# setting up a LMS 3990



## tghsmith (Feb 11, 2019)

my 3990 arrived a few weeks ago,, been busy tramming and taking a slow learning curve.. cleaned it all up and mounted it on a welded stand that held a craftsmans jig saw for 45+ years (way over built for the saw) stand was cleaned up and painted, a 1.5" laminated top was mounted, new adjustable feet added along with a shelf.. along with the mill came a accessory package, drip pan and a few other things..


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## tghsmith (Feb 11, 2019)

added a mac pod tach unit,, very simple.. noticed that the shifting the handle for Z axis was "not smooth" took the handle apart and found metal chips in the spring ball area,, a little cleaning and a light touch with a reamer and its now working great.. started on adding the basic spindle lock block,, it comes with screws to adjust the alignment,, did some quick test and made up a brass shim instead,, waiting now on my iqauging DRO set to arrive along with and LED light ring for the spindle..


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## Road_Clam (Feb 11, 2019)

Looks great ! I have my 4190 mounted on a steel bench and while the bench is super sturdy i'm occasionally  observing some vibration chatter of the bench. I added some 3/4" thick plywood shims under the mill's base feet  and this helped deaden a lot of the vibes. It's not all the time, seems to vibrate the most conventional milling in the Y axis. If I can offer one tip , save your pennies and get the power feed. It's cuts your machining time in half from being able to rapid off your workpiece. Trust me using the handwheel is going to get tiring and redundant on your right wrist ! I'm SO glad I added the 3" riser block. I't doesnt sound like a big deal but when drilling you run out of Z length VERY quickly. The added 3" makes a big difference in allowing drilling parts with my large 5" vise. You are probably going to find out that ditching the lower vise swivel plate for your vise will add some needed height. The probability of you needing the swivel function of your vice in minimal.


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## tghsmith (Feb 12, 2019)

not too worried on the height at this time,, the mill is for my ship model and small live steam work.. (it is a big step up from my unimat SL100) set up the magnetic mount spindle light this morning.. steel insert pins were loctited in drilled holes in the spindle lock unit.. shim and lock bolted into place,, all looks good.. (I
	

		
			
		

		
	














	

		
			
		

		
	
 have a stockpile of gear and angle drive motors that might work for the powerfeed)


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## tghsmith (Feb 15, 2019)

as of this morning all the bells and whistles the mill will get for a while have been installed,, thinking that a simple shroud will improve the spindle light..


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## tghsmith (Feb 15, 2019)

still getting lots of reflection from the large drill chuck,, but a strip of metal duct tape worked great to block the forward shining light on the spindle light..


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## hman (Feb 15, 2019)

Nice setup!  The LMS is definitely a step up from my HF 44991.

As for "as of this morning all the bells and whistles the mill will get for a while have been installed" ... aw, c'mon!  I've done a number of mods/improvements on my 44991 over the years.  Here are a couple of quick ones that you might want to consider:

Chip shield.  I soon became dissatisfied with the hard shield - got in the way of the work too often.  I had some thick clear vinyl (flexible window from a boat canopy).  Attached a piece to a random stiffener bar.  Stops hot chips nicely, and can move itself out of the way when the vise or workpiece rides underneath it.
Fine Z control.  I scribed four lines on the front face at 90º angles.  The gearing is imprecise, but ¼ turn lowers the head .015" or so.  This is a quick way to adjust Z height for multiple passes.
PS - looking up under the shroud, you can see my own (2009) version of work lighting - three LED "festoon" panels on a thin sheet of plywood


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## tghsmith (Feb 15, 2019)

for a while,, I'am looking at replacing the Z knob with a larger handle to give a better feel (think mini bridgeport handwheel) wish I hand another like the one I fitted when I built a control unit for my unimats vertical post.. also not overly fond of the stock chip shield (it's already been modded for more travel)


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## Road_Clam (Feb 16, 2019)

tghsmith said:


> still getting lots of reflection from the large drill chuck,, but a strip of metal duct tape worked great to block the forward shining light on the spindle light..
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Maybe take a Sharpie black marker and paint the top of the chuck ? That reflection would drive my nuts.  This is one of the reasons I like my adjustable sewing machine LED  light, depending on where I need the light (or don't want the light) I can move it around. 

I have the same screwless vise as you, if your looking for a cheap mount method , drill a pair of your toe clamps for a .312" dowel. Works perfect.


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## tghsmith (Feb 22, 2019)

this mill works great for my needs, had some fun and started making the steam chest for the modded engine I'm working on.. spent 15 minutes looking for the spindle lock tool, decided it needed a color change,, it will get a holder also!!!


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## tghsmith (Aug 10, 2019)

LMS has the better handwheels on sale, I sprang for a pair,, they have a much better feel than the stock handles,, perfect fit,, installed in minutes,, also rigged a section of loc-line hose to vacuum chips while milling..


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## Ken from ontario (Aug 10, 2019)

What's next on the upgrades list? a reverse switch could come in handy.
How about a mister?


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## tghsmith (Aug 10, 2019)

the  mac-pod tach kit came with the board connector for reverse.. its wired up with the switch installed on the back-side of the control box..


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## tghsmith (Sep 14, 2019)

mill was not  starting and giving fault light,, LMS was great in advice,, the spade/plug type power cord to machine connectors were replaced with good wire nuts and no more problems..


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## homebrewed (Sep 14, 2019)

The dinky Z axis fine-feed knob on my X2 made hole-boring jobs a real chore so I added a quick-and-dirty handle to mine:





It works well enough that I just left it attached.  The crank arm is just a piece of hardware-store aluminum I had lying around.  I used a shoulder bolt so the handle is free to turn when I use the crank.  In the background you can see the mini lathe I used to turn the handle.  I drilled and tapped two holes in the original knob to install the crank.  When not in use it hangs down, but I haven't had any issues with it getting in the way.


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## tghsmith (Sep 14, 2019)

I've been thinking about the Z knob and changing it to a handle like the upgraded X,Y handles,, the only thing that was holding me back was the fit for the dial scale,, but with the DRO I never even look at it ,, may just get a 3" to 4" hand wheel and  mount it without the dial....


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## hman (Sep 14, 2019)

homebrewed said:


> The dinky Z axis fine-feed knob on my X2 made hole-boring jobs a real chore so I added a quick-and-dirty handle to mine
> <snip>


Homebrewed - I really like your handle idea, and will add something like that to my own HF 44991.  I, too, have a DRO, so I very seldom use the dial markings.  One thing I've done instead is to put 4 marks on the outside of the knob.  Because one turn advances Z by ~.062", moving from one mark to the next lets me do a quick-and-dirty Z advance of about .015" (or multiple thereof) for repeated depth cuts.


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## homebrewed (Sep 15, 2019)

Good idea on the .015" indexing.  

While DROs are nice, I've found myself dialing in exact depths while doing rough cuts just because I can.  Well, these days my time is "free" anyway


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## hman (Sep 16, 2019)

OOPS!  Just noticed that I'd previously posted my "4 lines" idea on this very forum ... post #7, above.  Ah, well 



Ken from ontario said:


> What's next on the upgrades list? a reverse switch could come in handy.
> How about a mister?


OK, howzabout this?  Reversing switch is under a safety cover.  When the cover is snapped down, the switch is "guaranteed" to be in Foreward.  Also note the small red "Reset" pushbutton on the front.  It's a normally closed momentary button that briefly interrupts the wire going from the switch on the back of the speed pot to the circuit box on the back of the mill.  Pushing this button fools the controller into thinking I turned the speed pot all the way down, then back again.  This saves a bit of time restarting whenever I've stopped the motor.  Also lets me resume the previous speed without hunting.





I have misters on my bigger (RF-30 clone) mill and on my lathe.  The mini is not yet equipped with one ... but I guess I can move one of the others over.  I do have a compressed air drop nearby


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## tghsmith (Oct 10, 2019)

I took a look at the Z knob and found that the dial would fit a X,Y handle,, the boss on the handle is just a little long,, ordered up another handle (still on sale) took it over to a friends big lathe,, turned the boss down to length,, bored the shaft hole to 7/16ths,, and added a recess to the front,, turned out a steel spacer/bushing to match the handle bore and the Z shaft,, pressed in place with a little loctite.. drilled and tapped the set screw,, turned a brass cap to for a final clean look..  feels very nice...


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## hman (Oct 10, 2019)

Nice!  I also like your cordless pencil sharpener


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