Relocating head on round column mill

[SmithDoor]

My post are for moving head up and down for changing tooling.

I never want head move around the column that kill cutters and parts.

The sweeping table on most is simple if find a mill you just shim under column mount. The round column mills is same as Bridge Port mills the head will auto till under heavy cuts Good by cutter and part.

Dave

Maybe I'm missing something. Are you talking about the rotation of the head around the column? You are not talking about "sweeping" the table, correct?

 

[SmithDoor]

Sweeping the is Tram. I do not when When the call tram started. I think started hearing word in the 1990's
[What is tramming in milling?
Tramming ensures that the mill head is perpendicular to the mill table’s X and Y axis. This process ensures that cutting tools and the milling surfaces are perpendicular to the table. Proper tramming also prevents irregular patterns from forming when milling.]

The Bridge Port mill can be a pain you need cheek this part daily .

Dave

Maybe I'm missing something. Are you talking about the rotation of the head around the column? You are not talking about "sweeping" the table, correct?

 

[Balta]

Long time ago but vehicle alignment with lasers was 'turned' with prisms- and onto graticules.

Balta- you are actually repeating the lights on the RAF 617 ( The Dambusters) Squadron Lancaster bombers! It was copied from the stage spotlights - in this case, a London theatre. I guess that it was the Windmill-- with all the saucy nudes.

Bummer. I was very proud of "my idea"...

 

[Cessnadriver]

I am still trying to find it as early on I did have the round column bench top mill. From what I remembered in the article he removed all the pulleys from the top and made an aluminum plate that was able to attach I believe 1” to possibly 1”1/2 round bar. He also made another plate that attached at the bottom of the mill that the round bar attached too as well. In between were 2 spherical bearings that were attached to the head and to the base, which basically kept it in alignment when you moved it up and down. I almost attempted to do it to mine and than i thought a used Bridgeport was a better solution for accuracy and long term use. I will keep looking, I would say it came out within the last 5 to 6 years. I would look at 2014-2017 issues.

 

[SmithDoor]

That sounds close to I did stop the rotation.
Did see my photos in this thread???

Dave

I am still trying to find it as early on I did have the round column bench top mill. From what I remembered in the article he removed all the pulleys from the top and made an aluminum plate that was able to attach I believe 1” to possibly 1”1/2 round bar. He also made another plate that attached at the bottom of the mill that the round bar attached too as well. In between were 2 spherical bearings that were attached to the head and to the base, which basically kept it in alignment when you moved it up and down. I almost attempted to do it to mine and than i thought a used Bridgeport was a better solution for accuracy and long term use. I will keep looking, I would say it came out within the last 5 to 6 years. I would look at 2014-2017 issues.

 

[clifwst]

I am still trying to find it as early on I did have the round column bench top mill. From what I remembered in the article he removed all the pulleys from the top and made an aluminum plate that was able to attach I believe 1” to possibly 1”1/2 round bar. He also made another plate that attached at the bottom of the mill that the round bar attached too as well. In between were 2 spherical bearings that were attached to the head and to the base, which basically kept it in alignment when you moved it up and down. I almost attempted to do it to mine and than i thought a used Bridgeport was a better solution for accuracy and long term use. I will keep looking, I would say it came out within the last 5 to 6 years. I would look at 2014-2017 issues.

Possibly this guy, his name is cuppajoe on youtube. Numerous videos about the upgrades he did to his "wrong fu" as he calls it.

His channel;

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIFgfhevO7S66kX1s8rd0qA

 

[SmithDoor]

I found the video it is very close to the way I did back in 2005.
The bar he use is under size .
Mind is 1 1/2" hex and I use 3/4" steel plate.

Dave

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...=&form=VDSHOT&shth=OSH.6gP2aJLJnYzOACnTfUqAGg

I am still trying to find it as early on I did have the round column bench top mill. From what I remembered in the article he removed all the pulleys from the top and made an aluminum plate that was able to attach I believe 1” to possibly 1”1/2 round bar. He also made another plate that attached at the bottom of the mill that the round bar attached too as well. In between were 2 spherical bearings that were attached to the head and to the base, which basically kept it in alignment when you moved it up and down. I almost attempted to do it to mine and than i thought a used Bridgeport was a better solution for accuracy and long term use. I will keep looking, I would say it came out within the last 5 to 6 years. I would look at 2014-2017 issues.

 

[awake]

Maybe I'm missing something. Are you talking about the rotation of the head around the column? You are not talking about "sweeping" the table, correct?

Correct. On a typical round-column mill-drill, you gain Z-distance by moving the head up or down - but since it is moving on the round column, by default there is no way to keep it from rotating to a different point - thus making it impossible to resume milling without going back and finding edges again. The laser-shining-on-a-vertical-line on the wall is one method that many have used to be able to reposition to the same angular setting when moving the head. Of course, there is a hidden assumption here - one has to be able to ensure that the column and the line on the wall where the laser shines are in fact in alignment.

I was looking something fast to do over and over that would hold accrues of most knee mill (± 0.001). Which would do for any work I ever need to do.

After building and installing the torque arm I test the mill head going up and down using a Angle plate and a dial indecatar .
Then lock the torque and column it was repeat less than (± 0.001).
I was very happy with outcome.

This solve two problems
1) This first is very heavy cuts the head DOES NOT MOVE.
2) I could move head up and down and would hold accrues.

Dave

Dave, it sounds like it works well - I wasn't meaning to disparage your approach, only to say that the laser approach is not without merit of its own. I am sure both approaches have advantages and disadvantages, and both depend on the underlying accuracy that is put into the effort.

FWIW, when I used my round-column mill-drill regularly, I mostly was able to plan ahead to avoid having to move the head; when that was not possible, I just re-located the edges. Consquently it was never worth the effort to take either approach. And now that I have a Bridgeport, the old round-column mill-drill has been sitting idle, used only as a poor substitute for a shelf.

 

[SmithDoor]

I like Bridge Port Mills and if had space I would have one.

Now I sell the old round mill
The laser approach may be ok till head turns

Dave

Correct. On a typical round-column mill-drill, you gain Z-distance by moving the head up or down - but since it is moving on the round column, by default there is no way to keep it from rotating to a different point - thus making it impossible to resume milling without going back and finding edges again. The laser-shining-on-a-vertical-line on the wall is one method that many have used to be able to reposition to the same angular setting when moving the head. Of course, there is a hidden assumption here - one has to be able to ensure that the column and the line on the wall where the laser shines are in fact in alignment.



Dave, it sounds like it works well - I wasn't meaning to disparage your approach, only to say that the laser approach is not without merit of its own. I am sure both approaches have advantages and disadvantages, and both depend on the underlying accuracy that is put into the effort.

FWIW, when I used my round-column mill-drill regularly, I mostly was able to plan ahead to avoid having to move the head; when that was not possible, I just re-located the edges. Consquently it was never worth the effort to take either approach. And now that I have a Bridgeport, the old round-column mill-drill has been sitting idle, used only as a poor substitute for a shelf.

 

[RonW]

I am still trying to find it as early on I did have the round column bench top mill. From what I remembered in the article he removed all the pulleys from the top and made an aluminum plate that was able to attach I believe 1” to possibly 1”1/2 round bar. He also made another plate that attached at the bottom of the mill that the round bar attached too as well. In between were 2 spherical bearings that were attached to the head and to the base, which basically kept it in alignment when you moved it up and down. I almost attempted to do it to mine and than i thought a used Bridgeport was a better solution for accuracy and long term use. I will keep looking, I would say it came out within the last 5 to 6 years. I would look at 2014-2017 issues.

Try the home shop machinist magazine of March/April 2015 page 12. I think it's the article you are looking for.by Dave Sage.
RonW

 

[big o]

My solution to the movement is to install a pencil lazer to the head,(simple clamp),
Install a target plate to the base. Drill a #51 hole in a marker cap, and another in the
target plate, align lazer beam to hole in plate.

 

[BaronJ]

Hi Guys,

A chap that I used to know had one of those round column mills, he was forever cursing it !

I visited him one day and he proudly showed me that he has solved the problem permanently. He explained to me that he had drilled a number of dowel holes through the head casting into the column and was using a threaded head tapered dowel pin to lock the mill head solid. He had determined that he only needed to drill three or it might have been four tapered holes in the column because the amount of quill movement was enough for him to change chucks and tools. He did point out that his mill column was a hollow tube about 1/2" thick so no problems drilling holes in it.

It did seem to work very well for him.