The Adventure Begins - Winter project

[Team DeSade]

That's a truly clever solution using what you have available

[getatorch]

Man you fixed yourself up quite a neat tool there. NICE!

[platypus20]

started to run the mill today in earnest, I'm very happy with the results, no vibration, clean accurate cuts, but also a few concerns. First, the 5" swivel vise is too small, I'm going to have to get a 6". Secondly, I going to have to relocate the electrical controls, as they are now on the backside of the mill head. Third, the shop seems to be a black hole in regards to proper lighting, the more light you have on seem to have no effect on the total amount of light available.

jack

[mccutter]

Originally Posted by platypus20

I've started a search through one of my friend's machine shop, for a replacement head assembly. Because I have a job coming up that will require lots of mill work and not wanting to switch back and forth from set up to set up, emergency plan "B" went in to play. I made a new knuckle, to adapt my Central Machinery, mill/drill head to the Bridgeport column and knee. This is used only until the replacement head can be found and purchased, (at 11:30 pm last night a replacement head was found, if I can wait until March 2009, it will be free). The mill/drill head is R8, and is 16 speeds, and the main use will be with a rotary table/lathe chuck assembly, for cutting arched slots in aluminum.


Jack

No wonder you took the HF mill/drill off the market...

[platypus20]

Originally Posted by mccutter

No wonder you took the HF mill/drill off the market...

I really could have used the influx of cash, by selling the mill/drill, but after finding the damage to the current head and looking a replacement mill heads, like the one on ebay for $1600+, and the ability to get a free head in 3/09, the choice became very clear. As I have a use for the mill now, and I only paid $500 for the complete mill, I couldn't see paying 3+ times, more to get a head, to make it work, I could have bought a newer complete mill for less than $2000. The mill/drill head is really a good piece, almost no run out, solid build, new bearings and I already had it, the only real problem with it was the lack of a knee. The idea of using it was almost a snap decision, and as it doesn't require any modification to the Bridgeport, I really felt at worst it would be a waste of a few hours if it didn't work out, also the modification to the mill/drill can be reversed, so I really haven't lost a thing. So far it has worked flawlessly and the fact it uses R8 collets is a real bonus.

jack

[ken98k]

Originally Posted by platypus20

I really could have used the influx of cash, by selling the mill/drill, but after finding the damage to the current head and looking a replacement mill heads, like the one on ebay for $1600+, and the ability to get a free head in 3/09, the choice became very clear. As I have a use for the mill now, and I only paid $500 for the complete mill, I couldn't see paying 3+ times, more to get a head, to make it work, I could have bought a newer complete mill for less than $2000. The mill/drill head is really a good piece, almost no run out, solid build, new bearings and I already had it, the only real problem with it was the lack of a knee. The idea of using it was almost a snap decision, and as it doesn't require any modification to the Bridgeport, I really felt at worst it would be a waste of a few hours if it didn't work out, also the modification to the mill/drill can be reversed, so I really haven't lost a thing. So far it has worked flawlessly and the fact it uses R8 collets is a real bonus.

jack

That is perfect example of yankee ingenuity.

[platypus20]

I'm very happy with the results, today I was running the mill, using a 2 1/2" Grizzly fly cutter with the 4 TPU carbide inserts, on both steel and aluminum, and the mill worked great, no vibration, very smooth finish and the whole unit seems very solid.

Jack