# First mill project



## n3480h (Jan 20, 2013)

First parts off my new HF X2.  I needed some small adjustable clamps to hold small parts for inspection at work.  I know I could have just bought some, but it seemed like a simple project.  So, with a block of 6061, some Dykem blue, and a scribe, I went for it.

Made a few recoverable mistakes and learned a LOT.  Got to play with end mills, a fly cutter, and a ball nose mill.  Great fun.

Tom


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## Jeff in Pa (Jan 20, 2013)

Finished product looks good. :thumbzup:

 Care to share the mistakes and what you did to overcome them ( you can help others with your experience)

  Jeff


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## n3480h (Jan 20, 2013)

Sure, why not. Basically rookie stuff:  Trammed the X, but not the Y = crooked stock.  Got that taken care of.  Climb milled when I should have conventional milled = shattered plastic gear.  Installed belt drive conversion.  Tried to flat mill to meet radius tangents, when I should have side milled and ended with the final radius.  Got them close - and they are not critical to function - but the bottom surfaces are not as good as they could be.  Learned that a fly cutter should take a VERY light cut, just to give a good finish, and a very light coat of WD-40 makes the finish better.

My 7 x 10 lathe is fun and doesn't require a lot of planning to make a shaft or whatever.  Milling takes far more planning for sequencing of operations, but I find that to be the interesting part.  I'll be doing a couple of larger clamps soon and will use the lessons I learned to produce more professional looking parts.  All in all, this was a good experience.  No doubt I will make more mistakes, but I will learn from them, too.  I figure in another 12-15 years I might even be able to say I am a practicing machinist, (but maybe not publicly).)

The edges on the clamps are deburred, but I think I need to invest in a set of corner radius mills.

Tom


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## Ray C (Jan 20, 2013)

Very nice.  Very nice indeed!


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## Hawkeye (Jan 20, 2013)

Nicely done. Lots learned and passed on.


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## darkzero (Jan 21, 2013)

Good job, looks very nice!


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## ScubaSteve (Jan 21, 2013)

Those are actually some great lessons to learn. Sorry to hear about the gear...but it seems most guys do the drive belt upgrade anyway.


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