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. [email protected]
On Sat, 20 Jan 2007 09:48:29 -0800, "gilles"
<[email protected]> 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. [email protected]
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.
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. [email protected]
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.
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. [email protected]
Which make and model? Price?
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. [email protected]
a few years ago I upgraded my drill press to a mill-drill.
no regrets at all.
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. [email protected]
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)
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. [email protected]
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
"Prometheus" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> 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.
"Prometheus" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Sat, 20 Jan 2007 09:48:29 -0800, "gilles"
> <[email protected]> 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. [email protected]
>
> 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.
On Mon, 22 Jan 2007 03:29:49 GMT, "CW" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>"Prometheus" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> 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.