Member postings for Chris Parsons

Thanks for the additional information - I have both of Howard Hall's milling books, excellent guides - and will be making a good bit of the tooling myself

Think perhaps I am worrying about the drawbar removal too much, I will not overdo it and I already have a copper/hide hammer which I will use to save the drawbar top and locking the quill first is an excellent suggestion

Thanks Thor for the links to the vices - the first one was an excellent site, keep me busy for months, there is loads of stuff on there I am thinking about having a go at now

Think I have worked out the principle of the self releasing drawbar now so this is an alternative too

I don't subscribe to any of the options so missed the series on milling vices which was mentioned - and even if I did now would not get the 'back issues' ??

Two days and counting...

Chris

Jason U - I smiled and then thought good point, most of my 'stock' is round bar!

Michael - I am going to have a go at making a 'split' vice as in Howard Hall's book so I can mount work directly on the table, and hold off on the commercial vice - they are expensive (looked at a Vertex VA4 but think it might be too big for the table?) Already got a flycutter on a straight shank but may eventually get one with a taper. Got cutting fluid (use it on lathe and bench drill) Got parallels but good point about packing - might also make some of my own clamps/fences (good practise)

Good source for quality cutters? With no experience it's hard to judge good or bad...most of the stuff I get from Tracy Tools seems OK?

Jason B - Already got a dial indicator, DTI and an edge finder but not centre finder (yet) Bought a mount to fit the DTI to the quill (looks like an Indicol?)

Geoff - comes with a drill chuck fortunately (one less thing to buy)

George - got an ER32 set from ArcEuroTrade with chuck and 6 collets in case - 6, 8, 10, 12, 16 and 20mm? Rotating tailstock center??? I have one for the lathe but it's MT2, what would I use this for on a mill? Oh, and the mill is a Sieg SX3

Thanks for all the suggestions, if you don't ask you never learn

One other thing is the issue about clouting the drawbar to get the (MT3) taper out - been trying to visualise the various posts about self extracting drawbar modications

I went for MT3 in the end so I could use the tooling on the lathe

Cheers

Chris

My new mill is being delivered on Friday (wahoo) and I am trying to anticipate what I need to get started, with the proviso that having just stumped up a lot of money *sob* I am looking for the minimum at the moment?

I have bought an ER32 collet chuck, collets from 6 - 12mm, a set of workpiece clamps, and will nip up to Tracy Tools in the next couple of days to get some HSS end and slot mills - they do sets from 3 - 12mm which I thought would get me started, perhaps with a few extra spares - not sure which sizes to get extra having said that....

I have the normal stuff for using with my lathe, measuring, marking out and so on - can anyone suggest anything else that they would consider to be really essential to get going?

Thanks

Chris

I also build model aeroplanes and the electric market has expanded there too - quieter and less messy, and many models can now be purchased and flown almost 'out of the box' - ARTF (Almost Ready To Fly) but am am still looking for IC power for my latest (am planning to have a go at building a FireFly as this is the perfect size, bit brave but you can but try)

Most of the pleasure for me (as a boy and now a big boy) was the skill and enjoyment of cutting and sanding balsa wood and creating something with your own hands from a plan - and as a newcomer to model engineering I have taken the same approach. I know you can buy ready made parts but I made my own steam pressure release valve, and am making my own boiler (albeit slowly) but I guess if battery power 'floats your boat' thats ok too! (there you are, planes, trains and boats all in one post!)

I am perhaps not so old (55 nearly) and am into Information Technology for a living so do embrace the modern world but also think it worth keeping some of our heritage...and learning new skills is a brilliant way to spend your time rather than spend all day watching football on the box and ohhh the smell of coal, oil and steam...

New (first) mill is ordered and will be delivered next Friday so life is good...

Chris

Edited By Chris Parsons on 29/08/2013 10:08:52

Edited By Chris Parsons on 29/08/2013 10:10:22

Edited By Chris Parsons on 29/08/2013 10:11:34

The posts on here are always so interesting!

It amazes me to see the extent to which someone's ingenuity will extend - my 'batcave' is so small I am fairly sure if I can get the work in it, I will be able to machine it <g>

I am getting an SX3 which does tilt but still think I would be struggling to fit your table leg in...and the advice seems to be tilt the work, not the mill head to avoid having to keep retramming it?

Did debate getting a trolley for the stand so I could perhaps move the mill a bit (at an angle?) to help fit things on the table somtimes, but this wouldn't help with your casting. I have never tried to machine a casting (another thing to learn in the future)

My lathe has a 16 inch bed/8.5 inch swing - yours looks to be a lot bigger!

Chris

Used to use this in my diving life to remove concretion (barnacles etc) from recovered artifacts

(not much good on old clay pipes though...)

Chris

Ahhh...although the cross slide on my lathe is a lot smaller than the mill I am looking at...

That is one impressive machine, I would not contemplate ever milling work of this size, but in the years to come I may well eat my words

I am fretting over the weight of an SX3 - I cannot imagine having to move a Bridgeport around <g>

There is an option to buy a larger table (700mm) but it is still pretty small compared to your mill

Might consider this at some point if the need arises but you can't have it all at once!

Chris

Should have said the only MT3 tooling I have currently is the centre that came with the lathe (that I haven't found a need to use yet)

Think I am leaning towards getting an ER32 collet chuck to hold the cutters - and an R8 spindle but it looks like Arc are out of stock of the mill with an R8 spindle (SX3) at the moment, nuts

Gives me more time to do some research I guess

JasonB, why bolt things to the lathe cross slide 'due to size'? Is the SX3 not good for smaller work pieces? Or have I misunderstood you? I have previously looked at milling on the lathe (getting a vertical table, chucking, making a drawbar etc) but came to the conclusion that if I wanted to do some milling it's better to buy a mill - and a big (ish) mill will do small (ish) jobs but not vice versa?

Chris

The big moment has arrived to place my order for my new mill....and I am still undecided as to whether to go for a MT3 or R8 taper in the quill?

My lathe has an MT3 taper in the spindle so it seems logical to go for this as I could use any appropriate tooling on both, but I have read a lot of comments about R8 being easier to release, more tooling available and so on

The mill will be metric and the R8 fittings all seem to use a 7/16 UNF drawbar but I don't suppose this will be a big deal (MT3 seem to be available with 7/16 UNF and 12mm drawbars)

What is the general consensus?

Chris

You get it with every digital subscription to ME <g>

Chris

The 2pm meet up is a nice idea?

I'm going on Sunday and will be hanging around (looking lost probably)

Chris Parsons

The motor on the mill (Sieg SX3) is the same as the one on my lathe (Sieg SC4) which are both 1000w brushless - they run off a standard ring main (13 amp plug - I am in the UK, 240v supply)

The ring main and lights are not on the same circuit, the sockets in the 'batcave' are on a 32 amp circuit breaker, and I have never had it trip (so far!) This is a standard circuit in the UK - the same type of socket you would plug your television into, nothing special. If you go for an industrial milling machine (like a Bridgeport) I believe these run off a 3 phase supply and have special supply requirements but I certainly do not have the space for something like this...

It's not very likely I'll have the mill and lathe working hard at the same time - but to put it in perspective an electric radiant heater is 2.5 KW (2,500 watt) and you can run these off a 13 amp socket apparently

All the cabling is up to spec (I studied electrical engineering in college many years ago)

I am more worried about hot metal chips going down my overalls

Be lucky

Chris

Edited By Chris Parsons on 05/08/2013 21:13:06

Steve, you are a gentleman!

Yes, I can see them, excellent photos - and now having seen them I think I will start again and make something a bit better than my current attempt

Looks like the end of the clamp screw pushes a sprung plate, the same as the other clamp which is a lot better than having the screw marking the 'finger' so I am going to do the same.

I have been busy the last week or two installing electrical ducting around the walls of my 'batcave' so it will be nice to get back to doing something a bit more interesting - I have put up a couple of images of this (in Odds and Sods) if you are interested...)

This is in anticipation of a bit of re-arrangement to make room for the new milling machine...

Best wishes

Chris

Edited By Chris Parsons on 05/08/2013 15:40:58

Thanks very much - Michael Gilligham very kindly sent me some scans of the manual, and I have started making one from the images in that but another picture or two might be helpful?

Best wishes

Chris

Nice one!

There is always a silver lining if you wait long enough, I am delighted for you both

...and as has been mentioned, a good news story lifts everyone's day - it has mine

Chris

Thank you John - do you think two guys could reach to get the head back on the column when it is on the stand?

I will get/make a support strut the same as the one shown on the Arc write up

Chris

I am now starting to wonder if I am worrying too much about doing it all when it is delivered...if I park the car in front of the crate and cover the crate up, I think anyone would have a job nicking it (my
driveway(parking space is directly off a main road)

As you say, Murphys law says I will get the last delivery of the day with no light left...

Chris

Ah - thank you Clive, this is just the sort of information I was looking for...

I was heartened to read that dismantling it is not so difficult, the Arc guide
makes it look pretty straight forward

"take the 2 slides off'? You mean the milling table X and Y slides?

Take the milling head off the column complete or the swivel? In either
case I will have to disconnect the cabling?

The only advice I got from Arc was take the head off, take the column off
the base and take the table off, the four components are then manageable

Plan at the moment is to borrow the stair climbing sack truck from work
rather than try and carry the components myself, and use a free standing
engine hoist to drop the base on the mill stand, column on the base and
mill head back on the dovetails - sound feasible? I will strap the components
onto the truck with webbing before trying to move anything

Why did you not want to separate the column from the base? I could try and
move the base and column in one go I guess but it does look pretty heavy.

I have been told the head weighs around 50 Kg but am not sure about the
rest of it...

The lathe was 100Kg and the delivery driver and I got this upstairs on an ordinary
sack truck, him pulling, me pushing (carefully) - what a nice man (delivery driver from Axminster,
he went well above and beyond, 10/10) I used blocks of wood as a fulcrum and lever to drop
it onto the drip tray and line up the mounting bolts

I have already covered the floor with rubber matting, but am not sure what an
'antI vibration rubber base' is?

I can get some cronies around to help me but they only deliver Mon-Fri so
it means having to get them to take the day off work - once it is inside I can take my
time sorting it out, it's only really getting it indoors/upstairs (undamaged - the machinery
and me) that is concerning me (at the moment)

Good to have something substantial when you want to use it, but not when you want
to shift it around *sigh*

Chris

Thanks - think I will put some 'beams' down, can't hurt - I agonised a bit over noise when I got the lathe but it is actually pretty quiet, and the mill is belt driven, and if anything even quieter (perhaps because of no gear chain?)

Out of deference to neighbourly relations I don't run it in the evenings after 7ish anyway, it has not been a problem so far (touch wood...)

After a day at work I am too tired to do much in the evenings anyway usually <g>

Best wishes

Chris

Have also been thinking about this - I boarded the floor completely (on top of the existing floorboards) with 38mm sheets of MDF - but did wonder about sitting the stand on additional 'beams' to spread the load a bit more - worth doing?

The lathe in on a workbench that spreads the load over an area but the stand for the mill has a smaller 'footprint' - 430mm * 720mm to be exact

They will both be up against a (different) wall, and not in the middle of the room

Chris