Figured id give some incite.
The Cincinnati arrow 1000 mills are a very stout mill for their day. I run one daily and put it threw her paces.
This mill can run a 1/2" endmill .01" stepover .5" doc at 200ipm in qt100, I could go faster.
it can tap 3/4-10 in 4140 all day long
It handles a 1/2" endmill, .05" stepover, 1.1" doc at 75ipm in aluminum at 70% load (@5700rpm)
The biggest drill I have run is 1.28" hss 1 ipm, no pilot hole.
she will drill a 1.1875" hole in hardox 600 with a carbide drill
she will handle .1 stepover 1" doc in 304ss 5000rpm at 15ipm
All these tools and feeds run smooth. We cannot kill this mill, and it is abused, to give you an idea cooling fan on the spindle motor has been broke for over 7 years, its had the servos shorted out from being full of coolant etc etc. this 1998 machine runs better, harder and with less problems then our 2012 mills of the same size.
The plate steel frame does get some harmonics when running insert tooling at 150ipm. but it doesn't effect finish.
If a guy steps up to a sabre/arrow 1250, it weighs twice as much as the 1000 models and has nearly double the spindle hp. (arrow 1000machines have a 5.5kw spindle and the 1250 has a 9kw spindle, duty rated at 100%)
These machines need a very large compressor to run, at least 30cfm, and they need to hold at 80psi or will fault out, a screw or vane is a must.
