First time milling.. not sure what I'm doing wrong.

First step, unbolt the swivel base and place it beneath the work bench. Remount the vise directly to the table.
The next time you need the swivel will be when you sell the vise.
 
I was thinking of doing that. In fact, I'll do that right now. Any tips on how to make the vise perfectly perpendicular to the table? I've just been eyeing it and I was using a dial indicator at the side of the vise, while moving the Y axis, trying to maintain 0, but having a hard time doing so.

Are you saying there's not much reason to use the swivel on the mill?
 
Indicate off the inside of the fixed jaw along the X-axis travel (Y-axis if you need the vise mounted at a right angle to your photo). Snug one mounting bolt and leave the other looser so you can pivot the vise with gentle taps of a soft hammer until your indicator reads zero (or as close to zero as you want) across the full 5" travel. Check one more time after tightening both bolts. Check You Tube for vise tramming videos: a picture is worth etc. You'll get the hang of it quickly— just make sure the inside of the jaw is wiped clean before you start.
 
Pcmaker said:
Thanks, I tried doing that, but the blade is too small for it. I'll have to buy a new one.
Click to expand...

Get a 1/2" tall blade. They are so cheap that it usually costs more in shipping than the blade does. Use the right tool for the job.

Pcmaker said:
What do you guys think of end mills with replaceable bits? I'm thinking of getting one and just getting carbide inserts. it may be cheaper this way?
Click to expand...

Those are indexable carbide holders. Cheap carbide inserts are OK, but good ones get expensive quick. I don't own any milling cutters that use them, but do have some for my lathe. I usually use HSS if that tells you anything.

Pcmaker said:
Just broke a 3/8" end mill trying to take off .005 off a mild steel square stock.
Click to expand...

If you broke a 3/8 end mill on a .005 cut in mild steel you had speed or feed way too high, or didn't use cutting oil. Or it's not really mild steel. I have an el cheapo HSS 3/8" end mill I have used with much deeper cuts on mild steel and it's fine. Fix that first, then think about carbide. Carbide is more expensive and breaks or chips easier than HSS. If you are breaking HSS, you will absolutely break carbide. I usually run at about 1000 RPM and feed pretty slow. I'm on a bridgeport, so you might have to adjust.

You're learning, so am I. I suggest starting with HSS end mills and 6061 aluminum for some test cuts to learn feeds, speeds, and technique. It's a far more forgiving setup than what you have tried so far. Once you have that working well, then try known mild steel like 1018. Not mystery metal and certainly not tool steel. For the aluminum, I find a bit of WD40 helps prevent chip welding. No, it's not a cutting fluid, but it does help on aluminum. For steel you need something better, there are lots of choices. That reminds me, I need to get my mister set up on the mill...
 
Thanks for the tips, guys.

Currently trying to find a way to mount my dial to a collet. So far, my plan is to turn a mild steel rod to fit the collet on one end, and the other end to fit one of the arms of my dial indicator.
 
Ok, this is what I came up with. I made the rod that hooks the dial to the 7/16 collet. I zero one end of the vise, then move to the other and move the vise til it's zero by patting the side of the vise with a rubber hammer. . But when I move the X axis back to the starting point, the dial moves about the same amount as when I started. I'm gonna look up vise tramming on Youtube.

JdoTQoX.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Z2V
Be patient with tramming. It will take several tries to get it right. Your description is very typical of mine. Just keep gently tapping the vise around and tramming until it's right. You'll get it.

:)
 
You want a measurement tool called a dial test indicator. They usually come with a couple of mounting posts that can be held by a collet. They can easily measure sub-.001-inch. Imports are not very expensive. They don't have much range but for this purpose you don't need much. They also are handy for centering-up smaller holes.

You want the vise to pivot around the left or right vise hold-down, so loosen just one of them. Zero the DI on the still-tight side of the vise, then move the table to the other side and tap it back to indicate zero on the dial. This should get you pretty close. Re-tighten both hold down bolts before using the vise!
 
The way to square your vise is to lightly tighten one side of the vise. Zero your indicator on that side and sweep across to the far side of the vise. Lightly tap that side of the vise, using the fastened opposite side as a pivot. Most of the movement will take place on the side opposite the pivot. Adjust for zero. Go back to the pivot side. You will notice that the zero has changed but not as much as the correction. Rezero and repeat. Done right, the correction will get less and less with each iteration. When you are satisfied, snug down the far side. and recheck. If nothing is shifted, tighten both sides alternately until the vise is secure.

You should be able to get the vise square with two or three iterations. If your vise came with keys for the T slots, you can run them up against the front side of the T slot and you should be close to square.
 
You're going in the right direction. Snug down one side of the vise (just barely snug). Start at the end of the jaw (closer to the pivot point of the vise which is the bolt you just snugged). Try tapping half the distance of what your indicator is moving when you travel to the other end of the jaw. Go back to the starting end of the jaw and repeat. You'll get there eventually. If it takes more than 3-4 tries you may want to snug the pivot bolt a bit tighter. Once you get to zero, tighten both bolts and recheck.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top