Playing with my Mill, on the Fly.

[busastars]

Playing with my Mill, on the Fly. Plenty of updates.

Today was the first day I have had to have a play with my new Mill. Had a play with how all the tooling attaches and im well impressed with these collet systems, so much better than a drill chuck. Please bear in mind this is my first time using a Mill.

So I had a block of Ally to play with, well make plenty of swaff

Learning how to clamp things down:

Drilled some holes and made some slots:

My tool in the Fly cutter, I had ran this both forward and backwards:

My first skim:

My second skim:

I know I need to hook up a power feed to the handle and get the tooling right, surface is a little rough, any helpfull hits welcome.

 

[penfold]

Learning how to clamp things down:

Sexy looking new mill; what is it? I'm jealous.

I don't like your clamping much; those toggles need reaction blocks underneath the end beyond the fastening stud. I'm also not very comfortable with wood packing being used, but I'm not experienced enough to say whether it's wrong or not.

 

[busastars]

Its a Warco Major. Bout as big as hobiest mills get.

Was just a play with the clamping, the wooden blocks was just so I could drill right through as then it could be mounted flat on the bed through the holes drilled.

First time using though, got to sort out a power feed and getting tooling right for skims.

 

[Wedg1e]

Agreed, the clamping bars are being used the wrong way round and with no 'staircases'.
However I often use wooden packing if I'm likely to break through the bottom of something I'm milling - it's surprising how much grip a 6mm piece of plywood has!
Tool speed and feed rate needs playing with to get the surface finish right; aluminium has a habit of tearing rather than cutting. I have some lengths of alu on which, no matter how hard I try, I get a crappy finish when turning it on the lathe, so it may even be a factor of the material.
I wouldn't run a flycutter in reverse though... and yes, collets are much better than a Jacobs chuck! I have ER25 on my Perrin and ER40 on the Bridgeport.

 

[hotrodder]

Use of strap clamps/step blocks is covered at the bottom of this page on mill work holding. Shox Dr posted links to a series of excellent vids on milling, lathes and the like some time back, think it's in the links forum

 

[busastars]

Use of strap clamps/step blocks is covered at the bottom of this page on mill work holding. Shox Dr posted links to a series of excellent vids on milling, lathes and the like some time back, think it's in the links forum

Ahh thats what there for, I know for next time now. That is half the battle is learning how to clamp right.

I think the Mill speed was at full, im sure my shape of the tool was wrong and also was hand fed.

 

[hareng]

Looks like you have milled with flycutter and alum bolted direct to bed, best way no wood as this will allow movement- it compresses.
You have the relief on the HSS cutter wrong, thats why its chattering. When doing it you would have noticed the cutter itself appear to bounce (may have done) and would be really pronounced if used with wood and probably bost the cutter. Assume you locked the unused beds down and spindle that only leaves movement or flex in the cutter holding then or machine castings.
Max speed as well (2000rpm?) fine feed, 0.1 to 0.3mm works best for a finish on them, should look like a grain pattern.

Good machines those Majors got my moneys worth out of one, still got it unused for last 6 years.
The only real problem is changing speeds and losing centre when altering height. Used to leave a socket and breaker bar by the side plus spanner for spindle, could change a cutter over within 10secs or collet within 15 secs.

 

[busastars]

Chears hareg,

Can you explaine the Relief on the cutter bit, sorry its my first time with a mill so done understand all the terms.

What I have done with finding center when altering hight is use a laser level squared on the Mill and have drawn a line/marker on the far back wall so I can get it close to square when I move it. Seems to work.

I cut foward first working from left to right, first pic, then worked backwards and right to left. First cut was the best, seemed to catch on its back stroke better.

Only thing I licked off was the Quill, maybe I should have done front to back movement aswell.

 

[scott0031]

Hi Busa,


The relief graff means its the same as top rake on a lathe tool. Its what helps the shearing action you have 0 deg rake, its fine for some materials like brass, but not for ally.


Feel free to give me a call, some things i would like to point out, I don't really want to say them here as you might find it a bit harsh and a bit too critical and its not intended that way.


Kind regards,


Scott

 

[busastars]

Thanks Scott, give me 10 mins or so

 

[scott0031]

No probs, I'm here all evening suffering from man flue So I'm not going anywhere.


Kind regards,



Scott

 

[hareng]

Try and understand this.
When cutter hits the block its not cutting as good as it should. In effect its bouncing thats what the chaff marks are. Reckon some experimenting round nose and sharp.
Generally if no movement the radiused cutter will leave a better finish.
First thing i spotted and was going to say hand fed, reason the patterns irregular.

Your head is slightly out if its cutting on one side of cutter than the other. Shim base.

Not with you on centring. I am on about the head raised or lowered on a round upright.
The electronic edge finders are superb by the way. I imported from the California manufacturer the laser type when first introduced around 5 years ago, waste of time they need zeroing in. Theoretically should be good for marking plate out but limited to bed travel etc. Best way edge finder and a DRO.

I have the equivalent of the Super Lux powered head and 24" X axis travel though lost 1 1/2" due to the Bridgeport type power feed. Type on yours is a saddle type which should have been on mine but not for me some stuff i overhang and remove hand wheel. Paid £150 with transformer, gears, shims and leadscrew extention etc.

 

[graffian]

No comment on the clamping...
Hard to tell from your pic but that bit of HSS doesn't look
very good, grind the end so you have a nice sharp corner, then
with a stone put a small radius on the corner. give it some rake
aswell.

To cut you need to present an edge to the work, think about
the shape of cutting tools, like chisels, knives and so on. If you used
a tool the shape of a knife the edge would be to weak, hence the shape with little top rake or even negative.

HSS won't stand many revs. I run my flycutter, with carbide inserts at 500rpm or so, thats on a 12" diam cutter, I would try that at a 100 rpm and see what it's like. When I first got the mill I tried facing my castings with HSS, the problem was I was wearing the HSS on each pass; no problem getting a good finish though. I find I get a better finish at 30mm per min than the slower feeds.

I flycut with the work traveling to the left, so the chips are thrown at the column. I don't know what teh head is like on that, I set mine so it's cuts .01mm to .02mm deeper on the front of the cut, the .01mm was when checked with a gauge on a 12" radius. Dead vertical and it leaves witness marks, which I quiet like but don't look as neat. Oh and if you have some suds spray a bit on.

 

[busastars]

Thanks all,

Now I know where ive gone wrong. Clamping, well, erm, gee, at the time it seemed quite a good idea but doh, thats me, ops.

Tomorows play, grind a new tool correctly, lob a piece of the end of the ally block and play with a smaller area. Ill post up more, sure ill get to grips with it soon. BUT that was my first time ever using a Mill and im still living and breathing

 

[Pete.]

That's an expensive-looking practice-piece you got there mate - can't you find something a bit cheaper to practice on first?

 

[busastars]

That's an expensive-looking practice-piece you got there mate - can't you find something a bit cheaper to practice on first?

 

[Pete.]

I'm sure you've already figured this out now but no harm in saying it here. Your flycutter needs to be ground with relief, and shaped to cut from the end not the side. I learned this when I made my first flycutter and started to grind tools steel for it.

 

[busastars]

Thanks Pete,

Scott put me right on a few things, was just a practice run as I was itchen to have a play. All seemed well and safe when I was there, glad I posted up though to see what I was doing wrong. BUT was my first time ever using a Mill, I gess its a bit more than a gloryfied drill

 

[Pete.]

We all had to start somewhere mate. Shame you aren't closer to me I'd happily spend a day in the workshop running you through some do's and dont's.

One thing I do to reduce chatter (though it isn't why yours is doing it) is to only slide the cutter through enough to just about sweep off the sides of the part. This keeps the over-hang of the tool as little as possible and reduces how far out of balance the fly cutter runs.

 

[busastars]

It is a shame alot of us are at distance, there are a fair few people I have spoken to eather on the phone or online that I would one day like to meet. Well maybe ill drop by one of the 200mph events with the little RD, even arange a 2T meet at one of the 200mph events and have a straight line event just for the little strokers

Still I do attempt things first on my own, always got Wyn local who helps me out here and there when I ask, top bloke, Scott and you have helped me out no end. Hopefully one day I can repay the help and information.

This is one of most busy forums im on, most helpfull I have ever used and the only forum I have ever put a little donation to, so for anyone new here your at the right place.