My apologies if this thread already exists. I searched several times over the last few days, and found only mentions.
Here's my disclaimer... I am not a professional! I did not attend any schooling, or apprentice, or even stand behind someone who was operating a mill (though I did spend some time in front of a brake lathe as a young boy). It's not a livelihood and I'll fight to the end to keep it that way, I tend to love things less if I cross that line. I'm here for therapy... I love to make things, I love to see things spring to life from an image in my head. I love it when they are complicated, and difficult, and make me feel dumber than I am. I love it when someone says I can't, and I do, and I love it just as much when I really can't. I love to do things nobody has, because nobody every had. I like the trouble, I like figuring things out, and I love to learn. If it didn't exist, and then I made one, THAT is my therapy, and I can withstand a whole lot of the silly and exhausting things our lives throw at us, if I have that outlet. That being said, don't take me too seriously! I can be kind of a nut, sometimes I do it because it's harder that way, and I find peace there. <-- I sound kind of twisted having read that just now. LOL Sometimes I think we let our machines get too far into the space between us and our medium... "I made a machine that makes machines, the first machine was the last one I enjoyed making" Well I want to make a machine! (or at least screw one up so bad that I'm sure I can't do it).
So what started out as a project to hand make an aluminum computer chassis, with some unique appointments, has ended with my realization that if I continue lapping joints together with a small hacksaw, and files, I'm going to see computers become obsolete before I ever finish. So I called my old professor "google" and started hunting for my next tool. About a week ago I came home with an old craftsman benchtop drill pres (113-24530).
Found at a local used tool store for $75.00. Not pretty in the least, but apart from the wimpy table, a very stout machine (and just about that entire area behind the aluminum face-plate is quill!). Apart from the price, I chose it because I planned to do some light milling with it, and although it has a JT chuck, it also has a threaded collar pinned through the spindle which serves the dual purpose of affixing/releasing the chuck, and keeping it there once its on. Good! Now I don't have to worry about marring my face with flying chuck syndrome! So a little elbow grease, some penetrating lube, and a lot of destroyed SS bristle later, I have a clean, quiet and functioning machine. The spindle clicked if I grabbed the chuck and exerted lateral pressure on it, so apart it came. Bearings weren't too hard to find, but once I got inside I found a few opportunities that set my affliction on fire! The spindle is drawn from basic 5/8 drill stock.
#s 1 and 3 are slots where the bearings are clipped in at, and #2 is the hole through which the threaded collar is pinned. Inside the quill the upper bearing seats against a shoulder on the bottom side, and is clipped in from the top, but the bottom bearing has no such seat. Just a clip above it, and the threaded collar below. Knowing there would be milling in this poor old hunk of irons future, I could easily trade this ball-bearing out for a roller-bearing, and avoid yet another pitfall of DP milling. For now I just put in the two new spindle bearings, and two more for the front pulley, shineyed everything up, and voila! A few dollars later, I've gold plated a harbor freight compound slide vice, and run a few pieces of soft metal beneath it... (not on the table, but on the foot) I'm shocked to find out hell didn't freeze over, nobody died, and it actually did a pretty great job! Didn't seem to be trying too hard at it either. Dangit... now I must spin more chips off of other pieces of metal, almost immediately. It gets late, and I've made quite a pile of scrap-scrap metal... I'm hooked, and watching the $$$ signs roll on by.
So here's my question, if my reasons were something like "just for the fun of it" or "because I can" and not for reasons like "because I want it cheaper", how viable an option do you masters of your art, think it would be to really supp this thing up, and turn it into a combo mill/drill capable of chewing on small pieces of all kinds of metal. Here is what I am thinking at the moment. The spindle is a bit twisted/bent anyway, evidenced by the fuzzy shape the bits I put in it turn into when it spins, and verified with a 4in thick granite reference plate, so I'm going to have to have a new one turned. Fortune smiles on me and Tulsa is still full of small shops that will actually do your milling. Spindle = no problem, but since I'm already in there, moving #3 up towards the pulley would give me room to put some taller roller bearings in there (I would assume the lower bearing takes the brunt of the lateral force), and while we're at it, I don't necessarily have to use the stock pulleys or even a belt anymore if I didn't want to. I suppose I could also do anything I wanted with the taper at the other end, maybe even an entirely different chuck! The body is hollow, though the walls are thick, it sings for a minute straight the second that belt taps the column, I can only imagine the inaudible frequencies resonating from it. What if I used the press for the parts it has, that I can't make (yet), and build around it? I've got some experience suspending materials of all kinds inside epoxy. I ran a lumber mill for a while, that epoxy impregnated spalted maple, and have even molded synthetic granite a time or two. What if I encased the head in a synthetic granite, and filled the column/head with it as well as made a new base. I wouldn't imagine it to be too costly, I've read others are attempting it (building new machines though), and some even successful at it. That would take care of the lack of density, and the vibrations, even provide some more z-axis stability bridging the gap between the top of the head just under the pulley, and the top of the column. That quill is seriously about a foot tall, with a bearing at both ends, and one being newly converted to roller bearings. I'm thinking I'm still not $200.00 deep into this thing yet, and it already functions, this could only help right? I could probably build the molds in a weekend, and fill them in one more, so I've got 10 days of anticipation, and 4 days of doing what I love to top it off. My only real big apprehension is that dang spindle. Now it's got me thinking it might just be fun to scratch build one if I need something with a more substantial quill/spindle. Or can I further modify that spindle to accommodate a draw bar, and more conventional milling arbor? I know this is all probably sounding like a bunch of crazy talk, but I think it'd be a heck of a fun project, if nothing else I bet I learn a ton. I'm not looking for a piece of equipment I can machine billet wheels for tractors with, but something I save a few trips to store "X" to hear "No sir, we don't have anything like that, and I wouldn't know who would" one more time with. I just want to be able to USE it when it's done, if I can complete it, and knowing as little as I do, I'm not too confident that quill/spindle isn't going to be the weak link that makes me wish I hadn't.
So... there it is. Open forum for your criticism, tips, ideas, warnings etc... Chances are, it's happening, so if yall could throw in your 2 pennies, I'd really love to have them!
Here's my disclaimer... I am not a professional! I did not attend any schooling, or apprentice, or even stand behind someone who was operating a mill (though I did spend some time in front of a brake lathe as a young boy). It's not a livelihood and I'll fight to the end to keep it that way, I tend to love things less if I cross that line. I'm here for therapy... I love to make things, I love to see things spring to life from an image in my head. I love it when they are complicated, and difficult, and make me feel dumber than I am. I love it when someone says I can't, and I do, and I love it just as much when I really can't. I love to do things nobody has, because nobody every had. I like the trouble, I like figuring things out, and I love to learn. If it didn't exist, and then I made one, THAT is my therapy, and I can withstand a whole lot of the silly and exhausting things our lives throw at us, if I have that outlet. That being said, don't take me too seriously! I can be kind of a nut, sometimes I do it because it's harder that way, and I find peace there. <-- I sound kind of twisted having read that just now. LOL Sometimes I think we let our machines get too far into the space between us and our medium... "I made a machine that makes machines, the first machine was the last one I enjoyed making" Well I want to make a machine! (or at least screw one up so bad that I'm sure I can't do it).
So what started out as a project to hand make an aluminum computer chassis, with some unique appointments, has ended with my realization that if I continue lapping joints together with a small hacksaw, and files, I'm going to see computers become obsolete before I ever finish. So I called my old professor "google" and started hunting for my next tool. About a week ago I came home with an old craftsman benchtop drill pres (113-24530).
Found at a local used tool store for $75.00. Not pretty in the least, but apart from the wimpy table, a very stout machine (and just about that entire area behind the aluminum face-plate is quill!). Apart from the price, I chose it because I planned to do some light milling with it, and although it has a JT chuck, it also has a threaded collar pinned through the spindle which serves the dual purpose of affixing/releasing the chuck, and keeping it there once its on. Good! Now I don't have to worry about marring my face with flying chuck syndrome! So a little elbow grease, some penetrating lube, and a lot of destroyed SS bristle later, I have a clean, quiet and functioning machine. The spindle clicked if I grabbed the chuck and exerted lateral pressure on it, so apart it came. Bearings weren't too hard to find, but once I got inside I found a few opportunities that set my affliction on fire! The spindle is drawn from basic 5/8 drill stock.
#s 1 and 3 are slots where the bearings are clipped in at, and #2 is the hole through which the threaded collar is pinned. Inside the quill the upper bearing seats against a shoulder on the bottom side, and is clipped in from the top, but the bottom bearing has no such seat. Just a clip above it, and the threaded collar below. Knowing there would be milling in this poor old hunk of irons future, I could easily trade this ball-bearing out for a roller-bearing, and avoid yet another pitfall of DP milling. For now I just put in the two new spindle bearings, and two more for the front pulley, shineyed everything up, and voila! A few dollars later, I've gold plated a harbor freight compound slide vice, and run a few pieces of soft metal beneath it... (not on the table, but on the foot) I'm shocked to find out hell didn't freeze over, nobody died, and it actually did a pretty great job! Didn't seem to be trying too hard at it either. Dangit... now I must spin more chips off of other pieces of metal, almost immediately. It gets late, and I've made quite a pile of scrap-scrap metal... I'm hooked, and watching the $$$ signs roll on by.
So here's my question, if my reasons were something like "just for the fun of it" or "because I can" and not for reasons like "because I want it cheaper", how viable an option do you masters of your art, think it would be to really supp this thing up, and turn it into a combo mill/drill capable of chewing on small pieces of all kinds of metal. Here is what I am thinking at the moment. The spindle is a bit twisted/bent anyway, evidenced by the fuzzy shape the bits I put in it turn into when it spins, and verified with a 4in thick granite reference plate, so I'm going to have to have a new one turned. Fortune smiles on me and Tulsa is still full of small shops that will actually do your milling. Spindle = no problem, but since I'm already in there, moving #3 up towards the pulley would give me room to put some taller roller bearings in there (I would assume the lower bearing takes the brunt of the lateral force), and while we're at it, I don't necessarily have to use the stock pulleys or even a belt anymore if I didn't want to. I suppose I could also do anything I wanted with the taper at the other end, maybe even an entirely different chuck! The body is hollow, though the walls are thick, it sings for a minute straight the second that belt taps the column, I can only imagine the inaudible frequencies resonating from it. What if I used the press for the parts it has, that I can't make (yet), and build around it? I've got some experience suspending materials of all kinds inside epoxy. I ran a lumber mill for a while, that epoxy impregnated spalted maple, and have even molded synthetic granite a time or two. What if I encased the head in a synthetic granite, and filled the column/head with it as well as made a new base. I wouldn't imagine it to be too costly, I've read others are attempting it (building new machines though), and some even successful at it. That would take care of the lack of density, and the vibrations, even provide some more z-axis stability bridging the gap between the top of the head just under the pulley, and the top of the column. That quill is seriously about a foot tall, with a bearing at both ends, and one being newly converted to roller bearings. I'm thinking I'm still not $200.00 deep into this thing yet, and it already functions, this could only help right? I could probably build the molds in a weekend, and fill them in one more, so I've got 10 days of anticipation, and 4 days of doing what I love to top it off. My only real big apprehension is that dang spindle. Now it's got me thinking it might just be fun to scratch build one if I need something with a more substantial quill/spindle. Or can I further modify that spindle to accommodate a draw bar, and more conventional milling arbor? I know this is all probably sounding like a bunch of crazy talk, but I think it'd be a heck of a fun project, if nothing else I bet I learn a ton. I'm not looking for a piece of equipment I can machine billet wheels for tractors with, but something I save a few trips to store "X" to hear "No sir, we don't have anything like that, and I wouldn't know who would" one more time with. I just want to be able to USE it when it's done, if I can complete it, and knowing as little as I do, I'm not too confident that quill/spindle isn't going to be the weak link that makes me wish I hadn't.
So... there it is. Open forum for your criticism, tips, ideas, warnings etc... Chances are, it's happening, so if yall could throw in your 2 pennies, I'd really love to have them!
