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  1. #1
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    Default Milling newbie needing a bit of info / advice / help

    Many moons ago I bought an old Chinese combination lathe-mill.
    The lathe has since had lots of use, but I have never before looked into using the mill, until now.

    The first thing is, I have no idea where to start setting it up, so any help would be greatly appreciated.

    The quill has a MT2 socket, plus two keys in keyways, one either side of the MT socket. I presume that they are removed to accept some kind of drive lugs on a tool holder, as in the second pic maybe??
    Mill Quill socket end.jpg

    Mill Quill end.jpg

    Or do I need to get a MT2 arbour with a drawbar thread in it, if so, what for the other end?

    It came with an end cutter, 1" parallel shank, fine thread at the end, and it would be nice to be able to use it however, given that other than that one tool, I have nothing else invested in it, so advice on which type of tools would be best suited i.e. R8, Weldon, ??? (not even sure what they are )

    Mill end cutter.jpg

    Thanks, Phill

  2. #2
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    The two keyways on the side of the morse taper are the makers being optimistic I think. Normally a morse taper does not have keys on it. You will need a chuck to hold the cutters (or a set of Morse collets). I would suggest going to someone like Ausee (Ausee Machines & Tools) or Hare & Forbes (https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/Home) and getting a MT2/ ER collet chuck - probably something like a ER25 or ER32 would do. The chuck will have a thread in it for a draw bar. Easy to make your own - the quickest is to get a length of all thread and use that but there are other examples of people's home made efforts pictured elsewhere here.

    With a collet chuck you will be able to use any straight shanked cutters (including the ones with a notch cut out or a thread on the back). R8 are mainly used on Bridgeport mills (or clones) and would not fit your milling head.

    To get that 1" cutter in the collet chuck you will have to go to ER40 collet but I suspect that it is not worth it as the power to drive it properly may be beyond your machine. To start with I'd stick with cutters 1/2" and under till you see what you can do. There is a market place section here where you can sell surplus gear, or you may find a member with a bigger mill that is happy to swap a couple of smaller cutters for it.

    Michael

  3. #3
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    Hi Phil, normally morse taper mills use a drawbar to retain them (morse tapers will pull out under side loads like milling), those drive lugs are normally seen on bigger milling tapers like 30, 40, 50 tapers. If I were you I would use the lathe to turn up a drawbar and buy a MT2 to ER32 collet chuck and collet set (there are loads of chinese kits which are perfectly serviceable for an application like this. I would say that that end mill is a fair bit too big for a small taper like that, usable but a bit big. ER32 collets will grip threaded endmills just fine (the threaded shanks are for clarkson style chucks, which are semi-obsolete now.)

    Good luck!

    Edit, looks like Michael beat me to it.

  4. #4
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    Hello Phill,

    There is a book in the "workshop practice" that I found useful for learning about milling. approx $10-$20 brand new and sometimes down as low as $2-$5 on internet.

    Harold Hall wrote this one https://www.amazon.com.au/Milling-Co.../dp/1854862324

    If the quill has an MT2 socket you might investigate ER collett chucks and ER collets for holding the end mills.

    https://www.google.com.au/search?q=e...EXpczyB73amZAP

    You will need a drawbar to secure the MT2 taper inside the quill - can be as simple as a length of threaded bar or can be a bit fancier - the threaded bar will have to match the thread on the narrow end of the MT2collet chuck and the upper end is secured with a nut and washer or if you make one it can be a solid end.

    some examples here https://www.google.com.au/search?q=M...w=1246&bih=615

    Bill

    PS Well done you scored a hat trick three of us responding at the same time.

  5. #5
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    Thank you all gentlemen, I can start looking for the bits I need now )
    No doubt you will hear from me again soon though ;-)

  6. #6
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    After a bit more advice please.......looked at the Banggood ER32 collets / set review, and was under impressed to say the least ( see here: https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-iUYvI4qyQ )

    So, I am wondering if these might be a better option: MORSE TAPER #2 COLLET SET (7 PCS) METRIC #C94 | CTC Tools
    These would necessitate the use of a spacing block I assume, as they will result in the tool being much closer to the quill?

    The other question for now is, should I be looking for Imperial or Metric collets & holders? My instincts tell me Metric, but there are a hell of a lot of Imperial ones out there it seems.

    Thanks again. )

  7. #7
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    Unable to comment on the collett set you linked to. I use ER32 metric set cost me approx $55 on ebay think it was 2-20mm @1mm increments. Yes thats cheap and probably poor quality compared to what some folk have, but seems to do the job for me, am a newb only a year or so with a mill.

    A quick look on ebay shows this one ... similar price and range of collets
    https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/19Pcs-ER...item25e79e8bdb

    Have seen people discussing on various forums regarding merits of having metric or imperial ER collet sets and have forgotten what the various key points are. Maybe somebody smarter will come along and offer some advice.

    Bill
    Last edited by steamingbill; 11th Jan 2018 at 09:35 PM. Reason: added link

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by steamingbill View Post
    Maybe somebody smarter will come along and offer some advice.
    In an ER collet, all it is going to mean is where the grip range starts - a typical ER32 for example will close in a mm. Whether the range is 7mm to 6mm or 6.35mm to 5.35mm (1/4" to whatever...) is all it means.

    In a collet set that is only slit from one end like a 5C collet, size is important as they only properly grip the nominated size. This is one of the reasons ER is so popular as fewer collets are needed for a given size range.

    As for a cheap Ebay set vs expensive, if you were doing high speed CNC then I'd be suggesting expensive. For most of us ebay is where we get them. You are paying less as the steel may not be as good or the heat treatment not as reliable or even that the collet may have an extra 0.05mm of run out. Still works though.

    Michael

  9. #9
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    Hi Guys,

    Whilst the Chinese can turn out some quite respectable gear, their quality control is very poor. I feel that this is a cultural issue more than anything else, each manufacturer believes that his product is the best and is quite offended by anyone that criticises them taking it as personal attack.

    I have and use tooling, ER16, ER25 and ER32, holders and collets from Banggood and also UK suppliers. In every case the product is made in Asia !
    I'm a believer of you get what you pay for and paying more does not always get you more quality !
    Best Regards:
    Baron J.

  10. #10
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    Bill, I have found a source that appears to have higher precision, but still reasonably cheap Chinese stuff, at least they quote runout tolerance.
    ER32 MT2 COLLET CHUCK #C66 | CTC Tools
    ER32 COLLET - CLOSE TOLERANCE - METRIC #L14800 | CTC Tools

    Michael, CNC??? Never ;-) My old lathe doesn't even have a compound slide or powered lead screw, and I doubt I will ever get another one, besides $$$ are an issue, so I might try the ones I linked to in this post.
    They appear to be better quality, but who knows until they arrive.
    The mill only has about 4 speeds I think, so I won't be doing great things with it.
    One good thing is the lathe has a big swing for its size, over 300mm, but neither the mill or the lathe motors are very powerful, about 0.5hp (

  11. #11
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    BaronJ, Indeed, which is why it is good to hear from others which sellers provided them with reasonable quality gear.
    Most of the stuff looks like it all comes from the same factory from the pics, but as you say, the quality varies a lot.
    Hopefully someone will chime in and say, "I bought from CTC Tools, great gear" but I won't hold my breath.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by ptrott View Post
    Hopefully someone will chime in and say, "I bought from CTC Tools, great gear" but I won't hold my breath.
    CTC tools has very high carriage charges and has received some poor service comments since they relocated. I will no longer buy anything from them.
    Best Regards:
    Baron J.

  13. #13
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    Hmmm, that's not good,...do you have any recommendations?

  14. #14
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    Hi Phill,

    I'm in the UK, and I do tend to buy from China and India.
    As you mentioned earlier some advertisers are prepared to state specifications for the tools that they supply.
    Alibaba.com is another Chinese site worth looking at.
    Best Regards:
    Baron J.

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