Milling on a mini lathe

[Tony Wright 1Participant @tonywright1]

It’s not what you’ve got it’s how you use it ! 🤣🤣

[Nick WelburnParticipant @nickwelburn]

Wow – lots of great opinion and thought. My approach is as follows. I’ve ordered this **LINK** and if need be I’ll add a pair of these to the z plate **LINK**

i think i can probably shift this on for half the cost value so it’s £40 risk to me. I’ll give a view on how it works once ive got my kit and castings in my hands.

[Pete.Participant @pete-2]

Posted by JasonB on 28/12/2020 06:59:22:

What's the weight got to do with it, I made a Stuart 10V on a Unimat3 half the size of a Mini-lathe and the Minnie in my Avitar on a 4" ctr height lathe (on Myford) with a vertical slide.

OK, just to clarify, the weight/rigidity of a milling machine makes no difference on its performance?

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Of course it does but as we are talking about cleaning up a cast fork end with a 1/4" cutter and making a couple more 1/8" slots it's not much of an issue in this case.

[Pete.Participant @pete-2]

It never occurred to me that someone would buy all that set up for doing one specific job, if that's the case, fair enough.

[Nick WelburnParticipant @nickwelburn]

Posted by Pete. on 28/12/2020 17:22:55:

It never occurred to me that someone would buy all that set up for doing one specific job, if that's the case, fair enough.

Its not just for one project. However it’s a new hobby.. my other planned projects are fabbing up a pelton hydro setup for heating my house and fitting a vintage supercharger to my classic mini.

I think it’ll get me a few months down the line before I’m eyeballing a new machine.

[Andy_GParticipant @andy_g]

Posted by Nick Welburn on 28/12/2020 14:41:30:

Wow – lots of great opinion and thought. My approach is as follows. I’ve ordered this **LINK** and if need be I’ll add a pair of these to the z plate **LINK**

If you don't mind me saying, that 'Z' plate setup looks awfully erm… 'springy' – both the bracket itself and the amount of overhang it creates will count against a rigid setup.

The carriage lock in the second link is meant for fitting in the rear edge of the saddle, I think.

Good luck!

[Nick WelburnParticipant @nickwelburn]

Posted by Andy Gray 3 on 28/12/2020 18:28:48:

Posted by Nick Welburn on 28/12/2020 14:41:30:

Wow – lots of great opinion and thought. My approach is as follows. I’ve ordered this **LINK** and if need be I’ll add a pair of these to the z plate **LINK**

If you don't mind me saying, that 'Z' plate setup looks awfully erm… 'springy' – both the bracket itself and the amount of overhang it creates will count against a rigid setup.

The carriage lock in the second link is meant for fitting in the rear edge of the saddle, I think.

Good luck!

I thought that hence the plan to add carriage locks on the front…. we’ll see

[Pete.Participant @pete-2]

Posted by Nick Welburn on 28/12/2020 18:22:21:

Posted by Pete. on 28/12/2020 17:22:55:

It never occurred to me that someone would buy all that set up for doing one specific job, if that's the case, fair enough.

Its not just for one project. However it’s a new hobby.. my other planned projects are fabbing up a pelton hydro setup for heating my house and fitting a vintage supercharger to my classic mini.

I think it’ll get me a few months down the line before I’m eyeballing a new machine.

Having tried milling on lathe, I didn't enjoy it, which is why I wouldn't recommend it, I wouldn't recommend something I don't enjoy doing.

Sounds ambitious, I hope you report back with your opinions when you've had a chance to use it.

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

A decent compound table with handles at each end works well, the downside is a changeover weight of 40+Kilos

You lock your cross slide and saddle and use the table for millihg

The advantage with hindsight is zero mess on the slides or leadscrews or in the t-slots no matter how much work gets done

Edited By Ady1 on 29/12/2020 09:27:44

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

The advantage with hindsight is zero mess on the slides or leadscrews no matter how much work gets done

Now, that looks more like it! A vertical spindle mill – laid on its back.🙂

[Mick B1Participant @mickb1]

I think 2/10 is a stingy score for a decent vertical swivel slide on a larger hobby lathe like the Warco WM250V I have.

I've been able to do everything I've needed to so far and its roughly 4" x 3" milling envelope has been enough to encompass the milling and precision drilling for models. Circumventing its limitations also encourages ingenuity, which is what engineering is supposed to be about.

I hope to find funds and space for a mill at some point – I worked a Bridgeport and a Varnamo for pay for much of the late '70s – but I'd give the vertical slide a fair 5/10.

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Posted by Mick B1 on 29/12/2020 21:54:29:

I think 2/10 is a stingy score for a decent vertical swivel slide on a larger hobby lathe like the Warco WM250V I have.

I've been able to do everything I've needed to so far and its roughly 4" x 3" milling envelope has been enough to encompass the milling and precision drilling for models. Circumventing its limitations also encourages ingenuity, which is what engineering is supposed to be about.

I hope to find funds and space for a mill at some point – I worked a Bridgeport and a Varnamo for pay for much of the late '70s – but I'd give the vertical slide a fair 5/10.

Mick,

I do believe that SOD’s comments referred directly to his experience with a vertical slide on his mini-lathe. Do you consider your lathe a ‘mini-lathe’? Doesn’t seem like you were exactly a ‘beginner’ either.

[Mick B1Participant @mickb1]

Posted by not done it yet on 29/12/2020 22:36:04:

Posted by Mick B1 on 29/12/2020 21:54:29:

I think 2/10 is a stingy score for a decent vertical swivel slide on a larger hobby lathe like the Warco WM250V I have.

I've been able to do everything I've needed to so far and its roughly 4" x 3" milling envelope has been enough to encompass the milling and precision drilling for models. Circumventing its limitations also encourages ingenuity, which is what engineering is supposed to be about.

I hope to find funds and space for a mill at some point – I worked a Bridgeport and a Varnamo for pay for much of the late '70s – but I'd give the vertical slide a fair 5/10.

Mick,

I do believe that SOD’s comments referred directly to his experience with a vertical slide on his mini-lathe. Do you consider your lathe a ‘mini-lathe’? Doesn’t seem like you were exactly a ‘beginner’ either.

Well, fair comment, but assuming a reasonable quality of vertical slide, the main difference would be reduction of effective envelope – depending on vertical and crossslide range of movement – plus judicious depth of cut. The Myford Speed 10 on which I did a Stuart Beam engine and a PM Research No.7 twin was scarcely bigger than some mini-lathes.

[Roger BestParticipant @rogerbest89007]

This is a horses for courses thread isn't it.

Tiny machines do a good job of tiny parts, and they turn up frequently, so its a valid method.

That blue fox unit looks pretty cool, not sure why it doesn't have a second jaw that the screws clamps tight, but then they wouldn't sell you the more traditional vise.

[David George 1Participant @davidgeorge1]

(I started a Stuart model lathe on my M Type Myford lathe and bought a vertical slide for the milling and after making a adaptor plate it worked but I had to be creative on how to hold parts. I have a small toolmakers vice which can be held on the slide and I bought a collet chuck which fitted into the spindle. But after working on many machines, Bridgeport,Micron and others at work I found it slow and finaly bought a small mill.

It works ok but a mill as well takes a lot of work out of projects.

David

[Nick WelburnParticipant @nickwelburn]

Well I promised an update. So far I’ve had a surprise import duty bill and an unexpected 14” smoothing plane. Probably best to say it hasn’t been entirely smooth going!

New package should arrive tomorrow and we’ll see how we’ve done on round two.

that said the supplier has been really good to deal with.

[Pete.Participant @pete-2]

Was the import bill for the wrong item they sent?

[Nick WelburnParticipant @nickwelburn]

Hi Pete, the import taxes are for the z slide. It’s just that’s not what was in the box that was posted.

[Pete.Participant @pete-2]

That's unlucky, seems a bit of lottery who gets charged, on the handful of times I've ordered from China it's always got here with no charges, hopefully it turns up tomorrow

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