# Vertical milling slide for lathe



## P. Waller (Sep 1, 2018)

If you want to do a good deal of on axis milling on a lathe a C axis control and live tooling on the cross slide will do most of what you need slowly.

If you have a lot of off axis operations that you want to also mill in a lathe this presents a challenge, you will then need a 4th axis of motion.


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## mickri (Sep 1, 2018)

I can't help you much.  Have only done a little bit of milling on my mill/drill.  The one thing that surprised me was the amount of force that a slowly turning end mill puts on the work.  I have twice had the point of an end mill grab the work and walk it almost out of the vise before I got the mill stopped.  I also have a milling attachment for my lathe that I have never used.  I think the most important issue is how does the milling attachment mount on your lathe and how sturdy is it.  There are some you tube videos on using milling attachments on a lathe.  I think Mr Pete has one.  Those should give you ideas on what to look for.


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## BaronJ (Sep 1, 2018)

Hi Guys,

Milling using the lathe requires high rigidity, small cuts and lots of patience.  

These milling slides are fine if they can be rigidly mounted so that they can support the forces that you will subject them to when making a cut.  Most people will give up on the lathe after a while and buy a mill drill which will be more capable and controllable.  As far as trying to use a press drill as a milling machine, don't even think about it.  They are not designed to accommodate the side forces that milling creates.

As far as a ball tool is concerned, there are several solutions to turning balls, not all require milling slots !


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## Rooster (Sep 1, 2018)

Greetings, i have an Atlas 618 which i have the Atlas milling attachment for. I use it often and with great results, snug gibs and small cuts are needed.


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## Creativechipper (Sep 1, 2018)

No plans of milling in a drill press, just saying I have very limited tools to work with. My version of a drill press will be a tool post drill or a hand held power drill.
 Seems like there is always a flat spot or cut somewhere in parts to be made that require some sort of mill or a ton of time hand filing and grinding stuff down.
 I am not looking for speed just some extra function for more self reliance without a huge cost.


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## Dorn (Sep 1, 2018)

1) If you have never done milling before, the single best piece of advice I can give is to learn the difference between climb and normal milling.  In a low rigidity situation such as this you want to be using normal milling in almost all situations. The design of the table you linked to on ebay looks about as rigid as you are likely to get.  Stay away from the ones that can be angled in two different directions.  They are less rigid and set up will be a royal pain.

2) The T-nuts of the clamping set you linked to may not fit the T-slots on the milling table you linked to.  Of course you could mill new T-nuts, but better to get it right the first time.  Check out the clamping sets sold by LittleMachineShop.com

https://littlemachineshop.com/products/search.php?tabName=Products&term=clamping+set


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## Creativechipper (Sep 1, 2018)

Thanks Dorn, I checked out some info on milling and climb vs normal cuts.
Found this link to be helpful...


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## Creativechipper (Sep 2, 2018)

Ok I ordered up the vertical slide in the ebay link. At least it gives me some options, even if they be slow going.


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## jimbo7636 (Nov 29, 2022)

Creativechipper said:


> Ok I ordered up the vertical slide in the ebay link. At least it gives me some options, even if they be slow going.


i also have the same questions/concerns.  can you let me know how this went for you?


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## Jimsehr (Nov 29, 2022)

Creativechipper said:


> I keep coming across projects that need a small amount of milling. I have read a lot of peoples comments on how they are junk. For someone without a drill press or any other means of milling I am starting to consider adding a 4"x5" vertical mill table to my lathe.
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/LATHE-VERT...893189&hash=item4b475b555c:g:9QoAAOSwxBtbbSAa
> 
> It looks like I would also need some sort of clamping set up to hold my work.....
> ...


You can make a ball turner without a mill.
google Jim sehr ball turner to see how it cuts.


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## Charles scozzari (Dec 5, 2022)

Dorn said:


> 1) If you have never done milling before, the single best piece of advice I can give is to learn the difference between climb and normal milling.  In a low rigidity situation such as this you want to be using normal milling in almost all situations. The design of the table you linked to on ebay looks about as rigid as you are likely to get.  Stay away from the ones that can be angled in two different directions.  They are less rigid and set up will be a royal pain.
> 
> 2) The T-nuts of the clamping set you linked to may not fit the T-slots on the milling table you linked to.  Of course you could mill new T-nuts, but better to get it right the first time.  Check out the clamping sets sold by LittleMachineShop.com
> 
> https://littlemachineshop.com/products/search.php?tabName=Products&term=clamping+set


I would like to add this as to what I was told long ago by my tool and die maker uncle Vincent. Climbing produces a better finish then scooping. proper set up (clamping) is absolutely crucial. I also know from experience that mill feed backlash will be a problem that in some cases means you might not be able to climb cut on an older mill with more the .20 play at the handle.   Thanks.


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## rwdenney (Dec 6, 2022)

(Old thread alert!)

The warning about climb milling has to do with the minimal rigidity of a milling setup on a lathe. 

I'm developing that capability myself, because I don't have a mill. My milling attachment was made for a South Bend 16" lathe and it is very heavy and heavily constructed. It mounts on the cross slide in place of the compound, not on top of the compound. (That means it can be rotated like the compound.) It's far heavier at 70 pounds and therefore far stiffer than the usual ebay offerings.

But by milling standards it has very limited range of motion and is only minimally stiff. South Bend called it a "keyway attachment", and cutting keyways is one of the things it does well. It's also quite good for milling operations on the end of long parts, which are difficult to set up in a vertical mill.

Rick "first chip-making project: turning the round dovetail for the cross-slide compound mount to install the milling attachment" Denney


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