A thread about Milling Machines

I get to play on a Bridgeport NC mill. It's pretty cool. Easy to program, X & Y controls.
No tool change and no automatic Z.

I don't use it for knife making, but I still like it alot
 
That was a really good video Lorien.

Machines are kind of like optics (scopes and binoculars etc). Every time you use something nicer your standards go up and you never want to go back haha.

I love manual machining but for most of the work I do I need a CNC mill to actually make a living at it. It all depends on what you want to use it for.
 
I’ve got a nice old Bridgeport, I’ve got a 9 inch rotary table, I’ve got a nice dividing head, and two different vises. I always give the same advice to anyone who want to get a mill. Get the biggest heaviest machine you can fit/afford. You want all the mass for rigidity which gives you much better parts in the end.
 
Contender Machine said:
That was a really good video Lorien.

Machines are kind of like optics (scopes and binoculars etc). Every time you use something nicer your standards go up and you never want to go back haha.

I love manual machining but for most of the work I do I need a CNC mill to actually make a living at it. It all depends on what you want to use it for.
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man, I hear you. Knives are kinda like that for me- haha! I've gotten to use some REAL good ones- in the way I like to use knives- and the 'better' is what keeps me intrigued and wanting to make more of them.

The way I see my mini mill is as a stepping stone to a CNC machine. I don't think I'd be inclined toward a manual mill more than a CNC mill, but it's early days who knows where things will go from here.
I'm looking forward to learning how to operate a mill. But when I grow up, I want to create near net shaped 3D objects quick, accurate and easy, plus cutting blanks in my own shop, instead of paying for waterjet and still having to fuck around. I do have aspirations to bring more of my work to the people, and CNC is the way to really make that happen. But, baby steps lol!
 
I have a Griz 0904. A larger mill would be nice but..... I installed a reasonable dro set, it helps. I also installed a power feed on the X axis. I couldn't live without it. I make flippers and drill all holes with the mill. I bought a cheap rotary table off the bay. I use it to mill stop pin tracks, it's good enough for that. My rotary table has a Morris (3?) taper. I had a machine shop drill the Morris tapers with a 1/8' and a 3/16' holes which I glued and pressed drill rods into. To center the R table I chuck the taper (drill rod) in a collet to center the table.
 
I'm far from a machinist, but I have a couple of mini mills.
One is the smallest Chinese one that Seig made. I use it almost exclusively for cutting button channels in automatic knife handles.

The other is a Taig that came with full CNC controls. The guy I bought it from promised to teach me how to program it. That never happened, so I bought manual handwheels and removed the CNC motors. It's used when I need an accurate little mill-which is not very often.

I bought a larger, round column mill/drill some years ago. The head just wasn't stable, and it took up too much room. I gave it away.
 
do any of you use your mill to square up and surface finish your bar stock?
 
Lorien said:
do any of you use your mill to square up and surface finish your bar stock?
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Trueing up the edges would be no big deal, but surfacing the faces of knife stock that's 1/8" or less, would take some care. It would be a delicate balance to tighten the vise enough to hold the steel securely, and not so tight that you cause it to bow in the middle. And you wouldn't want to leave more than about an inch or so to protrude unsupported out the sides of 6" vise jaws( that is the typical size vise on a Bridgeport class work envelope.) Too much stickout, and the steel will vibrate and cause chatter. For longer stock, you'd need to use two vises side by side. Or, go with a magnetic chuck, vacuum chuck, etc...and take very light cuts. I think a surface grinder is the most practical way to surface finish thin stock like knife steel. JMO.
 
I'll square up damascus billets before 4 way. I also square up guard stock pretty often as well, particularly if I'm making a forged damascus guard. I also fly cut handle blocks or scales, and also use a big mill to cut the handle block face where the handle meets the guard. That way everything's flat and square.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
I'm far from a machinist, but I have a couple of mini mills.
One is the smallest Chinese one that Seig made. I use it almost exclusively for cutting button channels in automatic knife handles.

The other is a Taig that came with full CNC controls. The guy I bought it from promised to teach me how to program it. That never happened, so I bought manual handwheels and removed the CNC motors. It's used when I need an accurate little mill-which is not very often.

I bought a larger, round column mill/drill some years ago. The head just wasn't stable, and it took up too much room. I gave it away.
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Which model Taig and how is it on blade steel/Ti? I just saw a cnc 2000hd come up locally.
 
Daniel Fairly Knives said:
Which model Taig and how is it on blade steel/Ti? I just saw a cnc 2000hd come up locally.
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Dang- I don't know the model. I'll try to find out. It's older. I have had it for around 15 years.

I don't remember ever using it on blade steel particularly, but if you don't push it, it's an accurate little machine.
TMK- I have never had a piece of titanium in my shop!
 
50’s Benchmaster. I believe 1953, bought it from a little Romanian fellow who kept it in his carport. I’ve used it limitedly in vertical. I recently converted it to horizontal. So, I’m needing new different diameter Arbors… 12L14 and use a 1948 Southbend 9A lathe. And like a first-timer, dog chewed the keyway. Tried to do it on the Benchmaster horizontal but setup/fixturing on the long skinny went bad (image doesn’t show it all setup). Finished it on the vertical (my Clausing 8520 using same keyway cutter). I’ll just adjust the keys to be “proprietary.” I’m trying to setup the Benchmaster horizontally to use particular diameter slitting saws for some tool-making products (to serve edgemaking, to make my honing/lapping plates). Took me about 10-years to finally slow down this mill enough to try it horizontal (found a 14” large pulley for up top since the mill needs to run around 400 rpm or less to use any slitting saws of most the smallest diameters. Ugh). It’s still too fast. I replaced the hollow top tube (the brace arm) with a solid long heavy round of steel to help mitigate chatter. And figured the easiest arbor making is to not cut a 2MT end but just use a 2MT end mill holder to hold the arbor. Yes, the saws are installed front back on the photo lol. Next need to make arbor spacers. I’ve had trouble cutting long inner key ways in steel with my keyway cutting tools so will try spacers made of aluminum. Not ideal but I’ll try try things out unconventionally first. That’s the beauty of mills - they make tools, uh, to make tools. You guys know this, though. My eventual intention is to use this for bone scale work, sawcut aesthetics.
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I started with a HF benchtop and did all sorts of upgrades to stiffen it and added dro. It was ok for slotting guards (why i mostly got it) but I quickly found that i was finding more uses for my mill, especially making guards, and the small passes on the mini werent acceptable to me. Finally found a good price on an old bridgeport locally. I think its a 1953 if memory serves. While it is bigger than i need for most things, it sure makes everything i use it for easier to do. I will probably try to find a newer one at some point. I had to tear it apart and clean and shim the ways when i got it. The biggest problem is that to get the ways tight enough to use the center of the table accurately, I can now only use the middle third of the table. Because of the amount of wear on the ways, once they were shimmed for the center to be tight, the ends are too tight. Alternatively, i could probably have the ways re-surfaced. The x feed and the down feed do not work either, so in the end, I think it will make more sense to buy a newer mill in a few years instead of repairing this one.
 
the machine arrived today, but I'm a little unprepared since it was kind of a spur of the moment purchase. Really didn't think I'd be able to get my hands on one for at least another year, but 30% off was a pretty compelling reason to jump the gun. I'll have to build a stand for it yet.
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anyone have thoughts regarding vises?
 
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