Engraving machine to milling machine.

Edited By JasonB on 04/01/2021 18:46:26

I think you may find rigidity a problem.

Ooops... Hit the wrong button!

For some time I've been thinking of adding a full size milling spindle to my Taylor Hobson CX engraving machine.

I was going to make my own spindle but yesterday I rediscovered a rusty Myford Lathe bed with headstock in the deep dark recesses of my garden shed.

A few hours work & the headstock appears viable - bearingd & tapet socket protectef by old oil - 😁result 😁

Another few hours & a simple bracket show that it will fit & in the lashed up shown gives a useable surface area of 6" x 18" ish with up to 6" depth.

Does the panel think that it's a viable project?

I agree that rigidity will be a problem, but cutters up to 6mm would probably be usable. A bracket across the gooseneck would help.

Hi Clive,

See post above - just a lash up to prove the concept.

I'm a clockmaker so intended for light duties but yes..... I'd look at fitting it to an angle plate on top of the machine. 😊

If you are going to be using small cutters in brass etc then you are not going to be able to run that plain bearing spindle very fast so it's going to be slow going. Variable speed spindle with an ER nose would be a lot simpler to graft onto the engraver Or just use the engraver's spindle if you intend to use small tooling.

Hi Mart,

As mentioned above intended for light duties & I think its got to be better than using D bit cutters in the engraving spindle.

 I have used a Taylor Hobson many years ago, and even made a little rotary table for it to engrave instrument dials, and pressure gauge dials.

You could also use a die grinder with 3 and 6mm collets in a similar setup.

Edited By old mart on 04/01/2021 19:11:19

Edited By old mart on 04/01/2021 19:15:13

Hi Jason,

I already use the engraving spindle for copy milling & am trying to reduce the strain on the fine spindle & the pantograph joints. Something a little more robust without breaking the bank. Might look at replacing the plain bearings with ball races.

I've got a 6" Taylor Hobson tilting indexing table stuffed away somewhere, how does it hold cutters in the original spindle? Won't it hold small end Mills?

Hi Pete,

Engraving cutters are held in a simple taper, usually with a retaining cap & the spindle can't hold parralel sided cutters.

A collet spindle that can take small mills used to be available but..... Hens teeth are commonplace by comparison!

Hi Adrian,
If you want to help another Forum member, John is looking for a bullwheel and you won't need that one See:

https://www.model-engineer.co.uk/forums/postings.asp?th=170138

Robert G8RPI.

I wondered about that bullwheel, but it may be from a newer lathe than an ML4.

The blurb Taylor-Hobson supplied with their larger machines (such as one I used at work years ago) suggested using them as copy-millers and even lightweight vertical mills for fine work. The latter entailed mounting a steady-bar between cutter-head and machine frame. Indeed we did use ours for engraving out the D-connector holes as well as labelling the aluminium panels for the electronic equipment the company made.

Nevertheless converting one to a vertical mill seems a bit chancy, but it should be OK used within its structural limits and without the pantograph, such as for clock-making.

'

I have what I think is the same model, awaiting a bit of work, principally finding / making a cutter collet and obtaining suitable belt; but I bought it purely for engraving. A proper set of copy would be handy but I do have a rotary copy-wheel so all is not lost - just one character at a time and due care for proportional spacing..

I recall one particularly unusual task at work though. We had to make a stylus for a special plotter, and the body of it was two pieces of bronze shim folder and joined by slits and tags. The big problem was making the slits, maybe only about 0.3mm wide X perhaps 10mm long. I ground a cutter to a very fine tip, and used that with a large reduction on the pantograph. It took a few attempts as the cutter tip was so thin it broke easily, but eventually I succeeded, testing the slits with an off-cut of the shim.

I'm pretty sure it is from a mid to late ML1/2/3/4. It's not a a ML7 or 10 for certain.

Robert G8RPI

Hi Nigel,

I used to run one some 40 years ago, machining and engrsving large controlpanels for the coal and electric boards.

Have you tried pantograph services? They do drive belts, copy & some spares.

Regretfully replacement spindles are no longer availiabe 😢, hence my desire to reduce the workload.

Hi Robert,

Would the serial number help identifying it?

I'm pretty sure it's on the bed somewhere.

Unfortunately I can sympathise with the inability to obtain vintage machines accessories too well, maybe a spindle built from a straight shank ER collet chuck could work, I think a youtuber Steve Jordan built something like that.

Robert,

Serial number is LK 462