Vertical Mill

If head work was on the menu for the mill, I would be holding out for a 10x50 table machine. More room for fixturing and you can get to each end of the head with some table travel left. You need to be able to swing a big facing mill to do a head in one pass and it should go all the way off each end so you need all the Y-travel you can get. These big machines are less popular with home hobby guys. Bridgeport is the big name but don't pass up a TREE, Index, Wells-Index, or one of the better quality Asian imports. Be prepared to support a three phase motor with a VFD or if your machine has multiple motors for feeds or pumps, a rotary phase converter is a better solution.