"jim rozen" wrote in message
...
In article , Harold & Susan Vordos says...

Yes, extremely annoying, especially if you've learned to use a "drop
spindle" type vertical mill (Bridgeport type). Horizontal mills are
rather
limited in function, but do a much better job at certain functions than
the
Bridgeport types do. If you had but one choice, you'd not want it to
be a
horizontal. Way too limiting.

OK, I'll bite here. Harold I've gotten you know your style
to some degree here, and your peculiar approach to iron oxide.
I've even come to dislike rust a tiny bit myself.

But this horizontal-bashing has got to stop. :^)

There's one thing that a horizontal mill does not have,
and that's a quill. (granted certain deckel machines
do a pretty good imitation, but we're going to leave
out the top end stuff)

I rest my case! :-)

I ran my small shop for 16 years with nothing but a BP, no horizontal,
though there were a few times that I wished I had one. I agree with you,
for metal removal they have no equal. It almost numbs the mind to watch a
side cutter in chrome-moly cutting a slot 3/4" deep X ½" wide @ 6"/min (or
faster). Yep, that's impressive! You can cut metal faster than you can
haul the chips off. Problem with that is the typical home shop machinist
rarely, if ever, faces a job of that nature. Running side cutters too
fast and feed at a snail's pace is death on them. Life leaves in a hurry
as they scratch away @ .0003" per tooth because seldom do operators run the
machine to capacity. It just looks wrong, so they don't do it. Even some
guys with experience.

I'm not against horizontal machines, it's just that I couldn't have produced
the work I did without a drop spindle machine. That is likely to be true
of almost everyone. To be limited by a horizontal machine alone would not
be a good thing, depending on the nature of the work at hand. Doing the
nature of work we encounter is more difficult on horizontal machines. Been
there, done that. The other rather major problem is that tooling (cutters
and arbors) is far more expensive than end mills are. How much money
would a home shop type operation care to invest in tools that are seldom
used?

I've run the horizontals, including large K&T's, VanNormans, Cincinnati,
etc. Great machines, but for general machining I'd never make one my only
choice. Reason? Same thing you mentioned. One loses too much
flexibility without a drop spindle.

Yeah, I still hate rust. :-)

I forgot to mention. Before I left Utah I purchased a horizontal attachment
for my BP. I've yet to use it, but I'm thrilled to have it.

Harold