Buying a mill – What basic Toolkit?

[VicParticipant @vic]

The six most often things used on my mill are:

Machine vice

ER32 collet chuck

Parallels

Drill chuck

Copper and hide hammer

One inch paint brush for clearing scarf

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Jon Gibbs on 30/10/2017 09:56:22:

I'm really interested in these posts – there's certainly more than one way to skin this particular cat.

True of anything in engineering. That's why personal preference should not be underestimated as an important factor.

For example I use my clamp set regularly.

I have made t-nuts with undersize M6 threads for small items.

Neil

[Dave HalfordParticipant @davehalford22513]

Till you know want you want to make.

3" vice -bog standard machine vice not a wobbly tilting one. Make it's locating blocks for your first project

Cutter holder – Vertex Osborn clone suits me as you don't have to wang it up very tight and I have a load of threaded cutters, others like ER versions for plain cutters.

tee nuts can be 60p each at Warco – pairs of clamps are best from RDG – buy extras at an ME show. Get some decent threaded rod in whatever size fits your table slots.

Parallels – small thin ones, lathe tool blanks will do for thick ones.

That covers the two primary objectives.

• holding the work still
• holding the cutter

The rest is nice to have which you may never use..

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

A dial indicator has to be an essential as a vice will certainly need to be set true to the machine axes and even a clamp setup may have pre machined faces to set up. The head of the mill may need tramming if it is moveable or if the column is bolted on.

Mike

[VicParticipant @vic]

Posted by Mike Poole on 31/10/2017 09:21:58:

A dial indicator has to be an essential as a vice will certainly need to be set true to the machine axes and even a clamp setup may have pre machined faces to set up. The head of the mill may need tramming if it is moveable or if the column is bolted on.

Mike

I was shown how to get the head of a mill vertical with a long bent rod and a fag paper! Half a thou over 30 inches is close enough!

[David Standing 1Participant @davidstanding1]

Posted by Muzzer on 30/10/2017 12:31:10:

Posted by Andrew Johnston on 30/10/2017 10:49:26:

Clamp sets – you can never have enough sets, I have 3x½" for the surface grinder and lathe faceplates and 4×5/8" for the mills. Places like MSC have special offers, around £30 per set

Indeed – currently MSC has the generic "52 piece clamp set" on offer at £30 or so (look at the last page of this month's offers shown in the link). I got a (second) set from them recently and they are pretty decent. It would cost you more than that in cutters to "just make your own". Apart from the myriad clamps themselves, there is a useful selection of tee nuts and bolts that are useful for holding down vises etc. I seem to manage 90% of my work in the machine vises. Either way, the table has tee slots, so you are going to want a set of tee nuts and bolts…

Murray

Murray

I was going to grab one of those – but the offer expired on 27 Oct

[Danny M2ZParticipant @dannym2z]

Posted by Vic on 31/10/2017 09:59:37

I was shown how to get the head of a mill vertical with a long bent rod and a fag paper! Half a thou over 30 inches is close enough!

Indeed it is Vic; So could you please give a bit more info as I am sure that I am not the only interested person here.

* Danny M *

[Anonymous]

Posted by David Standing 1 on 31/10/2017 10:09:25:

I was going to grab one of those – but the offer expired on 27 Oct

I was wrong, I've got 5 sets of the 5/8" clamps.

I wouldn't worry about the offer expiring; I'd be pretty surprised if it wasn't in the next flyer as well. The items on offer from MSC don't seem to vary much from flyer to flyer.

Andrew

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

Posted by Vic on 31/10/2017 09:59:37:

Posted by Mike Poole on 31/10/2017 09:21:58:

A dial indicator has to be an essential as a vice will certainly need to be set true to the machine axes and even a clamp setup may have pre machined faces to set up. The head of the mill may need tramming if it is moveable or if the column is bolted on.

Mike

I was shown how to get the head of a mill vertical with a long bent rod and a fag paper! Half a thou over 30 inches is close enough!

I suppose essential is an over emphasis but it does make life easier

[David Standing 1Participant @davidstanding1]

Posted by Andrew Johnston on 31/10/2017 11:01:28:

Posted by David Standing 1 on 31/10/2017 10:09:25:

I was going to grab one of those – but the offer expired on 27 Oct

I was wrong, I've got 5 sets of the 5/8" clamps.

I wouldn't worry about the offer expiring; I'd be pretty surprised if it wasn't in the next flyer as well. The items on offer from MSC don't seem to vary much from flyer to flyer.

Andrew

 

Andrew

I've already checked the November flyer, only the 5/8 ones are on offer (my Warco mill is 12mm).

But, they have some good offers, I am sure you are right that they will appear again, and I have signed up for their newsletter; so thanks for that

 

 

Edited By David Standing 1 on 31/10/2017 13:46:40

[Anonymous]

Posted by Vic on 31/10/2017 09:59:37

I was shown how to get the head of a mill vertical with a long bent rod and a fag paper! Half a thou over 30 inches is close enough!

Must be higher quality fag papers, as mine measure 1 thou thick.

Andrew

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

I would imagine a feeler of any thickness can be used with a bent rod just keep adjusting until you have the same feel in each extremity.

Mike

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