Vertical Mill Plans
 

I've been searching archives and the web for days, fruitlessly trying
to find plans for construction of a small vertical milling machine.

I know there must be some out there, but I can't find them.

I've found plenty of horizontal milling machine plans, milling with
your drill press plans, etc, but nothing on building a vertical mill.

If you know of anything, let me know, please.

Tillman

Vertical Mill Plans
 

"tillius" wrote in message
ups.com...
I've been searching archives and the web for days, fruitlessly trying
to find plans for construction of a small vertical milling machine.

I know there must be some out there, but I can't find them.

I've found plenty of horizontal milling machine plans, milling with
your drill press plans, etc, but nothing on building a vertical mill.

If you know of anything, let me know, please.

You might try a web search on "Pookatuck". That was the name of a company
that made casting sets for some types of small machine tools and I think
that aficionados may have uploaded plans for at least some of them
somewhere, possibly in a Yahoo group.

Mike

Vertical Mill Plans
 

I've been searching archives and the web for days, fruitlessly trying
to find plans for construction of a small vertical milling machine.
I know there must be some out there, but I can't find them.

My personal opinion is that you can buy an import mill for less that
you could make one even if you only consider your time worth min wage.

Vertical Mill Plans
 

Chuck - Yes - I've seen that - I don't want the plans to build one so I
can save money, I want the plans to learn more about them.

Then I'm going to find one that's junk and re-build it or we'll build
one from scratch (debating the whole cupola foundry thing, but maybe I
can pay someone to cast the iron bits). I don't need it so I don't want
to just buy one, I want to learn more about them and share the
rebuilding or building of one with my son (currently 10).

Mike, Thanks for the info on the Pookatuck - but it's Pootatuck and
there's a yahoo group with most of the prints available online, so I"ve
got at least a start.

Tillman

Vertical Mill Plans
 

BTW - if anyone's looking for plans like these - you can find a bunch
of info in the files section of the Lewis Machine Tool group on yahoo:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Lewis_Machine_Tool

Tillman

Vertical Mill Plans
 

Yep! Second that, Chuck. If the OP is dead set on buying a mill kit, I
suggest he should buy a mill drill, take it all apart and then rebuild it
from the component pieces. The desire to build things from "scratch" comes
off as a little strange, to me. Where does "scratch" start? At the
foundary; at the iron ore mine; at the blast furnace; where??

Bob Swinney




"Chuck Sherwood" wrote in message
...
I've been searching archives and the web for days, fruitlessly trying
to find plans for construction of a small vertical milling machine.
I know there must be some out there, but I can't find them.

My personal opinion is that you can buy an import mill for less that
you could make one even if you only consider your time worth min wage.

Vertical Mill Plans
 

" If the OP is dead set on buying a mill kit, I
suggest he should buy a mill drill, take it all apart and then rebuild
it
from the component pieces."

You need only a dial indicator to show the inaccuracy of an assembled
mill-drill. Then you can decide how accurate you want to make it and
price the square and straightedge you'll need.

Repeat until budget and actual needs coincide.

jw

Vertical Mill Plans
 

can save money, I want the plans to learn more about them.

How about the David Gingery make a lathe, etc books.

http://www.lindsaybks.com/dgjp/

chuck

Vertical Mill Plans
 

Bob,

What do you do with your mill?

Why not just job it out?

Buying junk and rebuilding it is an option, as I stated in the above
post.

As far as need - I don't NEED a mill at all. Most of the peeps who do
hobby metal working don't NEED a mill, but it sure helps them enjoy
their hobby.

And for me, as I stated above, "scratch" starts at foundry, although
I'm inclined to outsource this, since I'm not sure how much I'd enjoy
melting and pouring iron. Where do you draw the line at scratch? I
guess it depends - woodworkers build a cabinet from 'scratch' - they
may fell the tree, mill the lumber, dry the lumber, design the cabinet,
cut, dado, route, glue, sand, finish, etc, or start at any point in
that process - buy the lumber ready to use, buy a cabinet plan, by the
cabinet compenents already cut, or buy the cabinet already assembled,
but needing finishing, or just go to the big box and buy a ready-to-use
cabinet.

The real value in this is the same as going fishing, building a clock,
building a model steam engine, building a custom dune buggy or kit car,
flying model airplanes, etc. All of those things are a little strange.
Given the cost of fishing gear, you could buy fish cheaper. Clocks are
fairly accurate and a whole lot cheaper (time wise) than building one.
How many people NEED a model steam engine? My pre-assembled car gets me
where I want to go. I watch birds fly and it doesn't cost me a dime.

I think my son and I would really enjoy doing this together. If that's
strange, then more folks should be strange.

Tillman

Vertical Mill Plans
 

Have that one - it's a horizonal mill. Wanted a vertical mill option as
well. Actually the Pootatuck plans are exactly what I wanted.

If anyone knows of any others, though, I'd welcome more sources.

Tillman

Vertical Mill Plans
 

As far as need - I don't NEED a mill at all. Most of the peeps who do
hobby metal working don't NEED a mill, but it sure helps them enjoy
their hobby.

Well you can mill in a lathe; I tried it once; Didn't like it much.

I have 3 mills. I use my vertical mill more than my lathe for hobby
work. Can't imagine not having a vertical mill and horizontal mills
are just cool!

I have a shaper too. Now that I really don't NEED, but it is even
cooler than the horizontal mill.

He who dies with the most wins!
He who uses his tools has the most fun.

chuck

Vertical Mill Plans
 

Yeah - see - that's it - the cool/fun factor - that's what it's about.

I'm getting a free horizontal mill - picking it up next week - it's
from 1900-1910 - off an old naval ship. Was powered by line feed, but
now got a 2HP 210/3Phase motor on it. Maybe we'll just end up building
a vertical head attachment for that mill, one with a quill.

Besides, wouldn't it be cool to put DRO and CNC capabilities on an
early 1900's mill?

Tillman

Vertical Mill Plans
 

Take a look at the CNC mill project on

http://www.5bears.com/index.htm


Paul

Vertical Mill Plans
 

On 18 Oct 2005 17:44:21 GMT, (Chuck
Sherwood) wrote:

As far as need - I don't NEED a mill at all. Most of the peeps who do
hobby metal working don't NEED a mill, but it sure helps them enjoy
their hobby.

Well you can mill in a lathe; I tried it once; Didn't like it much.

I have 3 mills. I use my vertical mill more than my lathe for hobby
work. Can't imagine not having a vertical mill and horizontal mills
are just cool!

I have a shaper too. Now that I really don't NEED, but it is even
cooler than the horizontal mill.

He who dies with the most wins!
He who uses his tools has the most fun.

chuck


Excellent summation

G

Gunner

"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire.
Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us)
off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give
them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the **** out of you
for torturing the cat." Gunner

Vertical Mill Plans
 

On 18 Oct 2005 10:23:56 -0700, "tillius"
wrote:

I think my son and I would really enjoy doing this together. If that's
strange, then more folks should be strange.

I think it's a great idea and project. Be real nice if you could
document th' process with pics so we could follow along.

Snarl

Vertical Mill Plans
 

Thanks for the link! I don't think I'll ever build one, but I sure like
reading all about doing it. It helps me with ideas to build other things
too!

Eide

"tillius" wrote in message
oups.com...
BTW - if anyone's looking for plans like these - you can find a bunch
of info in the files section of the Lewis Machine Tool group on yahoo:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Lewis_Machine_Tool

Tillman

Vertical Mill Plans
 

"tillius" wrote in message
oups.com...
Chuck - Yes - I've seen that - I don't want the plans to build one so I
can save money, I want the plans to learn more about them.

Then I'm going to find one that's junk and re-build it or we'll build
one from scratch (debating the whole cupola foundry thing, but maybe I
can pay someone to cast the iron bits). I don't need it so I don't want
to just buy one, I want to learn more about them and share the
rebuilding or building of one with my son (currently 10).

Mike, Thanks for the info on the Pookatuck - but it's Pootatuck and
there's a yahoo group with most of the prints available online, so I"ve
got at least a start.


oops - sorry about the typo. That spelling always gets me.

Vertical Mill Plans
 

"tillius" wrote in message
ups.com...
Bob,

What do you do with your mill?

Why not just job it out?

Buying junk and rebuilding it is an option, as I stated in the above
post.

As far as need - I don't NEED a mill at all. Most of the peeps who do
hobby metal working don't NEED a mill, but it sure helps them enjoy
their hobby.

And for me, as I stated above, "scratch" starts at foundry, although
I'm inclined to outsource this, since I'm not sure how much I'd enjoy
melting and pouring iron. Where do you draw the line at scratch? I
guess it depends - woodworkers build a cabinet from 'scratch' - they
may fell the tree, mill the lumber, dry the lumber, design the cabinet,
cut, dado, route, glue, sand, finish, etc, or start at any point in
that process - buy the lumber ready to use, buy a cabinet plan, by the
cabinet compenents already cut, or buy the cabinet already assembled,
but needing finishing, or just go to the big box and buy a ready-to-use
cabinet.

The real value in this is the same as going fishing, building a clock,
building a model steam engine, building a custom dune buggy or kit car,
flying model airplanes, etc. All of those things are a little strange.
Given the cost of fishing gear, you could buy fish cheaper. Clocks are
fairly accurate and a whole lot cheaper (time wise) than building one.
How many people NEED a model steam engine? My pre-assembled car gets me
where I want to go. I watch birds fly and it doesn't cost me a dime.

I think my son and I would really enjoy doing this together. If that's
strange, then more folks should be strange.

Tillman
Sorry - I didn't mean to hook your fatherdom! It's just that your post
sounds like you aren't quite sure where you are on the curve.

Bob Swinney

Vertical Mill Plans
 

Hey - no prob - I think we're going to rebuild this Southbend 9" lathe
first anyway. That should take a while, and in the meantime I'll keep
looking for a clapped out mill I can steal the heavy cast stuff from.

Gonna have a couple of young men helping me restore it, My son (10), a
neighbor boy (5) whose 'dad' left, and another friend of my son's (also
10) and whose 'dad' also left. Can you believe that neither of those
two other boys has been fishing? That's just a shame!

Well, at least my son likes the idea of them helping us, especially
since "they don't have a cool dad like I do" :)

Tillman

Vertical Mill Plans
 

Thanks for being a man for those kids!

Eide

"tillius" wrote in message
ups.com...
Hey - no prob - I think we're going to rebuild this Southbend 9" lathe
first anyway. That should take a while, and in the meantime I'll keep
looking for a clapped out mill I can steal the heavy cast stuff from.

Gonna have a couple of young men helping me restore it, My son (10), a
neighbor boy (5) whose 'dad' left, and another friend of my son's (also
10) and whose 'dad' also left. Can you believe that neither of those
two other boys has been fishing? That's just a shame!

Well, at least my son likes the idea of them helping us, especially
since "they don't have a cool dad like I do" :)

Tillman

Vertical Mill Plans
 

I bet I get more out of it than they do. Ever seen a kid catch his
first fish? Or a kid use something they made with their own hands?

I bet that's what heaven is like.

Tillman