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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Location
    Adelaide
    Posts
    239

    Default Milling on the lathe

    So I had a small part to make for a mate and it needed 16 flats milled on it as well as a slot and pin hole so I thought that I would finally get to use my milling attachment, I machined the part up with a 1/2" spigot on the back to hold it in the collet chuck on the little dividing head, first problem being is the dividing head is 24 teeth and obviously 16 isn't straight into 24 so I had to do half of the flats and slip it 22.5 degrees to finish that, then I drilled the pin hole so used a 3c collet for the drill bit then I needed to slot it, that was a major pain, I had to use 2 different size cutters to get the depth as it needed to have a slot started to get the next cutter through to finish size due to the size of the side and face cutters I have (must look for more of those), so all in all it would would have been much easier to go around the corner and use the mill at my brothers to do the job in about an eighth of the time, anyway at least I had a play with my attachments, no point having them if they don't get used I guess.
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  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    Sydney between denial & paranoia
    Posts
    88

    Default

    Pretty interesting, nice job. Steve.

    I've used my milling attachment only once and it did the job. But after that I vowed to get myself a mill.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    666

    Default Milling on the lathe

    Quote Originally Posted by Boris Ludwig View Post
    Pretty interesting, nice job. Steve.

    I've used my milling attachment only once and it did the job. But after that I vowed to get myself a mill.
    Exactly the same. I did only use it once then landed a mill.

    Nice job on the work though, sometimes getting it done at home is just easier and takes a bit more messing about, but ultimately gets the same result.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    melbourne australia
    Posts
    3,228

    Default

    The reverse setup to Steve's is having the workpiece in the lathe chuck and the milling cutter in a motor mounted to the toolpost. This allows you do a turning & milling job in one setup (e.g. turning a shaft to diameter, then milling a keyway slot in it). Or milling the slot in a bolt action pen barrel.
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    Chris

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Tamworth, NSW
    Posts
    202

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by jack620 View Post
    The reverse setup to Steve's is having the workpiece in the lathe chuck and the milling cutter in a motor mounted to the toolpost. This allows you do a turning & milling job in one setup (e.g. turning a shaft to diameter, then milling a keyway slot in it). Or milling the slot in a bolt action pen barrel.
    on your lathe Jack, are you able to lock the spindle? I’m not sure how I would go about this setup with mine.

    Thanks
    Ian

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    melbourne australia
    Posts
    3,228

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Danger Mouse View Post
    on your lathe Jack, are you able to lock the spindle? I’m not sure how I would go about this setup with mine.

    Thanks
    Ian
    Yes, by engaging the back gears without pulling out the pin in the bull gear, I can lock the spindle. However I tend to use the indexing attachment I made to lock the spindle. See the first pic above.
    Chris

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Location
    Adelaide
    Posts
    239

    Default

    I decided to make some spindle draw bolts for the arbor's I have, I cheated on turning the bolts by doing them at work but I decided to use the milling attachment again for cutting the flats, it is quite useful for doing that task, at least the bolt can go in lengthways and you can cut through it reasonably quickly, they are 5/8 BS hexagonal's, the micro stop is a fantastic attachment used in conjunction with the milling attachment as well.
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  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Perth WA
    Age
    71
    Posts
    6,458

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by jack620 View Post
    The reverse setup to Steve's is having the workpiece in the lathe chuck and the milling cutter in a motor mounted to the toolpost. This allows you do a turning & milling job in one setup (e.g. turning a shaft to diameter, then milling a keyway slot in it). Or milling the slot in a bolt action pen barrel.
    Nice setup Chris.

    How have you attached the division plate to the spindle? An expanding mandrel?

    Bob.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    melbourne australia
    Posts
    3,228

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Anorak Bob View Post
    Nice setup Chris.

    How have you attached the division plate to the spindle? An expanding mandrel?

    Bob.
    Thanks Bob. Good to see you back.
    Yes, an expanding mandrel.
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    Chris

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Location
    Revesby - Sydney Australia
    Age
    56
    Posts
    1,183

    Default Got a milling cutter

    Does this cutter make my chuck look small?

    IMG_2652.jpg

    (it is a Walter SpeedMax end mill. Shank is 1 1/4" diameter HSS.
    Cutting flutes are about 1 1/2" diameter, Carbide.
    Got a few from a guy who resells deceased estate miscellany. Some are even larger!)





    Now all I need is a milling clamping attachment.

    And a much bigger motor.

    And a chain drive to replace the flat belts.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Alexandra Vic
    Age
    69
    Posts
    654

    Default

    And a few buckets of rigidity for the lathe. A lathe with a milling adaptor may do a reasonable job of very light milling, but they generally can't handle loads that that that style bit could impose.

    Looking at that cutter, the work needs to be between the cutter and the operator to set it up so that the induced forces in the work are seating the carriage etc onto the ways, rather than trying to levitate them off the ways and leave them flapping in the air. If set up this way, you are then effectively milling blind.

    I have a lot of respect for the Southbend/Hercus/Sheraton 9 inch lathes, but they don't match up to a decent sized knee mill when it comes to milling.
    I used to be an engineer, I'm not an engineer any more, but on the really good days I can remember when I was.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Location
    Revesby - Sydney Australia
    Age
    56
    Posts
    1,183

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by malb View Post
    And a few buckets of rigidity for the lathe
    Maybe a solid concrete slab, to replace the bed.


    Looking at that cutter, the work needs to be between the cutter and the operator
    Yes. I'd have to remove the cross/compound slide, replace it with a low profile machinist vice, and use parallels to set the height of my horizontal mill cut.


    On the plus side, the cutting edges are sharp.
    On the minus, they would rub blunt at my Hercus's 729RPM max?

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Oct 2001
    Location
    ACT
    Posts
    667

    Default

    Hey Steve, Your last image in Post #1, are you using 3c collets? and so how long is that draw tube you are using in the indexing head?

    does the same draw tube suit the hercus dividing head?

    Cheers

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Location
    Adelaide
    Posts
    239

    Default

    Hi Steve

    The draw tube is 3.600" long and it is .600" too long for the dividing head when it is screwed all the way in, I am going to make a spacer that is at least .750" wide to use the tube in the dividing head on the mill as that is the difference between the two dividing heads. I think it is a different length again to what is used in the mill's vertical head as well.

    I will look at making an ejection tool like Bob has made for his in the near future.

    I was actually using the vice on the milling attachment the other day for milling down the handles for the rotary tables, it isn't the quickest way to do it but at least it had power feed.
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  15. #15
    Join Date
    Oct 2001
    Location
    ACT
    Posts
    667

    Default

    Thanks appreciate that.

    Thats quite a lot shorter than what the vertical head draw tube needs. I assume Hercus must have sold one suited for each attachment.

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