MetalworkingFun Forum

I would continue on with the plan of getting a mill. They are a lot more useful than for just slotting tubing, as you'll quickly find out when you have one.

Ed

The milling attachment on the lathe allows you to move the part up and down with a feed screw.

Milling on a milling machine is much much easier than milling on a lathe. I know a couple of guys on here and elsewhere do it and well, usually one finds these guys are already very skilled in using the lathe.
It also takes a lot of fore thought to mill on a lathe and some know how.

Just my thoughts

DaveH

Well fortunately I will have access to a full machine shop once I move to Florida so anything that I can't do on the lathe will be able to be done there. I know they have a Bridgeport along with plenty of other really sweet machines. I will still have plenty of projects to do with my Craftsman lathe and I found out that one of the guys that I have had a lot of contact with on Weapons Guild has been using a Craftsman lathe for 30+ years. I'm sure that I will get tons of experience using my little lathe and find out just how much I can do with the milling attachment.

SP,

With a milling attachment that also makes life easier, I was really talking where the lathe is used as a milling machine.
Don't get me wrong, one can mill on a lathe (without a milling attachment) there is a couple of guys on here can but it ain't that easy.

DaveH

The biggest thing I want to use it for is making slots in DOM tubing, finishing 80% AR lower receivers and possibly turning a bolt head. Other than that everything else is really small and I will just have to get used to looking at what I want laying on it's side rather than looking down at it.

(08-23-2012, 05:21 AM)EdK Wrote: [ -> ]I would continue on with the plan of getting a mill. They are a lot more useful than for just slotting tubing, as you'll quickly find out when you have one.

Ed

I definitely plan on getting a mill still when I get settled somewhere. It may be a few years before that happens though. Luckily I will have access to a Bridgeport while I live in Florida.

Oops, double post.

(08-23-2012, 03:36 PM)SnailPowered Wrote: [ -> ]

(08-23-2012, 05:21 AM)EdK Wrote: [ -> ]I would continue on with the plan of getting a mill. They are a lot more useful than for just slotting tubing, as you'll quickly find out when you have one.

Ed

I definitely plan on getting a mill still when I get settled somewhere. It may be a few years before that happens though. Luckily I will have access to a Bridgeport while I live in Florida.

Oops, double post.

OK, I understand now. Milling on the lathe will be temporary until you get to your more permanent home. I thought you were planning on doing all of your milling using the lathe and skip getting the mill altogether. As Dave said, you can mill on the lathe but your work envelope is very small.

Ed

(08-23-2012, 03:33 PM)SnailPowered Wrote: [ -> ]The biggest thing I want to use it for is making slots in DOM tubing, finishing 80% AR lower receivers and possibly turning a bolt head. Other than that everything else is really small and I will just have to get used to looking at what I want laying on it's side rather than looking down at it.

I am planning on making the 80% lowers with my lathe just to say it can be done. Everytime i look at the 80% website they are sold out, and have some money...Bob

Hey snail, continue at your namesake's pace. I lived and learned for years with my old flatbed Atlas and a drill press half of which I built at my brother-in-law's little home shop. Rome wasn't built in a day. How's that for a cliché.
Steve