Horizontal Milling

[citizen kane]

I have a mill that can be operated as both a vertical or horizontal machine. With the machine setup as a vertical mill I just use an edge finder to set my datums, how do you go about this with a horizontal machine. Say I had the dividing head and tail stock all clocked in and a shaft in there and I want to machine on a spline, how do yo make sure the cutter is bang on axis. In the past I've used either cigarette papers or feeler gauges to touch the tool on either side of the shaft but that's not always possible if the shaft is large and I don't think its the most accurate way to do it. So I was wondering how a trained machinist would find this point accurately and repeatedly.

 

[Pete.]

Put a short straight edge down the side of the cutter. When it touchs the work you'll see daylight betwen the straight edge and the bottom or the cutter. Do that both sides and take a note of the dial reading. Half way between the radings (ech going the same direction of travel) is the centre.

 

[pressbrake1]

Square and slips

 

[citizen kane]

Put a short straight edge down the side of the cutter. When it touchs the work you'll see daylight betwen the straight edge and the bottom or the cutter. Do that both sides and take a note of the dial reading. Half way between the radings (ech going the same direction of travel) is the centre.

More or less what I'm doing at the moment. I've substituted larger cutters that are the same thickness in the past but I guess a small straight edge would be a lot easier. Kind of just making sure I'm not missing something obvious.

Square and slips

How would I use a square and slips, stand the square on the table touching the shaft then make up a slip stack 1/2 the shaft diameter minus 1/2 the cutter width?

 

[pressbrake1]

Yes