MILL!!
May 29th, 2009The Transformation is Complete
I am completely out of my mind. I ordered a milling machine. I mean, a MILLING MACHINE. Like a cast-iron Tyrannosaurus with an electric mixer where its head should be. I may have to take the motor off to get it in the garage.
I think I did good. I got Taiwanese, with a Chinese DRO and an X power feed. I was going to get a step pulley head, but the distributor shafted my dealer by selling the last pulley machine while we were working on the deal, so they cut him a nice break on a vari-speed machine. It’s a little more expensive, but not much. And I didn’t have to get the coolant system, which I didn’t want, and which was part of the vari-speed package.
I decided not to go with the rigger my dad represents. For one thing, they procrastinated about getting back to him (I had him call), and for another, I don’t think it’s a great idea to have Teamsters who hate my father deliver an expensive object to my home, where they can take a long, leisurely look at my other tools and decide which ones would look better in their garages.
I found a guy who was very helpful on the phone, and who seems professional. He’ll take delivery and bring the mill here for a good price. He’s insured. He will check the mill for damage when it arrives, so I don’t have to. Great. I always make things harder than they have to be, so this is a nice change.
The motor may have to come off. The mill is very nearly the same height as the garage opening. I alerted the seller and the rigger. We’ll see what solution they propose. For all I know, the rigger has a giant machine that can turn a one-ton mill sideways.
What on earth is wrong with me? I guess once you embrace your own eccentricity, nothing is impossible.
On the up side, I really can’t imagine buying another expensive tool. Because now I have one of each. There will always be little tools I’ll want, but no more giant iron hulks.
Man. I have to get a vise, plus some cutters, collets, parallels, and maybe a clamping set. And an edgefinding set, I suppose.
Small strokes.
Tomorrow I’ll try to find time to see if the parting blades I ordered work. If so, it’s lathe party time.
Thanks, everyone who gave me advice.
May 29th, 2009 at 5:38 PM
Two words “SURFACE GRINDER”
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
May 29th, 2009 at 6:07 PM
Two words: Bob Cat.
I don’t have an edge finder and have never needed one. Collet up a dowel pin or a drill bit and bring it up to the edge. Use a feeler gauge if you must. Move in the radius of the pin and zero the DRO. Close enough.
May 29th, 2009 at 8:42 PM
Steve the Toolman said:
.
“On the up side, I really can’t imagine buying another expensive tool. Because now I have one of each. There will always be little tools I’ll want, but no more giant iron hulks.”
.
.
.
HA HA HA HA HA
.
.
next… think diesel…
May 30th, 2009 at 1:46 AM
You can also find an edge with a wiggler, or an end mill and a piece of rolling paper. And for some cylindrical parts, a dial test indicator and some mumbo jumbo. But why would you bother? You can indicate a corner in under a minute, including chucking up time. Combined with the DRO, it makes life easy. Just remember to keep the RPM around a 1000. There are lots of tricks experienced, old time machinists use to save them a little time here or there, but you aren’t there yet. Be methodical and you are less likely to screw up.
Oh, and never reach in to grab a part that is jumping out of the vise, or falling into the work, or is anywhere close to a turning cutter or chuck. The machinist who taught me that was missing three fingers on his right hand. Made it hard for him to shoot his Mac-10. 😉
May 30th, 2009 at 7:15 AM
Where do I make application and get my security clearance for the “plant tour”? (I have steel toe boots, a hard hat, ear plugs, and safety glasses)
May 30th, 2009 at 7:31 AM
Two words: metal building.
Four more words (I am a woman, after all): in the country.
May 30th, 2009 at 8:43 AM
“Close enough”
Yep. For amateurs. Spend $9 and buy an edge finder.
A DRO with a memory is nice because you can set the zero of your vise and go back to it.
May 30th, 2009 at 9:36 AM
Just curious after all this time…what are you goiing to do with all this stuff?
May 30th, 2009 at 10:51 AM
I use 4 methods for picking up an edge: tradtional edge finder, paper between the part and the milling cutter, a wiggler, and a Laser Center/Edge Finder, http://www.lasercenteredgefinder.com/ Which method I use at any given time “depends”. Most-used is a tradtional edge finder.
Get a Kurt vise or clone, you won’t be sorry. Also needed will be end mill holders, collets, a drill chuck on an R8 arbor, end mills, a boring head, parallels, clamping set, and an Indicol holder w/DTI. Later on, you’ll probably want a rotary table; the 8″ size is the best compromise. The 10″ is nice, but very heavy. You’ll want a clamp set for the RT also, it has smaller ‘T’ slots than the mill.
You won’t be using the mill for very long before you will be wearing a huge smile and saying, “this is just like cheating!” Same with the lathe, actually.
BTW: how did you finally make out with those micrometers? Did you get them cleaned up and working?
May 30th, 2009 at 10:56 AM
Glad you’re still here, Jim. From my knowledge of family trips, you’re probably in the car or RV on a laptop, waiting for your wife to leave the house.
.
That list will be very useful to me. This morning I realized I had to do a better job of figuring out what I needed.
.
I’m considering a Gerardi “GS” vise. It’s a Euro job which gets good reviews, and their Kurt D688 equivalent is cheaper than a Kurt D675.
May 30th, 2009 at 12:23 PM
OT, but I suspect of vital interest to those visiting here:
.
Obama administration has frozen Israeli arms sales
http://www.sj-r.com/user/verify?id=KbWOhji-A8jTeYWSvcbD1lv6rFg=
.
mene, menu, tekel, uparshin.
.
Pray for Israel. Moreso: pray for us.
.
May 30th, 2009 at 1:07 PM
I’m not having a good moring copying and pasting. The previous link to the Hasmonean site should be:
.
http://hashmonean.com/2009/05/29/stalwart-allies-obama-admin-has-frozen-arms-sales-no-more-apache-longbows-for-israel/
.
…don’t even bother with the previous link: it’s to register at some newspaper website for commenting
May 31st, 2009 at 7:56 PM
The head on most mills lies flat and cranks over to the left, right, or front. Once it’s there you just need to crank it over.
If you buy a Kurt vise and a standard Kurt handle, they are designed so that the Kurt vise handle acts as a socket wrench for amost every bolt on the mill,
http://kurtworkholding.com/manual-vise-opening-p-1205-l-en.html
including the drawbar. A Kurt wrench with an aluminum handle doubles as a hammer to tap the collet loose.
http://kurtworkholding.com/handle-assembly-p-451-l-en.html
May 31st, 2009 at 8:34 PM
Og, it turns out they ship it with the head rotated so it’s upside-down. The whole thing is like 6 feet high.