# Enco 105-1110/RF-30 just landed in my shop...



## TerryH (Jun 8, 2018)

Evening all. Well, the "I gotta have a mill" bug has bitten. Unfortunately budget and room are both a little short. I had pretty much resigned myself to a mini mill and was ready tom buy one on the recent 20%/$100 off deal on Ebay but passed to give Craig's list some more time. Not a lot of used inventory of such in my neck of the woods and when there is it's either. "It's only been sitting outside for the last few years", "It was lovingly cared for while being run 24/7/365 with zero maintenance for the last 30 years", or the opposite end of the spectrum and "It's perfect and I only want $15,000 for it." 

But along came this Enco RF-30 a couple of hours away yesterday morning. I freely admit to knowing painfully little about mills but I really want to learn and don't mind putting in a little sweat equity if it's a decent machine which I believe I have found. Older gentleman selling it. He bought it in new 1996 and it's been in his garage ever since. Mostly used as a drill press on wood with very little metal work. He painted it blue as he had worked in a factory that had all green machines and he didn't want a green on at home or so was the story anyway. He told me that everything he had for it was included. Decent bit of tooling, original vice, original manual etc... He build a base to store the tooling. I drove to see it today and it ran perfectly. Very quiet and smooth. I'll do some further evaluation tomorrow but I plan to disassemble and restore it. I paid him $500 for everything. I could tell that he was parting with an old friend so hung out with him for quite a while just listening to his stories. He had taken a milling class when he first got it and he gave me his text books and his workbook from that class. He also had photos of the machine right after he built the base and painted it along with the tooling and clamping kit. Those acted as a reference for him so he could get everything back how it was supposed to be.

I'll be building a new base as part of my restoration. The thing that will bug me from now on is that he was not careful at all with his drilling so the table is marked up pretty extensively. Open to suggestions if there is anyone that has any ideas. Lots of the damage is shallow so perhaps have it surface ground would help? Anyway, I'll begin to process it's needs and my wants tomorrow. For now here's a bunch of "as found" photos to get things started. Comments as suggestions are welcome. 













And the table. I realize this is just cosmetic but I hope to be able to at least make it a bit better. 









Many parts of it are pretty pristine. All the tags and decals are near perfect. 

















And some included extras...


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## TerryH (Jun 8, 2018)

These are some of the pictures he took and kept all these years...













The text books and work book from his milling class...









The original manual...





His delivery date note...





I'm looking very forward to the process. These books, photos and the story in general make this even more special to me. he asked me to send him some photos when I'm done even though he know that I'm going to paint it back that "ugly green." lol... More to come...

And thanks once again to @mikey for his help and putting up with all me stupid questions.


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## ttabbal (Jun 9, 2018)

Good deal Terry! You've got a good pack of tooling to work with there. 

For the table, the Bridgeport restoration book I bought has a section about table repairs. The short version is that holes are fine, but burs sticking up are a problem. They recommend a flat stone to knock them down. There's also some info about filling them in. Mine had a few as well, but the previous owner had stoned it nice and flat. I don't mind the dings as I generally plan to work with the vise. Let me know if you want more info from that. Perhaps I can scan that page for you.


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## TerryH (Jun 9, 2018)

ttabbal said:


> Good deal Terry! You've got a good pack of tooling to work with there.
> 
> For the table, the Bridgeport restoration book I bought has a section about table repairs. The short version is that holes are fine, but burs sticking up are a problem. They recommend a flat stone to knock them down. There's also some info about filling them in. Mine had a few as well, but the previous owner had stoned it nice and flat. I don't mind the dings as I generally plan to work with the vise. Let me know if you want more info from that. Perhaps I can scan that page for you.



Thanks! I'm pretty proud of it. Would appreciate learning anything on repairing the table.


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## dtsh (Jun 9, 2018)

I'd say you got a pretty good deal. I have a HF mill/drill and I'm quite satisfied with it. I bought mine new and I can tell you I'd have been tickled to find that locally on CL for that price.

As for the dimples in the table, ignore them if you can, they look superficial and not likely to affect how well a part can be held. If you find they affect the table's flatness, you could probably clean and fill them with epoxy, but then you would have to make sure you take the epoxy down to the surface of the table afterwards and that's going to be more difficult. I would enjoy it for what it is and think of the dimples as price-reducing character.


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## craptain (Jun 9, 2018)

I would be very very happy with that machine for that price, and I am sure that you will be. Overall it's in much nicer condition than mine, except for the table. And mine cost more with less tooling and extras. Congratulations. 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk


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## Richard King 2 (Jun 9, 2018)

What a good deal.  I can relate to selling my "stuff" hard to part with my tools as you said "an old friend"   I would suggest you either phone the old gentleman and invite him down for a visit or send him a copy of this thread.  Printed pictures and all.   You sound as if you will make the machines old friend very proud.  Good Karma   

The table has a lot of experience...character some would say.  I will be happy to advise on the table repair.  I suggest you buy some Vactra 2 way oil to oil it up now and then too....   Rich


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## Dave Paine (Jun 9, 2018)

You got a very good deal, perhaps 1/2 of what I would see in my area.

The picture of the mill in his shop with the piece of wood explains how he got so many hiccups in the table due to not having sacrificial boards behind the pieces being drilled.

As others have mentioned, stoning to remove edges and burrs is all you need.     The vise will cover the hiccups in the middle.   On my milling machine I use UHMW covers on either side.   If you did something similar you would rarely see the hiccups.

I love these covers.   They reflect light which is desirable for the present lighting situation.    They also protect the table from tooling or work hitting the table when "Murphy" pays a visit.  Also much easier to clean up chips and debris with the flat surfaces.

I am not using flooded coolant.   If I did I could just slide the covers to provide more space for the coolant to drain off the vise into the slots in the table.




I would consider mounting the vise without the rotary base unless you need the swivel for a project.    The mill does not have a lot of Z axis capacity so the rotary base will consume some much needed travel capacity.


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## ttabbal (Jun 9, 2018)

I like the idea of the covers. I might have to come up with something like that. 

I've read that the swivel base can also affect rigidity. I haven't tested it, but it makes sense. I have mine oiled and stored for later.


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## dlane (Jun 9, 2018)

I redid a clausing dp lately with the arc of shame on the table , I filled the holes with jb weld ,let it set up till stiff and took a   utility knife blade and shaved off the extra, after hard a flat fine file did a good job of surface finish, looks good to me.


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## TerryH (Jun 9, 2018)

Dave Paine said:


> You got a very good deal, perhaps 1/2 of what I would see in my area.
> 
> The picture of the mill in his shop with the piece of wood explains how he got so many hiccups in the table due to not having sacrificial boards behind the pieces being drilled.
> 
> ...



I like that a lot. As I am drooling on the picture I'm calculating in my head how long it would take me just to make my vise look like that. lol...

These are 1/4" UMHW sheets? I see the screws so I'm assuming there are perhaps more UMHW pieces on the back to locate the sheets on the table?


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## Lordbeezer (Jun 9, 2018)

I have the same model mill..it does what I need..you did real good..I like getting the history on my machines..stone the bed as others have said..I used to go thru Springdale on the way to the ozarks from little rock..


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## Dave Paine (Jun 9, 2018)

TerryH said:


> I like that a lot. AS I am drooling on the picture I'm calculating in my head how long it would take me just to make my vise look like that. lol...
> 
> These are 1/4" UMHW sheets? I see the screws so I'm assuming there are perhaps more UMHW pieces on the back to locate the sheets on the table?



The vise was new when I took the picture, about 18 months ago.

I have done woodwork for many decades so have some pieces of 1/4in UHMW sheets around for potential use in jigs.    It makes a very good mill table cover, at least for my needs.

You are correct the UHMW is screwed to the rails on the back side, which I made from wood, since I have lots of wood around and I did not have a thick enough piece of UHMW.  These are a snug fit in the slots.  I did not bother to seal these so they may absorb cutting oil over time, but easy to replace if needed in the future.

I cut out the curve around the vise mounting holes so the covers fit close to the sides of the vise.

The mill table has a DRO scale cover on the front which is why the front of the table appears wider.




Your vise should not be difficult to clean up.  I hope the jaws are in good shape since these are typically hardened.
From the picture it looks like many years of dust and grime rather than rust.

The vise which came with my mill had some dings in the rails.   I milled these to clean them up.  I decided later to get a replacement vise.


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## TerryH (Jun 9, 2018)

Dave Paine said:


> The vise was new when I took the picture, about 18 months ago.
> 
> I have done woodwork for many decades so have some pieces of 1/4in UHMW sheets around for potential use in jigs.    It makes a very good mill table cover, at least for my needs.
> 
> ...



Thanks Dave! That will definitely be a project for me to do pretty quickly. I've done wood working for 18 years. I really enjoy it and unlike machining, I just burn the mistakes to keep me warm in the winter. lol... The wood side of my shop...


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## TerryH (Jun 9, 2018)

Spent the day in the shop giving the old girl some love. I think I spent most of that time scraping blue paint off places it is not supposed to be. 

It interesting to me how little oil/lube there is on this mill. Most of the cleanup is just wood dust stuck in a light coat of oil. I bathed it pretty much top to bottom in lacquer thinner to get the worst off. Followed that with mineral spirits and a gray Scotchbrite on the table and the ways. Again, somewhat surprising to me how easily it came clean. I also did the same to the vise.

Few minor things to deal with. One of the table locking levers is broken and one of the stops is missing. Ordered a couple new levers from Amazon and attempted to order new stops from Grizzly that they list for $2 each but they are out of stock. I'll just turn a couple new ones and call it good. The indicator ring on the Y axis was on backwards. X axis hand wheel on the right side has the threads stripped out for the knob. Not exactly sure how I'm going to deal with that but I'm thinking I can go up to a bigger bolt and re-thread it. A general adjustment/snug up did wonders. Every mating surface was dry as a bone. Couldn't locate proper way oil locally so I ordered some and subbed some WD40 for now. It's brutally obvious that the ball oilers haven't been used since it was painted and lube in general pretty lacking.





All part of the fun of scraping and cleaning I suppose...





The clean, adjust and lube made all the difference in the world. So much smoother now.

I removed the house light switch and the crunched work light. I'll order a nice led light to replace it.

I ordered some deep green hammered finish paint. It's current paint which was brushed on, looks much worse in person than in the photos so it's going to take a considerable amount of prep before any painting can happen. I'm in the body shop business so I should be able to manage it. 

Here are the pics from today. Pretty amazing what a little time and elbow grease makes.

















And the table. This is as good as it's going to be unfortunately. I stoned it to make sure there were no burrs and followed that with the Scotchbrite. It's a shame but it is what it is and I guess I'll learn to live with it. I plan to make covers like Dave posted.





And with the vise...

















I setup the DTI and checked spindle concentricity. Max is .002. Probably more accurate than the operator. lol... But I'm going to order the sealed FAG sealed bearings. Still need to rewire to 240v as well as figure out what I'm going to do for a base. I sure do wish it still had to original base. It's not perfect but overall I'm pretty happy with it. Seems like it's pretty solid.


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## mikey (Jun 9, 2018)

Cleaned up really nice, Terry. This is a really easy machine to work on and you'll be surprised how accurate the spindle can be with good bearings. It is a light duty machine but for hobby use it is more than stout enough for most of us. Have fun with it.


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## TerryH (Jun 9, 2018)

mikey said:


> Cleaned up really nice, Terry. This is a really easy machine to work on and you'll be surprised how accurate the spindle can be with good bearings. It is a light duty machine but for hobby use it is more than stout enough for most of us. Have fun with it.



Thanks Mike! I’m already having fun with it.


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## Dave Paine (Jun 9, 2018)

Thanks for the update, the cleanup was very worthwhile, looks to be a much nicer machine now.   Good job.   The vise cleaned up better than you expected.

I am officially jealous of your shop space.   Nice picture of the spacious woodworking side of the shop.

In my "shop" I often think of the Star Trek phrase "Space - the final frontier" as in I do not have any......


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## TerryH (Jun 9, 2018)

Dave Paine said:


> Thanks for the update, the cleanup was very worthwhile, looks to be a much nicer machine now.   Good job.   The vise cleaned up better than you expected.
> 
> I am officially jealous of your shop space.   Nice picture of the spacious woodworking side of the shop.
> 
> In my "shop" I often think of the Star Trek phrase "Space - the final frontier" as in I do not have any......



I’m beyond blessed to have 1200 sq.ft. Of personal shop space. Some kinda glad it had A/C today too.


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## TerryH (Jun 10, 2018)

Stole a bit of time this afternoon to thoroughly clean all the tooling and turn a couple of new table stops form some Delrin rod. I mounted to tool holders to the sides of the base just to get everything off my bench as only one drawer is all that is serviceable. 

















I also orderd some more collets, parallels, 123 blocks etc... New base design is swirling around in my head. I'm going to see if I can scrounge some aluminum drops tomorrow so I can start making some chips.


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## Richard King 2 (Jun 10, 2018)

I would also buy and install some way wipers.  McMaster Call sells 16" strips .  SKF sells the old Chicago Rawhide wipers too...or make some out of white felt and some sheet metal like old Logan or South Bend Lathes used.   Another tip, buy a stiff paint brush to brush the chips so you vacuum cleaner sucks them up.  Never blow off the chips.....good way to blow chips under the no wippered ways.   How about cut and pasting what we are talking about in private messages about fixing the table.  I am sure many would like to know how to do that too.   Rich


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## Richard King 2 (Jun 10, 2018)

You may want to set the base on 3 points 2 in back and one under front.  we can talk about that later....it's close to my bed time....lol


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## TerryH (Jun 11, 2018)

Richard King 2 said:


> I would also buy and install some way wipers.  McMaster Call sells 16" strips .  SKF sells the old Chicago Rawhide wipers too...or make some out of white felt and some sheet metal like old Logan or South Bend Lathes used.   Another tip, buy a stiff paint brush to brush the chips so you vacuum cleaner sucks them up.  Never blow off the chips.....good way to blow chips under the no wippered ways.   How about cut and pasting what we are talking about in private messages about fixing the table.  I am sure many would like to know how to do that too.   Rich



Thanks for your help Rich! I will chronicle attempting to fix the table once I start down that road. As you can probably tell I like to take pictures and write so hopefully I can document the process for others to see. I know I'm not the only one that has this issue.


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## TerryH (Jun 11, 2018)

Richard King 2 said:


> You may want to set the base on 3 points 2 in back and one under front.  we can talk about that later....it's close to my bed time....lol



Well color me interested.


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## TerryH (Jun 11, 2018)

This is about the point in every project where I start to question what I was even thinking.


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## TerryH (Jun 12, 2018)

If there was any chance that anyone was wondering if I had lost my mind this should end all doubt. What a freaking project. This has got to be the roughest piece of metal I have ever worked on. Nearly every inch was covered with some sort of 1996 Taiwanese body filler.  I ended up grinding a good portion of that off and smoothing everything out with some modern US body filler. lol...  Finally got some primer on it tonight. Hopefully all this will be worth it.


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## Cadillac STS (Jun 12, 2018)

Looks good.

might consider changing the Drive belt to a nice new one if it hasn’t been changed in the over 20 years since new.  It might run even smoother. 

For the light there are some options of ring light LED ones on eBay. Those are nice, hold to the spindle with magnets and put light 360 degrees around where it is needed


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## TerryH (Jun 13, 2018)

Cadillac STS said:


> Looks good.
> 
> might consider changing the Drive belt to a nice new one if it hasn’t been changed in the over 20 years since new.  It might run even smoother.
> 
> For the light there are some options of ring light LED ones on eBay. Those are nice, hold to the spindle with magnets and put light 360 degrees around where it is needed



Thanks! The belts look new but who knows? They could be the originals. I'll probably end up link belts on it. I'll have to check out those lights. I have great lighting where the mill is but still need a task light for it.


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## craptain (Jun 13, 2018)

That body filler is used on 100% of all Chinese/ Taiwanese castings. I don't know why they can't get a better finish. I am also interested in the ring light. I saw one on a YouTube video and was very impressed. 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk


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## TerryH (Jun 13, 2018)

craptain said:


> That body filler is used on 100% of all Chinese/ Taiwanese castings. I don't know why they can't get a better finish. I am also interested in the ring light. I saw one on a YouTube video and was very impressed.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk



I'm guessing that these are sand castings? Can't imagine how they could possible be this rough but they are. It's almost like the carved them out of lava rock.


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## yendor (Jun 13, 2018)

So I have to ask. Why did you decide to re-paint the machine?
I'm just curious if you simply didn't like the color or?


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## TerryH (Jun 13, 2018)

yendor said:


> So I have to ask. Why did you decide to re-paint the machine?
> I'm just curious if you simply didn't like the color or?



That's a good question and one that I have asked myself quite a few times in the past few days. 

There are multiple reasons. The previous owner had repainted it blue long ago. He did it with a brush without disassembling or taping anything. I've spent my entire life in the body shop so that sort of thing just bugs the crap out of me. I knew that I was always going to look at it and wish I had repainted it if I did not so I just dove in. I realize this next statement is not going to make sense to many but I much prefer my machines or whatever to be pleasing to my eye. Performance of the machine is essential but I want my things to look good and to look well cared for. That was not the case with this mill so I had to fix it.


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## Richard King 2 (Jun 13, 2018)

On the Rung Fo bases I have seen and helped re-scrape the 4 pads that sit on the top of cabinet are way off.  One I believe was .011" high when we set it on a granite surface plate.  So if the cabinet is flat and when you tighten the hold down bolts the base twisted.  I get a bit anal sometime when it goes to accuracy.  The machine is not a Bridgeport or Moore, so  maybe it's OK as far as accuracy goes.    

By chance do you have a surface plate?  If not, don't worry about it.   I just again looked at the pictures and when you set the base on the cabinet shim under the 4 corners so they all hit on what ever cabinet you set it on.  so when you tighten the 4 bolts it doesn't twist.  

I could get into precision ways to improve  this by using 3 points, etc, etc.   Sometimes hard to help of teach if you don't have the equipment to do so.  So just give it a try and if it works good, use it.    Rich


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## mikey (Jun 13, 2018)

TerryH said:


> I'm guessing that these are sand castings? Can't imagine how they could possible be this rough but they are. It's almost like the carved them out of lava rock.



These are definitely sand castings. If you want proof, remove the column from the base and sand will drop out from the column.

For a ring light, check this one out: https://www.tormach.com/store/index.php?app=ecom&ns=prodshow&ref=32700


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## ttabbal (Jun 13, 2018)

I've been crazy busy, but here's what the book says about repairing the table. Richard seems to be an expert in restoring machines, so if he disagrees, it might be good to listen to him. I'm a noob and haven't tried this.


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## ttabbal (Jun 13, 2018)

mikey said:


> For a ring light, check this one out: https://www.tormach.com/store/index.php?app=ecom&ns=prodshow&ref=32700



Nice. I have been considering getting something like that set up on my Bridgeport.


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## Richard King 2 (Jun 13, 2018)

Terry and I have been private messaging about similar repairs.  I told him we needed to make it public.  I recommended using Devcon Aluminum as you will never know it's there compared to a steel mixture.  Terry said he is doing a procedure with pic's that I think he will add on here soon.


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## ttabbal (Jun 13, 2018)

Richard King 2 said:


> Terry and I have been private messaging about similar repairs.  I told him we needed to make it public.  I recommended using Devcon Aluminum as you will never know it's there compared to a steel mixture.  Terry said he is doing a procedure with pic's that I think he will add on here soon.



I'll look forward to reading it then! Thanks for contributing your knowledge!


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## TerryH (Jun 13, 2018)

mikey said:


> These are definitely sand castings. If you want proof, remove the column from the base and sand will drop out from the column.
> 
> For a ring light, check this one out: https://www.tormach.com/store/index.php?app=ecom&ns=prodshow&ref=32700



Hi Mikey. I had already found that light. Seems like quite a good deal for $33.00.


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## TerryH (Jun 13, 2018)

ttabbal said:


> I'll look forward to reading it then! Thanks for contributing your knowledge!



I'm planning on working on the top while it's off the base. Will finish the paint on the base and then tackle the top. I was strategically not saying much about it on the open forum just in case it went totally wrong I didn't have to explain how I jacked it up. lol...


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## ttabbal (Jun 13, 2018)

TerryH said:


> I'm planning on working on the top while it's off the base. Will finish the paint on the base and then tackle the top. I was strategically not saying much about it on the open forum just in case it went totally wrong I didn't have to explain how I jacked it up. lol...



Now where's the fun (for us) in that?!?


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## TerryH (Jun 13, 2018)

ttabbal said:


> Now where's the fun (for us) in that?!?



lol... I can usually look stupid enough on accident. No need to do it on purpose.


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## rock_breaker (Jun 13, 2018)

Very nice mill.  You made a great deal.  I have an RF 30 that I replaced a 6" straight vise with a 4 inch swivel vise, am glad I did it. When I raise or lower the milling head I find it easier to work the crank from the rear of the machine when raising the head. perhaps a body building class is in order. You will get a lot of good use from your mill and a lot of satisfaction from making tools and parts.
Have a good day
Ray


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## TerryH (Jun 13, 2018)

rock_breaker said:


> Very nice mill.  You made a great deal.  I have an RF 30 that I replaced a 6" straight vise with a 4 inch swivel vise, am glad I did it. When I raise or lower the milling head I find it easier to work the crank from the rear of the machine when raising the head. perhaps a body building class is in order. You will get a lot of good use from your mill and a lot of satisfaction from making tools and parts.
> Have a good day
> Ray



Thanks Ray. I'll be glad to actually use it instead of working on it but I think it'll be worth it in the end.


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## TerryH (Jun 13, 2018)

It's my birthday today so I cheated and took off work a little early to work on the mill. Some days it's good to be the king. lol... I was determined to get it painted tonight as my completely selfish present to myself. Began with sanding the primer I put on it last night. Then another round of priming and spot putty, more sanding, re-priming a few spots, more sanding and scuff padding and washing and tacking and... sheesh... but finally the mill is green. Still some work ahead to get the vise, table ends and some other assorted parts and pieces painted but super glad to be this far. Fairly happy with the result. Suppose I could have sanded and primed a couple more times but decided that it was good enough. I do like the color and the Krylon hammered went on nice. Covered well. I did 4 coats. It's virtually the same as my Grizzly machines which is what I was hoping for.


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## yendor (Jun 14, 2018)

I have the same mill. 
If you keep this up I may have to strip mine down and send it to you for a paint job. 
Actually I love the work you are doing, you are more patient then I am.

I purchased mine used as well, and I use it as is. 
I do intend to one day get around to a full strip down, cleaning, paint and DRO. but until then I'll just have to drool over how nice yours looks.


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## ttabbal (Jun 14, 2018)

I fixed my Bridgeport up, but didn't go this far.  I decided I was going to make it dirty and beat up anyway so I didn't do paint, just cleaned and de-rusted various parts. This is looking nice!


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## TerryH (Jun 14, 2018)

ttabbal said:


> I fixed my Bridgeport up, but didn't go this far.  I decided I was going to make it dirty and beat up anyway so I didn't do paint, just cleaned and de-rusted various parts. This is looking nice!



I would not have gone this far either if the original paint were even halfway intact. However the very messy brushed on blue I could not stand so here I am.


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## kvt (Jun 14, 2018)

Terry   Had not  been on much  but just caught up on the thread.    Looks nice,   if you go with that ring light let us know how it works as I have the same mill and have been thinking about some kind of ring light for it.  but what most of them have been using on the BP and clones do not seem like they would work on the ones like we have.


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## TerryH (Jun 14, 2018)

kvt said:


> Terry   Had not  been on much  but just caught up on the thread.    Looks nice,   if you go with that ring light let us know how it works as I have the same mill and have been thinking about some kind of ring light for it.  but what most of them have been using on the BP and clones do not seem like they would work on the ones like we have.



Thanks! I have the ring light ordered. I believe @mikey already has it on his RF-30 so it should work.


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## TerryH (Jun 14, 2018)

Another round of finishing paint prep and painting. The table ends, vice pieces, few other odds and ends. There has certainly been some interesting taping on this project. 





And after a few coats of my new favorite Deep green hammered.









I also started to reassemble what I can on the mill with new hardware. Also got it rewired to 240v. Gaining every day. Will finish reassembly tomorrow evening and then begin the table repair over the weekend. I counted the table penetrations. There are only 142 of them.  









Bunch of new stainless fasteners always makes me smile.


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## ttabbal (Jun 15, 2018)

I'm REALLY liking that color. Must not disassemble mill... Must not disassemble mill.... 

Maybe next time I take it apart.


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## TerryH (Jun 16, 2018)

Spent the afternoon with a bit more cleaning of the ways and such. Lots of lube and then reassembly. I'm quite pleased with the result. I also took some time to fab up the table covers per @Dave Paine from 1/4" UMHW sheet with a couple of white oak runners. Still have to deal with the table and make a new stand but so far so good.


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## TerryH (Jun 16, 2018)

And it even makes chips.


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## Dave Paine (Jun 17, 2018)

The machine looks terrific.   Very good work on the cleaning, sanding, filling and repainting.   Looks almost like new.   I do love the UHMW table protectors.


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## TerryH (Jun 17, 2018)

Dave Paine said:


> The machine looks terrific.   Very good work on the cleaning, sanding, filling and repainting.   Looks almost like new.   I do love the UHMW table protectors.



Thanks Dave! I love them too. Super easy and work great!


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## TerryH (Jun 17, 2018)

And now this...





This is going to be an interesting project. I don't think anyone was thinking about adding a quill DRO when they designed the RF-30. lol... 

I have a plan. We'll see how it plays out.


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## TerryH (Jun 18, 2018)

Another mod from the mail man today. The Tormach ring light. This thing is cool and cheap. $32.50 plus shipping.

https://www.tormach.com/store/index.php?app=ecom&ns=prodshow&ref=32700













Without...





With...


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## Dave Paine (Jun 18, 2018)

Nice light.   I need to get one myself.


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## TerryH (Jun 25, 2018)

Just documenting the Z axis DRO install in the main thread. 6" iGauging DRO installed on the inside of a new front cover made form 2" aluminum angle with a ATP cover.


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## TerryH (Jun 25, 2018)

New stand construction is also underway. I'm building it from doug fir 4x and 2x lumber with 3/4 Baltic birch ply panel inserts. Multi layer BB top.

Front will have 4 srawers on full extension slides and 'll mill inserts to hold the end mills, collets etc...

My scribbled rough dimensional drawings...









I purchased the rough lumber and squared 2 sides on my jointer and planed to final dimensions of 3 1/4 x 3 1/4 for the legs and 1 1/4 x 3 1/4 for the rails and cross braces. 





More to come...


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## kvt (Jun 25, 2018)

Keep it coming your giving us ideas.   I was looking at making my frame out of 1 inch square stock.   What kind of slides are you going to use on the drawers.


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## TerryH (Jun 25, 2018)

kvt said:


> Keep it coming your giving us ideas.   I was looking at making my frame out of 1 inch square stock.   What kind of slides are you going to use on the drawers.



Thanks. I do hope that these posts are helpful to someone.

I've used this construction method on a few other projects with great results. There will be 3/4 baltic birch plywood inset into grooves in the legs and the rails. Once those assemblies are glued together they make for extremely strong panels. I did a similar construction on the ends of my reloading bench with 3/4" melamine.

The rails are attached to the legs with pocket screws but the glue is doing much of the work. Example of the construction from the reloading bench build...









Additional cross bracing reinforces these joints but here you can see the basic pocket screw construction.





Drawers will also be BB plywood with dovetail construction. I typically use 1/2" for the sides and 1/4" for the bottoms but I'll use 1/2" bottoms on this project for added strength given the potential weight in these drawers. These are the drawer parts from the reloading bench.





They are milled using a Porter Cable dovetail jig.


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## TerryH (Jun 28, 2018)

Vacation day today so that equals a morning spent in the shop. Got the stand parts cut to length and the grooves for the panels milled on the router table. 





I also cut the panels and drilled for the pocket screws. Dry fit everything to make for sure I was good.





Pretty much just a matter of lots of glue in the grooves and clamping everything together so I can put in the pocket screws. 





Added the front rails and the basic assembly is complete.













I added a couple of cross braces also attached with pocket screws. The base is plenty stout for sure.









That's going to be about it for today and I'm out of town until next week so will resume construction then.


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## kvt (Jun 28, 2018)

Yea,  I saw the post on the other thread first.   you have to see the comment.    Again it is looking good.
How much does it weigh.   Also what brand of draw slides are you using.     I'm looking.


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## TerryH (Jun 28, 2018)

Thanks. Not sure how much it weighs but it's hefty and still quite a bit of weight to add. I could add some pavers or chucks of steel in the bottom if I feel like it needs more. I have 3 1/4" of space below the drawers.

I've been using these cheap slides from Amazon for the last few projects. So far they've done very well. 100 lb. rated. Full extension. I'll probably put 2 sets on the bottom drawer. At this price I suppose I could double up all of them. 

https://www.amazon.com/Friho-Hardwa...=8-4&keywords=18+full+extension+drawer+slides


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## TerryH (Jun 28, 2018)

While I was out running around this afternoon I took a few minutes to stop by my local Habitat Store. Scored a massive 1 3/4" thick solid core door for $10.25. Love these solid core doors for bench tops. Super heavy and flat. I had to take a few minutes to cut it to size. I'm going to brake up some stainless or aluminum to cover it. 









New stand is 33" tall and the one that came with the mill is 31".


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## TerryH (Jul 3, 2018)

Little more progress. I ripped some 2x lumber for supports for the 3/4" BB ply that I'm using to mount the drawer slides and got all of that glued and screwed to the cabinet. 













Cut more 2x lumber and pocket screwed those pieces into the top structure to mount the top and eventually the mill. Even got to whip out the old 606C Bedrock plane to get everything dead flat so the top mounts to a rock solid base. 





Had my buddy at my local sheetmetal shop fab up a stainless pan to go on the top. 













Started milling some chunks of white oak to house the end mills and such so I can finalize what the drawer configuration is going to be. I think these are going to work out pretty well. I have a bunch of scraps so I'll make these for all the mills, collets etc..


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## ttabbal (Jul 3, 2018)

Dude... you're making my lathe bench feel bad. That's some nice work!


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## Cadillac STS (Jul 3, 2018)

Could consider making one drawer deep so you could store tools mounted in collets upright. Then again 3 thinner drawers in the space of the taller drawer could store them flat.


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## Figor (Jul 3, 2018)

Nice work on the mill. I have a Smithy BX288 round column. About the same thing but with a geared head. Very capable mills. I was warned about the round column prior to buying it and I have to admit it has given me fits at times,  but it's nice to have a mill at my disposal. I'm surprised there aren't more square column conversions going on with these.  I've only seen a few on the web and there wasn't much info on them. I would certainly be interested in doing one. 
I just picked up a power feed for it and am anxious to fit it up. Dro is next. 

Again nice work and have fun with it. 

Fig


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## TerryH (Jul 3, 2018)

ttabbal said:


> Dude... you're making my lathe bench feel bad. That's some nice work!



Thanks! I'm pretty pleased with it.


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## TerryH (Jul 3, 2018)

Cadillac STS said:


> Could consider making one drawer deep so you could store tools mounted in collets upright. Then again 3 thinner drawers in the space of the taller drawer could store them flat.



I've been back and forth on the vertical or flat question many times on this project. I see advantages to both but have decided to go with deeper drawers and upright storage for the end mills, collets etc... I feel like it's a bit more efficient than storing those items flat. Other things like drill chucks, end mill holders and such seem to work better flat. Still a work in progress.


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## TerryH (Jul 3, 2018)

Figor said:


> Nice work on the mill. I have a Smithy BX288 round column. About the same thing but with a geared head. Very capable mills. I was warned about the round column prior to buying it and I have to admit it has given me fits at times,  but it's nice to have a mill at my disposal. I'm surprised there aren't more square column conversions going on with these.  I've only seen a few on the web and there wasn't much info on them. I would certainly be interested in doing one.
> I just picked up a power feed for it and am anxious to fit it up. Dro is next.
> 
> Again nice work and have fun with it.
> ...



Thanks Fig! I've not seen a square column conversion. Didn't even know there was such. Sounds interesting though.


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## Ben Nevis (Jul 4, 2018)

By "square column conversion", I assume this is what was meant.


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## TerryH (Jul 4, 2018)

Got the top permanently glued and screwed to the base before calling it a day yesterday.





The word of the day for today is drawers. The Porter Cable 4210 jig makes pretty quick work of it.





I wanted to use 1/2" BB ply for the bottoms for stiffness. I milled a 5/16" groove and rabbited the edge of the ply to fit.













Sanded and assembled and sanded some more.


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## Cadillac STS (Jul 4, 2018)

Could consider putting a thin stainless steel sheet in the bottom of the drawers now while they are still pristine.  Your friend that made the top could cut those for you easily.  Because you would expect oil and grease to leak to the bottom with the metal working tools compared to a drawer for wood working tools.  Then you can just wipe it up and not let the wood get saturated.

You would also of course put rubber on the bottoms with tool box liner on top of the sheet metal.  So the tools don't bounce and dull.


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## TerryH (Jul 4, 2018)

Cadillac STS said:


> Could consider putting a thin stainless steel sheet in the bottom of the drawers now while they are still pristine.  Your friend that made the top could cut those for you easily.  Because you would expect oil and grease to leak to the bottom with the metal working tools compared to a drawer for wood working tools.  Then you can just wipe it up and not let the wood get saturated.
> 
> You would also of course put rubber on the bottoms with tool box liner on top of the sheet metal.  So the tools don't bounce and dull.



I just may do that. I normally just leave drawers naked but I plan to put some clear on these for just the reason you stated. Some stainless or aluminum sounds like a good idea also.


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## TerryH (Jul 5, 2018)

I get to cheat just a little when it comes to finishing.


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## Silverbullet (Jul 5, 2018)

About 25 years ago , I built rolling drawers like what your making . They were dovetailed to only 3'x 2' x 12" , I used red oak plywood and put 3/4" in the bottom. Had wheels mounted on the 2' sides , to roll under a church nursery cribs that stacked two high. Had to be tuff with the little ones climbing riding hiding in them. Spent lots of time building things for there , all free to. Nice job on your stand and I do love the paint job. Glad you found a great machine . I hope to God to get my shop set up.


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## TerryH (Jul 5, 2018)

Silverbullet said:


> About 25 years ago , I built rolling drawers like what your making . They were dovetailed to only 3'x 2' x 12" , I used red oak plywood and put 3/4" in the bottom. Had wheels mounted on the 2' sides , to roll under a church nursery cribs that stacked two high. Had to be tuff with the little ones climbing riding hiding in them. Spent lots of time building things for there , all free to. Nice job on your stand and I do love the paint job. Glad you found a great machine . I hope to God to get my shop set up.



Thank you sir. I'm continuing to lift up your health issues and for you get your shop going.


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## TerryH (Jul 8, 2018)

Painting wood, or rather prepping wood to an acceptable level to paint is not my favorite. Lots of primer and spot putty required but I'm almost there. The plywood inserts will be covered so no need to prime or paint them.


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## Norseman C.B. (Jul 9, 2018)

Lookin good !! Now finish it up and send it to me so you kin start on yours......


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## TerryH (Jul 9, 2018)

Norseman C.B. said:


> Lookin good !! Now finish it up and send it to me so you kin start on yours......



Thanks! Just forward me your CC# and I'll get it on the way the second it's done.


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## Norseman C.B. (Jul 10, 2018)

TOUCHE !!!..................


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## TerryH (Jul 10, 2018)

And finally it's green...





Now to mount the slides and get the ATP cut and installed on the sides and the drawer fronts. I'm ready for it to be under the mill.


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## TerryH (Jul 11, 2018)

And we have drawers...


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## ttabbal (Jul 11, 2018)

I'm jealous. Nice work!


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## TerryH (Jul 11, 2018)

ttabbal said:


> I'm jealous. Nice work!



Thanks! I am past ready to be done with it. I'll pick up the rest of the tread plate tomorrow and hopefully get the mill on the stand. May need the engine hoist just to get the stand off my bench. lol.. That sucker is heavy.


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## TerryH (Jul 13, 2018)

I realize most..if not all...of you probably think it's nuts to go to this extent just for a base for a crappy old mill but when I build anything especially something for the shop, my first thought is that I'm going to have to look at it and live with it for the rest of my life. With that in mind I do like to make things that are pleasing to my eye. This has my stamp of eyeball approval. lol... Now to get the mill on it.


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## TerryH (Jul 14, 2018)

Today was the day for the stand and the mill to become one. First order of business was to grunt the stand off my bench. Might need a chiropractor visit or 3 but I got it on the floor. 





Used the engine hoist to pluck the mill off the old stand so I could make the swap after positioning and leveling the new stand. All in all a fairly easy swap and I'm pretty happy with the result. I'll be making some collet holders and such but I re-purposed the old collet/chuck/whatever holder by mounting it and the clamping kit etc.. on the plywood storage unit behind the mill for now. The rest I have in the drawers. 













I cut up some Harbor Freight anti-fatigue mats like I have on the shop floor to line the drawers.


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## mikey (Jul 14, 2018)

Turned out really nice, Terry! The mill looks better than new, too. Great work!


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## TerryH (Jul 14, 2018)

mikey said:


> Turned out really nice, Terry! The mill looks better than new, too. Great work!



Thanks Mike!


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## craptain (Jul 14, 2018)

Ben Nevis said:


> By "square column conversion", I assume this is what was meant.


I am quite impressed with this solution. How accurate? Don't know, but better by far than what I have. 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk


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## TerryH (Jul 14, 2018)

craptain said:


> I am quite impressed with this solution. How accurate? Don't know, but better by far than what I have.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk



I'be been on their list ever since I got the mill. Was just conversing with the guy on FB messenger interestingly enough. Looks like a pretty good idea.


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## TerryH (Jul 15, 2018)

Began working on storage answers for the drawers this afternoon. I wanted to get away from wood for the tooling holders so I ran by Lowes after church and picked up a PVC 1x4x8. Laid out for the 5C and R8 collets and end mill holders and drilled the holes with Forstner bits in the mill. Turned out pretty good.





2.5" sides glued on the ends gave just the right amount of clearance.





Glued up an 1.5" thick piece that I'll drill for the end mills to replace the wood one.


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## GunsOfNavarone (Aug 17, 2018)

Man! Nice setup. Love how that mill and table turned out.


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## TerryH (Aug 17, 2018)

GunsOfNavarone said:


> Man! Nice setup. Love how that mill and table turned out.



Thanks! I'm kinda proud of it.


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