Munkul
Jack of some trades, Master of none
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- 7,366
- Location
- Cumbria
We use a horizontal shaper at work to make keys for shaft couplings etc.
It works OK but is slow and quite worn. We make say up to 6" keys by 1" depth, and use the shaper to get the key to height (or width if we don't have the right size stock). Max DOC is only around 20-30 thou at a time (the vice is knackered so work holding is limited). We make taper gib keys, straight keys, stepped keys, all sorts. We only ever use the shaper for taking facing cuts over the top.
It's a simple machine that currently every fitter in the shop will use now and again. That is its ONLY purpose. We make a few keys per month (less these days as everything is being replaced with more reliable stuff).
We have a lovely big Ajax universal mill which is used for all other milling jobs, but we don't want anyone to use that except machinists.
Next year we will have to work out some safe guarding for it which will not be cheap, probably needing a re-wire which will be even less cheap, and it's a bulky machine that takes up quite a bit of room in the shop for the tiny jobs its doing.
My proposal is to sell it and buy a bench top mill with current-standards guarding with a vice and parallels and a face mill set up permanently for key shaping. It would have power feed on one axis ideally.
I don't have a budget but in my head we'd spend under £5k, new or used.
Something like this.
not an amazing machine by any stretch of imagination but should make keys all day long with a 50mm face mill. Expected life span 20 years making less than 30 keys a year, in a warm dry shop.
We'd also want some guards around the table to stop chips flying everywhere (i assume the chuck guard is already interlocked as per current standards)
What would you buy?
It works OK but is slow and quite worn. We make say up to 6" keys by 1" depth, and use the shaper to get the key to height (or width if we don't have the right size stock). Max DOC is only around 20-30 thou at a time (the vice is knackered so work holding is limited). We make taper gib keys, straight keys, stepped keys, all sorts. We only ever use the shaper for taking facing cuts over the top.
It's a simple machine that currently every fitter in the shop will use now and again. That is its ONLY purpose. We make a few keys per month (less these days as everything is being replaced with more reliable stuff).
We have a lovely big Ajax universal mill which is used for all other milling jobs, but we don't want anyone to use that except machinists.
Next year we will have to work out some safe guarding for it which will not be cheap, probably needing a re-wire which will be even less cheap, and it's a bulky machine that takes up quite a bit of room in the shop for the tiny jobs its doing.
My proposal is to sell it and buy a bench top mill with current-standards guarding with a vice and parallels and a face mill set up permanently for key shaping. It would have power feed on one axis ideally.
I don't have a budget but in my head we'd spend under £5k, new or used.
Something like this.
Optimum OPTImill MB 4 Precision drilling-milling machine Tilting Gear Head 1Ph / 3Ph - Excel Machine Tools
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excelmachinetools.co.uk
not an amazing machine by any stretch of imagination but should make keys all day long with a 50mm face mill. Expected life span 20 years making less than 30 keys a year, in a warm dry shop.
We'd also want some guards around the table to stop chips flying everywhere (i assume the chuck guard is already interlocked as per current standards)
What would you buy?