Re: Kurt 3620V Short Body
One thing I've learned so far. The spending never ends. To top it off, Will has the power to drain your bank account in no time.
:rofl: Yup, I definitely agree, it never ends. And if you're a tool junkie like me, it's even worse!
I want to spend some noob money!
I'm starting out with an 3/4 2HP BP clone with zero tooling. Probably a similar work envelope and power as the OP's.
Can you explain which one of those cutting tools we should get and why?
Which type of tooling is essential varies by person & the type of work they do so I'll just share some of my own opinions. I'll just talk about what's pictured on that rack as I use them the most.
Starting from the front, R8 collets. If your spindle is R8 & these are definitely something you will need. I don't primarily use R8 collets so the set that came with my mill is all I would ever need. I have a basic set in 8th increments. I really only use 8mm, 3/8", 1/2", & 5/8". I do keep 3/4" & 7/8" there but I rarely use them. The 7/8" I use for holding a Thomson linear shaft that I use for alignment, squaring, etc. The 8mm I use to hold my Noga indicator holder. There's sets available in 16th increments but I have no use for them as I use common size end mills & ER collets.
On the left is a Tapmatic tapping head. If you're not familiar with tapping heads, they allow you to tap a hole & retract the quill without the need to reverse the spindle. The tapping head automatically reverses on rebound. Not something I would consider essential, you could just power tap or tap by hand. But is nice to have if you need to tap a lot of holes consecutively. I had a project where I needed to tap 180 holes in 90 parts. I tapped them all in just a few hrs & never actually needed to turn off the spindle.
ER chucks & collets. I use ER40 & ER16 from Bison & Glacern. My ER collets are all Techniks. Not an essential, just my preference to use them as I like them a lot. You can just change collets at the chuck without having to use the drawbar, great If you don't like reaching for the drawbar. They have better run out & better grip than R8 collets but us home shop machinist guys probably wouldn't notice a difference. I use them on the lathe also. I won't get into ER collets much. R8 collets work perfectly fine. But with the ERs I never needed to use an endmill holder.
Drill chucks, definite necessity. The keyless chucks I use for the mill is from Glacern 1/2" capacity & the little one is a Jacobs, 1/4" capacity I think, I forget. I use it for small wire size drill bits & when I need to get into a tight space. The keyed chuck is a Jacobs 14N ball bearing chuck. I use it with larger drill bits & for power tapping. The keyless 1/2" capacity chuck really covers most of my work & is what I use the most.
Face mill at the left rear. It's a Glacern 2.5" 45° facemill w/ integral shank. If you have an R8 taper, 3" is just about max that it can handle as I am told. 2.5" is better suitable for a BP or large bench mills. You can definitely use bigger, but you'll have to compensate for rigidity, DOC, etc. 45° FMs are best for mills with low HP as they have a high shear design & cuts easier But they can't mill up to a shoulder. I wouldn't want to be without a FM but fly cutters are a cheaper alternative & give nice finishes also.
Lastly, the boring heads. I don't use them often but I also wouldn't want to be without one. The smaller one is a 2" Criterion & the larger one is a 3" Yuasa (Japanese copy of the Criterion). I probably used the 3" once, I only got it cause I won it cheap. The 2" covers most of what I need.
Parallels, definitely a necessity if you don't have any already. 1/8" thick set covers most of what I do & is a good starting set. Add 1/32", 1/4", etc sets later if needed.
Not really tooling but the work stops I posted earlier in this thread, not a necessity but make live easier. Great if you need to do operations on multiple indentical parts cause you don't have to reindicate. Or remove a part to check it for something & remount it in the vise without having to reindicate. Great time saver. Plenty of different ones on the market. There's also ones that mount on the back of your vise (Kurt style).
And don't forget to save some of your spending money on measuring tools. I'm not a machinist & it's not my career. I'm just a hobby guy so much of what I have or say can be subjective. Sorry for the long post, I know I don't like to read them either if they're boring.
