From Newsgroup: rec.crafts.metalworking


I've been a little scared of this project . Yesterday I began
teardown on my milling machine to replace a *worn - .025"+ backlash - X
axis leadscrew nut . I've had the nut partly finished for several months
now ... after much research i decided to make the new nut of Delrin
mounted in an aluminum housing . So I bought enough of both to do it at
least 3 times just in case I fuck it up .
One of the big challenges was how to do the final milling operations
with the mill down . There are ways to mount the work to a face plate to
do part of the facing/etc operations but I've never done any of them .
So I ordered a small X-Y table to mount on the mill table , The Y and Z
axes will be usable and I can lock the X and use the one on the small
table .
*This is a split nut , cranked down all the way over the last 25 years
. Climb milling is no longer possible without grabbing/chatter/ruined
work pieces . If this works out as well as I think it should there will
be virtually zero backlash .
--
Snag
I appreciated foreign cultures more
when they stayed foreign ...
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From Newsgroup: rec.crafts.metalworking

"Snag" wrote in message news:112n5r4$43d3$1@dont-email.me...

... One of the big challenges was how to do the final milling operations
with the mill down . ...
Snag
----------------------------
I made a milling attachment for my first small lathe on this pattern: https://www.amazon.com/MachEl-ToolPost-Vertical-Milling-Precision/dp/B0DFW5T7XW/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?

I was taking night machining classes and had access to surface grinders, so it's assembled from ground rectangular blocks with dovetails milled for the vise slide and to fit the carriage, a more rigid connection than using the compound. The fixed jaw is pinned on with ground shoulder screws in reamed holes and can be removed to clamp on parts larger than vise capacity.

The milling vise worked well, its limitation was the easily bent spindle of the Sears AA lathe which made cutting steel tediously slow. A solid spindle
of 4142HT is on my to-do list. Despite its limitations the previous owner
had used it enough that I had to mill the worn ways and replace the spindle bushings. It turns much faster than my South Bend for grinding, polishing
and deep drilling.

The South Bend lathe milling attachment mounts on the compound and swivels,
so it can clamp a long bar or rod larger than the spindle bore to drill or
tap into the end.

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From Newsgroup: rec.crafts.metalworking

On 7/8/2026 8:51 PM, Snag wrote:

-a I've been a little scared of this project .

I get that. Way to many times I find a project requires a lot of things
I didn't account for right about the time I get to a point that going
back to the status quo is no longer practical.

Part if that may be my fault since I previously mentioned that the
typical inexpensive X/Y table is not a great tool.

The thing is the first thing you always need to do to complete one of
these projects is start...
--
Bob La Londe
CNC Molds N Stuff
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From Newsgroup: rec.crafts.metalworking

On Thu, 9 Jul 2026 07:32:30 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
<muratlanne@gmail.com> wrote:

"Snag" wrote in message news:112n5r4$43d3$1@dont-email.me...

... One of the big challenges was how to do the final milling operations
with the mill down . ...
Snag
----------------------------
I made a milling attachment for my first small lathe on this pattern: >https://www.amazon.com/MachEl-ToolPost-Vertical-Milling-Precision/dp/B0DFW5T7XW/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?

I was taking night machining classes and had access to surface grinders, so >it's assembled from ground rectangular blocks with dovetails milled for the >vise slide and to fit the carriage, a more rigid connection than using the >compound. The fixed jaw is pinned on with ground shoulder screws in reamed >holes and can be removed to clamp on parts larger than vise capacity.

The milling vise worked well, its limitation was the easily bent spindle of >the Sears AA lathe which made cutting steel tediously slow. A solid spindle >of 4142HT is on my to-do list. Despite its limitations the previous owner >had used it enough that I had to mill the worn ways and replace the spindle >bushings. It turns much faster than my South Bend for grinding, polishing >and deep drilling.

The South Bend lathe milling attachment mounts on the compound and swivels, >so it can clamp a long bar or rod larger than the spindle bore to drill or >tap into the end.

I made an attachment for my 9" SB "A" from 1" thick cast iron (wish I
could remember where I got that!) and it worked satisfactorily to my
standard. For a fly cutter, I mounted a lathe bit axialy in a large
bolt through the slot of a face plate - off balance but OK at low
speed.
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From Newsgroup: rec.crafts.metalworking

"Gerry" wrote in message news:2vo05ldjmhc0ci0cv5poiu3ntmkmiicd8q@4ax.com...

On Thu, 9 Jul 2026 07:32:30 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
<muratlanne@gmail.com> wrote:

"Snag" wrote in message news:112n5r4$43d3$1@dont-email.me...

... One of the big challenges was how to do the final milling operations
with the mill down . ...
Snag
----------------------------
I made a milling attachment for my first small lathe on this pattern:

...

The South Bend lathe milling attachment mounts on the compound and swivels, >so it can clamp a long bar or rod larger than the spindle bore to drill or >tap into the end.

I made an attachment for my 9" SB "A" from 1" thick cast iron (wish I
could remember where I got that!) and it worked satisfactorily to my
standard. For a fly cutter, I mounted a lathe bit axialy in a large
bolt through the slot of a face plate - off balance but OK at low
speed.
---------------------------------
I also tried drill press milling with an X-Y vise and the "Model Engineer" method of bolting work to the lathe faceplate, or an angle mounted on it.
They convinced me to shop for a knee mill.

The antique Clausing has done all I asked, from delicate electrical parts to the sawmill and tractor bucket loader. This is a modernized version that
takes R8 collets. They can fit where you could put a refrigerator, like up/down stairs if disassembled. https://www.madmodder.net/index.php?topic=6605.0

I inherited the Enco 100-5100 version in my company model shop. The main
parts were well made, the minor ones were crude and may have been products
of cottage industry. Filing to fit improved them. I think I could have
managed at home with it or a mill-drill of better quality than the MSC
RF-31. A Clausing or the similar, taller Rockwell 21-100 is hard to find and perhaps worn. https://lostcreekmachine.com/product/milling-machine-rockwell-1-phase-item-b1165/

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