# Tools you can make for the Atlas Milling Machine



## Restorer (Dec 24, 2014)

I am now able to submit this thread due to the valuable assistance of Robert D. also known as wa5cab.  Thank you Robert!  A corrupt photo froze the system, I removed it.
Photo 700, shows a collage of home shop made tools that will work on the Atlas Milling machine.
Front left, shows end and shell mill holders.  Holders mounted on the threaded spindle are far more rigid than the Morse taper holder.  I don’t have a tap this size.  The threads are cut with a single point inside threading tool.  To check the thread fit, unscrew the lathe chuck to test thread fit on the mill spindle as you proceed.  Do not take the work out of the chuck until it is complete.  All of the precision machining is completed in one setup working from the threaded end.  Drill thru, bore the thread area, bore through the mill shank section, ream to finish size.  Cut the threads and face the end completes the machining and all will be concentric.
The horizontal indexer is a bolted and doweled assembly.  Lathe change gears are used for indexing and the work may be held between centers or by the Unimat chuck.  Center height is approx. 3 inches.
The manual rotary table is a George Thomas (I believe) design from Model Engineer Magazine an English publication.  The issues it was in was early 1970’s.  I modified the design to suit material I had access to.
The base is 5 X 5 and the Table is 4 Dia. stock cleaned up for precision.  The rim area (4 dia. X 3/8 ) takes the vertical thrust.  The pivot is a turned diameter approx. 3.25 inch diameter boss on the base plate 3/8 high.  This was machined slip fit no shake with respect to the table.  This reduced the number of parts, provides tremendous bearing area, and when assembled with light grease rotates smoothly.  Stops are clamped into a circular dovetail groove, around the periphery of the table, a very educational endeavor as I remember.  The periphery is divided in degrees.  For circular machining, the work is centered on the table and clamped, the stops set for the number of degrees of radius needed, and rotated with a 3/8 rod approx. 12 inches long.  Take light cuts.   Guy Lautard (www.lautard.com ) sells plans for a similar rotary table.  
The black device is a Unimat chuck adapter for the rotary table.
The tools described thus far have been used for up to 25 years.  
The newest item is the one inch arbor.  I measured the 7/8 arbor that came with the Atlas Milling machine, and made it the same except the diameter.  A purchased Morse taper was used, the short taper end was turned straight, the tang cutoff and the small end of the Morse taper was drilled and tapped for 3/8 – 16 for the draw bar.   I pinned it to a piece of bar stock.  This assembly was put into the head stock taper of the lathe, and carefully center drilled.  With tail stock support the arbor was completed.  An additional nut and a driving collar was machined to complete the project.  One inch ID arbor spacer set was ordered on line. 
Work very carefully, as errors in tooling, will be passed on to all subsequent jobs the tool made, is used for!


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## Mark_f (Dec 24, 2014)

That is some awesome stuff. Thanks for posting it. I think I see a couple ideas in there :rubbinghands:


Mark Frazier


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## 34_40 (Dec 29, 2014)

Wow, great post/thread!  That's some great tooling and gives me a target to aim for.  

Thanks for sharing the ideas and the pictures.


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## VSAncona (Jan 5, 2015)

Very nice work!

On the shell mill holders, did you grind the arbor to size or just turn it on the lathe?


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## Mister Ed (Jan 5, 2015)

Very nice!! If you have more close up pics of the indexer I sure would be interested in seeing them. I want to make something along that line for my shaper.


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## Restorer (Jan 6, 2015)

VSAncona,

Making the Shell Mill holder is a bit different in the operations than usual.

The spindle nose threads and a bored and reamed thru hole 3/16 dia., were completed in the lathe.
The part was turned around in the chuck and the reamed hole indicated to be certain things were within .005 T.I.R.

The Shell Mill boss, was roughed to approx/ +.010 oversize. The reamed hole drilled with the tap drill for the retaining screw (5/16 - 18).

In the vertical mill, holes were indexed and drilled for the spanner on the OD, and driving dowel pin holes were located on centerline drilled and reamed. Driving pins were not installed to drive the shell mill yet.

The holder was then installed and tightened on the Atlas spindle. A turning tool was firmly clamped in the vise, and finish turning and facing were completed in-situ in the Atlas mill. Now its as concentric as possible.
Driving dowel pins were now pressed in.

Restorer


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## VSAncona (Jan 6, 2015)

Thanks, Restorer, for the detailed explanation. Making a shell end mill holder is one of the first projects on my to-do list once I get my Atlas mill up and running.

Vince


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## Restorer (Jan 23, 2015)

I found the origional rotary table artical, "Model Engineer" by: George Thomas,
December 3rd & December 17th, 1976, Pages 1191 - 1195 & 1253 - 1258.

As you read this keep in mind this was written in England. The terminology is slightly different
(ex. a setscrew is called a "Grub Screw", threads will be "British Standard or Whitworth )

Also the drawings are portrayed as "Front View" and Left View".

Enjoy!

Restorer


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## cjtoombs (Jan 23, 2015)

VSAncona said:


> Thanks, Restorer, for the detailed explanation. Making a shell end mill holder is one of the first projects on my to-do list once I get my Atlas mill up and running.
> 
> Vince



I bought a pair of MT2 drawbar type shell mill holders (3/4 & 1/2) from Tools4Cheap, but I just checked their website and it looks like they no longer stock them.  They do have 7/8" and 1 1/4" arbors.  My mill came with a 7/8 arbor and I managed to find an original Atlas 1" arbor on ebay for a reasonable price.  The 1 1/4" arbor looks interesting, but you can't really swing more than a 4" cutter on an atlas anyway, so for now I am content with what I have.


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## dethrow55 (Jan 21, 2020)

Restorer said:


> I found the origional rotary table artical, "Model Engineer" by: George Thomas,
> December 3rd & December 17th, 1976, Pages 1191 - 1195 & 1253 - 1258.
> 
> As you read this keep in mind this was written in England. The terminology is slightly different
> ...


hello isnt there a 3rd party copyright issue with this post? just wondering because it was posted on HMEM forum. thanks


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