Got The Hf Mill...now What?

[TC0853]

It sounds like you've got collets but as time goes on you'll see that inch/fractional collets have gaps in between them unless you have a set in 32nd's. What you can do, if, you don't mind seeing stuff In metrics, is start getting set up to use ER 40 collets and buy them in metric. Er 40 collets have a clamping range of 1mm or .039"so if you have a metric set from 3mm to 26mm you can clamp on to anything between .118" to 1.023" with no gaps. It works out to 24 collets instead of 29. You can get ER collet chucks in R8 or any of the Morse tapers you'll be using on your HFT mini. I've got ER 40 collet chucks in R8, MT 2, MT 3, and MT 4. That way I can chuck them up in my mill, lathe tailstock and headstock, and in my 6" rotary table. Just my opinion, we've all got them.

 

[Dask62]

First small purchase...enough to get me tinkering. Would of gotten a vise but I had a hard time deciding on size. Seems that options are better at LMS.
They had a 30% of coupon at Enco and I had to hurry and put the order in.
Is a 3" Kurt style vise a good size for the mini mill?
[GALLERY=] [/GALLERY]

 

[ferlum]

Toolmaker-type vises are the best physical fit on the mini-mill IMO. But using one when it's clamped to the table becomes a hassle real quick. It can be frustrating always making sure the pin is in the notches and it's not real efficient when clamping and re-clamping. Then if you accidentally back the screw out too far that franking pin falls off and gets trapped in the black hole between the vise and the table.

I did quite a bit of searching and found what I think is the best possible vise for the mini mill (pic below). The jaws are 3.5" wide and they open 4.9" -- that's a lot farther than any small Kurt-style vise I've seen. Unless you're making very small parts exclusively I can guarantee the time will come when you'll want to mill a piece bigger than the small Kurts will accommodate. Also, trust me when I say you cannot afford to lose any Y-axis travel on these machines, so a vise that overhangs the back of the table by much is no good. I got this one from a Canadian seller on eBay. I haven't seen them anywhere else. I think it's the perfect match for the mini-mill.

 

[P T Schram]

Would of gotten a vise but I had a hard time deciding on size.
[GALLERY=]View attachment 122677 [/GALLERY]

Do you really need a vise? See my comment. I have found the toe clamps (and Rite-Hite clamps) to have been a far better investment and to have much greater utility.