Fobco or a Clarke CMD 1225 milling capabilities? or other recommendations?

[jacobsmessParticipant @jacobsmess]

I’m looking for advice on buying a first mill.

I want to mill some splines on a hardened steel shaft to begin, then onto other more basic stuff… possibly.

I’ve heard the Fobco drills were designed for some light milling capabilities does anyone have , other options are a clarke CMD1225.

Any recommendations on suitable units for a tight budget (<£350) and a small workshop?

[Clive Brown 1Participant @clivebrown1]

Fobco produced a specially modified version of the “Star” drill for light milling, but the much more common ordinary version is not suitable at all.

[howardbParticipant @howardb]

“I want to mill some splines on a hardened steel shaft to begin, then onto other more basic stuff… possibly”

Milling splines on a hardened steel shaft is not a normal operation.

Normal would be to mill the splines on the shaft in the soft/annealed condition and then harden it.

The clarke CMD1225 is a good basic mill/drill which will machine to quite close limits with an experienced operator. I had a similar machine in a workshop in the 90’s just to do odd jobs.

3 mt spindle, 750 watt motor, belt drive, big heavy machine for what it is – close on 200 kg.

But – it’s got a round column so you lose the dimensional accuracy if you crank the powerhead up.

If you can find one for £350 you will be lucky, and Machine Mart & Sealey don’t seem to list it any more.

Best of luck.

 

[jacobsmessParticipant @jacobsmess]

Thanks Howard. Yes I’ve come to that conclusion, I will have the shafts annealed and hardened after milling. Thats good to hear that the Clarke machine is capable, I’ll look to pick that up.

 

Thanks Clive, the description on lathes.co.uk suggests for the fobco drills they are capable of light milling. The universal had the addition of the xy table.

[jacobsmess]

On jacobsmess Said:

Thanks Clive, the description on lathes.co.uk suggests for the fobco drills they are capable of light milling. The universal had the addition of the xy table.

In addition, the Universal has a screwed spindle nose to enable holding of collets, an important feature completely lacking in the drill version. It also has a fine downfeed. I think that you will find a Universal hard to come by, especially within your budget.

 

[DiogenesParticipant @diogenes]

I think it depends more on which spindle was fitted – those with a Jacobs Taper aren’t suitable for milling work.

[jacobsmessParticipant @jacobsmess]

Thanks. There is actually a Universal for sale on Ebay at the moment although photos don’t show if it’s a screw spindle nose clearly. It’s also 3 phase but this could easily be overcome.

[jacobsmessParticipant @jacobsmess]

There’s actually a few Fobco universals on marketplace and a “seven 8” also that are within budget.

Would these be a better machine than the clarke?

[jacobsmess]

On jacobsmess Said:

Thanks. There is actually a Universal for sale on Ebay at the moment although photos don’t show if it’s a screw spindle nose clearly.

If it’s the one I’m seeing it also lacks the x-y table and the fine downfeed gearbox, so its milling capabilities are severely limited, it’s effectively a drill only, and a bit battered at that.

PS; there’s a separate Fobco table listed elsewhere at a starting price of £542, but an Asian one might do and would be cheaper.

 

[jacobsmessParticipant @jacobsmess]

Thanks for the continued response. I think I’ll grab the clarke then. Seeing as it’s setup for milling already and has a bit of tooling with it.

[DiogenesParticipant @diogenes]

The ‘family’ that the Clarke belongs to are useful & able mills if you are on a budget – I’m very content with my mine, haven’t found any compelling reason to replace it with anything ‘better’ yet.

 

[jacobsmessParticipant @jacobsmess]

Brilliant thanks. Is it the cmd 1225 you have?

[DiogenesParticipant @diogenes]

No, a Warco Major – it’s a little larger, but same general layout and mechanics.

If you want to search for more info and spec. for the CMD1225, large numbers were sold under other designations that included both ‘RF25’ and ‘ZX25’.

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