"Bill Schwab" wrote in message
link.net...
I have a rebranded Rong Fu 31 (I thinkg) that is hopefully getting off
to a good start. I am open to do/don't suggestions on oiling etc.

Dumb question: for practice, I aligned my vice using a dial indicator.
It was fairly smooth, but not something I would want to do every day.
Should I be concerned about leaving the vice in place for long periods?
I would hate to find rust where there was once a nicely machined table


That's common practice in machine shops, but if you use any kind of water
soluble sprays or coolants, you could find some rust----or often a black
discoloration. As long as you're working with oils and other hydrocarbon
based solvents, I wouldn't worry too much about it, but be somewhat cautious
otherwise. If your environment isn't rusting things now, there's little
reason to expect rust under protected surfaces.

If you do any wood work on the machine (not all that uncommon), make sure
you don't leave any damp chips behind. I've used my metal cutting machines
for that purpose countless times with no problems, but I clean up well
afterwards.


Is there a trick to mounting an indicator on the spindle? I put it in a
chuck. Is there a better way?

Not as far as ease of use. By using a chuck, you have something to grasp to
position the indicator, which is important if you're sweeping in a bore or
the table. You can mount directly in a collet, depending on the hardware
you have available for your indicator, but that leaves you with little to
grasp while you're dialing items where you have to rotate the spindle. Works
fine for a vise or other things that require the table or saddle to be
moved, not the spindle, so choose accordingly.


Speaking of the table, most of it is quite clean. There are a couple of
small dings that I assume will be best honed or lapped away. What
should I _not_ do?

If you're familiar with draw filing, that's the way to remove dings on a
table. A single cut file (best not a new one, which is usually quite
aggressive) is placed on the table of the mill and drawn sort of sideways
along the table with light palm pressure on the file. Given the proper
application, it glides over the table with no consequence, but removes
anything that stands above the table. Cast iron is very good about cutting
away easily, unlike steel. If the file traverses the surface smoothly and
doesn't hang up on anything, the table is clean. If anything stands up,
you'll feel it. Just repeat the process until you don't. You'll be able to
see where it was, and how it was removed to flush with the balance of the
table.

Before even checking prices, I knew about the tool change, head height,
registration woes of round column machines. I can live with it (670
pounds was quite sufficient for me and my engine hoist), but will
welcome ways to reduce the hassles.

Think ahead, and make sure that once you've established location and have
your dials related to the part, make sure you don't have to move the head.
Know what tools you're going to use, and make sure that the long ones can be
installed and used, as well as the short ones. Where you get into trouble is
using end mills in collets, then changing to a collet mounted drill chuck
and using large, long drills and reamers. You run out of spindle, which is
the chief reason I hate mill drills. On knee mill, you can move and not
lose registration. (Not trying to be rude here)

One of the more interesting suggestions was to use a collet chuck. My
problem is that google returned so many hits as to be useless. Can some
kind soul who knows what is going on provide a link to the right gizmo
(or refute the idea)?

Unless you intend to stay with the machine for the unforeseen future, or if
you intend to use it for gain, where time is important, I think I'd stick to
collets and not worry about it. One of the negatives of using any kind of
quick change is that you generally add to the length of the spindle, costing
you rigidity unnecessarily, but even worse, valuable space. You'll have
limited height to begin with. I'd strongly recommend you not reduce it any
unless you have good cause.


An edge/center finder is on its way. For most things, layout lines will
probably be more than sufficient. Otherwise, I am thinking of
drilling a reference hole for "when" I get lost, and then working
relative to it.

Not in your table! Good machinists don't drill holes in
machines------especially not by choice. As long as you have a method of
locating your part as it relates to the spindle, just make it a habit of
always doing it a particular way. Should you get lost, you can go back and
start over. You'll use your edge finder or a wiggler, or even an
indicator, depending on the setup. That's no different from a hole, which
you'd have to relate to in the same way. Lost in this? Did I not
understand the hole concept? Maybe you have a thought that got past me.
Lets talk about it. If you aren't familiar with typical shop practice,
maybe you can find someone locally that is a machinist, or at least has some
experience so he/she can guide you. Otherwise, it's best to ask for more
information here. Ask specific questions if you're stumped. There's way
too much information to dispense to give answers that you have. It won't
take you long to figure things out with a little guidance from this group of
people. Many are machinists by trade.

Good luck!

Harold

Reading suggestions are welcome.

Bill