How to start

[Highpower]

I've made my fair share of bumps too. Have broken a couple of end mills also when turning the handles the wrong way too because I let myself get in too much of a hurry. It happens...  

When cutting large pockets I've learned to take out the bulk of the material with a regular twist drill first. A good sharp drill removes metal much faster than an end mill. And your end mill will have an easier time removing the remaining 'swiss cheese' after the drilling.  

[Nikon1975]

(04-27-2018, 10:05 AM)Dr Stan Wrote: I expect there is a company similar to Harbor Freight or Shars in your area.  If so it's cheaper to buy a set of parallels.

As to plunging with an end mill make sure you are using a center cutting 2 flute end mill for the task.  It's also a good idea to drill a pilot hole slightly smaller than the end mill to give you a spot to start the milling.

The small set costs  50 euros, but I wanted to make some as an exercise.

D.

[Nikon1975]

One question: as it is clear that I need a different stand for the mill, I was thinking to build something also to add some weight. I now have the mill on an old dining table and I use it sitting. I see that most operator use the machine while standing. What to you think the height of the stand should be to work safe and comfortably ?

Also I understand the short leaves story, but how do you deal with hot chips landing on your arms ?

D.

[Vinny]

The height of the table depends a lot on the height of the mill. I like to have the collet chuck around chin height. That way I don't have to bend over too often to see what's going on. I recently built a stand for mine, it's in the project section called "Table for my mill". Here's a pic of the finished stand (without the drawers) with the mill mounted on it. Right now I wish I had mounted it closer to the front tho. This link is also to the above mentioned thread.

http://www.metalworkingfun.com/showthrea...6#pid60716

As to hot chips, I usually use a shield. There are many shield projects here, try the search. Hopefully it'll find some of the ones buried in the "what did you do today" thread.

[Hawkeye]

I would suggest setting the height so that, when you hold your forearm parallel to the floor with your hand flat, the top of the vise is right about that level. That's where mine is and it works fine for me.

Long sleeves aren't recommended around spinning equipment, so it pays to make up some kind of polycarbonate shield that you can attach to the head of the mill so that it stays between the bit and you. A magnetic stand for a dial indicator is usually the most versatile for this purpose.

[Vinny]

(04-27-2018, 10:39 PM)Hawkeye Wrote: I would suggest setting the height so that, when you hold your forearm parallel to the floor with your hand flat, the top of the vise is right about that level. That's where mine is and it works fine for me.

Long sleeves aren't recommended around spinning equipment, so it pays to make up some kind of polycarbonate shield that you can attach to the head of the mill so that it stays between the bit and you. A magnetic stand for a dial indicator is usually the most versatile for this purpose.

What if your table goes up and down?

[wawoodman]

(04-27-2018, 11:14 PM)Vinny Wrote:

(04-27-2018, 10:39 PM)Hawkeye Wrote: I would suggest setting the height so that, when you hold your forearm parallel to the floor with your hand flat, the top of the vise is right about that level. That's where mine is and it works fine for me.

Long sleeves aren't recommended around spinning equipment, so it pays to make up some kind of polycarbonate shield that you can attach to the head of the mill so that it stays between the bit and you. A magnetic stand for a dial indicator is usually the most versatile for this purpose.

What if your table goes up and down?

That’s what averages are for! Elbow height is a convenient measurement for a lot of tools.

[Nikon1975]

I can't deny I am kind of proud of my first real "part". It is not perfect and it took more sanding than I thought. I hesitated to make the chamfered cut around the display, but I think it turned good, not perfect, but good.
I was really careful, like writing the sequence of turns of the dials for the critical cuts. 

For the cut of the knob, as I did not have a boring head I made a round cut with a round saw and clean the center with an end mill.

I would really appreciate your comments and corrections. It basically took me two days to make the front panel.

D.



   

   

[TomG]

You should be proud. You've actually machined something that is useful and looks great. If you weren't hooked on this machining thing before, you are now.

Tom

[Hawkeye]

Most of your work will be done close to the top of the vise, using cutters fairly close to the same size. The table gets lowered to accommodate a larger work piece. Set the mill up using your most common cutter(s), then do the elbow thing.