milling machine
 

as any one ever used a milling machine as a wood cutting i have just
purchased one but not received it will be in operation in a month or so i
want to make small parts like wheels etc if any one as ever used one i would
like your feed back on this subject thanks.

milling machine
 

gilles wrote:

as any one ever used a milling machine as a wood cutting
snip

The "speeds" and "feeds" are different for wood than they are for wood,
but a milling machine can certainly handle wood, if it is properly set up.

Have fun.

Lew

milling machine
 

Lew Hodgett wrote:

| The "speeds" and "feeds" are different for wood than they are for
| wood, but a milling machine can certainly handle wood, if it is

Are you really sure about that?

G'morning, Lew. (More coffee, please...) g

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto

milling machine
 

gilles wrote:
as any one ever used a milling machine as a wood cutting i have just
purchased one but not received it will be in operation in a month or so i
want to make small parts like wheels etc if any one as ever used one i would
like your feed back on this subject thanks.

You need to pay close attention to cutter and feed speeds.

Also the grind angles of the cutters.

If you also use the mill for metalcutting the cutting oil really causes
the sawdust to stick making for a messy cleanup.

Otherwise it can work well.

milling machine
 

gilles wrote:
as any one ever used a milling machine as a wood cutting i have just
purchased one but not received it will be in operation in a month or so i
want to make small parts like wheels etc if any one as ever used one i would
like your feed back on this subject thanks.

Which make and model? Price?

milling machine
 

On Sat, 20 Jan 2007 09:48:29 -0800, "gilles"
wrote:

as any one ever used a milling machine as a wood cutting i have just
purchased one but not received it will be in operation in a month or so i
want to make small parts like wheels etc if any one as ever used one i would
like your feed back on this subject thanks.

How much do you know about mills?

Depends on what you bought, but if you've got a manual mill, odds are
it's going to be less than suitable for making wheels. If it's a CNC
mill, or you have a rotary vise, I'd imagine you can get away with it.

Myself, I'd keep the wood off it, if for no other reason than it'll be
a mess when the sawdust sticks to everything. You'd be better off
machining your wheels out of nylon or something, which is a fairly
common practice on metalworking mills.

And generally speaking, a mill isn't going to spin anywhere near as
fast as something like a router.

milling machine
 

"Prometheus" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 20 Jan 2007 09:48:29 -0800, "gilles"
wrote:

as any one ever used a milling machine as a wood cutting i have just
purchased one but not received it will be in operation in a month or so i
want to make small parts like wheels etc if any one as ever used one i
would
like your feed back on this subject thanks.

How much do you know about mills?

Depends on what you bought, but if you've got a manual mill, odds are
it's going to be less than suitable for making wheels. If it's a CNC
mill, or you have a rotary vise, I'd imagine you can get away with it.

Myself, I'd keep the wood off it, if for no other reason than it'll be
a mess when the sawdust sticks to everything. You'd be better off
machining your wheels out of nylon or something, which is a fairly
common practice on metalworking mills.

And generally speaking, a mill isn't going to spin anywhere near as
fast as something like a router.

milling machine
 

"Prometheus" wrote in message
...
How much do you know about mills?

A lot.

Depends on what you bought, but if you've got a manual mill, odds are
it's going to be less than suitable for making wheels. If it's a CNC
mill, or you have a rotary vise, I'd imagine you can get away with it.

No rotory vise needed. Simple tooling and you can make wheels rivaling a
lathe.

Myself, I'd keep the wood off it, if for no other reason than it'll be
a mess when the sawdust sticks to everything.

I tend to agree although I have done it (makes nearly as much mess as
phenolic).

You'd be better off
machining your wheels out of nylon or something, which is a fairly
common practice on metalworking mills.

And generally speaking, a mill isn't going to spin anywhere near as
fast as something like a router.

No, but it doesn't need to.

milling machine
 

gilles wrote:
as any one ever used a milling machine as a wood cutting i have just
purchased one but not received it will be in operation in a month or so i
want to make small parts like wheels etc if any one as ever used one i would
like your feed back on this subject thanks.


a few years ago I upgraded my drill press to a mill-drill.

no regrets at all.

milling machine
 

gilles wrote:
as any one ever used a milling machine as a wood cutting i have just
purchased one but not received it will be in operation in a month or so i
want to make small parts like wheels etc if any one as ever used one i would
like your feed back on this subject thanks.

I have.. I learned to operate one years ago and still find it easier to
set things up on a mill than on a lathe or router table. As mentioned
the Sawdust is an issue but if you clean it (the mill) up after cutting
metal there is no reason for the sawdust to get anywhere the metal
shavings wont get.. and if it does that area should be dry and easy to
vacuum up.

(If you have the cutting fluid spraying all over everywhere when you
cut metal then that is another story)

milling machine
 

gilles wrote:
as any one ever used a milling machine as a wood cutting i have just
purchased one but not received it will be in operation in a month or so i
want to make small parts like wheels etc if any one as ever used one i would
like your feed back on this subject thanks.

I have one of the Harbor Freight mini-mills in my shop. It cost me less
than $500 in 1995. I use it as a drill press more than I do my regular
drill press. My mill has a MT#3 if I remember correctly and I have a
drill chuck mounted in it most of the time. Cleaning all the sawdust
off after each use is a must. When I have a project that calls for
making wheels I try to find a hole saw with the correct diameter. My
RPM range is from 80 to 3500 I believe. One thing I really find usefull
is being able to precisely locate holes with the X & Y table
adjustments then the Z for depths.

I have plans for buying a bigger mill for my Metal projects and when I
do that I suppose my small mill will be used 100% for wood projects. I
like it but I suppose for the $550 this little mill costs now you could
buy one heckuva quality drill press.

Dennis

milling machine
 

On Mon, 22 Jan 2007 03:29:49 GMT, "CW" wrote:


"Prometheus" wrote in message
.. .
How much do you know about mills?

A lot.

Probably more than me, but you're not the OP! :)

Depends on what you bought, but if you've got a manual mill, odds are
it's going to be less than suitable for making wheels. If it's a CNC
mill, or you have a rotary vise, I'd imagine you can get away with it.

No rotory vise needed. Simple tooling and you can make wheels rivaling a
lathe.

Really... I'm going to have to ponder that one a bit, as I've never
done it without a rotary vise. Do you mount the tooling to the ways
and turn the work in the spindle or something?

And generally speaking, a mill isn't going to spin anywhere near as
fast as something like a router.

No, but it doesn't need to.

No, it probably does not need to. I was thinking of mill marks if a
guy put a router bit in the collet, but a lower RPM would probably
work fine with a slower feed.