Taig/Sherline CNC mill question

jdm61

jdm61

itinerant metal pounder
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Is anyone out there using a Taig or Sherline CNC mill setup? I am probably going to be picking up a Taig mill and some other stuff and want know what you can reasonably do with one upgraded to CNC re knifemaking. Most of what I would want to do would be cut slots, holes, etc in guard material and If o could figure out a way to do both sides evenly, cut the shoulders on blades where the guard meet the ricasso.
 
Hi Joe

i have the taig manual... and i like it alot... i'm not sure about the cnc ... as it not that hard to mill out a guard... i make mine mostly out of brass and wrought iron.. .. and never had any problem... just get the carbide end mills.. those "micro carbide " ones are sweet

if you have the room ... get a big heavy rigid mill... but if your like me and just need it to mill guards then the taig will work.. and not take up any room

i have a sherline lathe...its ok.. but not my cup o tea... too small

i'm alway looking for a bridgeport... thats the thing to aim for... in my opinion
- but thats just cause i wanna do so much more now that i know what a mill is for... haha... :thumbup:
 
Greg, I currently have one of the Harbor Freight type mill/drill machines, but not the one that takes collet holders. It gives new meaning to the term "tool chatter" The reason I am asking about the Taig is that I am going to end up with one anyway and I have been told that even though they are small, the Taig and Sherline machines are probably closer to being a "precision machine" than the Chinese mini-mills like the one I have. I can't justify buying a full boat $17k Tormach 4 axis setup anytime in the forseeable future, but I could see myself spending the $2k or so to upgrade the Taig in the short to medium term.
 
hmm.. i see were in the same boat...

honestly... it took a little getting used to... once i started buying decent endmills and tossed the taig vise...( dear lord, the taig vise is terrible ).. now i don't worry... just get the smaller endmills.. like 1/8 ... before i was using the larger size endmills and its tedious getting it to work ... and then you force it and it chatters ......

i know what you mean... i have the jacob's chuck on my machine for drilling holes but that comes out straight away when i go to slot some parts...

get that er16 collet.. i heard they give you more options... ..


if 2000 bucks is whatcha got... gee... i did see some bridgeports go for that.. mind you the tooling will be a wee bit more and then there is the lugging that big hulk into the shop... sheesh..

i've never used the chicom mills.. so i'm not sure if the taig is more rigid..

Hey Joe... you should pm Fitzo. ( sorry i don't know his real name ).. i'm positive that he's had a taig for awhile and can give you some good advice ... on it...
 
I appreciate Greg's endorsement (thank you), but have to say I am not much of a source for info on this question. I know virtually nothing about machining principles, and mostly just hack my way through using my Taig for simple tasks like guards.

That said, I would make the following comments:
I agree with conventional wisdom to buy the beefiest mill one can. I definitely have Bridgeport envy, but lack the space or ability to get a bigger mill in my basement shop. The Taig has proven to be a much better tool than my other micro-mill (EMCO-Maier), and for the small stuff I do it works very well. If there is one thing I would like, it would be a DRO.

I would follow Greg's advice and get the ER16 collet version. Also get the 3/8" adapter for a chuck, then buy a good chuck like an Albrecht if you want one. That said, use collets for drilling wherever possible.

I would also consider getting the CNC motor and the ball lead screw even if you don't go the CNC route. More power, higher speed, less backlash. I forget exactly what options they offer, but you may be able to to buy a "CNC ready" version and add the rest later.

Greg is right about their vise, too. It's a drilling vise, in the first place, and a really poor version at that. I have been very satisfied with the Sheline accessories I have purchased. I would love to find a 2 or 2-1/2" Kurt-style vise, but have to date had no success.

A good VS drill-driver and socket to fit on the handle makes a very good hillbilly powerfeed. :)

As for CNC, I can offer zero help. Michael Kanter (adammichael knives) had a CNC Taig for awhile, but traded it off when he got his B-port. My opinion, though, is that the setup time necessary to convert a one-off design to code may make it easier to simply hack away manually, taking good measurements with the dials and an indicator as you cut.

Hope some of that helped. Sorry I couldn't answer your main question.
 
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Joe,

I have the Sherline "manual" model. It is great for slotting guards, however, with these very small mills you need to remember that they are not all that accurate.

I looked at the CNC set-up, but decided against it. There is just too much "slop" in the adjustments.

One thing that I hate about these type mills is that you have to lower the cutting tool to the surface. Again, too much loose "slop". It is really easy to go several thousands deeper than you intended.

Sherline makes (I think) a tilting table or vise that would allow you to cut in beveled shoulders.

These small mills are sorta like buying a car. An old 70's VW will get you to the store, but a Mercedes is a much nicer ride.

Just my $.02

Robert
 
I have a Sherline CNC assembled by MicroKinetics. I also have a Tormach and a full size machining center. The Tormach is a lot more machine if you can swing it. I think it can be bought bare bones for around 6K.
 
The Tormach starts at around $7-8K I think, but the price can double very easily if you want to do 4 axis work and have all of the cool accessories. I may just use my inherited Taig as it sits and when I move and have the space, try to run down a CNC Bridgeport. The smaller ones are not as pricey as I thought unless you try to buy a real new one or a big mother.
 
Joe, I have a Sherline and for what I use it for it works fine. Mainly slotting guards. It definitely does have limitations, some slop, no quill down feed, etc. Like everyone else I too have bridgeport envy, but cannot really get a big mill into my shop. I have seen a sherline DRO setup and it was cool, but if I am going to spend that kind of money I will hunt down a big mill. The small mills for small stuff work fine, but I would love to have a bigger mill.
Brion
 
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