The search function will find you a fair bit of info.

2 flute cutters are used for plunge cutting on most mills?

I prefer to cut under-size and run a finishing cut – we are mostly hobbyists and most do not have hugely rigid machines! And time is not normally a huge issue.

Any mill will use a dovetail cutter – just depends on how you use it to do the job.

Alignment should be preserved, but some machines likely need ‘fettling’, dependent on what precision is required for the uses it is put to.

Are columns ever really more rigid than necessary on modern chinese offerings? They are built to a price, not quality, these days.

Motors and gears on these cheaper machines can always be an issue – often (I think) down to the operator trying to get more out of the machine than was ever put in it.

I don’t have one, but I have read so many threads on here and other fora.

As lathes.co.uk give the FB2 and clones a decent write up probably worth chasing down whatever is causing yours to misbehave. That 1mm movement is a major issue, perhaps wear or damage, maybe something just needs adjusting.

Although the FB2 is a small machine, in good condition it should be able to plunge with a 2 flute cutter, cut to size and do dovetails. But plunging and dovetailing both require rigidity; any lack of rigidity in the set-up will multiply the difficulties.

Can you put up some photos, including the end of your 2-flute cutter. Not all 2-flute cutters are designed to take centre cuts, there has to be some arrangement for dealing with cutting and swarf at the centre.

I have a WM18 and pleased with it. It has an 1100W brushed DC motor, no problems after 6 years! Always dangerous to generalise but blown controllers and damaged motors & gears seem to go with chaps who push too hard for too long, and those who start & stop the motor without winding the speed-control up and down. (My mill's electronics aren't smart enough to cope with this : it's roughly equivalent doing a boy-racer burn off at the traffic lights, not good for the innards!)

Mills are never rigid enough! It's a good question though because the WM16 / 20V family are a compromise. Better than most round column types but less stiff than a knee mill. Driven within it's capabilities my WM18 does all I want of it but it sure does have limitations.

Main shortcoming from new – no DRO. Once in a blue moon it would be nice to have power traverse, but not essential for what I do.

Dave

The answers for my WM16 in order of questions are:

Yes up to about 6mm in steel but you have to go slooow if you have any mechanical sympathy

In steels yes, but not in one hit – after roughing out, I generally do one side then t'other, never tried very small slots at one pass,' spect they would be oversize though.

Don't know – I expect it would be doable but slowly to respect the mechanical limitations of the mill

Yes

Nope

Not yet

Table too big, column too small, motor too noisy and no taper eject on the spindle not happy with slow heavy cuts.

The new fangled carbide tooling has been a boon for this mill and I have changed technique to suite – set RPM to maximum possible, shallow depth of cut, calculate a suitable lightish tooth load and twirl the handle to approximate the required feed. Basically treat as a manually operated high speed CNC mill hi speed lite cut repeated often until your arm gives up.  Much less shake rattle and roll.

Edited By Martin of Wick on 27/04/2020 18:01:03

Edited By Martin of Wick on 27/04/2020 18:04:01