# New mill drill



## Koi (May 26, 2022)

*Right here is my new to me mill drilll bought first hand but i ran into some issues first the head is out of tram the paper work promises 0.05mm of out of tram but my dial tells me theres 0.1mm left to right and i could feel the step(not much)when endmilling.second, do any of you guys  mounted a front cover for this type of mill ?I do not want to have the way gouged eventually  and lastly i find this model lacking  oil holes for the y axis and how should i make more oil holes?especially for the dovetail side.*


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## mickri (May 26, 2022)

I don't think that any of these mill/drills have oil holes on either the X or Y axis.  Mine doesn't have any.  I periodically move the table all the way to one side, squirt some oil on the exposed surface and then move the table all of the way in the other direction.  Squirt some more oil.

Some people have made front covers.  Do a search and you will see what people have done.

There are also lots of threads on how to tram one of these mill/drills.  Also lots of videos online on how to tram the head.  Again do a search and you will find different ways to tram the head.


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## C-Bag (May 27, 2022)

Congratulations Koi. My RF 30 has X oil holes, but not Y. It is easy to keep the Y ways oiled. Logically the Y is not traversed anywhere near as much as the X. I’ve often thought about making a simple cover for the front Y way but think maybe a couple of rubber way scrapers would be better, but then I’d need to install oil holes for sure. Ultimately keeping the swarf off them and keeping all the ways oiled with good way oil has been the easiest way forward. As far as tramming the head there are many good tutorials. Tramming the head on a mill drill can be very frustrating. And I would not trust using the cut from milling something clamped in a vise of unknown accuracy as a way to judge tram.


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## Road_Clam (May 27, 2022)

A tip is to remove your vice's pivot base. Its rarely ever needed. You will gain some extra needed Z quill to workpiece clearance and travel.


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## mickri (May 27, 2022)

I removed the swivel base from my mill vise and made a backing plate that fits the lathe chucks.  Handy for milling angles and for drilling precise bolt circles.  And you don't lose concentricity for lathe operations.  I can switch back and forth between the lathe and the mill.  Not a substitute for a rotary table but still useful.


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## KyleG (May 27, 2022)

mickri said:


> I removed the swivel base from my mill vise and made a backing plate that fits the lathe chucks.


That's a really good idea!


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