Yes, one of those Chinese made mini mills sold by Harbor Freight, Grizzly Tools and a few other low buck tool outlets. I've been around machine tools my whole professional career, so I thought it was about time I had one of my own! A friend at work has one of these machines and highly recommended it as an excellent starter machine. It's a very nicely made machine, but it does need a bit of work before any real cutting can begin. I pretty much spent this afternoon cleaning the red glop off of everything and fine tuning the axes. The red glop/grease is some sort of protectant and not much of a lubricant. Each axis has to be disassembled to get all of that glop off. During reassembly everything was relubed with white lithium grease. The only real "quality" issue I found was with the gibs. They had to be lapped before reassembling and final adjustment because their surfaces were a little too rough for smooth movement. Each axis operates very smoothly, now! Tomorrow, I'm going to install the power feed and tram the Z-axis. I can hardly wait to start making some swarf!
good one Chris can never have to many tools and machines. Alway exciting to get a new big piece and have a play inyour own garage. let the chips fly
I've got one. Works good unless you take a big bite or use the flycutter. Also I have replaced the collet for the chuck as it got burred. Keep cuts small and you will avoid the shakes. Also clamp stuff well. I was milling the corner off a v. cover after filling it with weld so it would clear the steering and it switched, so I had to change the angle of the cut to cover my mistake. Mainly I wanted a big drill and it does this excellent. Your bits will last a lot longer with a good crowd. Only option I would like is a digital x-y readout, but it's too $$.
Chris, you never fail to amaze me. I can just imagine you standing in front of your very own mill.....milling your heart out. I'd truly love to have one myself. Keep us informed about it, ok?.............signed: mill-less in Omaha
Chris, I got one of those almost two years ago, if you have any questions about setting it up and getting it going, email or PM me. As far as actually using it... uh, you the rocket scientist! Had a tiny problem with it at first, The Y? X? whichever axis moves the table front and back, that leadscrew was almost imperceptibly bent, made the action very tough. No amount of fiddling or SPACE AGE grease could resolve it, the leadscrew had to be replaced. For shipping from Harbor Freight to mail a free replacement, and the time involved, it was actually CHEAPER and faster to get one thru littlemachineshop.com, helps that they are located in Pasadena, and I could go pick up. They're a great place for tooling and accessories, too. Have fun with it! Later, Jason burndupcrx@yahoo.com
Good for you Chris . . . you probably know, but having your own machine tools makes the hobby that much more interesting. Nothing quite like knocking out your own little inventions or one-of-a-kind accessories. I'm guessing the mill you got is a combo lathe/mill? Always thought they were a good idea and a good way to get your foot in the door so to speak. You can do things with these that can be difficult on a lathe and not a whole lot easier on a mill unless you have the right accessories. If it's a mill only, you're gonna have to get a lathe so you can borrow the chuck et al from it. I'm sure you're aware, but perhaps others are not, you can do milling on a lathe. Some lathes have provisions for a milling vise and other lathes have T-slot tables to replace the compound slide so you can do the milling directly. The T-slot tables are handy to do machine work - lathe type stuff - on weirdly shaped parts that are difficult to clamp down for machining. Now you're gonna need a dividing head, rotary table . . . the list is endless. The more you learn the more you need. Do yourself a favor and get a subscription to Home Shop Machinist in Traverse City, Michigan - they have an Internet presence. Within the mag you'll find places that sell castings requiring finish machining. Said castings being items germane to the operation of machine tools. The list of things you can make yourself - from these castings and sometimes kits - is virtually endless. You would be amazed at what some home shop machinists make. A couple that come to mind - a rotary table and a model four row 28 cylinder radial engine that's an almost exact duplicate of the ones in WW2 bombers. An engine that could run, but is too valuable in terms of hours expended on its construction. My thinking is run it anyway and if it blows or freezes up, then put it in a museum. A little nitromethane in the blood (call it fearlessness cuz we all know the nitro troops got that) wouldn't hurt at all. Where does it all stop? It don't. Not if my friend with the 8' (eight feet is correct) tall radial drill press is any indication. It's a sickness just like hot rods - but a good sickness it is. You'll find your imagination and inventiveness will be taxed to the max....
I can still hear my Machine Shop Professor at University telling me how important it is to keep the machine slathered in oil for both protection and lubrication. It makes cleaning the chips a little harder but your equipment will last forever. Feeds and speeds, Feed rate and spindle speed matched to your cutter and material, know them well or have a chart laminated and hanging on the wall. Good luck TZ (One day I will have a mill in the shop)
[ QUOTE ] I can still hear my Machine Shop Professor at University telling me how important it is to keep the machine slathered in oil for both protection and lubrication. [/ QUOTE ] True enough, but not quite slathered is how I like to do it. Which doesn't perhaps make it right, but so far it works for me. Important thing I want to point out here is to keep the machine covered. An old beach towel works fine. Even better are the small bleached white tarps you find in War Surplus stores. The one I cover my lathe with is about 36 x 72" and it's worked well for a long time. If you don't keep the machines covered, dust gets on them, mixes with the oil and makes a nice grinding compound that can wear the ways down quickly. If - you're using an abrasive - 3M cloth, emery or Wet/dry - to put a polish on metal be sure to protect the ways. The abrasives that come off the 3M Cloth (tungsten particles) or the grit that comes off emery and wet/dry when mixed with oil makes a really efficient grinding compound that will wear the ways down in short order. What works for me is to lay "C-Fold" paper towels over the ways and hold them in place with small rectangular magnets. Said magnets available in packs at Radio Shack for cheap. C-Fold towels are the ones you find in gas station paper towel dispensers - unless they have a roll towel dispenser. I buy mine at Costco by the case and they're great for use in the shop. To the point where I don't use too many 'red rags.' You can buy a dispenser at janitorial supply stores, but it works just as well to break open the pack and lay them on the workbench so's you can grab up 2-3 at a time.
The Jalopy Journal
