On Sun, 09 Nov 2003 05:48:07 GMT, "Peter Grey"
wrote:

This is a horizontal mill, yes? My understanding was that they're not as
versatile as a vertical mill...?

Maybe I should try to find a used machine tools dealer in my area.

Peter

Horizontal mills are as versatile as vertical mills, but are more
difficult to do some things with. On the other hand, they do some
things better than vertical mills.

Depending on your application, they both have strengths and
weaknesses. I have two verts and one horizontal, and find myself
using the horizontal more often than the two verts combined, some
months, and visa versa in others.

I also use the heck out of a shaper.

Gunner



"jim rozen" wrote in message
...
In article et, Peter
Grey
says...

I'm a jazz musician and there a ton of players that believe that one
needs a
$8,000 guitar in order to make good music. My 30 year old $1,500 guitar
feels and sounds like a $8,000 guitar, but I wouldn't have recognized
this
guitar had I not owned and played a lot of other guitars. Those guitars
weren't what I wanted ultimately, but I learned a ton by playing them.
I'm
sure that the equivilent of my guitar exists in the mill world.

What you want is a solid mill, inexpensive, that fits into a small
shop - with a small footprint and low overhead. Bounus points
for high quality and a 'name.'

I would suggest what I chose for a similar application:

http://www.metalworking.com/RCM-gallery/files/Rozen,Jim/Nshop2.jpg
http://www.metalworking.com/RCM-gallery/files/Rozen,Jim/Nshop3.jpg

This machine looks like hell but it just won't quit cutting metal.
Total cost from a used machinery dealer was $800 about ten years
ago. It had been pretty well abused and I had to replace the
handwheels, and make a new feed nut for the table. But after
cleaning it up it's been a strong worker in my shop and does not
require much attention at all.

The latest chip-fest involved making a specialized puller
for removing a timing gear from a vintage motorcycle crank.
The correct puller would cost about a bazillion dollars if
one could find one for sale, and they're not for sale. So
I had to take some chunks-O-steel and build two blocks that
would get under the gear, in the limited space. Then I had
to drill mating holes in a steel ring to hold them, and
allow a puller to grab. The thing worked first time, and
it was all hogged out, rough and ready, on the horizontal.
The limiting factor was how tightly the small vise would
hold the parts - early on in the project I realized that
a part rip-out was entirely possible.

You can find machines like this, in much better condition
than the one I bought (I have a soft spot for 'wing-down'
stuff) for a bit more money. Watch on ebay and you do
sometimes see them go by.

Jim

==================================================
please reply to:
JRR(zero) at yktvmv (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com
==================================================





"By calling attention to 'a well regulated militia', the 'security' of the
nation, and the right of each citizen 'to keep and bear arms', our founding
fathers recognized the essentially civilian nature of our economy. Although
it is extremely unlikely that the fears of governmental tyranny which gave
rise to the Second Amendment will ever be a major danger to our nation, the
Amendment still remains an important declaration of our basic
civilian-military relationships, in which every citizen must be ready to
participate in the defense of his country. For that reason, I believe the
Second Amendment will always be important."
-- Senator John F. Kennedy, (D) 1960