend to look for the fastest way to eat chips.

I don't think 3,000 is a good deal. That is a bit high, but they have started to climb over the last few years.

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I use a 12, as well as a 16. The 8" arbor is the short one. The longer arbor is around 12". Both mills are much stiffer than the older Bridgeports. The 5V collets are hard to find, as well as expensive, as are the arbors. I use a set of 5V mill holders that I found years ago, instead of the collets. I would look at any table damage, or other obvious defects. Unless the collets or arbors are in good shape, $3000 is about 3X what it is worth, unless it has a VN slotter or the rare angle drive or drilling head.
 
I have a #12 and like it. Realize that it's a horizontal mill with some vertical mill capabilities/
It's more rigid than a Bridgeport. Most of the VN mills don't have a quill. Collets can be hard to find, but not impossible.
The same is true for arbors.
Even in Utah, especially as poorly equipped as that mill, 3k is robbery.
 
Thanks guys, I appreciate the input and information.
I've been looking for horizontal mill and was attracted to the versatility of this one were I ever to want or need to do some vertical Milling.
So it sounds like the consensus is more in the 1-1.5k range then unless it has some go with?

Thanks,
Jay
 








 
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