"Dave" wrote in message
oups.com...
Now that is something I would not think of, since what you are really
saying is that you can make flat surfaces. If you are making a flat
surface how do you decide whether to use the lathe or the mill?
Almost anything that can be done on a mill can be done on a lathe .. and
vice-versa. The choice is one of matching geometries. For example, while
one can turn things on a mill, you would be hard put to turn a 1/2" diameter
by 24" long shaft on a mill. But a 1/2" thick by 24" diameter might be
do-able. Similarly, a rotary table is a slow and inconvenient way to turn
things .. but suppose you have to turn only a partial circle. You can, as
stated earlier, make flat surfaces on a lathe using a four-jaw chuck or some
other holding device but it will get increasingly more difficult as you
progress and take far longer than the same operation on a mill. Also, to
mill a long item on a lathe would be difficult and tedious using a milling
attachment, or require a huge lathe. But the decision isn't difficult. If
it's mostly flat, you go for a mill. Mostly round, its the lathe. Also,
try threading on a mill without using taps or dies. With very really
modest amount of experience, and if you have both tools at your disposal, it
is rarely a deep question.
The interesting question, though is how to machine things that are
difficult on either a lathe or a mill ... a keyway slot in a pulley is the
first one that comes to mind --easier on a lathe than on a mill. Also, the
question of milling on a lathe should be restricted to not using a milling
vice because that's really a kind of cheating. Conversely, except for
doing partial circles, a rotary table should be left out because it is to
the mill what the milling vice is to the lathe.
Boris
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