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Metalworking (rec.crafts.metalworking) Discuss various aspects of working with metal, such as machining, welding, metal joining, screwing, casting, hardening/tempering, blacksmithing/forging, spinning and hammer work, sheet metal work. |
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Milling machine test.
I have a new milling machine and my milling machine has a new
operator. That is to say I am very new to the machine tools. Now before I purchased a milling machine I did some research and read a lot about specifications, spindle run out, accuracy, backlash, etc. Some smart people said don't worry about the machine so much as a good machinist will overcome the machines shortcomings... (What a mouthful that sentence was) Of course I'm not a good machinist. Yet. I want to do a practical test with my new machine. Assuming that I have the mill trammed correctly, I thought a practical test would be to put a block of 6061 in the vice and use the end of a mill to mill the top of the block flat. Then flip the block over and proceed to the other side. Repeat until all sides have been milled. Now I should have a sample of how square/flat the machine is capable of, right? Measure the block with a caliper to see what the tolerance/variance is? Of course I'm not including the quality of the end mill, 2 or 4 flute, the vice, etc. So a few questions: 1) What is the correct procedure to mill a block? 2) Should I be using an end mill or a fly cutter/surface mill? 3) Is this an exercise in futility? 4) Should I clamp the stock down to the table in some crafty way to elimate the vice as a variable? 5) What is the best way to set the index in relation to the table or vice with a RF-31? Everyone warned me that you lose the index when you raise the head, but nobody told me how line it up in the first place. :-) 6) What is wrong with me? (Besides my mother dropping me on my head as a baby. And the dent in my forhead) Sorry if all this seems silly. Thanks for you input. Flame away. Seriously any help would be great. -EP |
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