My mini-mill

Started by mhc, September 23, 2019, 12:43:53 PM

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mhc

I have been a bit quiet on the reel projects and anodizing front the last couple of months – not due a lack of interest or ideas - I've been setting up and learning to use a mini-mill. After tossing up whether to get a lathe or a mill, I ended up buying a mill with a rotary table & chuck that will hopefully still do some basic circular work.
I'm not impatient but step one was to unpack the mill, clean and oil it, then try to turn it into a lathe  ;D The main part of this mild steel cylinder is ~45mm with a 20mm long section of ~50mm dia at the end that I removed 







Step two – try using a boring head as a fly-cutter to face surfaces;





Step three - start making tooling and stuff while getting familiar with the machine;









There are a few other bits and pieces that I haven't photographed yet - there seems to be no end to the tooling you need (or want)

Mike
It can't be too difficult - a lot of people do it.

Crow

Looking good !! Folks always think that a mill...or a lathe..is an expensive machine, but the real expense is all the tooling and fixtures that you need to USE that machine !
There's nothing wrong with a few "F's" on your record....Food, Fun, Flowers, Fishing, Friends, and Fun....to name just a few !

mhc

Quote from: Crow on September 23, 2019, 01:06:42 PM
Looking good !! Folks always think that a mill...or a lathe..is an expensive machine, but the real expense is all the tooling and fixtures that you need to USE that machine !
Yeah, the mill cost around AUD $1200 delivered and I'm getting close to twice that for the rotary table and tooling.

Mike
It can't be too difficult - a lot of people do it.

Alto Mare

Nice Mike, that tool got to the right person, can't wait to see what you come up with.

Sal
Forget about all the reasons why something may not work. You only need to find one good reason why it will.

Rothmar2

You know I'm jealous much! Sky is the limit now, and those Pop-eye arms will fade from the lack of filing! :D

Robert Janssen

Great stuff, Mike. I can't think of better hands. You and that rotab are going to discover a whole new world together.

.

Swami805

Do what you can with that you have where you are

oc1

Congratulations on the upgraded life.
-steve

mhc

#8
Thanks guys. Robert, the rotab is what tipped the balance in favour of getting a mill. 'Normal' milling stuff like slotting, square/angle cutting, facing stock etc is really usefull but the circular capabilities of the rotab really caught my imagination - I'm looking forward to experimenting with it in both the horizontal and verticle positions. The 6" table and 5" chuck are possibly a bit large for the mill, there is not a lot of room above the chuck when they are mounted horiontally  but with a few collets that fit the MT3 spindle I am able to save around 50mm travel by not using the ER-32 collet holder. I haven't mounted it vertically yet.
Chris, the arms will still get plenty of exercise unless I can fit power feeds to the table and head - particulary raising the head.
Sal and Sheridan - I hope I can come up with some interesting projects although there is a lot to learn first.
Steve, I'm not blaming you but I started thinking about breaking rank with the hand tool brigade when you bought a lathe.  ;D

For now, the next step will be to get some sharp tweezers (and use a brush to clear the cuttings)

Mike

It can't be too difficult - a lot of people do it.

oc1

#9
Quote from: mhc on September 25, 2019, 11:31:59 AM
Steve, I'm not blaming you but I started thinking about breaking rank with the hand tool brigade when you bought a lathe.  ;D
Milling on the Taig micro-lathe is not what I hoped it would be despite getting a Z-axis milling attachment for the carriage.  So, I bought a little German-made Proxxon MF70 micro-mill.  Spent about a tenth as much money as you did but the Proxxon has really severe limitations.  It's not much more than a toy.  It is definitely in the micro category because it is under-powered and the collets will not accept anything larger than 1/8 inch (3.2 mm).  But, at least I am closing in on the ability to drill a small hole where it is supposed to be.

The best thing I have bought lately is a big spray bottle of Corrosion-X.  The little lathe and mill have no corrosion protection and will flash rust overnight in our humidity unless I really keep up with it.
-steve

basto

On ya Mike! I know you will have a ton of fun.
Greg
DAM Quick 3001      SHIMANO Spedmaster 3   Jigging Master PE5n

mhc

It's been a few weeks and I haven't started on working on reel parts yet. I'm still getting a feel for the machine by making tools, and learning there is a lot to learn, especially when you don't have any experience with lathes or mills. Using the rotab in the horizontal position seems to work well for straight dia or vertically decreasing stepped diameters. This is a part I'm making from ~25mm or 1" dia steel for a tail stock, to use with the rotab when it's mounted vertically;





To 'turn' more features on the parts I made a couple of tool holders for cheap indexable lathe tools and a frame to hold them. (It has been a long time since I've fired up the stick welder and my skill level hasn't improved by not using it  :));







It works well taking light cuts but the finish so far is pretty rough - maybe when I know more about cutting angles, speed and feed it might improve, although the setup is not as rigid as a lathe so it won't get the same quality of finish. Using the parting tool was a pretty steep learning curve, there were some anxious and noisy moments at first. After a bit of research (thanks to a Joe Pieczynski You Tube on parting tool basics) - I think I won in the end, I only broke one carbide insert and managed to cut to the full depth capability of the tool.







Mounting the rotab vertically was the next trial;





Next up is cutting a tapered tip for the shaft and making the upper part of the tail stock, then the base and then a few reel parts that won't be used on the mill.

Mike
 
 
It can't be too difficult - a lot of people do it.

Tiddlerbasher


mhc

Quote from: Tiddlerbasher on October 17, 2019, 11:18:20 AM
And so it begins :)

;D Yeah, it's turned into a rabbit hole already.
It can't be too difficult - a lot of people do it.

Donnyboat

Yes Mike,with your imagination, you will get on top of it, just cant wate to see what you make with it, cheers Don.
Don, or donnyboat