I picked up a Taig 2019 mini mill recently, and have been using it to do
some CNC engravng while I learned how to use my software and get a feel for
my machine. Mostly I used some 1/8" shaft stuff to do some engraving.
Today I decided it was time to make some tight fitting solid t-bolt nuts and
rails to fit in the table. Something a little better than the flat plates
that came with the mill. Also helicoiled to a common size so I could pick
up a variety of different length screws to use with clamping fixtures.

Thinking everything would be honky dory I sliced some 3/8" aluminum plate on
the table saw to 5/8" wide strips So I could mill it down to 1/2" to fit the
table grooves. Then I got it clamped up on the mill table with a couple
welding clamps. I used the shaft of an 1/8 mill point to get the bar
straight roughly to the table travel, and proceeded to swap collets to use a
1/4" flat end mill to rough material off of one side only to find out that
my 1/4" shaft mill point would not fit in the 1/4" collet with the collet
snapped into the nut. Then I tried with the 3/8" collet with a 3/8" shaft
end mill and got the same results. The ER16 is what is supposed to be used
in this mill, and the collets where clearly labeled for the size I was
trying to install and use.

Am I missing something? If I took the collet out of the mill head nut I
could force the shaft in, but then it would not snap into the nut at all. I
measuered the shafts of the various mill points I was trying with a caliper,
and the 3/8 measures .375 and the 1/4 measures .250 so I know its not that,
but hey I had to check and make sure right.

Bob La Londe
www.YumaBassMan.com