Thanks for showing. I worked about 4 years, with an VFH3 (1998-2003). It makes a lot fun und great products. Your Video reminds me. Hope you´ll have a lot of fun too. Greetings from Germany, Roland.
To avoid bending an arbor, we were never allowed to tighten an arbor on the bench. It's safer to put it in the machine with the arbor support locked in place before we tightened it. Very nice looking mill by the way.
I just found one of these here in the states for $1800. I sure wish I had the the money and the 3 phase power because I'd be all over it. Looks like a really nice mill. Thank you for you video on it. I hope when I'm ready to buy one I can find another one of these.
Thank you for the tour on this versatile mill. It was an inspiration to check the market for one... More information than abene's website. I got lucky to find the No6187. I m lovin'it!!! Great desing, very powerful, heavy and steardy. I hope to show us more of your work.
Mattias, Thanks for the tour of the mill, the sloping ways are extremely clever. I also really like your Cat-40 tightening fixture; simple and effective. Thanks for sharing!
I have one, it is my go to mill for long angled cuts, or medium milling when I don't need a DRO. The mtb 40 is great, mill has good power, good speed range, and is fast to change setups. I do wish the z axis on the saddle ways were longer.
Hi Mattias, i like your videos, keep up making them. But i have a little Trick for you. When you tighten the nut for the Arbour like you did in the video, you can easily bent or brake your arbour. It is better to tighten it when the Arbour is in the Mill and the Arbour-Support is mounted to the bearing. The Nut does not have to be this tight, the force from Cutting is going into the keyway piece of steel. ;)
Very good milling machine with very clever design. Keep my eyes open and get one if I come across. The fixture used for tooling is awesome, will build one. looking forward for your videos
Hi Mattias, i did enjoy your video. But i wish i would not have seen it. I fell in love with your mill, now i want one for myself, lol. I´ve never seen this type of mill before, and in the first moment i thought, what a crazy idea. Man, was i wrong. As far as i know after the video, the machine is very well constructed and build, and the way makes totally sense to me. Thank you for showing us.
GnosisMan50: Well, I haven't used a Bridgeport, but I think they too seem like fine machines. They obviously move in more directions (turret, ram, nod, twist sideways, quill movement) than Abene. They come with power feed on the quill, which is nice. The R8 is probably not as stable as ISO 40, but I'm sure R8 is adequate for drilling and light milling. Bridgeport surely are versatile, but freedom of movement often comes with reduced rigidity. It all depends what type of work you want to do. For many people a Bridgeport would probably be a better choice than Abene.
I think bridgeports are good machines, but certainly not the best. There are not precision machines and are really light machines. I believe they have a 1.5Kw spindle only. They also have a very narrow knee, and can have table sag because of that. The advantage is they have a very long table travel for their size, are versatile and have a fast spindle speed (somewhere around 4500rpm max).
I haven't used an Abene (although, if someone in sweden would like to arrange transport to New York, I would jump at the chance), but I have used many Bridgeport style mills and some "euro" style mills, such as Deckel's. By far, I prefer the european machines. They are much more rigid, and often more compact. Not that good work can't be done on a Bridgeport; I use a Wells-Index daily at work, and I consider it a more rigid Bridgeport. The BP beside it seldom gets used as a result. The rigid american machines are all horizontals; Kearny and Trecker, for example. People often will mount a vertical head on them, but I would still prefer a Deckel or an Abene any day of the week. I really love my swiss machines. I have an Agathon style swiss tool grinder (branded "E. Hoffman") that I restored that gets daily use. At work I have two Arboga radial drills that get abused by the animals I work with daily, and somehow put up with the abuse. When I first started working their nearly every machine was lacking lubrication. With a good cleaning and some fresh oil, and a few minor repairs, all have proven to run in close to perfect condition despite years of poor maintenance.
Well, you could try calling Per von Wachenfeldt att kavlingemollan.se and ask if he can help you. He's a dealer here in Sweden, selling machines all over the world, arranging shipping to lots of different countries. He usually has one or two Abenes in stock.
Tackar! När jag skulle köpa fräs tyckte jag det var lite svårt att bli klok på hur olika maskiner fungerar och deras för- och nackdelar. Ofta är det svårt att hitta bra information om gamla maskiner på nätet. Därför tyckte jag det kunde vara bra med en liten video om Abene. Jag tycker det är en väldigt bra maskin: lättjobbad, stabil och mycket mångsidig.
Hi Mattias ! A mill configuration not seen so often - but really nice and in exelent condition, I think ... all your machines looks like they are in very good conditions !
+William Bemis Oh, nice! A couple of viewers have actually bought Abene mills after seeing my videos. I didn't see that one coming... Good luck with the Abene, I hope to see it on UA-cam if you buy it!
Nice mill and an interesting construction. Took a look at Blocket your Sweedish Ebay and found a few. Not that I will get one, I am rather happy with my CME vert / horr mill and my comming bridgeport wich I will go get saturday, but it's interesting to see the price range and YES the Quill modell is rather pricy. For you other guys out there. Sweedish machines are great and will last for generations of taken care of. I my self have a Køpings S 8-10 lathe and it's a great machine. Thanks for the video of your beautifull mill :) Make some video of it in use.
Very good video overview on the Abene. You are good at instructing. Great machine by the way. I was also intently studying the tooling you have (in the background) and am wondering if I could benefit from Swedish dealerships for buying tools. I have a Vilh. Pedersen knee mill (Danish made) and need some toolholders and the like in metric sizes. Just thinking out loud. Anyway, thanks for three fine videos and I will be anxiously awaiting the next ones. Hope you find time in your busy schedule.
Hello Mattias, i have a question about the spindle of my early Abene VHF3. What kind of lubrication do i need to use for the right angle helical gears in the spindle? I have problems with the spindle heating up in 40min. Thank you in advanve
Dear Mattias, thank you for your excellent videos about the Abene mills. Because of your videos I became aware of the brand. And recently I bought a 2B. I read that the by Abene advised lubricant is Shell Vitrea 31. I understand a good replacement is the 46. And for the Vitrea 72 I could use the 220. Both of them are hard to find in the Netherlands in a 5 or 10 L jar for the hobby machinist. Which lubricants do you use? Perhaps what you use is easier to find. Thanks! Eric
Awesome video and great machine! I recently bought one like that (a BS), but mine will need some love and care before giving its full potential. What kind of lubricant do you use for the gearbox? And for the ways?
TWO things. Firstly always place the bearing collar as close to the cutters as possible for rigidity. Secondly, Very Bad practice of you tightening the arbour nut as you did, you stood a very good chance of bending the arbour. Always tighten the nut when the arbour is fully fitted to the machine with the overarm fitted and the support collar fitted. 55 Years of Engineering experience speaking here. Regards from Australia.
Hej Mattias! Överväger att skaffa en Abenefräs men är lite fundersam kring att den inte har pinol. Tror jag varken kommer ha råd eller tid att vänta på en som har. Hur klarar du dig utan pinolen? Får du komplettera med en annan maskin? Tänker på grejer som djupfräsning där man behöver få bort spån eller gängning. Inser att det här är en gammal video men hoppas på svar!
Very interesting mechine... I too am a hobby mechinist. Im wondering if you had to do any fancy electrical work to power your mechines. All of my mechines are three phase and of course I dont have 3 phase power running into my little back yard shop. Ill be getting a rotary phase converter soon. I just wondered if you had the same challenges with your mechines...
Most houses in Sweden have three phases coming in, and then the three phases are used in a one-by-one fashon for the power outlets in the house. Of course it is easy to get a 3 phase outlet when you have 3-phases coming into the house, and I already had a 3 phase outlet in my garage when I moved in.
Hello Mattias, nice shop you are! Y would like know if it a ridgid milling, if possible to make an others video of abene with a big cut of steel? Thanks
Hi Mattias , have been watching your video's with great pleasure and interest and for a big part because of you I just bought an Abene ! ( nr.5038 ). Needs some work, some minor parts missing but I still think it's a nice buy and hope to be able to get to work on it soon. By the way I'm living and working in The Netherlands and share the same profession (ENT surgeon ). All the best , Jack P.S. do you know how to post pictures on UA-cam or can I send them to you by email ?
Hej Stefan här har köpt en abene fräs har aldrig fräst något tidigare fick med massor av fräsar och grejer verkade funka i början nu går inte att höja bordet går att höja lite manuellt sen går det trögt hastighets vxl går ej att rubba nu. Du får gärna ta kontakt med mig!
Well, I've seen Abene mills show up on Ebay in the United States, usually not very expensive. Quite a few were exported so if you keep your eyes open you'll probably find one for sale in your part of the world sooner or later.
Can you please help me ? I would like to buy an older milling machine, but a smaller one from the old days. I could restore it. So it doesnt have to be in the best order. It just has to be something special and Swedish :). If you find one I live in Dk. You make me a happy man...:) Thank you...
Hmm... well, try checking out www.blocket.se, search for "fräs" in Verktyg, Hela Sverige. I do however recommend getting a bigg one, it's more stable than a smaller mill and there´s more space for properly clamping stuff to the table. The Abene is a good size mill in my opinion, and very stable. If you want a smaller mill, and for some reason specifically want a Swedish one, you might want to check out Mattsson & Zetterlund.
WTF...many machinists always believed Bridgeport was the best and most versatile machine ever made. But it's obvious the Abene tells us otherwise. It also tell me that we in the US are not as execeptional as we are lead to believe. We don't even make the Bridgeports in the US anymore- much less any products. Had I known that the US was going to replace US machines with substandard Chinese machines and outsource our manufacturing base, I would have never become a machinist. Corporations are not beholden to the crafstman and citizens of our country, but to their shareholders who determine the socio-economic realites to the rest of us. So sad that most American take pride in patriotism, in Capitalism, but corporations would care less about the former. So here we are drooling over an Abene and comparing it with our Chinese machine in our shop and realizing what a piece of shit it really is because IT IS a piece of shit compared to what we use to make and what Sweden makes. Too bad Keith Fenner would not say anything about all this but if he did, I'm sure he would agree.
You are unusually open-minded, it seems to me, for a US machinist. I would have to point out that the Bridgeport was and is amazingly versatile, with the ability of the turret to slew, and the head to both nod and tilt. However it pays a serious price in sacrificing a lot of rigidity -- whereas the Abene is notably stout, while nevertheless remaining surprisingly versatile, although not to the extent of a Bridgie.
If there were a mill that had all movements ever required yet was designed to rigid as possible probably you could infer two things at least - high costs, and likely to be Swiss or German.
Thanks for showing. I worked about 4 years, with an VFH3 (1998-2003). It makes a lot fun und great products. Your Video reminds me. Hope you´ll have a lot of fun too. Greetings from Germany, Roland.
Thanks for the tour Mattias. Some unique design features on this mill for sure.
Nice piece! Thank you for taking the time to show us.
That is a very cool machine. Thanks for the tour.
To avoid bending an arbor, we were never allowed to tighten an arbor on the bench. It's safer to put it in the machine with the arbor support locked in place before we tightened it. Very nice looking mill by the way.
thanks matt for reviewing and showing your nice machine
Thank you for the great intro into the Abene machines, here in the USA we don't see them very often.
I just found one of these here in the states for $1800. I sure wish I had the the money and the 3 phase power because I'd be all over it. Looks like a really nice mill. Thank you for you video on it. I hope when I'm ready to buy one I can find another one of these.
Great video! Just bought a VHF 3 BS and cant wait to get it home next to my Weiler lathe. 👍🏻
Mattias, a very nice review of a superior machine.
Thanks....13
Thank you for the tour on this versatile mill. It was an inspiration to check the market for one... More information than abene's website. I got lucky to find the No6187. I m lovin'it!!! Great desing, very powerful, heavy and steardy. I hope to show us more of your work.
Thanks for the video. I just bought a VHF3 here in the USA.
Excellent overview of your mill. Very nice machine. Thanks for sharing it with us.
That mill is very versatile. I think maybe it is the best design I have seen. Thanks for sharing.
Nice video - thanks for showing us this nice piece of machinery.
Mattias,
Thanks for the tour of the mill, the sloping ways are extremely clever. I also really like your Cat-40 tightening fixture; simple and effective.
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for the "tour" of a new to me, and very interesting machine!
good video, and thanks for showing us how to 'mount' the horizontal spindle, cutters etc. as no one up to now has done a good job of it.
Nice intro and an nice mill!!!
What a slick mill. Here in Canada we don't see these machine at all. Beautiful Swedish engineering at it's finest.
Hi Mattias what a magnificent machine .i am very jealous ,i am looking forward to your future videos many thanks Dave in the UK.
So much thanks for such good mashine review! Verry interesting to see unusuall piece of gear!
That is a very versatile machine!
Tom - Vista, CA - USA
Yes, and I like it a lot. It's my favorite machine!
I have one, it is my go to mill for long angled cuts, or medium milling when I don't need a DRO. The mtb 40 is great, mill has good power, good speed range, and is fast to change setups. I do wish the z axis on the saddle ways were longer.
Hi Mattias,
i like your videos, keep up making them. But i have a little Trick for you. When you tighten the nut for the Arbour like you did in the video, you can easily bent or brake your arbour. It is better to tighten it when the Arbour is in the Mill and the Arbour-Support is mounted to the bearing. The Nut does not have to be this tight, the force from Cutting is going into the keyway piece of steel. ;)
Very good milling machine with very clever design. Keep my eyes open and get one if I come across. The fixture used for tooling is awesome, will build one. looking forward for your videos
I have 2 of them if you are interested.
Outstanding presentation! Thankyou!!!
Hi Mattias, i did enjoy your video. But i wish i would not have seen it. I fell in love with your mill, now i want one for myself, lol. I´ve never seen this type of mill before, and in the first moment i thought, what a crazy idea. Man, was i wrong. As far as i know after the video, the machine is very well constructed and build, and the way makes totally sense to me. Thank you for showing us.
Nice machine very versatile. I praise you for using a microphone
Very Cool Mill, Great videos keep them coming.
This is my favorite milling machine. 돈있으면 사고 싶은 기계 1순위~ ^^
Great video, fascinating machine. Thanks for sharing.
I would have one of those I think. Gorgeous
That's quite a cool machine - I would love to have one of these in my shop but it looks like it would be tough to get down my basement stairs :-P
GnosisMan50:
Well, I haven't used a Bridgeport, but I think they too seem like fine machines. They obviously move in more directions (turret, ram, nod, twist sideways, quill movement) than Abene. They come with power feed on the quill, which is nice. The R8 is probably not as stable as ISO 40, but I'm sure R8 is adequate for drilling and light milling. Bridgeport surely are versatile, but freedom of movement often comes with reduced rigidity. It all depends what type of work you want to do. For many people a Bridgeport would probably be a better choice than Abene.
I think bridgeports are good machines, but certainly not the best. There are not precision machines and are really light machines. I believe they have a 1.5Kw spindle only. They also have a very narrow knee, and can have table sag because of that. The advantage is they have a very long table travel for their size, are versatile and have a fast spindle speed (somewhere around 4500rpm max).
I haven't used an Abene (although, if someone in sweden would like to arrange transport to New York, I would jump at the chance), but I have used many Bridgeport style mills and some "euro" style mills, such as Deckel's. By far, I prefer the european machines. They are much more rigid, and often more compact. Not that good work can't be done on a Bridgeport; I use a Wells-Index daily at work, and I consider it a more rigid Bridgeport. The BP beside it seldom gets used as a result. The rigid american machines are all horizontals; Kearny and Trecker, for example. People often will mount a vertical head on them, but I would still prefer a Deckel or an Abene any day of the week.
I really love my swiss machines. I have an Agathon style swiss tool grinder (branded "E. Hoffman") that I restored that gets daily use. At work I have two Arboga radial drills that get abused by the animals I work with daily, and somehow put up with the abuse. When I first started working their nearly every machine was lacking lubrication. With a good cleaning and some fresh oil, and a few minor repairs, all have proven to run in close to perfect condition despite years of poor maintenance.
Well, you could try calling Per von Wachenfeldt att kavlingemollan.se and ask if he can help you. He's a dealer here in Sweden, selling machines all over the world, arranging shipping to lots of different countries. He usually has one or two Abenes in stock.
Very good machine & machine shop
Hej Mattias, tack för en bra genomgång av Abene fräsmaskin, vi har en VHF-3 i verkstan så det var roligt att se en pedagogisk presentation.
Tackar!
När jag skulle köpa fräs tyckte jag det var lite svårt att bli klok på hur olika maskiner fungerar och deras för- och nackdelar. Ofta är det svårt att hitta bra information om gamla maskiner på nätet. Därför tyckte jag det kunde vara bra med en liten video om Abene. Jag tycker det är en väldigt bra maskin: lättjobbad, stabil och mycket mångsidig.
Hi Mattias !
A mill configuration not seen so often - but really nice and in exelent condition, I think ... all your machines looks like they are in very good conditions !
great machine, thank you for filming
Thank you very much. I did not know anything about these elegant mills. One is for sale near me and I hope to go look at it.
+William Bemis Oh, nice! A couple of viewers have actually bought Abene mills after seeing my videos. I didn't see that one coming... Good luck with the Abene, I hope to see it on UA-cam if you buy it!
Nice mill and an interesting construction. Took a look at Blocket your Sweedish Ebay and found a few. Not that I will get one, I am rather happy with my CME vert / horr mill and my comming bridgeport wich I will go get saturday, but it's interesting to see the price range and YES the Quill modell is rather pricy. For you other guys out there. Sweedish machines are great and will last for generations of taken care of. I my self have a Køpings S 8-10 lathe and it's a great machine. Thanks for the video of your beautifull mill :) Make some video of it in use.
Very good video overview on the Abene. You are good at instructing. Great machine by the way. I was also intently studying the tooling you have (in the background) and am wondering if I could benefit from Swedish dealerships for buying tools. I have a Vilh. Pedersen knee mill (Danish made) and need some toolholders and the like in metric sizes. Just thinking out loud. Anyway, thanks for three fine videos and I will be anxiously awaiting the next ones. Hope you find time in your busy schedule.
Interesting...thanks for sharing...nice machine!
Hello Mattias, i have a question about the spindle of my early Abene VHF3. What kind of lubrication do i need to use for the right angle helical gears in the spindle? I have problems with the spindle heating up in 40min. Thank you in advanve
New subscriber....looks like a great, clean machine
Beautiful machine
That baby looks brand new
Thanks for the video!
Dear Mattias, thank you for your excellent videos about the Abene mills. Because of your videos I became aware of the brand. And recently I bought a 2B. I read that the by Abene advised lubricant is Shell Vitrea 31. I understand a good replacement is the 46. And for the Vitrea 72 I could use the 220. Both of them are hard to find in the Netherlands in a 5 or 10 L jar for the hobby machinist. Which lubricants do you use? Perhaps what you use is easier to find. Thanks! Eric
Awesome video and great machine! I recently bought one like that (a BS), but mine will need some love and care before giving its full potential. What kind of lubricant do you use for the gearbox? And for the ways?
TWO things. Firstly always place the bearing collar as close to the cutters as possible for rigidity. Secondly, Very Bad practice of you tightening the arbour nut as you did, you stood a very good chance of bending the arbour. Always tighten the nut when the arbour is fully fitted to the machine with the overarm fitted and the support collar fitted. 55 Years of Engineering experience speaking here. Regards from Australia.
Very interesting. Thank you for the education.
Thanks for responding...
Sweet mill.
I have 2 abene... nice machines...... im from mexico
Hej Mattias! Överväger att skaffa en Abenefräs men är lite fundersam kring att den inte har pinol. Tror jag varken kommer ha råd eller tid att vänta på en som har. Hur klarar du dig utan pinolen? Får du komplettera med en annan maskin? Tänker på grejer som djupfräsning där man behöver få bort spån eller gängning. Inser att det här är en gammal video men hoppas på svar!
Very interesting mechine... I too am a hobby mechinist. Im wondering if you had to do any fancy electrical work to power your mechines. All of my mechines are three phase and of course I dont have 3 phase power running into my little back yard shop. Ill be getting a rotary phase converter soon. I just wondered if you had the same challenges with your mechines...
Most houses in Sweden have three phases coming in, and then the three phases are used in a one-by-one fashon for the power outlets in the house. Of course it is easy to get a 3 phase outlet when you have 3-phases coming into the house, and I already had a 3 phase outlet in my garage when I moved in.
Hello Mattias, nice shop you are! Y would like know if it a ridgid milling, if possible to make an others video of abene with a big cut of steel? Thanks
Check out my "Jaws!" video!
Thank you! It's very solid machine for this size?
fantastic tool such high quality
A dream machine for me in my home shop
Hi Mattias , have been watching your video's with great pleasure and interest and for a big part because of you I just bought an Abene ! ( nr.5038 ). Needs some work, some minor parts missing but I still think it's a nice buy and hope to be able to get to work on it soon.
By the way I'm living and working in The Netherlands and share the same profession (ENT surgeon ). All the best , Jack
P.S. do you know how to post pictures on UA-cam or can I send them to you by email ?
This is very cool
I have a Abene VHF-3 U3S from my late father but need the usr manual, does anyone have a scan of one? Please and thanks
Hej Stefan här har köpt en abene fräs har aldrig fräst något tidigare fick med massor av fräsar och grejer verkade funka i början nu går inte att höja bordet går att höja lite manuellt sen går det trögt hastighets vxl går ej att rubba nu. Du får gärna ta kontakt med mig!
Kindly tell me How to Lock the bed on abene.
awesome machine I love it! too bad it would cost so much to ship one to Canada!
Well, I've seen Abene mills show up on Ebay in the United States, usually not very expensive. Quite a few were exported so if you keep your eyes open you'll probably find one for sale in your part of the world sooner or later.
It is a lot of bolts to unscrew to operate this machine :P
Good 👍👍👍
Wow Where can i buy one!
The Abene website is gone :(
I want one!
Boa tarde qual u valor em Real
Can you please help me ? I would like to buy an older milling machine, but a smaller one from the old days. I could restore it. So it doesnt have to be in the best order. It just has to be something special and Swedish :). If you find one I live in Dk. You make me a happy man...:) Thank you...
Hmm... well, try checking out www.blocket.se, search for "fräs" in Verktyg, Hela Sverige.
I do however recommend getting a bigg one, it's more stable than a smaller mill and there´s more space for properly clamping stuff to the table. The Abene is a good size mill in my opinion, and very stable. If you want a smaller mill, and for some reason specifically want a Swedish one, you might want to check out Mattsson & Zetterlund.
Hello from California. Any chance you want to sell your mill?
No, I'm not selling mine, but Abene mills are not exactly rare. I'm sure you can find one for sale if you look for them.
Ok
WTF...many machinists always believed Bridgeport was the best and most versatile machine ever made. But it's obvious the Abene tells us otherwise. It also tell me that we in the US are not as execeptional as we are lead to believe. We don't even make the Bridgeports in the US anymore- much less any products. Had I known that the US was going to replace US machines with substandard Chinese machines and outsource our manufacturing base, I would have never become a machinist. Corporations are not beholden to the crafstman and citizens of our country, but to their shareholders who determine the socio-economic realites to the rest of us. So sad that most American take pride in patriotism, in Capitalism, but corporations would care less about the former. So here we are drooling over an Abene and comparing it with our Chinese machine in our shop and realizing what a piece of shit it really is because IT IS a piece of shit compared to what we use to make and what Sweden makes. Too bad Keith Fenner would not say anything about all this but if he did, I'm sure he would agree.
You are unusually open-minded, it seems to me, for a US machinist.
I would have to point out that the Bridgeport was and is amazingly versatile, with the ability of the turret to slew, and the head to both nod and tilt.
However it pays a serious price in sacrificing a lot of rigidity -- whereas the Abene is notably stout, while nevertheless remaining surprisingly versatile, although not to the extent of a Bridgie.
If there were a mill that had all movements ever required yet was designed to rigid as possible probably you could infer two things at least - high costs, and likely to be Swiss or German.