What Mill Tooling is Needed?

[wm460]

I am going to buy a mill the size of a Sieg X3 and wonder what tooling you recommend for this mill.
I would like to take advantage of USPS current charges before they bring in there new charges in late January.

Must Have:

Would be nice:

Pipe Dreams:


Thanks Mark.

 

[terrywerm]

I don't have an X3, but I think I can get the list started just the same. Here goes:

MUST HAVE:
Good lighting on the table!
Vise
Dial Indicator / magnet mount
Drill chuck
End mill holder for size mills you plan to use
R8 collet set
Parallel bar set
Clamping set
Drill bits - 1/16 to 1/2 BY 64ths
Edge finder set

WOULD BE NICE:
ER collets in place of end mill holders and R8 collets
Ball end mill set
115 pc drill bit set
Reamer set, 1/16 to 1/2 by 64ths
Boring head
Tilting vice
Fly cutter
Coolant delivery system
Power feed on X.

PIPE DREAM:
CNC
DRO
Rotary table w/ tailstock and indexing plates
- OR-
Universal dividing head w/tailstock

There may be other things as well, depending on your needs and tastes.

 

[kvom]

I agree with the above must haves, but would add at least the drills needed for tapping small threads used in models. I would move some reamers into the must have area. Assuming use of drill rod for shafts, I'd just get reamers to match the commonly used sizes.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

My mill chuck will not grip any drills smaller than .100" dia. I salvaged the chuck and a piece of the arbour it mounts on from a 3/8" drill, which does close up completely, and simply clamp it in the larger chuck to allow me to use the smaller diameter drills.

 

[SmithDoor]

I agree with terrywerm on the list
Getting started you vise mill holders with end mills 1/4 -1/2" and drill chuck and a few tee nuts. The rest will come as need/money. You can put a low cost DRO on make your own fly cutter and other tool if you want too. Some tooling on his list I will use ever 5 to 10 years work great but I had lift over from my shop. I have found air / vacuum does a good job of cooling my wife likes it the best of all cooling.

Dave

 

[lohring]

angle set
dial indicator accessories to fit collet & sweep for head alignment
all the normal measuring tools

Lohring Miller

 

[Omnimill]

I would put the fly cutter in the must have group as they are very useful and cheap to buy.
Unless you're strapped for time don't buy a clamping kit but make your own on the mill - it's good practice and the quality will be better! A spin indexer is nice to have, and I'd add a pair of 1-2-3 blocks. Copper mallet or similar is essential for tapping stuff down onto parallels. Plenty more just can't think of them at the moment!

 

[Alchymist]

I'd almost move the rotary table into the must have category, at least into the would be nice column. Many parts require a circular milling action (flywheels, pullies, etc), and flipped vertically allows gear cutting, splining, etc. JMHO

 

[Herbiev]

The rotary table really does increase the scope of the mill a tremendous amount. They are pricey but well worth the money.

 

[terrywerm]

Another must have: A set of V-blocks with clamps.

Omnimill, thanks for mentioning the 1-2-3 blocks and the mallet, they are definitely in the must have column!

 

[dman]

some other essencials
"t"gages
small hole gages
fly cutter arbor
hhs and tool steel stock

some other "would be nice"

sine plate/toolmakers knee
gage blocks/jo blocks
gage pins
dial bore gage
1/10th range indicators
dial test indicator
surface plate
dial/verneir height gage
0-6 micrometer set with standards
offset boring head

^^some of these things may be cost prohibitive
maybe more to be added later....

 

[ShopShoe]

wm460,

I have an X3 (Grizzly branded). When I bought it I already had a lathe, drill press, 2 grinders and the measuring tools and drill bits.

With it I bought:

R-8 Collet Set
3/8 and 1/2 end mill holders (I had been using 3/8-shank mills in the lathe)
5-inch vise WITHOUT swivel base (better fit and cost savings over 6-inch)
Clamping Set
Parallel set
1-2-3 blocks
V-blocks
Cheap set of 2 and 4-flute end mills to get started.
About $60.00 worth of assorted higher quality end mills of different types to try and for the first projects I was planning.

Rather than spend the entire budget immediately I had set some money aside and the next month I:

Replaced the Drill chuck and arbor that came with the mill with a high-quality Jacobs industrial chuck (Albrecht is better, but there's that cost-benefit thing again.) I bought a new arbor for it and left the old chuck available for sometimes use.

Bought a 90-degree angle plate to clamp work 90-degrees to the table.

Got a fly cutter and some toolbits for it.

Got a saw arbor and three slitting saws.

Made a brass-hammer and socket wrench combination tool for the drawbar.

Bought a dovetail cutter.

Bought a 45-degree drill-mill (for cutting v slots and chamfering.)

Added to my collection of cutting tools based on what I had learned so far.

After some more experience I added:

Collet Blocks in Hex and Square: 5-c Collets purchased as needed, not a set.

Boring Head set with boring bars.

Rotary table with indexing plates, made tailstock and accessories for it.

The rest has been driven by what projects I am attempting.

I would think that you might be better off in metric-land, not having to buy so many things like drills in fractional, letter, and number sizes as we do. If you have not heard about the metric blocks that ArcEuroTrade sells I ordered some and would recommend them in place of 1-2-3 blocks.

http://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catalogue/Workholding/Vee-Blocks-Angle-Plates

That's it for now

--ShopShoe

 

[DanP]

Would someone please explain why end mill holders are needed if you have a set of collets?

 

[ShopShoe]

DanP,

In my case, I usually use the end mill holders for roughing and utility work. They allow more clearance and visibility (Stated the other way, collets sometimes don't allow enough clearance for what you want around the quill / mill head.)

The collets provide for a complete range in choice of tool shank sizes and can be more accurate. I use collets for holding indicators and etc. in setup. Also, there are no end mill holders for small-shank endmills.

I made the choice to buy both from the beginning. I have bought better quality collets one by one as I need them, but I have all the sizes covered if need be (allowing me to buy tooling from many places without worrying if my mill can take it.)

--ShopShoe

 

[DanP]

OK, that makes sense, I have been told all kind of things. The latest was that if you used end mills in collets they would slip but not in end mill holders.

 

[sssfox]

OK, that makes sense, I have been told all kind of things. The latest was that if you used end mills in collets they would slip but not in end mill holders.

That is possibly correct. An endmill holder uses a setscrew against a flat to hold the endmill. There is no possibility of slippage if the set screw is reasonably tight.

Collets wear over time, and the larger the endmill, the faster wear is introduced. If the collet isn't sufficiently tightened, the endmill will slip. The larger the endmill, the tighter the collet needs to be. This isn't a problem with endmill holders.

I use a set of endmill holders for most of my endmills. I have some very small ones that I've never seen an endmill holder for.

It's up to you what you use. Just remember, the first time you have an endmill slip in a collet and ruin your work, you will probably switch.

 

[kjk]

On the subject of reamers I would suggest getting an over and under set - I think I paid $99 and I use them all the time. I have a tendency to use 303 ground shafting and I find that I get a beautiful running fit at .001 over using the appropriate reamer.

 

[Omnimill]

Vice stop, draw bar spanner.

 

[lemelman]

I belong to a model engineering club and we often discuss what additions are required to a basic mill. The single item that turns out to be the biggest contributor to precision, ease of use, and overall satisfaction is DRO. Everybody agrees that, after the expense has been digested, the single item that nobody would give up is the DRO. Yes, it's expensive, and certainly not essential, but it makes using a mill so much easier.
Each year our club does machining demonstrations at a local Model Engineering Exhibition. We use the small mill and lathe provided, and neither have DRO. We all waste a lot of time working without DRO.
I fully agree that it's not essential, and you can do without it, but nobody regrets the price after they've installed it.

Added.
One final consideration. You don't use a DRO occasionally, you use it every time you use the mill. If you compare price-per-use then a DRO comes pretty near the top of the list.

 

[lensman57]

I am going to buy a mill the size of a Sieg X3 and wonder what tooling you recommend for this mill.
I would like to take advantage of USPS current charges before they bring in there new charges in late January.

Must Have:

Would be nice:

Pipe Dreams:


Thanks Mark.

Hi,

Very late with my input and all the previous advice is sound, but you have not indicated your budget. As an indication put away at least as much money for the accessories as you have for the mill and then add some extra particularly if you want to have a 3 axis DRO. the only other point I make is buy the best if possible as you only buy it once and it will last.

Regards,

A.G