Adding a milling table to the mini lathe
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- Опубліковано 8 вер 2024
- testing starts at 11 minutes
Just added a milling attachment to my mini lathe. I cant wait to find a project to use this on. I will be doing more videos with this lathe and hopefully with the milling attachment. I hope to do a one year update real soon.
If you have any questions about this build, ask in the comments!
7x12 lathe amzn.to/3kOB9OM
XY table amzn.to/3ehNmKG
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The larger the endmill, the slower the speed. This is a fundamental concept for milling. That chatter could have been all but eliminated running the spindle speed at 500rpm or maybe even slower. With slower speeds, you also need slower feeds.
I think a better cross table would help a lot also. This aluminium construct is winding like hell.
Thank you for your work.
I was fortunate to have a scrap 3in1 machine from which I took this attachment. And only minor modification to the unit and no modification to my lathe at all.
The best video on the topic!
Just speaking from a little experience, that you should try using a collet set instead of the 3 jaw , it tends to move into the chuck when trying to mill. And if your jaws are a little worn it won’t look good. Good job on the up grad
for those who don't weld .
Order the correct size of 6 to10mm flat plate and a 12mm square bar at the same the width of the plate from a metal work company.
Using either 5mm or 6mm countersink screws. whatever is more available to what you can get or have.
Drill holes 20mm in from the sides of the plate and one in the middle
The holes needs to be drilled to the centre line for the square bar, So the holes must be in the centre of the square bar that is at the correct height to your tool post fixing and match the holes in the plate for fixing.
Counter sink the plate holes to the correct screw size head that you choose. either M5 or M6
Tap the threads either for M5 or for M6 in the correct locations into the square bar that corresponds to the holes in the plate
use some Thread lock when you fix together.
Good idea. I should try that and see how rigid it would be. I always default to welding when applicable. But youre right, not everyone has a welder at home or a friend with one.
@@618kustomz Glad you like the idea & maybe you could do a part 2 with this way.
Box is ok to use, but when you tighten screws into it, the box section deforms and starts to get screw dent's
with the square bar, you can get it in tool steel or heat treat a mild steel square bar to a hardness of around 50
Mild steel is normally about 20 hardness .
For those who don't know how to do a quick heat treatment,
Heat the part with a blow lamp/torch until it just starts to go orange all over, then dunk in some dirty oil until cold
if you have no dirty engine oil, then use some thread cutting grease or oil.
Note Don't use a plastic container to hold the oil for dunking, it will burn out the bottom and your have oil everywhere.
@@spudnickuk I should do a PT 2 with that. Since I already have a mounting plate for this specific xy slide, let me see if I can come up with a different xy slide or a vise that I want to mount. Then I'll make a mount for it.
Youre right about the square stock vs square tubing. I originally was going to use some square stock for the same reason. But after playing with the square tubing, I decided that it would be good enough for a while. Its pretty rigid and strong due to how short each side wall is. It hasnt dented from the screws any yet.
Pretty good...I have not gotten one of those aluminum cross tables because of the poor rigidity. I learned the best way to feed a controlled small amount is to lock the feed screw but not engage it...take the change gear cover off and you can feed by less than one thousandths increments if you want. I show it on my video "fly cutter function". That may help you. Also keeping the work surface as close to the center of the tool post will help a lot with rigidity.
yes very poor rigitity for sure, the table was cheap but could have spent my $$$ elsewhere
I cut my left and right table down to 8” and it became much more ridged ! The idea of legs in the tool post sounds good , I might try it on mine ! Locking down the carriage sure helped also . It seems on mine that 1/2” end mills are just a bit to big as far as power required to turn and cut ! I’m also looking to upgrade my locking system for pieces I’m working on ! I purchased 2 vertical milling vices also and cut out a bracket from aluminum and it worked well ! I’m going to post my results on my channel sometime this month .
I had thought about cutting the left right down too. But then also thought about removing that feature all together and just using the cross slide of the lathe for that motion. One problem as it sits is too much standoff from the tool post. That puts a lot of torque into the tool post and cross slide. I did add a compound slide lock afterwards. That will help a lot. I agree that 1/2" end mills are a bit much haha. I will have to hop over to your channel and check out that video!
That works surprisingly well considering, I did think the back lash on the table would be a problem. Nice video.
Great tutorial for a milling lathe, especially for your budget. I have owned my mini lathe for almost a year now, and due to budget I am considering doing something similar. Using the end mill and the tool holder. I have made a four sided nut out of 316 ss. It's not the prettiest, but it got the job done. I have experienced lots of chatter due to speeds and feeds and inexperience. I had been using tapping fluid and that helped a lot. I just read the warning label for the tapping fluid and it said "do not swallow or inhale fumes". Yikes, my garage looked like a Cheech and Chong movie!
I guess I need to find a safer alternative.
Thanks for posting this video, it will help me out a lot!
Cheers!
Nice. I just bought one of these so it was interesting to see how you mounted it.
There is a better way, to make it more rigid. But honestly, anything else right now would be overkill. I would have to address the slop in the XY slide itself before making a more rigid mount.
Man you have a creative mind that works. Great video.
Haha thanks!!
I know a lot of water has gone under the bridge since you posted this
My constructive comments
1. All cross slides must have more gib adjusters fitted to give greater rigidity of each slide
2, remove the backlash from slide feeders
3, always use paraffin to keep aluminium lubricated and cooled when machining it
The finish will be like day and night
You did say you don't like to run cutters in a chuck, 100% they must run in collects and if used in a chuck that chuck has to be 100% true so you may want to index mark your chuck and back plate then bore you chuck jaws to true them, please view vids on how to true lathe chick's before you do this, (the jaws must be locked in close clamp position ....)
All in all a great experiment fella
The real poor man's mill !!!
just a quick pointer, if you want to chuck an endmill in a lathe you're gonna want to use either a 4 independent jaw or a known good collet chuck (personally I think the 4 jaw is better because run out is based on how long you're willing to spend truing it)
It's also hard for hardened chuck jaws to get a good grip on hardened tool shafts. The 3-jaw seems to work ok for fly cutters. I guess because of the single point cutting tool and large radius they don't mind the chuck runout.
@@ElizabethGreene you're pretty much bang on there aside from feed jump it's not the end of the world like with endmills where it will just snap
For a temporary solution and small quick projects its quiet ok, but for more you should think about a small mill which you can use also as a precision drill press. There are also some milling sets like yours on the market which you can buy for small money. However, for a small project its a good idea.
Exactly. This isnt designed to replace a dedicated mill, the precision isnt there with this particular setup. But if all you need to do is slot a part or take a little off of a face, I think it should be fine.
Very instructive. Thanks for the great tutorial, it’s gong to save people like me loads of time and money.
When I get my man paradise assembled I might try to make a milling table attachment, but rotary. I think this would be more complex than it seens though. Ill see how I feel.
I like this design better than "lathe milling attachments" that use the cross slide for X travel. With this you can keep the cross slide in line with the cutting tool and should be more stable.
awesome, thank you for sharing
Love the idea, considering adding a dro and maybe eventually motorizing it for an additional cnc.
Ive been debating converting to cnc since I bought the lathe. Ive got a cnc router that I built two years ago. But I havent yet because there is something soothing and a pita about the manual lathe haha.
@@618kustomz it is nice to be able to feel the cutting, though personally opperating from a good safe distance behind polycarbonate door is soothing.
Haha cant disagree at all!
that's really cool.
I'm waiting for my 1st lathe to arrive, 850W brushless, so it will have a bit more power. I will definitely make the milling attachment to my lathe, and try your solution.
subscribed as well to see what other interesting inventions or upgrades you might make
It's far simpler to get a milling attachment on ebay, and a great deal more rigid. The X/Y table you have there looks like it came from a Barbie tool shop. It's way to flimsy. It was funny watching it move around. The milling attachment that Steve Jordan(youtube name) uses on his Myford ML7 lathe is on ebay for under $175.
I agree that it is better to buy one that is intended for this. However, I already had the supplies so I didn't spend any money for this. I primarily use this for delrin and nylon and it works 100% as needed. The two or three times a year that I need to mill a flat spot on some aluminum round stock, well it gets me through. I have used this on 3/8 and 1/2 aluminum flat stock with no issues. I have tightened the gibs down on the cross table and lock the cross slide and have no issues.
You dont need a cross-table for this, because your lathe already got the y-axis-table. So you just need something for the vertical-axis (z-axis).
The more table-parts you got on there, the more play it will have ... the more it will chatter.
Cool cross table :)
amazing and easy to do thanks
Maybe I missed it, but did you have the dimensions of the plate you made? Great video, I'm just ordered the XY tale in your link and want to try the same thing. Thanks
good idea
just got one of those chinese milling tables and used a 1/4 in. aluminum L bracket attached to where the compound slide attaches. its fairly solid but not quite good enuff...the gibs are real touchy too and take alotta messin around to get it dialed in.if I had to do it again Id go with one of those iron L brackets for $75 off of fleabay, THIS THING IS JUST NOT STURDY ENUFF FOR MILL PURPOSES
Love the video bro. I first seen this video a year or two ago and I keep coming back to it. Your work has helped me out a lot and in many ways serves as a point of reference for me. I am waiting on a cast iron angle plate to be shipped. I'm gonna remove the compound slide so i can attach it straight to my cross slide. Do you think it will give me more rigidity that way? I have a way heavier cast iron cross slide table in gonna mount to it. I have that exact same aluminum cross slide you have and it just flexes way too much. Thank you for your videos and I'll always be watching for more.
The depth of cut was a bit optimistic. I don't want to sound like a know it all but I have been through just what you are going through now. good luck !
Yeah, I tend to try to hog out more than what I should when doing this kind of stuff. Shallow cuts and multiple passes is the key.
I am so doing this.
Hopefully it works out for you and does what you want. I haven't had to use it very much yet. Too many other projects going on haha.
@@618kustomz I sacrificed a cheap digital vernier and made some 3D printed parts to attach it to the little table too. Poor mans DRO!
nice! gonna try this, but may be.. instead of using tube/rod clamped to the tool post, I think i'll b using another half inch plate butt welded to the main plate, and bolted directly to the compound slide (ditch the tool post al together), figure it would be more rigid ?
I have a table just like yours, they will not take "climb" milling, which is why it was jerking into your backlash.
I have used it quite a few more times since this video. I think the biggest issue I have with it is that the gibs adjustments keep backing off!!
@@618kustomz I really like your setup. These little X/Y tables are fine for milling hobby and craft materials like Delrin, aluminum and other soft stuff. You had no problem with the wood test you did. There are better tables available as well as more compact and ridged set-ups involving a Z axis device with a small machine vice attached with t-nuts, This in turn bolts to the top slide via a 3/8 or 1/2 thick steel plate about 3" x 6" and a couple of 6mmx1 counter sunk holes for the cap screws to attach it all to the top slide.
. I am as far from a "real machinist" as I am from being young and handsome. I am however a "real gunsmith" and model maker. judging from your shop, you probably do much bigger work than I do so the table is the right setup. Climb milling is causing your cutter to grab your material. It gets worse the harder the material is. Your loose gibs sure don't help. I heard you mention rigidity several times in your video and that is MAJOR. As I said before, I don't want to sound like a smart-ass even though my son says I am, kids. I just saw you fighting some of the same problems I went through. Old men tend to give advice even when no one asks. A tiny bit of thread locker helps but I re-drilled the gib screw holes to accept slightly larger screws. Also make sure that your screws are lined up with the little indents on the strip. Grinding a point on the gib screws helps as well.
I will shut up and go to my shop now. Lol
P.S. I just watched a video where a guy attached a Harbor freight drill press vice directly to his top slide. Not to sure about that one
@@oldhick9047 haha, smart ass kids. You do give good advice and I didnt think about redrilling and tapping the holes for the gib screws, thats a good one. I do prefer conventional to climb milling, in all of my cnc projects, thats the way I go. I couldnt imagine mounting a HF XY table to the cross slide on a mini lathe. Iirc, those things are about 8 inches tall and heavy as heck. The load and leverage that it would put on the poor little cross slide is unimaginable. There are much better options out there for attempting this type of setup. I only went this route because i already had the needed parts. There are mini z axis slides that are available for these lathes, starting around $90 on ebay/amazon/etc.. I actually plan to go that route in the future. This will suffice for plastics, aluminum, brass. But even with aluminum, one needs to plan in advance to try their best to approach the milling with the conventional direction.
Keep giving your advice, its always appreciated.
@@618kustomz Well buddy, I think I'll start calling you for advice. I have a much smaller lathe (watchmaker) size for most of my gun work but the old "cheap Chinese lathe", as everyone calls them, does a very good job for all else I do. My father-in-law has an 14 x 30 inch Colchester lathe so If a part is to big for my stuff, I know where to take it.
It's a shifty set up. I did it
20:40 Were those center cutting end mills? Could explain the chattering on the *1/2"* one
Similar to the mod I made to my mini lathe. However, having to fixture parts vertically or unmounting and remounting the table for adjustments just makes this way too frustrating to use unfortunately.
You would be better off mounting a quality drill press vice onto that cross slide than using those tiny clamps.
IT !! LOOKS !! LIKE !! YOUR !!LATHE !! IS !! ENTIRELY !!! READY !!! TO !! BE !! PUT !! STRAIGHT !! INTO !! THE !! METAL !! SHREADDER !!! NOW !!!
*ShReDdEr!!* DeRp
@@618kustomz BEAUTIFUL !! DeRp !!!
Hello boys, don't complain, just build. In this way, we will achieve perfection, Regards 👌.
Je suis intéressé par ce tour MX 180 D, mais est-il capable de percer, par exemple, une barre d'acier de 22 millimètres de diamètre avec
mèche de 14 mm sir 12 à 15 centimètres de long ? Merci pour ta réponse.
I am interested in this MX 180 D lathe, but is it capable of drilling, for example, a 22 mm diameter steel bar with
14 mm wick sir 12 to 15 centimeters long? Thank you for your answer.
Bravo Turkey İzmir selâm 👍
can someone buy a mini lathe and learn some of its operations alone at home??
Absolutely! I watched a bunch of youtube videos, for a couple weeks before ordering mine. Got it and just started playing with it. I would recommend starting out with some cheap hss tools and some aluminum round stock. Actually, starting out the very first time with a small piece of like 1/2" pvc pipe would probably be even safer. Just to get you comfortable with the movements of the machine. Get one and have some fun!!
@@618kustomz " I would recommend starting out with some cheap ass tools ... " FTFY.
Why no coolant?
Where did you get the slide?
Off of Amazon. There is a link in the description. Or you can just search XY combination table or XY cross slide on Amazon or eBay.
Its such a shame that Americans are so creative yet the American corporations are simply outsourcing all the manufacturing and technical work overseas. The quality of genuine American products was very good but the moment parts of these products are outsourced, the overall product becomes trash. American cars now a days unfortunately are such examples because their unreliability stems from the fact that Ford and GM and Chevy etc have outsourced parts production to Mexico, China and perhaps even India. The next generations of Americans are becoming less and less hands on and less and less creative technically. Such a shame that the government is in cahoots with these corporations in destroying the manufacturing potential of the nation in the years to come. One way the corporations are doing this is that they are making raw materials like steel and aluminum unbelievably expensive so many hobbyists cannot afford to create and experiment. Steel price in Asia has been going down but in USA its been skyrocketing. Such a shame that the oligarchs have turned into treasonous traitors putting their own excessive pockets before the benefits of the nation.
No oil, no cooling🥴🥵😵💫
A little lube goes a long way, will hep your cuts and tool life.
For sure! I didn't use any that time, don't have a reason why. But when I'm turning something, there is oil everywhere haha. I use a lot then.