# Bazmak diary of a  sieg SX 2 bench mill



## bazmak (Aug 29, 2014)

Hi Everybody,as i have mentioned before i have always been short of a mill
Not anymore.It arrived this morning at 10.00 am and 3 hrs later i was
making chips.Having been waiting awile and reading many threads on the Sx2
mods.in particular stiffening the column with all manner of plates and granite resin.fitting belt drive etc etc i decided to buy the SX2LF for an exrta $100
Well worth it.Belt drive,larger table,R8 spindle and fixed column.Very Very impressed.UNpacked,cleaned off the grease,bolted to a 32mm high riser plate
and off we go.I have an ER32 collet set and Mill vice on order but was DESPERATE to make chips.So against all rules using an end mill in the Jacobs
and a drill vice i made 4 T nuts. Happy as pig in ++++ cant wait to spend
some more money on extras.Photos and stories to follow. Regards Barry


----------



## Hopper (Aug 29, 2014)

Subscribed. I have  been toying with the idea of an X2 but wonder just how useful they are. Keep us posted on how you find it under real world use and conditions. 

I figure that here in Oz it will cost almost as much as an X2/Sx2 to buy a Myford vertical slide and get it sent from the UK. Might be better off with the purpose built machine than trying to mill on my ancient lathe.

Looking forward to your progress reports.


----------



## Herbiev (Aug 29, 2014)

Congratulations Barry. Love to see some pics.


----------



## bazmak (Aug 29, 2014)

Thanks Herbiev.Hi Hopper Had many myfords and V slides.Been there done that
This little mill is in a different league.Its a whole new world compared to milling in the lathe.Will keep you posted Regards barry


----------



## Hopper (Aug 31, 2014)

Sounds good mate. Keep us posted. 

I used to live down your way -- Blackwood. Nice country in them thar hills.


----------



## AussieJimG (Aug 31, 2014)

And now you will need to fit DRO and your family will never be short of things to buy you for Xmas, birthdays and Fathers Day.

Jim


----------



## bazmak (Sep 15, 2014)

Mill arrived,unpacked and setup.Nice piece of kit,very pleased.R8/ER32 collet set arrived.I deemed the mill
too low,so raised it a nomoinal 70mm and incorporated a drawer to hold collets/tooling etc.
Bit rough and ready but did not buy any matls just used scrap bits to hand.Mill can be slid back and forwards as reqd








[URL=http://s1327.photobucket.com/user/bazmak47/media/mill02_zps87663171.jpg.html]
	







[/URL]


----------



## gus (Sep 15, 2014)

Hi Barry,

I love your new mill and the tool drawer.  Am thinking about a double drawer height platform to house the many end mills and tools and keep tidy. Currently using a fishing tackle box which is groaning with excessive weight of too many tools. With platform form done,Gus no longer stoop over the mill.:hDe:

P.S. You have a very deep drawer .Will copy this too.


----------



## bazmak (Sep 15, 2014)

Hi Gus,made the drawer as deep as i could and sized to fit the collet set
Will design and improve as we go


----------



## gus (Sep 15, 2014)

bazmak said:


> Hi Gus,made the drawer as deep as i could and sized to fit the collet set
> Will design and improve as we go




Hi Barry,

Questions.
1. Nett weight of mill.
2. The biggest endmill size.
3. The vertical travel.

Now itching to buy a bigger mill.


----------



## bazmak (Sep 15, 2014)

Hi Gus,net weight 60kg,table 460x120,quill to table/max vert travel 260mm
Drill/end mill 16dia,face 35mm. However these sizes mean nothing
I have stepped dilled to 25dia, and used a 22dia cutter in 19 collet
I plan to buy a 50mm ctip face cutter.At the end of the day its depth of cut
that determines limits.I am thoroughly impressed with this mill.Obviosly it depends which version would be available to you.I WOULD NOT BUY THE PIVOTING COLUMN VERSION.I would highly recommend
Fixed column,belt drive,500w high torque vari speed motor,460x120 table
R8 spindle etc. I did a lot of investigating before buying an initial extra cost
can save a lot of headache/costly mods etc.I was worried about weight/size etc
in my limited workshop area.But found the mill ideal.I could lift the mill by myself
but not the full height.Did it in stages in one piece by myself.It sits on a makeshift wooden bench and easily slides back when not in use.
I wanted MT3 spindle to match the lathe as i wanted to swap tooling
Not available on my model so went for R8. GLAD I DID. Positive Drive and a simple tap on the drawbar releases.Went for ER32 collet set to 20dia
good choice. Drilling is a joy silky smooth and adjusting speed as you go is a joy.Apart from cleaning off the grease i was making chips within 3 hrs of delivery. I was very disheartened reading threads about stiffening the column
with plts and epoxy granite.All the problem is in the pivot on the column
and most people never use it but are continually tramming the head
Same with the metal/plastic gears,noisy etc but the mill very quiet and smooth
with the belt drive. Will Keep you posted. Recommend 10/10 Regards barry


----------



## bazmak (Sep 16, 2014)

Now i have the collet set my thoughts go to cutters.I have the usual assortment of end mills etc.I also have a couple of rota broach cutters.The one shown is 22dia with a 19 dia shank.It works really well for facing but for rebating the corner needs squaring off.Will also work for plunge cut or holes(obviosly)
I am thinking of buying a 50dia carbide insert cutter.3 or 4 tips with R8 shank
Any comments anybody.Its expensive at $120 but is it worth it.May try my hand at making something similar.I have however a flycutter with MT2 that i have a no of years with little use.I setup in 3 jaw and turned to 16dia.Reduced length
Then i gripped in 16 collet in my NEW CHUCK and skimmed o/d etc true.Fitted a newly ground piece of tool steel (LH of course) and off we go.Will keep you informed when i use it.Photos self explanatory. BAZMAK


----------



## ShopShoe (Sep 16, 2014)

You will probably want a boring head and boring bars for it if you don't have one. I also think slitting saw(s) and mandrel for same.

I also recommend a high-quality drill chuck and arbor for the mill. The chucks furnished with these mills are poor quality. 

And you will find you need lots of options for workholding.

--ShopShoe


----------



## Hopper (Sep 16, 2014)

Looks good mate.
I haven't come across the "LF" model through our local suppliers in Queensland (Hare and Forbes). They don't seem to have the R8 spindle either, just the MT3 job.
Who did  you buy your mill from?


----------



## bazmak (Sep 16, 2014)

Hi Hopper,i bought from Titan machinery where i also bought the lathe
The lathe had 16" bed ,camlok tailstock and metal gears.It seems they have
these mods as std from china
I think they are in NSW but if you google them you can get all the specs
I emailed them and help and service was top class.I would highly recommend
Advertised price was $1079 but it was offered for $995 + $59 carriage it arrived in 3 days Model is SX2LF.They also offered ER25 collet set with 6 cllets for $95
But i purchased separate from China.ER32 chuck approx $30 with Postage and
18 piece collet set for $80 inc postage.Very Happy.I dealt with Stuart
Highly recommended. Regards Barry


----------



## Hopper (Sep 17, 2014)

Thanks Baz. Sounds like Titan might be the go. I was looking for something that little bigger/better than the standard SX2, but the SX3 price at $2,000 would never get past the domestic authorities/Ministry of War. 

I like the idea of no tilting column or tilting head too. One less opportunity for alignment error to creep in. Easier to use a tilting vice or sine bars etc.

BTW, have you trammed your mill across the full length of the table? How did it measure up?


----------



## gus (Sep 17, 2014)

Hi Barry,

In the interim,here is a cheap M.I.C. & DIY DRO. I used a cheapy M.I.C. Digital Caliper. Have to make do with a M.I.S. aka Made in Singapore return spring. 
Nemett-Lynx cams were cut with DIY DRO.
Will buy cut length plywood to make your mill storage drawer. Nemett-Lynx Engine will sidelined for the while.


----------



## bazmak (Sep 17, 2014)

No i havent trammed the head yet,but doubt it will be out enough to worry about.Too impatient to be using it.Will find out any problems as i go
and then do afew checks as i go. Did adjust the gibs but apart from that
i dont suspect any problems yet.Will say once again VERY HAPPY


----------



## Hopper (Sep 18, 2014)

bazmak said:


> No i havent trammed the head yet,but doubt it will be out enough to worry about.Too impatient to be using it.Will find out any problems as i go
> and then do afew checks as i go. Did adjust the gibs but apart from that
> i dont suspect any problems yet.Will say once again VERY HAPPY




Good stuff mate. Don't go looking for problems if the machine is working well!


----------



## bazmak (Sep 18, 2014)

Took delivery of my 80mm swivel mill vice and first inspection ok
It looks to be well made and compact/nice looking.First job was to
fit to the mill table square and parallel to table with repeadability.It was 
during this mod that i found a few minor niggles.The moving jaw had a 
lift of 2/3 thou.Will need to fit gib plts later.Also the pivot pin had 2 thou play
in the base and 3 thou in the top casting a total of about 5 thou rock. Will make a new pin in brass later.So i carried on fitting the vice.
The vice base had a 14w slot with 2 supplied blocks.These i skimmed down
to 12mm to fit the table slots.The vice can now be fittedaccurately to the table
I then clocked the vice jaws in 3 posns and drilled thru with a 4.2 drill.The holes in the base were tapped M5 and the upper hole opened to 4.9mm and counterbored with an 8.5 drill. I turned the underside of an M5 capscrew to 30o
This is a trick i learned many years ago.The csk screw to a tapped hole gives
an accurate (dowelled) fit and no need for expensive counterbores just a standard drill. Works well but may have to retweek when i improve the vice
jaw and pivot pin


----------



## bazmak (Sep 19, 2014)

Next job was a small face mill.I set the swivel vice at 45o and held a piece of 25dia bar.Milled a recess depth to centerline of bar + tip thickness
I then filed an undercut for the rear edge to slip under.This directs the cutting
forces away from the screw and into the overhang.Drilled and tapped M4
turned the head of an M4 csk hex socket setscrew and fitted.Dismantled and cut bar to 75mm lg.Chucked in the 3 jaw and turned down to 18dia x 35lg
Reversed and mounted in the 18dia collet.Skimmed OD and end and small chamfer to clear cutting point.Its magic cuts better than a bought one
Next will be a 40mm dia x 3 tip


----------



## bazmak (Sep 19, 2014)

I wanted to make a simple pair of parallels rather than buy an expensive set at this stage.I cut 2 pieces of 25x5 flat bar x 100 long and cleaned up the faces
on the linisher.Clamped bboth pieces in the vice.I first tried the 22mm dia
rotabroach but this just pulled into the job(I assume the tooth configuration
is 
part of the design to aid plunge Cutting)Next i tried my new flycutter.Worked well took 3 passes at 20 thou.Nice clean cuts and trailing edge just touched
So tram in X axis is about right.Turned the bars over and tried to repeat the process.No luck,i hit a hard spot in the steel and it just kept taking the edge off the the HSS tool.Thats when i made the RCT tool.Then i gave it a try
Absolutely brilliant,went through the steel like butter.May still buy a proper one 
but plan to make more homemade ones at this stage


----------



## chucketn (Sep 19, 2014)

I like it! What insert did you use?

Chuck


----------



## bazmak (Sep 20, 2014)

Dont know the spec but i bought a few odd ones on ebay' 16 triangle 5 thk
with 4mm clearance hole positive rake For steel and cast iron


----------



## bazmak (Sep 21, 2014)

Back to the milling vice,as described i got the vice jaws to 2thou/200mm in 3 posns but could not get repeatability.Lots of play in the vice so stripped it down
The pin in the lower casting was a press fit but rocked?? taking the pin out revealed a 16 dia hole part machined and part casting and the sneaky sods had
cold chiseled a groove to give a press fit.I set up the bottom casting in the lathe ON MY NEW FACEPLT.I could not have done the job without it.Opened the bore to 17dia and skimmed top faces true.Made a new pin to proper fits and reassembled.Next was the gib plts.Approx 5thou lift to vice jaw.Screws to the gibb plts were loose and flat bar strips with scale and burrs all intact.Cleaned up
and skimmed a 3thou step in the plts.Slightly tight fit so nudged the high spots with a file to a good sliding fit.Clean crud and burrs fro leadscrew etc.I had skimmed the 2 supplied T nuts but had 3 thou play in the table slot so made new 
ones to a good fit.After all this i guess the jaws would no longer be trammed
Not too bad but could not get repeatability and the problems seems to be with the location screw i fitted.Vice handle to left and right 2thou over vice jaws and with handle to front 7 thou .Will need to re evaluate later.Footnote
New faceplt and RCT cutter are magic


----------



## gus (Sep 22, 2014)

Is vise M.I.C. Aka MAde In China Or M.I.T. aka Made in Taiwan??
M.I.J. vises are very expensive. Just for info may ask for pricing on MIT vise.


----------



## bazmak (Sep 22, 2014)

Probably made in china Gus.Its the same design from many suppliers
For the price its a nice vise as long as your happy to strip it down
and mod to a better spec.The problems were easily solved and its all
part of the fun.No more uncertaincies i know its limitations.The screwed location pin i fitted does not work.I intend to retram and fit a larger dowel pin.Will keep you informed.Regards barry


----------



## bazmak (Sep 26, 2014)

When i returned the wood lathe back to original i refitted the T slot table
to the lathe cross slide and used it in a couple of setups,now i have the mill
all milling mods to the lathe were redundant.However i needed an angle plt
and decided to convert. The plate was 220x120x21 thk with 2 T slots
I fully welded a flat bar 50x12x220lg and gusset plt to it.The job was tacked and alternately stitch welded in sequence to minimise pull(distortion)I then machined all required faces,flat and square.Managed to get square to 1 thou in 3inches
Also machined holding down slots and gave it 2 coats of Hammerite paint,all as attached photos.Waste not want not.A few surplus holes but i am very pleased with it.Its very substancial and looks good.I also need it for a future setup The new RCT tool breezed thru the steel and welds

http://s1327.photobucket.com/user/bazmak47/media/angleplt01_zps9fa6b3a4.jpg.html?filters[user]=134054592&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=1


----------



## Niels Abildgaard (Sep 27, 2014)

Hello Bazmak
I have never owned  a mill.
Why is R8 better than MT3?
Am european and consider buying one like Yours.


----------



## bazmak (Sep 27, 2014)

Hi Niels,when i bought the mill i wanted MT3 so my tooling was suitale for lathe
and Mill but R8 was what i got in order to also get the fixed head and belt drive
The R8 is a more secure drive as its not solely on the taper.Also a simple tap releases it rather than heavy hammer blows with MT,also tooling is not expensive
In my opinion more important,do not get the swivel column and try to get belt
drive rather than gears.Look on this forum,google mini mill and look on youtube
before you make a decision.The version i bought is excerlent and i am very happy with it. Regards Barry


----------



## bazmak (Sep 27, 2014)

When i first got the mill i was using a medium quality drill vice and it handled light milling very well.The jaws were machined with a step in the top corner and Vs
for holding round bar or square at 45o I decided to Mod to a more usuable standard.Stripped everything down cleaned,made shim washer adjusted etc
The moving jaw had a couple thou lift but there was no adjustment but i can live it.The moving jaw and the body had a machined dovetail that was quite good
I also took a couple of thou off the corner step of the jaws,tough but not hardened.I then set vice on the mill upside down with the jaws clocked and milled a 12w x 3 dp location slot.Drilled and tapped M5 and fitted a piece of 12 squre  bar (which is a good fit in the Tslots).Now the vice can be set on the table accurate to a couple of thou for simple milling.Remove the bar for general drilling SIMPLES

RL=http://s1327.photobucket.com/user/bazmak47/media/drillvice01_zps7a6211a6.jpg.html]
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





[/URL]


----------



## gus (Sep 28, 2014)

Hi Barry,

That will be a very good reworked vise but are you also planning to do a bit of scraping for very good contact seatting. Just curious. These M.I.C. vises were rushed thru the mill by sub-contractors paid piece rate.


----------



## bazmak (Sep 28, 2014)

Hi Gus,really just for simple milling.Just usde it on a job and the piece was out of square.either the vice jaws or jaw lift.Will keep an eye on it but dont think its worth the effort of trying to make it something its not.Still very usefull


----------



## bazmak (Nov 2, 2014)

Hi Gus,the moving jaw was on dovetails but no gibs.Filled and scraped and fitted
4thou shims.Nice and firm now with no lift.Milled some test pieces to check sq/parallel etc.Jobs a good un


----------



## bazmak (Nov 2, 2014)

My dial indicator had a broken clamp that was annoying so i fixed it.This led to me making a tram brkt
I drilled a 1/4 hole and reamed thru my homemade milling cutter.Drilled and tapped for a clamp screw
Made a 1/4 dia shaft to hold the dial indicator.This then led to tramming the mill table.A fiddly time consuming job that i had not done before but had read in forum with great interest.All i can say is 
that i am glad i bought a fixed column mill,i would not want to go thru this on a regular basis.
No matter how i calculated it was wrong finished up trial and error.Had to shim 4thou for the x axis and 1 thou for the y.I also took apart the 4 bolt conn and cleaned etc.Looked like China had made an effort
as one side had been touched with a file and no burrs.I bolted the 6" faceplt off the lathe to the table and got to a thou in x-x and y-y then finished with good old alum baking foil.Fine tuned the x axis over 12"
on the table and got mto 1.5 thou.May try to improve at a later date


----------



## DJP (Nov 2, 2014)

I also looked for an easy way to set up the vice on my mini mill. With a set up gauge there is no reluctance to remove or move the vice as it is so easy to put in back in perfect position. 

I made a single parallel with a squared end.  This brass piece is clamped in the jaws and positioned to just touch the table. With a square I use the table edge to set the vice and tighten down a T nut holding the vice. Remove the gauge and tighten the second T nut and it's done.

It works so well that made a second set up gauge for the vice on my bigger mill in the main workshop.


----------



## bazmak (Nov 2, 2014)

I was doing something similar then took it to the next stage and drilled/dowelled.See thread.Repeatability is within a couple of thou
bazmak


----------



## Cogsy (Nov 2, 2014)

bazmak said:


> Repeatability is within a couple of thou


 
What is 'near enough' for a vise? I've only just got the equipment to square my milling vise accurately and I aim for less than 1 thou out of square. Am I being too pedantic here?

Same question for tramming as well. I trammed for the first time just the other day and spent ages trying to get below 2 thou over 10 inches on the X axis. Eventually I managed to get it to 1 thou (I thought) but it was a lot of trouble. As I was pulling the assembly down, I realised I'd grabbed the metric indicator instead of the imperial one and I'd been chasing 1/100th of a millimetre. So I'm happy my X axis is less than 0.0004" out. My Y axis I don't have the ability to change at the moment, so it's about 4 thou out over 10 inches. Is this going to cause me grief?


----------



## DJP (Nov 3, 2014)

I'm sure that the dimensional requirements of the part being created will determine the accuracy of the set up of any machine. Most of my shop is populated with 1940s equipment like an old Southbend lathe and Burke mill. They do good work for me within their limits.

For mini mill tramming I simply placed a long pointer in a fly cutter holder then lowered the head until the pointer just touched the bed. With a feeler gauge I tested clearance when the pointer was swung to the other end of the bed. A few taps on the column then I locked down the big nut, checked with feeler gauge again and left it alone since then. 

It's been good enough for my jobs and given that column flex has been reported on these mini machines, it probably doesn't matter much anyway.

Personally I do not think that any of the home level machines are rigid enough for high precision work. I worked at SKF in my youth where bearings were manufactured to aircraft quality specs. That was serious machining and serious testing of product at every stage of the process.

My level of machining and welding are better suited to farm repair work.

Just another viewpoint for your consideration.


----------



## bazmak (Nov 3, 2014)

I also assume that a thou is near enough for most jobs.Anything better is special and needs to be treated as such.As regards to your question
The vice accuracy is good for all facing.To check anything else mill the corner off a piece of flat bar say 6" long.Check the width at each end and this gives you the x-x axis parameters.Check the depth and this gives the vice jaw depth
tolerance.Repeat for y-y.If you are happy with the dims over 6" then its ok
Slotting,grooving or rebating  done over short lengths will be ok.One good way
is to make a T nut say 5" lg and check for parallel etc if its within say 2 thou thens thats ok.Then cut up into 4 etc etc


----------



## zoltan (Nov 25, 2014)

Are you planning on installing a DRO on your mill?


----------



## bazmak (Nov 25, 2014)

Yes i am hoping to fit DRO at some stage,there is not much available in this neck of the woods.I would hope to fit scales and remote digital
readout box,if i can find an economical kit somewhere out there.I would also like to fit power feed to  axis.I local supplier has one for $240,but i think it fits
the 400mm long table.I have a 460mm lg table so the new leadscrew is 
probably too short.Dont know whats involved in modding my existing
leadscrewe.Have asked the question but no reply yet.Anyone out there have any thoughts.???


----------



## /// (Nov 26, 2014)

Just throwing it out there if you haven't seen it yet, but worth looking at TouchDRO. 
http://www.yuriystoys.com/p/android-dro.html
The app is free and the developer is a member here.
If you don't have an Android tablet, even a cheap older(tho OS 4.0 or newer) is capable of running the app as it isn't power hungry. I use it on a Nexus7.

An Arduino controller and some scales from Hare&Forbes and you're set.


----------



## zoltan (Nov 26, 2014)

I also use TouchDRO on both my mill and lathe, and just frequently added tachometers to both. The tachs also run through TouchDRO and allow it to do cool things like calculate chip load. I'm extremely happy with it and can't recommend it enough. Also, what other DRO do you know of which can play music, movies, and allow you to browse the internet?

I used a car power seat actuator, a speed control, and a couple switches to make my mill's power feed. All the parts were available on Amazon. It works quite well and I'm very happy with it, I wrote it up here: http://benchtopmachineshop.blogspot.com/2014/06/mill-power-feed.html


----------



## bazmak (Feb 13, 2015)

I asked the question about increasing the Z axis in questions and answers,but i was confident that there would be no problems so went ahead
I skimmed a a piece of HRS 3"x1"x6" lg and drilled to suit the column base
Fitted new HS cap hd screws.Trammed the head to 1/2 thou on a 6" dia faceply
and about 2 thou over the table length.Took some cuts with no discernable
flex or chatter.I also removed the silly rubber doorstop at the top of the column
I have now gained approx 40mm of travel for little time and cost and no permanent changes to the mill.Time will tell. I also made a 2min video that would be of interest but cannot upload it to photobucket.I have put it on youtube.How do i provide a link so you guys can watch it ???  Reg

ards barry


----------



## bazmak (Feb 13, 2015)

I asked the question about increasing the Z axis in questions and answers,but i was confident that there would be no problems so went ahead
I skimmed a a piece of HRS 3"x1"x6" lg and drilled to suit the column base
Fitted new HS cap hd screws.Trammed the head to 1/2 thou on a 6" dia faceply
and about 2 thou over the table length.Took some cuts with no discernable
flex or chatter.I also removed the silly rubber doorstop at the top of the column
I have now gained approx 40mm of travel for little time and cost and no permanent changes to the mill.Time will tell. I also made a 2min video that would be of interest but cannot upload it to photobucket.I have put it on youtube.How do i provide a link so you guys can watch it ???  Reg

ards barry


----------



## Cogsy (Feb 13, 2015)

All you need to do for Youtube is copy and paste the address of the video (http....etc) into a post and it will auto embed.


----------



## bazmak (Feb 13, 2015)

Thanks cogsey here goeshttp://youtu.be/WVtG-TQucQ4


----------



## bazmak (Feb 13, 2015)

http://youtu.be/WVtG-TQucQ4


----------



## bazmak (Feb 13, 2015)

The above video gives an idea of the capabilities of this mill on mild steel
I know the majority of you are more into aluminium which is far easier
and i have no experience of the swivel column and gears of the sx2 so 
how does this compare ?. your comments would be most gratefully received
As regards the 1" thick packer,although i have no need or intension to. How high could we go for a specific purpose ??. Knowing what i now know i would suggest. 2 plates 1" thick x 4"x7" lg. Open up the 4 fixing holes to M10 and bolt 1 plt to the base with HS cap screws and 1 plt to the column.The two plts then could be bolted with 8 no M8 screws around the outer edges.This would give 
a bigger footprint and stiffer bolted connection with a height increase of a nom   2 1/2" Just a thought only time will tell


----------



## Swifty (Feb 13, 2015)

I can't get into the video, it tells me it's private. You may have to do something else to enable others to view.

Paul.


----------



## bazmak (Feb 14, 2015)

http://youtu.be/WVtG-TQucQ4


----------



## bazmak (Feb 14, 2015)

Thanks swifty,is this any better.Dont know if i have got the hang of it yethttp://youtu.be/WVtG-TQucQ4


----------



## bazmak (Feb 14, 2015)

http://youtu.be/WVtG-TQucQ4


----------



## Blogwitch (Feb 14, 2015)

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVtG-TQucQ4&feature=youtu.be[/ame]


----------



## Blogwitch (Feb 14, 2015)

Is that any better. Once you have the vid displaying or playing on youtube, just copy the URL displayed at the top in your browser and post into this page, it will automatically convert things for you. Don't try to use the url given in youtube itself.

Anyway, back to your mods.
I just hope my new machine will work as well as yours after I convert it to CNC, but of course, I will be using much smaller cutters.
I do have a larger mill in my shop, and can do much larger jobs on it, but even though I have 14" of throat available, once you get say the RT with a chuck on, things can get very tight for swinging around a largish cutter.
I worked a few things out and found that by swapping to spindle collets and getting rid of the long ER collet holder, I had gained over 2" in workable height, and the cutters were a lot more rigid. If I was starting out now, I wouldn't have bought the ER setup at all and would have gone for the spindle collets straight away as there is very little difference in cost, even having to buy both imperial and metric R8 collets.
If I could make a suggestion, either make or buy a cheap set of flycutters. If you grind the tips of the cutters into a quarter rad you will find you would be able to take off that 10 thou cut and end up with a mirror finish. I take up to 100 thou (2.5mm) off on brass or ali and you can see your face in the surface finish, half that for ferrous. But of course, much smaller cuts on your machine, but I think you will appreciate the difference.
Anyway, keep up the great work, and hopefully I might pick up a few tips for when I start mine.

From experience, the first thing for you to go for is a DRO setup. It really does make machining a lot more enjoyable, you can forget about backlash in your leadscrews as they measure actual table movement, but please, if you can, save your pennies and go for a better system than the scale type. I started with them many years ago and after struggling with them for a fair while, and buying replacement scales, I could have bought a glass DRO set a couple of times over.
Your next mod should be power feed, especially on the X axis, I don't know if I am lucky or unlucky because I had to fit power feeds all round, otherwise I would have had to give up machining because of injury etc, but having them really does make taking a cut more enjoyable, you can concentrate more on keeping the cutting area clean and getting a bit of lube on there without having to worry about an interupted cut, and again, your surface finishes really improve.

John


----------



## bazmak (Feb 14, 2015)

Many thanks for your help and advice John.I have a flycutter,do you mean to use HSS cutters? or RCT or even brased carbide lathe tools.Yes i am thinking of power feed,a local supplier has one for $240 but it includes a new leadscrew and i have the longer table,not sure if it will fit.I also would like to fit DROs but dont knpow much about them and local supply of anything in Adelaide is primitive.Thanks for explaining about the video and youtube.It took 1 1/2 hrs
to upload a 2min video so i dont think i will be doing it on a regular basis


----------



## bazmak (Feb 14, 2015)

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVtG-TQucQ4&feature=youtu.be[/ame]


----------



## Blogwitch (Feb 14, 2015)

That is a problem I think you have with uploading. I have a very fast fibre line and almost anything uploads at 20mb so it only takes a couple of minutes, but anyway, you now know how to do it.
I was on about the HSS square toolbits, sorry this is very scrappy, but I have just done a quickie C-o-C for you. The shaded area at the bottom is the end on shape you should end up with, and to resharpen, just rub a slip along the front face.







I hope you can understand it.

John


----------



## Blogwitch (Feb 15, 2015)

Just to show you that the shape does work, here is a slowed down vid of me cutting a fair depth with the flycutter. It slows down even more half way through. 
I think it is about 2mm deep cut in ali, and if you look closely, you will see it is leaving behind a mirror finish.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FipAdIUr5OE[/ame]

John


----------



## zoltan (Feb 18, 2015)

bazmak said:


> Many thanks for your help and advice John.I have a flycutter,do you mean to use HSS cutters? or RCT or even brased carbide lathe tools.Yes i am thinking of power feed,a local supplier has one for $240 but it includes a new leadscrew and i have the longer table,not sure if it will fit.I also would like to fit DROs but dont knpow much about them and local supply of anything in Adelaide is primitive.Thanks for explaining about the video and youtube.It took 1 1/2 hrs
> to upload a 2min video so i dont think i will be doing it on a regular basis



The large table is ideally set up for a DIY power feed. I made mine (which I'm very happy with) for about $50 worth of parts from Amazon:
http://benchtopmachineshop.blogspot.com/2014/06/mill-power-feed.html

Regarding the DRO, just buy 2 12" iGaging digital scales and a 6" iGaging scale and install them on your mill. That will give you basic DRO capabilities, and it will still be 3275907205703740831 times better than what you have now. Then, down the road, you can always upgrade them to TouchDRO.

12":
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003O95YFU

6":
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003JU46J4


----------

