04-04-2019, 09:25 PM
This is what success looks like.
The T-slot cutting went off without a hitch. I honed the 6 teeth of the cutter with a diamond hone, touched off on the top surface (don't worry, the surface will be ground yet), brought the knee up by the calculated amount and aimed a jet of coolant at the cutter. Didn't take any photos during the cut, didn't want to get distracted and there was nothing to see anyway as the slot was full of coolant. It cut like butter, very pleasing. The only real difficulty was clearing chips from the last section of the slot- piling chips up in the slot behind the cutter means that the first part of the cut piles the chips up in what will be the last part of the cut. I solved that by putting the air nozzle in there and blasting coolant and chips out of the slot and onto everything else in the shed.
Next job will be to mount the worm wheel for the tilt adjustment. This means drilling a few holes in the centre so I'll do it with the vertical attachment before removing the assembly from the RT. A previous user has done serious damage to the gear, presumably by trying to 'undo' the drive pinion without loosening the locking bolts. The pinion shaft and worm were cactus; thankfully the nod adjustment parts are identical. I'll drill another hole for the locating dowel and install the gear 180 degrees rotated so the damaged teeth (facing the camera here) won't be used unless I decide to use the head upside-down. The two 1/4" bolts and the 5/16 roll pin had been sheared off and the hole for the roll pin damaged, must have really been committed to getting that thing undone!
That can wait until next week though, I think that T-slot earned me an afternoon off.
The T-slot cutting went off without a hitch. I honed the 6 teeth of the cutter with a diamond hone, touched off on the top surface (don't worry, the surface will be ground yet), brought the knee up by the calculated amount and aimed a jet of coolant at the cutter. Didn't take any photos during the cut, didn't want to get distracted and there was nothing to see anyway as the slot was full of coolant. It cut like butter, very pleasing. The only real difficulty was clearing chips from the last section of the slot- piling chips up in the slot behind the cutter means that the first part of the cut piles the chips up in what will be the last part of the cut. I solved that by putting the air nozzle in there and blasting coolant and chips out of the slot and onto everything else in the shed.
Next job will be to mount the worm wheel for the tilt adjustment. This means drilling a few holes in the centre so I'll do it with the vertical attachment before removing the assembly from the RT. A previous user has done serious damage to the gear, presumably by trying to 'undo' the drive pinion without loosening the locking bolts. The pinion shaft and worm were cactus; thankfully the nod adjustment parts are identical. I'll drill another hole for the locating dowel and install the gear 180 degrees rotated so the damaged teeth (facing the camera here) won't be used unless I decide to use the head upside-down. The two 1/4" bolts and the 5/16 roll pin had been sheared off and the hole for the roll pin damaged, must have really been committed to getting that thing undone!
That can wait until next week though, I think that T-slot earned me an afternoon off.
Lathe (n); a machine tool used in the production of milling machine components.
Milling Machine (n); a machine tool used in the production of lathe components.
Milling Machine (n); a machine tool used in the production of lathe components.