Mill arrived, some more help needed

[NickWheeler]

Yea I realized that a lot of the companies selling mill/drill packages are sending out a vise like that with them. It's actually just a drill press vise.

Make sure you get a set of parallels Patrice (if you didn't already) to go along with a better vise.

The milling vise in the first pic above is just like mine. It's sure no KURT vise... but for what I'm doing it works pretty well.

While I am constantly on the look-out for a Bridgeport (style) mill... the fact of the matter is that a little mill drill like this will do quite a lot of work, so long as the operator can maximize it.

I'd only been in machine shop classes a couple months when I realized just how many things I'd been doing wrong.

Keep us posted Patrice

 

[Patrice Lemée]

Patrice, I was starting to get worried about you. I was thinking maaaaybe this tool is a little to advanced for you and you were a little slow...

You are not far from the truth Mike believe me.

I already ordered a proper vise today and yes Nick I did order parallels (received them today with other goodies).

Thanks again guys. Hopefully I'll have pics for you tomorrow.

Patrice

 

[Patrice Lemée]

Well you know I had to do something wrong eventually. I ordered the wrong size clamping kit. I saw 1/2" and thought it was the t-nut size but it was the BOLT size.
See Mike I am quite simple.

The table slots are a little over 1/2" so my first project will be to try and machine the t-nuts to size. I just hope there is enough metal left on each side of the bolt. We'll see.

More to follow.

Patrice

PS: I just realize that this is for making knives in the end but for now looks mainly like a machining topic. I hope I am not out of place here.

 

[Mike Quesenberry]

Patrice, my very first project on the mill was machining T-nuts. I think it took me all day to make six,but the experience is priceless. I could have bought them from Enco or MSC for a few bucks but I'm cheap and love to make chips.

Well you know I had to do something wrong eventually. I ordered the wrong size clamping kit. I saw 1/2" and thought it was the t-nut size but it was the BOLT size.
See Mike I am quite simple.

The table slots are a little over 1/2" so my first project will be to try and machine the t-nuts to size. I just hope there is enough metal left on each side of the bolt. We'll see.

More to follow.

Patrice

PS: I just realize that this is for making knives in the end but for now looks mainly like a machining topic. I hope I am not out of place here.

 

[NickWheeler]

Patrice-

I'd recommend you do some things like machine a bar or block square, mill a shallow pocket into a block of steel or aluminum, drill some holes in the corners of a block using the dials to locate your positioning rather than by eyeball.... some simple stuff that will make you get a feel for the machine.

I immediately went right to slotting guards, as that was what I bought it for in the first place, and I ruined a bunch of stuff. Fast forward 7 years and I had a pretty solid formula for slotting guards..... until I went back to school and realized it could be done better.

Starting with simple things like squaring a block and milling key slots in round-stock will help you to think more like a machinist and, I think, will help immensely with the general use of a machine like this.

We're rooting for 'ya Patrice!

 

[Patrice Lemée]

Thanks Nick that's what I'll try to do. Machining the nuts like Mike said should also be a good way to learn the ropes. I will also try a filing guide, it should make me use many of the techniques you listed.

I still haven't made one chip yet, finished the cabinet around the mill, well roughly anyway and looked around for the Christmas lights for about an hour. I am sure I'll find them around springtime.

Anyway here are a few pics of what I did with one including my oh so ugly mug.

Patrice

 

[Patrice Lemée]

Man this is fun!
I took my first few cuts. As you can see on the little aluminium piece. After that I machined the t-nuts and they now fit perfectly. Well maybe not perfect but better than anything I've ever done. A few things I need to do now or that I realized:

1) This vise is NOT a milling vise as was said before. I'll wait for the Kurt style one before doing anything else.
2) I need more lighting
3) I need to make some kind of flap for the front of the mill to between the bed and handwheel to keep the chips from the ways.

A question for owners of the same mill: Do you have some play in the front handwheel, something like 6 to 7 thou?

Back to the shop...

Patrice

 

[drewfacehotm]

A question for owners of the same mill: Do you have some play in the front handwheel, something like 6 to 7 thou?

Patrice

its normal to have about .005 to .010 slack in the hand wheels. remember if you pass a number on your dial for a hole location you have to back off a half round and then go back to it so you take out the slack.

2 2" indicators with a mag base will help you control your numbers better. one placed on the ways with the indicator on the table for the Y axis, and one on the table with the indicator on the center of the quill or anything that doesn't move with the table. you should be able to get the indicators with the bases for about 50-70bucks, go with cheap ones for work like this, because they always get dropped and they always break. i've been through a few lol.

 

[balibalistic]

Cheaper machines have some backlash!!

your going to love it, Patrice. i told ya, in a few weeks you'll wonder how you ever did without!! enoy :thumbup:

 

[Patrice Lemée]

I already love it!

Thanks for the tips, Ill try that indicator trick the next time I make an order at Busy Bee. Sadly it may be a little while, my better half is very understanding but I don't want to press my luck that much.

Patrice

 

[sunshadow]

I have basically the same machine, Yes it has backlash, even the bridgeport I worked on when I was working in the fab shop had backlash. Like Drew___ said, always take up your backlash when you change dirction
also never intentionally do a climbing cut (one where you are feeding in the same direction the bit is pulling) they are sometimes unavoidable, but planning your toolpath will save you a lot of frustration when a climbing cut is pulled through the backlash overloading the bit (often breaking it) and digging nasty cuts into your part. These machines are not rigid enough for heavy cuts and climbing cuts

-Page

 

[Patrice Lemée]

Yes Page I found about the too big a cut coupled with a crappy vise tonight. The piece slipped. Just some alu so no damage but makes you slow down a bit.

Here is the last 2 things I did tonight. Time for bed.

Patrice

 

[Patrice Lemée]

Made a small tool thingy for the drawbar and now unto some kind of small shield. Those chips sure do fly.

Thanks for the emotional support.

Patrice

 

[12345678910]

Patrice

I see you buy your stuff from Busy Bee, I'm familiar with them too, but I find that they are more suited towards wood working than metalworking.

If they have it, it's at a good price, but there is alot they don't have.


Are you familiar with KBC Tools?
I thought that they had a Quebec location, it seems not.

The site.
http://www.kbctools.com/can/main.cfm
Be sure to request a paper catalogue, the site is just so slow and hard to navigate.

The list prices are high, but I find it a great learning to see what is available.

(for example your T-nuts, common sizes and full dimensions for each size)


busy Bee does have the best price I have seen on a magnetic lamp in Canada
http://busybeetools.ca/cgi-bin/picture10?NTITEM=25869

 

[flatgrinder]

Nice mill! :thumbup:

 

[Patrice Lemée]

Thanks 123. It looks like you only get a catalogue with your first order. That's as good a reason as any to order stuff. I wish I had known about the mag lite. I would have ordered a couple with my vise. So many orders so little money.

Patrice