Milling machine or vertical slide for the lathe, which should I buy?

[Tin Falcon]

Kaleb:
the smaller the lathe you have the more limited a verticle slide is . IMHO unless you have a 10 to 12 in swing lathe go for a mill.
IIRC your lathe is an c-0 ?
Tin

 

[Mainer]

If you end up buying a vertical slide despite our wise counsel :big: at least get one that mounts directly to the cross slide. IMO the ones that mount on top of the compound are so non-rigid as to be virtually unusable. Cast iron is amazingly rubbery when one is concerned about thousandths of an inch and depending on rigidity of a setup to achieve it.

 

[peatoluser]

Well, to add my two cents worth to the debate, I don't have a mill only a lathe (a tiag) and consequently use it for all my milling. I do have the vertical slide but very rearly use it. Back lash on the vertical axis and rigidity of set up generaly mean it's quite dificult to get decent finish or hold a tight tolerance (angular as well as linear).
So I now use spacer blocks or shop made angle plates that I can bolt directly to the cross slide. although I can only mill in two axis (cross slide and carriage travel ) and so have to plan the work carefully, it's still better than the vertical slide.
take the advice, if you can afford a mill, buy one. I'm certainly saving up for one.

yours
peter

 

[steamer]

One of the very few cases where it makes sense to use a vertical slide in a lathe is while cutting the leaves (the teeth) on clock wheels. Generally, the OD and ID are turned on a glue chuck, and then without disturbing the part the wheel cutting spindle is mounted to the cross-slide and the teeth are cut using the lathe headstock as a dividing head.

The reason for this is that the part will never be as concentric as it is right after the OD and ID are finished...therefore it makes sense to do it that way, and that is the MO used through the ages.

There are very few other reasons where the lathe milling slide makes any sense over a Mill. IMHO.

As stated, the rigidity of the set up is terrible unless the lathe is rugged.

Dave

 

[robcas631]

I own a mini metal lathe 7 x 12 and for the longest time I could not figure out how to mill on it. I was going to buy the mill attachment but could not afford it. Regardless, I started a project and tried to save money for a mini mill in order to finish the rest of it. I bought milling maching clamps in preparation for my new mill. Owning a home made that an impossible dream. I thought of many ways and in the process I invented a new clamping system. That is yet to be addressed.

Recently, I found that you can mill and do so accurately on a metal lathe. So I looked in my shop for HSS tools bits. I was skeptical yet surprised to know just how many HSS there are. Yet I wondered how I could make other shapes? My work is mostly composed of brass.

I removed the tool post. I used the clamps that I bought for a mill and mounted pieces. I wanted a flat surface so I looked all over my shop and found that a simple flat wood drill bit might do. Of course I was hesitant. But I had lots of brass to work with. So I ground off the tip and then beveled the edges so that one edge would strike the piece. Thus creating a flat surface. I used some shims where the parts I grinded to fit did not work and oped a new aspect to using a metal lathe. It worked and not half arse either!

Now I am confident that I can create a great many things. In fact this past week I have completed a lot of work.

If you need to see some of my work kindly let me know.

Peace, Rob

 

[user 4756]

Hi all,

You have what you can afford. I mill in the lathe because I have to but from what I read about modern small milling machines I will continue to put up with any shortcomings.

I have got a Myford swivelling vertical slide that came to me in the way that Bogs describes and checking on the travel of small mills, I am only limited on travel one way.

I keep looking for small mills in my price range and have figured that a hand shaper would be better suited to my purpose.

We live in a technological age and have all the gadgets...this is what my great grandfather would have done... (this was completed on a treadled Drummond Roundbed A type, my great grandfather's is a B type)

Does it answer the question? That is for you to decide.

Andy

 

[John Hill]

I started with a lathe and quite soon after bought a vertical slide and I was fortunate to find a really sturdy one. Milling with the vertical slide was possible but it did have its limitations.

Not so long after I bought a mill, a knee type vertical mill and pushed the vertical slide to the back of the cupboard, but it didnt stay there.

I used it only last week to do a deep cylinder boring task with the workpiece on the vertical slide and a long boring bar supported by the chuck and the tail stock, this would have been quite difficult on the mill.

 

[steamer]

Yes, if money is an issue, sure. A milling slide is far better than no milling slide.

They have they're limitations with regards to rigidity. Good machinists are always better than they're equipment.

But that doesn't mean good machinists are masochistic either.

If a mill is an option.....financially.....go for it.

Dave