Harold,

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.

The plan is for lots of woodwork in addition to simple electronics
fabrication and, over time, lots of Al plates with tab A one side and
slot B on the other.

Is there such a thing as a preferred end mill for mortising?


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.

My first attempts will be on some test pieces vs. the table, but that
sounds like a plan. With some luck, my table saw might have a blemish
in a harmless location.


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)

No offense taken. The whole time I was wrestling the mill over the 30
ft from my driveway to its current location, I was feeling pretty good
that I did not go for the knee mill, at least not right away - not that
I would even attempt to move one myself.




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.

I suspect that where it matters, I will have height to burn because the
parts will be small. But I could be in for a surpise.


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.

I've never knowingly drilled a hole in a machine (I once discovered one
in a shared vice and had to wonder) and have no plans to do so. Rest
assured I mean a reference hole in the work piece.


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.

Only the bit about drilling a hole in the table I'm following fairly
well, but am not sure about using a dial indicator to locate relative to
the part. It sounds like a good way to go. In studying the mill, I
have been getting ideas of making some kind of clamp to grab the
head/spindle/quill/column to hold an indicator. Is it easier than that?

The indicator could be on the table, but how would I create or find a
good target on the spindle? There are very few flat surfaces up there,
and I fear the curvature would make for large errors.

So far, I'm even a little nervous about even having room to change
collets over a work piece. That might complicate using an edge finder.
Milling with the spindle significantly extended probably has a role
in the solution.



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.

I'm starting to figure out the latter. Actually, I am overdue to visit
the gentleman who taught me the little I know.

Thanks!!!!

Bill