Member postings for David Hogg

Thanks again for all the help and discussion! 🙂

I've gone for this oil:

**LINK**

and this pump:

**LINK**

Hopefully will do the trick and should last me a long time.

Thanks again!

David

Thanks for your quick replies everyone!

This is the text from the manual where it mentions spray oil.

Thanks again!

David

Your Mill is a precision tool. In order to maintain this precision and prolong its useful life, it is advised that you follow the recommended daily and periodic maintenance tables printed below.

Daily and Periodic Maintenance Daily

Carry out a visual inspection. Repair any damage immediately. Minor damage to the beds should be taken out with an oilstone.
Move the worktable and the traverse feed back and forth by hand, check that the movement is smooth.

Spread a light film of oil over the worktable and the traverse slide bed.
Oil the end bearings of the drive shafts. Squirt oil onto the slide faces of mating components.
Exercise the components to ensure the oil is spread over both visible and obscure surfaces.

Daily after-use

1. Clean all swarf and chips away from the machine bed, slide surfaces,
and the tool post.
2. Exercise the slides and ensure no swarf etc., is lodged in the drive shaft tunnels. If you have been using a coolant make sure the machine is thoroughly dried off. 3. Check the tool, ensure it is usable the next time, if not re-sharpen or replace the tool tip.
4. Lightly oil spray all the machine beds and surfaces.
5. Clean and lightly oil any tools you may have been using (drill chucks, spanners, chuck keys etc), and put them away.
6. Switch off the power supply. Disconnect the plug.
7. Cover the machine over with a dust cloth.

Weekly

1. Move the traverse slide fully back to give access to the tunnel, blow out to makesure all swarf is cleared away and heavily spray oil the tunnel, exercise the slide to work the oil into the drive thread and to lubricate the dog.
2. Spray oil the slide and the worktable bed, exercise the worktable to spread the oil to all surfaces, both hidden and visible.
3. Spray oil the underside of the machine onto the drive screws, exercise to ensure the oil is coating all components.
4. Clean and spray oil the rise and fall drive screw, exercise to ensure all parts are coated.
5. Check the movement of the worktable, the traverse slide and the head, check they are smooth and ‘tight’, if necessary reset the gybe strips until the movements are smooth and tight.
6. Wipe the quill outer sleeve clean and lightly oil, exercise the quill to spread the
oil in the sleeve bushes.

Monthly

a) Give the motor a good ‘blow through’ to remove any dust, dirt etc, b) Check all the interlocks function correctly.

Hi all, and Happy New Year! 😊

The maintenance section of my Axminter SX-1 Micro Mill manual says I need to use 'spray oil' on various parts of the machine to keep it in good working order.

Googling for such a product turns up dozens of different options, all of which seem to have very specific applications ... either that or they're general purpose like 3-in-1 or WD-40.

What would you recommend I use and where can I purchase a small spray bottle from?

This is the closest I thought would be correct, but I could be wrong:

https://www.totallybelts.com/products/ambersil-40-wd40-general-purpose-lubricant-400ml-aerosol

Many thanks for your help!

David

Edited By David Hogg on 03/01/2023 12:00:27

Edited By David Hogg on 03/01/2023 12:00:43

Thanks for your messages! Clive was first so I will offer it to him first 🙂

David

Hi everyone,

So Vevor have refunded me £30 of the £51 total cost as I guess it was too long since I bought it … anyone want a slightly suspect cheap DRO for parts? 😆

Cheers!

David

I'm very pleased (and relieved) to say that Warco's DRO arrived today and all 3 scales work perfectly with it!

https://www.warco.co.uk/digital-readouts-scales-dro/303110-warco-digital-readout-dro-display-counters.html

Moral of the story ... don't buy cheap Chinese-made junk! Buy more expensive Chinese-made ... equipment ... that at least has a known manufacturer's sticker on it!  The Warco DRO also feels more sturdy as the housing is metal too ...

I've not kept the packaging of the Vevor DRO so I'm not sure if they'll take it back now ... but I've asked the question.

Now to get the Z-axis scale and the additional quill readout mounted!

Thanks again for your help everyone, it's so appreciated,

David

Edited By David Hogg on 13/04/2022 20:21:36

The scales were from Warco but the screen was direct from Vevor … and although I’m not quite sure which is at fault, my money is on the DRO given that all the scales work fine on their own.

Have asked Vevor if I can send it back for a refund …

Cheers!

David

David - yes I’ve now tried all 3 scales on all 3 inputs, and on their own they all work fine.

I’ve done some more experimenting, and strangely, the 250mm scale that’s destined for the Z-axis works perfectly no matter what — whether it’s plugged in on its own, or whether one or more other scales are also plugged in, it always works. It was bought from the same page on the Warco website as the two 200mm scales, so the only difference should be the length … but something is obviously different otherwise it would also suffer the same freezing / jittery readout issue.

I’ve tried a few things including:

• Removing all the scales from the machine and laying them on wooden blocks — no difference.
• Checking the resolution setting of the DRO — 5um for each axis, the same as the linear scales
• Checking the pin outs for the DRO and scales — all match, with the same voltages
• Plugging each of the scales in on their own, in different sockets, and they always work flawlessly when they’re the only scale connected. As soon as a second or third scale is connected, neither of them work — unless one of them is the 250mm scale, which always works.
• Connecting a ground lead from the 4mm ground socket on the back of the DRO (marked PE?), and touching this to the suspect scale which is having reading issues … no difference.
• I’ve looked through the manuals of both the DRO and scales, and there aren’t any significant user-changeable options on the DRO such as changing the output voltage on the 9-pin connector, or changing the reading frequency, etc.

Also, on one of the reviews for the DRO someone said they got their scales from Warco and it worked fine, which is why I bought my scales there too…

One thing I did notice that may or may not be relevant, is that sometimes (not always), when you move one of the scales, the readout for one of the other connected scales (not the 250mm one though), jitters slightly as well. It’s as if there’s some cross-coupling interference between the two, which I imagine there shouldn’t be …

I’m at a bit of a loss what to try next, although I will be emailing the manufacturers of the DRO and scale tomorrow to see what they say.

Thanks for for your help!

David 🙂

Edited By David Hogg on 10/04/2022 20:08:10

Howard - they’re both identical scales. The third one I’ll be fitting on the Z axis is the same brand but longer.

Thanks 🙂

David

Thanks for the quick replies!

Sorry, here’s the correct link for the DRO scales:

**LINK**

I will check when I’m back home but I did look at the specs for the DRO and the scales before I connected them together, and the pin-outs and voltages all looked the same.

Thanks again and will report back 🙂

David

Hi all 🙂

I’m just setting up a DRO on my X1 milling machine and have finally got the second scale mounted … and whilst the DRO readout worked perfectly with the first scale, as soon as I added the second scale the readouts of both axes freeze / jitters by +/- 5um when the axes are moved.

If I unplug either of the linear scales the other one works just fine, which rules out an issue with either scale.

The DRO is by Vevor:

**LINK**

and the scales are by Warco:

**LINK**

Can anyone offer a suggestion as to what might be going wrong?

I’ve tried adding a ground wire from the DRO to the machine but it made no difference …

Many thanks for your help 🙂

David

Edited By David Hogg on 10/04/2022 13:12:27

Wow thank you all so much for your time and advice, it's hugely appreciated 🙂

I think I'll start by spending some time finding out what the limits of my current setup are before I start buying more things (I did enough of that when I first bought the machine 😆! ).

Not 'pussy footing' or taking cuts that are too light needs some getting used to! In all other forms of craftsmanship I've experienced it's always been that you can never be too gentle with tools / machines ... but here it seems it's actually detrimental to the tool to be too gentle!

I certainly hear what you're saying about internet videos, and there's definitely a huge variety out there, from great to really poor ... although that said, I'm sure you also get a variety in the quality of books depending on who's written them, although the variation probably isn't as pronounced.

I think the Blondihacks tutorial videos I've been following deserve credit, with many of the comments left under the videos saying how Quinn has a knack for explaining techniques in a very clear and logical way, with some machining professors even advising their students to use her videos as a great starter for their courses.

Still, I'm happy to accept that no tutorial / guide is perfect, whether it's a video or a book, and that nothing can replace learning things (and making mistakes 🙈! ) hands-on. Still, between Blondihacks and this forum, I feel very well supported in my journey into milling land! 🙂

Thanks again!

David

Edited By David Hogg on 29/03/2022 22:38:10

Wow thank you so much for your replies everyone 🙂

I suppose it’s like asking what is the best type of shoe to buy — everyone will probably say something different and there’s no wrong or right answer 😄

My machine has a maximum speed of 2000rpm, and with my very rough understanding of speeds and feeds, I think I need at least a 4 flute 10mm cutter to be able to cut at a reasonable feed speed, which I guess helps eliminate some of the lower flute count options?

Also because of my mill’s small size, it probably doesn’t have the power to take off the large amounts of material that carbide tools excel at, and hence perhaps carbide tools are unnecessary for my setup? Although on the flip side, as they’ll never be pushed hard, their increased hardness will probably mean they’ll still outlast HSS cutters with no real disadvantages?

The only reason I’m thinking of getting a better end mill, is that even at a very slow cutting speed and shallow cutting depth when using the side of the end mill, the surface finish when conventional milling is poor, and Quinn has suggested this might be because of a poor quality end mill — I currently have a set of these:

https://www.axminstertools.com/proxxon-4-piece-milling-cutter-set-6-10mm-474927?glCountry=GB&glCurrency=GBP

Apparently these are HSS-Co5 according to Proxxon’s website.

Finishing passes when climb milling gives a lovely shiny surface finish.

Quinn’s advice was that it’s not worth buying cheap cutters and to spend as much as I can afford on good quality cutters … but it sounds like this isn’t necessarily the case? I’m really not doing much work on my machine, but it would be nice to know I’ve got a good quality set of cutters to start with.

It’s sounding like uncoated 4 flute HSS-Co8 or carbide tools would be just fine? I’ve seen some of these for as low as £10 which just feels too cheap!

Thanks again for your help!

David

Hi all 🙂

I’m slowly starting to use my Axminster SX1 / Sieg X1 micro mill and currently i have a set of Proxxon end mills … but I understand, like with all things, you get what you pay for, and more expensive cutters will cut cleaner, can take heavier cuts and will last longer … my current ones were about £50 for 4 different sizes … so pretty cheap!

I’m happy to invest in a higher quality end mill, especially as I find I’ve only ever used one size so far (10mm) … but there are SO many to choose from!

I’ll mainly be working in aluminium, but want to have the ability to work in other metals too in the future … Cutwel seem to have an amazing range but I’ve got no idea where to start!

**LINK**

Quinn of the YouTube channel Blondihacks (who has basically taught me everything I know so far about milling and is a great tutor) advises against Carbide tools which most small hobbyist machines aren’t able to push hard enough for them to work properly (?), so I guess that rules those types out, but there are still hundreds more to choose from!

Any pointers or advice you can give would be much appreciated.

Many thanks,

David 🙂

Great news! 😁

The finger collets arrived today and on initial measurements I'm getting about 0.01 to 0.02mm run out on both of them (6mm and 10mm ones) on the shank of the milling cutters themselves ... MUCH better! 😎

Thanks for your help in confirming this was NOT normal for the ER20 system!

Axminster have issued me a freepost return label and they'll give me a full refund for the holder and two collets too, so all's well that ends well 👍🏼

Cheers!

David

Martin – Ah, I tried various degrees of tightness of the collet nut itself, but yes as you mentioned it doesn't change the fact the taper in the collet holder is already way out.

I could definitely do that check of marking the high point, just out of curiosity more than anything else. I did try removing the holder and pushing it back into the spindle taper a few times and it didn't seem to make any difference, but I didn't use any markings to do it very scientifically 🤪

Frances – Ah yes I always engage the lock on the head gib before doing any drilling / milling, although that won't have made any difference in my run out tests I would have thought?

Andy – Interesting, and yes that was the sort of result I was getting ... except it was digits changing drastically rather than a needle waving back and forth 😄

NDIY – As per Jason's post! 😄

Wow thanks for all your kind replies everyone 🙂

Andrew - yes maybe that was maybe a bit harsh, sorry! 😂 And a sample size of 1 isn’t very representative either …

Frances - Yes I found to my cost (literally!) how much more expensive Axminster can be! I ended up getting a precision vice from Chronos and it was about 25% cheaper, and some ground steel parallels from Chronos which were 50% cheaper! … Such a rip off for exactly the same products from the same manufacturer! I bought some other bits from Axminster when I got the mill as I thought it made sense to get everything from one supplier … but I really should have shopped around a bit!

Sorry, what did you mean did I tighten the head? I gently tightened the drawbar on the top of the spindle if that’s what you mean?

not done it yet - yes this was one of the measurements on my drawing and it was extremely straight, I barely saw any change on my DTI’s display which has a resolution of 0.01mm.

I’ve ordered two finger collets from Arc Eurotrade now and have submitted a support request to Axminster for a refund for the collet holder and the two collets I bought from them too (no use to me without a holder!) … will let you know how I get on.

Thanks again for everyone’s support, I’m surprised / grateful how active this forum is! 😀

David

Thanks for your quick reply Jason 🙂

Yes I didn’t think it was normal, particularly as the holder I bought had ‘precision’ in its name!

https://www.axminstertools.com/axminster-er20-precision-collet-holder-2mt-910250

Thats a good point about the disadvantage of finger collets being they make it harder to see what you’re working on, I hadn’t considered that …

Maybe I should first ask Axminster for a replacement to see if it’s any better?

Maybe I’m being a bit pedantic given that I’m so new to all this, but I’d rather make sure I’ve got a good setup from the outset and then any problems I encounter will purely be down to user error! 😄

Thanks again,

David

Hi ‘not done it yet’ 🙂

Yes that’s fine by me — I’d rather buy a few more collets of exact sizes and have better accuracy than use something inferior. The collets themselves are broadly the same price (and you then don’t need the additional holder either), so aside from being able to use one ER collet for a range of sizes within a range of 1mm, I don’t really see the advantages of ER collets, given it seems to introduce concentricity errors 🤔

I’ve checked the slots of the collet and they’re clean, but given the taper inside the collet holder is already out by 0.25mm (which is enough to be able to see the collet holder wobbling by eye!), I’m not sure I’ll ever be satisfied with the accuracy of the ER collet system.

I trusted the advice of Axminster when buying the collet holder as I just asked what do I need to hold the milling cutters in the mill and that’s what they recommended … they didn’t even mention finger collets … probably because it’s not something they stock!

I will be returning the ER collet holder and collets as defective and getting myself some finger collets I think … does that sound like a good move? 🙂

Thanks so much!

David

Hi Jason, Mike,

Thanks so much for your quick replies, it’s really appreciated 🙂

Yes that was the first mistake I made — not inserting the collet into the nut first…! So it has been inserted correctly 👍🏻

The run out on the internal taper of the spindle is the “<0.01mm” text in green with the arrow pointing to the dotted blue line, so that’s fine.

I’ve just measured it and the run out on the internal taper of the collet holder is about 0.25mm.

I’m thinking of just getting some of these collets instead, to remove the extra source of error by having the collet held by another holder:

**LINK**

I wished I’d gone with these first as I imagine they’ll be much more accurate / less prone to errors?

Thanks again for your help 🙂

David