Guys, although I'm still "backed up" with projects I keep thinking of new ones.
I still have my first mill, a round column mill/drill. Since I got my Tree 2UVR it has been sitting "second fiddle" for that and another reason.
The head casting cracked a while ago where it is squeezed together by the locking bolts used to grip the column, I noticed in later years the mill/drills had changed the head casting and locking mechanism to eliminate the split in the casting, obviously a problematic design.
I had a proffesional welder, who said he could weld cast iron, weld it for me. Well, he may have been a proffesional welder but he didn't know more than I do about welding cast iron. It broke immediately after I cleaned up the welds and put it back on the column.
All this blather to say I'd like to convert the machine to a dovetail or such, square column mill, something like the RF45 style.
Does anyone have any suggestions of a source for such an animal?
or any ideas of fabbing something out of steel? Maybe even fabbing a horizontal type column that could accept a vertical head in the overarm mounts, like Ricks.
I still have my first mill, a round column mill/drill. Since I got my Tree 2UVR it has been sitting "second fiddle" for that and another reason.
The head casting cracked a while ago where it is squeezed together by the locking bolts used to grip the column, I noticed in later years the mill/drills had changed the head casting and locking mechanism to eliminate the split in the casting, obviously a problematic design.
I had a proffesional welder, who said he could weld cast iron, weld it for me. Well, he may have been a proffesional welder but he didn't know more than I do about welding cast iron. It broke immediately after I cleaned up the welds and put it back on the column.
All this blather to say I'd like to convert the machine to a dovetail or such, square column mill, something like the RF45 style.
Does anyone have any suggestions of a source for such an animal?
or any ideas of fabbing something out of steel? Maybe even fabbing a horizontal type column that could accept a vertical head in the overarm mounts, like Ricks.
Busy Bee 12-36 lathe, Busy Bee Mill drill, Busy Bee 4x6 bandsaw, Homemade 9x17 bandsaw, Ad infinitum.