PW wrote:


What does a horizontal mill do that a vertical can't , or vica versa?


Well, from what I've seen, a horizontal mill has a horizontal drive
shaft above the work. You slot cog-like cutting tools onto said shaft
and make it spin them as the work passed by underneath, cutting nice
channels and so on. Or facing the side edges of the work.

Whereas a vertical milling machine has a vertical shaft which points
down at the work, like a column drill (drill press). You can still cut
channels with it, just the cutter acts on a different plane. It's not as
good for facing the sides of things, though, I expect.

With a horizontal mill you can stack several cutters along the shaft
with spaces inbetween in order to cut several parallel channels in the
item as well as facing the sides, should you feel the need.

I need the lathe first so I can't wait a bit on the mill 'till I get a
better handle on "what's what".

You can do a lot of milling type stuff in a lathe - imagine clamping a
shaft in the lathe with cutters attached, and you have a horizontal
milling machine if you clamp the work to the cross slide. And if you
bolt an angle plate to the slide and bold the work onto that and put a
cutter in the lathe vice, you have a vertical milling machine on its
side. And you can use the lathe as a drill. And all sorts.

I want a lathe, but if I get one it'll fall through the floor of my 1st
floor flat and kill the people on the ground floor, which would be
unfortunate.


Thanks
Phil


ABS