First machine Lathe or Mill?

[Aaron_W]

I started with a lathe, and use my lathe more often, as my projects have tended to lean towards round things.

I did do some milling with my lathe, as well as rely more on saws, files and drill press and Dremel when I didn't have a mill. Having a mill is nice, and now that I have lots of milling accessories (rotary table, spindexer, collet blocks etc), I could probably get along ok with just a mill if I had to.

However I agree with the post earlier. It doesn't really matter on the anecdotal experience of "used more" from those of us with both, because we tend to use the machine we feel is better suited or at least that we are more comfortable with for the job. That doesn't mean we would not be able to do the same work, if we only had one of the machines.

Before I had either machine I turned some simple parts by chucking the stock in the chuck of a hand drill held in a vise. The parts were shaped with files, sanding sticks and emery cloth.
It worked, but a real lathe makes things a lot easier.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

I don't get that argument.
You can also easily do lathingon a mill.
Chuck the material in the spindle and a lathe tool in the chuck, for instance.
Yeah, it ain't convenient and you'll be restricted in the sizes and types of cuts you can make (haven't figured out tapers myself), but the same can be said for milling on the lathe.

Turning.

And turning anything over 1” on a mill will show you all about tapers.

You will have more tapers than you will know what to do with.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

Sorry Dave, LOL. This is a direct illustration of my problem with the words “just” and ”easily”. For you guys with a ton of tooling and decades of experience this may be easy. But for us guys just starting out with limited resources making a simple bushing on a mill is not easy. I was making bushings before anything else so it was a while before I decided I REALLY needed a mill. But I already had a drill press. And I have still done no milling on the lathe.

If I were going to make a bushing on a mill I would use a boring head, drilling and boring the internal first and then reversing the cutter and again using the boring head, turn the outside to size.

When done part off the portion heald in the vise with a saw.

This will make it concentric and true as it takes any head angle out of the equation.

Of course you would need a boring head……

 

[RaisedByWolves]

I can't and won't say anything bad about PM , it's where I started out . When programming , modeling and all the other cad/cam I was doing , it was a great site . They are not the friendly site to newbies or obvious questions though . My trade changed in 99 and over time I lost interest of their site and the BS involved , but I do understand why they are what they are . Most of these guys are doing this for a living and not a hobby . I don't dislike overseas equipment but push old iron because sometimes people learn when having to fix a problem .

There are 100s of sites on FB now , anything you could think of . I am on many but not really participating but rather looking for specific machines for sale . These members are very friendly and most would go out of there way answering questions . Just look for them and I am NOT a large FB fan , but take advantage of what they have to offer . Haven't been on PM in at least 10 years and have no reason to go back . The work I do these days has +/- half a broomstick tolerance . You get the picture .

I work in the trades and couldn’t stand PM. This was 30yrs ago so maybe it’s changed, but it doesnt seem like it.

Within two weeks I was done.


Personally I find FB to be terrible for these kinds of discussions.

 

[Shotgun]

Turning.

We know. But, it doesn't make the sentence funny.

And turning anything over 1” on a mill will show you all about tapers.

You will have more tapers than you will know what to do with.

A good demonstration of the need for tramming skills. And, it requires no more skill than tramming a milling attachment to a lathe. Which is to say, all of it.

If I were going to make a bushing on a mill I would use a boring head, drilling and boring the internal first and then reversing the cutter and again using the boring head, turn the outside to size.

When done part off the portion heald in the vise with a saw.

This will make it concentric and true as it takes any head angle out of the equation.

Now you have concentric, but if you're tramming was off, you have an ellipse. . .even if you raise the part into the cutter with the table.

At the end of the day, the mill is a lathe with a tiny chuck and a super-sized, strangely-oriented cross-slide, turned onto it's tailstock. . . and, the lathe is a mill laid on its back.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

We know. But, it doesn't make the sentence funny.


A good demonstration of the need for tramming skills. And, it requires no more skill than tramming a milling attachment to a lathe. Which is to say, all of it.



Now you have concentric, but if you're tramming was off, you have an ellipse. . .even if you raise the part into the cutter with the table.

At the end of the day, the mill is a lathe with a tiny chuck and a super-sized, strangely-oriented cross-slide, turned onto it's tailstock. . . and, the lathe is a mill laid on its back.

No, you are making a circle within a circle.

There is no need for chasing tram to the nth degree with this method, which is why I mentioned it. You could have the head on any angle and the part would be round and concentric with parallel walls if spring cuts were accounted for or eliminated using a modified end mill.

Raising the table to cut this part is exactly what would throw the concentricity off. You would likely wind up with an oval.

 

[verbotenwhisky]

That’s the common answer but nobody says why. I am more inclined for a mill but when I get one or the other I know Ill be like darn I need the other machine to complete my task.
Didn’t the old WW2 submarines have lathes on them? With spinning gear that makes sense. Plus they didn’t have bench top mills back then…

There are good arguments for both. I started with a mill, actually the one I have now is my forth and the lathe I have now is my first. If you are cutting and dressing a lot of bushings and round parts I would opt for a lathe and I would counsel you to get one with T-slots in the top of the cross slide because you can buy milling attachment for it which you can do some limited work with. I would also suggest getting the largest machine you can tolerate for the space you have, never, did anyone say, dang this lathe is too big for this part or I have way too much tool room. If you are planning on doing more facing work flat and square or truing faces up and building square parts then get a mill and buy a decent rotary table and a boring head which will allow you to do a limited amount of round stuff...

There, clear as mud, my 2 cents worth.....

 

[helmbelly]

There is such a thing as having an affinity for one machine or another.
I know myself to have a much better feel or instinct for what a lathe is doing than I do for a mill.

I sorta know what you mean bc I had a lathe 10 years before a mill and I love them both. My lathe was my grandfathers, my mill I flew to Buffalo and crated myself and put on a truck. But for me the pleasure is all in tramming them, oiling them getting them quiet and accurate and then putting them thru their paces to make the part. They almost always share the load in anything I make. To my mind it's a false choice. Which is more important your left hand or your right? You need them both to get anything done.

 

[matthewsx]

I sorta know what you mean bc I had a lathe 10 years before a mill and I love them both. My lathe was my grandfathers, my mill I flew to Buffalo and crated myself and put on a truck. But for me the pleasure is all in tramming them, oiling them getting them quiet and accurate and then putting them thru their paces to make the part. They almost always share the load in anything I make. To my mind it's a false choice. Which is more important your left hand or your right? You need them both to get anything done.

Flew to Buffalo?

Now that’s dedication

 

[helmbelly]

Flew to Buffalo?

Now that’s dedication

I wanted a Rockwell 2/3 size mill and found one almost mint for a ridiculously high price but it's the one I wanted - had to look at it first ya know? The food was freaking awesome there. As much as I could gobble in 24 hrs anyway. Great guy selling it he drove me to Hope Depot got some plywood made a crate for it, hired a pick up truck guy for 150 to get it to a freight yard - paid another 150 to truck it to New Orleans. I had some airline miles so it wasn't too bad. Well it was real bad but I've chosen to look at it as a positive ;-)