First Mill

[Daniel Koster]

I got my Grizzly G0619 milling machine yesterday.

With some blood, sweat and tears I got it up on a stand, ready to clean it up.

Any advice? or is there a thread somewhere listing what parts to clean?

I do know to go through the manual very carefully and do the spindle run-in.

I have a dial indicator to check the table, vise, etc.

I appreciate any advice and tips!

This is my first mill.

Thanks!

Dan

 

[exitium]

Dan, congrats on the new mill, I have the g0704 myself. Your going to want to get yourself a bag of rags and some mineral spirits or similar and some gloves as well and start wiping down basically every surface. Your going to need to get all the shipping grees off the table leadscrews as well which means accessing the underside of the table. I did all my cleaning before I put it up on a stand and did so by simply laying it back on its column. I used a paintbrush and ample mineral spirits and ran the table back and forth on its axis multiple times, wiping with rags and applying liberal amounts of mineral spirits to get that thick grease off.

You may want to hold off cleaning however until you have some way oil. I ordered a gallon from use-enco and got mobil vactra oil No 2. Once you get the grease off all the ways and lead screws apply ample way oil to protect the ways and provide lubrication. You may have some other areas that need cleaning lubing that are specific to your model. The manual does a pretty good job of running through it. Also make sure you follow proper motor/spindle breakin procedure.

 

[Fred.Rowe]

Congratulations on the new mill. They are invaluable in the shop. I have a Bridgeport and have nothing to add that was not said above.

I would offer this; when you get ready to get a misting lubricant for your milling operations, check out Kool Mist 77, which is a water based milling lubricant. Its cheap to use and is unequaled in how it works to smooth milling operations. Its superior to any oil based lube. The fact that it dries with no residue and has a rust inhibitor that works great. Check it out.
Have fun with your new machine, Fred

 

[metalmole]

Nice little mill Dan, no pun on the little part, I started out with a Sherline micro mill, I called it my suitcase mill...LOL I now have 3, my big boy is a 10x54.......I really like your table !!!

 

[12345678910]

I see it's on wheels.

That grease is sticky stuff.

I tried several solvents.
I had good results using gasoline a big old paint brush and an armload of good cotton rags.


Knowing then what I know now, I'd try to clean it outside with good ventilation and good lighting.

 

[SteelSlaver]

My cousin, who is a machinist, helped me set mine up. After good cleanup, unhooked the drive screws and disassembled the tables, the with a coat of valve grinding compound on the ways we pressed down on the table and shoved it back and forth a bunch of times. Called it lapping the ways. Then recleaned, oiled and reassembled. Then adjusted the table so it was tight with just a little drag, then reconnected the feed screws.

 

[bear5177]

I've been thinking about making a similar purchase myself, just haven't had the time to really look into its specs. Looks pretty decent. Congratulations on the new mill.