New mill being delivered...

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

DTI to set the work and vice true.

Edge & centre finders

J

Edited By JasonB on 02/09/2013 13:36:20

A drill chuck...?

Regards,

Geoff

Chris

What mill are you getting?

ER 32 collet sets come with up to 20mm dia cutter collets, have you bought them separate? could end up more expensive buying them individually?

Rotating tailstock center !

Regards

George

Two pieces of advice:

1) Stop spending. Don't buy any cheap tools until you absolutely need them. Then buy ONLY tools you need and quality.

2) If you are any new to milling buy a book "Milling: A Complete Course" Harold Hall. And in meantime visit his site:

http://homews.co.uk/page463.html

Some of the clamps and other workholding equipment can be bought, but quite a bit is least as good when made at home.

PekkaNF

Hi Chris,

I agree with the advice given by MikeW. If you want to make your own vice here are a few webplaces that may be of interest:

Screwless vice, another one, I made a similar one myself. Dean's version.

One from CNC zone

Regards

Thor

Edited By Thor on 02/09/2013 14:22:46

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 most useful accesory, after the assorted clamps (homemade) is the angle plate.

Russell.

An IKEA Jansjo lamp? £10

Gary

Most used accessory?

After the vice (with apologies to Harold "Clamp Evangelist" Hall!) my home made ER25 chucks, my self releasing drawbar and then my rotary table (but I do like making gears and wheels etc.)

Neil

To be fair to Harold, he's obviously travelled the road to Damascus, having just given us a series on milling vices!

Edited By Stub Mandrel on 02/09/2013 22:01:47

A simple mod I made to mine was to add four M12 washers to the X-axis feed handle to keep the dog clutch permanently engaged.

Gary

Re: clouting the drawbar to release the taper. I have suggested using a rubber hammer, but I find now that it is less effective than using a light steel hammer to tap the drawbar end. Not a heavy blow, just enough to release it. This implies that you don't need to tighten the spindle very much in the first place. Just nip it up. You will soon get the feel of it.

Geoff

Just a point on hitting the drawbar. Hard faced Thorex mallet is the thing. If you use a metal hammer, be sure to wind the drawbar nut up to the top of the threads so as not to burr the thread over.

Phil

I have the same mill and also chose a 3MT version so I could use my lathe tools. Don't overtighten the drawbar. I use an aluminium hammer to release the tools but cringe every time I hit it.

As previously said, buy quality tooling as you need them. Keep an eye on e-bay for good used tools. A quality used tool is far better than new asian junk. You can also make lots of your own.

Happy machining.

Same here, but I always lock the quill before hitting it to keep the shock, such as it is, off the rack.

Russell.

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

Chris, the drawbar on the X3 doesn't have exposed threads on the top end. It's a hex socket and so unlikely to damaged. I went for the R8 as a result of reading many threads on which taper to choose. Never needs more than a light tap.

Gary

Doesn't the X3 have a slot in the quill for MT3 tool 'persuasion'? I keep forgetting it is there on my old Warco minor.

The other thing for tool removal is a pair of those U shaped wedges.

I do apologise to all you MT3 people, but I agree with Gary. I am sure that the MT3 works fine in holding tooling but R8 holds and then lets go when you want it to.

Edited By Norman Lorton on 04/09/2013 21:40:31