Milling Slide for my CL250M

[Ian MellorsParticipant @ianmellors72388]

So I turned 56 last week and SWMBO bless her got me one of these

https://www.warco.co.uk/lathe-milling-slides/302953-lathe-vertical-milling-machine-slide.html

with this

https://www.warco.co.uk/lathe-milling-slides/303017-milling-slide-vice-lathe-tool-post-vertical-slide.html

It was never going to fit straight onto the lathe and there are a few issues with the items that I will come to later. But here's step 1 – a 100x100x6mm steel plate drilled and tapped to take the m5 screws supplied with the slide and 4 6mm holes to take the T nuts that were supplied with the compound slide

At least it fits and is very sturdy. The screws supplied with the vice were too long and did not allow it to be properly fixed to the slide. More are on the way and as soon as it's fitted I'll do a test cut or two.

Edited By Ian Mellors on 18/06/2021 13:33:10

[Ian MellorsParticipant @ianmellors72388]

[Ian MellorsParticipant @ianmellors72388]

On the list for improvements:

1. Add a registration mark on the fixed ring under the rotating scale
2. Replace the brass handles with a single Clarke/C1 two part one. Arc sell them as spares. I will need to work out how to get an M4 thread where the current M5 ones exist, or make a new inner bolt with an M5 thread on the end
3. Colour match the plate to the lathe. I did plan on painting the slide frame too, but it's very heavily crackle finished and the casting looks very poor. I dread to think what lies beneath that paint!
4. Possibly trim the steel from the plate where it overhangs the right hand side of the saddle. Problem is I don't really have access to anything that can cut accurately.

[egaParticipant @ega]

Congratulations on being 56 years young!

Your 4. could be done by anyone with a 6×4 bandsaw or, dare I suggest, a hacksaw, file and some patience.

[Ian MellorsParticipant @ianmellors72388]

Posted by ega on 18/06/2021 14:46:49:

Congratulations on being 56 years young!

Your 4. could be done by anyone with a 6×4 bandsaw or, dare I suggest, a hacksaw, file and some patience.

Thanks

Just realised I have had the lathe for 16 years now …

We have a large angle grinder at work but the cut edges on the plate are so good from the supplier I would struggle to get anywhere near the accuracy of the remaining three sides. It will probably stay as it is

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

So you have years of pleasure ahead of you!

The excess metal on the baseplate,is unlikely to cause any problems. You won't be needing then Tailstock whilst you are milling.

In my limited experience, Vertical Slides are not that rigid, so light cuts and feeds would be the order of the day, for me.

Can also be used for co ordinate drilling and reaming, of course.,

If it needs saying, to set the Vertical Slide before making the datum marks for the angular swivel,

if you face a large diameter piece in the chuck the face will be square across the bed. Locating the slide against that will set that square, so that in the future, when the datum marks align, you know that the slide is square to bed and any angular offset will be accurate from that Zero point.

Howard

[Ian MellorsParticipant @ianmellors72388]

Thanks Howard, good advice. #1 son tells me they have lots of large metal cutting machines at college, so he's going to get 15mm trimmed off the plate on Thursday.

Already tested it out milling 0.5mm off most of the T nuts that I've bought that should fit the saddle but don't. Worked really well taking 0.25mm at a time with an 8mm end mill at max revs.

One day I'll have a proper milling machine, but for now this will do nicely to take sections of toy train chassis out etc. Next job is a Hornby 9f chassis that needs space for a firebox led

[Ian MellorsParticipant @ianmellors72388]

After an enforced break from anything (6 weeks in Trelisk Hospital Cornwall having small bowel surgery) I have finally used the slide in anger.

First off a slot in a Hornby 9F chassis to make space for a firebox LED

and secondly machining to a triang "Princess" front bogie to fit later 9F footsteps and a portion of a GBL 2-6-4 Tank engine rear pony

Like a knife though butter with an 8mm end mill with the lathe on full speed. Very happy with the slide, does what I need it to do until I can get my hands on a CL251MH milling attachment in the future

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Good that the V S and the lathe are being put to good use in pursuit of other hobbies.

Since the lathe was probably made by Sieg, Arc Euro may well be able to provide many of the bits that you need, as they sell Sieg machines..

Howard

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