Looking to set up shop...

The other thing to keep in mind is that Sherline machines are rebuildable. Every part of the machine is available. Heck, you can change the ways on a Sherline lathe for about a hundred bucks if it is ever needed. The late Joe Martin, original owner of the the company, had the philosophy that every part would be backwards compatible so any Sherline machine can be upgraded as newer innovations arise. Buying their machines is an investment but a comparatively small one. It is good to know that should the need arise, it can be brought back to specs for a reasonable cost.

Before you decide, I would highly recommend you buy the book Tabletop Machining by Joe Martin. It is a showcase for Sherline machines and will give you an idea of what the machines and accessories do, on top of teaching you how to machine stuff.
 
Thankyou for the recommendation, I'll look at the book.
 
Desolus welcome! I do a lot of micro machining. Would I do it on a Sherline? a Unimat? or the like. Guys and gals don’t get me wrong on this, but no, I would rather mirco machine on something a little more refined. I did not say it could not be done on said machines. It’s just that once you have tried a Lamborghini, it’s hard to try and enjoy the drive of a Pinto, kinda scenario. If you have knowledge as a machinist, that’s good. But, micro machining is not the same world. Finesse, patience, steady hands are just a few needed traits. Our ancestors made timepieces that are works of art with basically a stone axe (being funny). The “works of art” part came more from the individual and less from his tools. Would our ancestors have been thrilled to death to have had a Sherline back then, you bet! Levin and Derbyshire are still in business today, if you have the wallet for it!
 
Chips, just for my clarification and perhaps Desolus' as well. Can you kindly let us know what equipment you recommend or have experience with.

When you mention Sherline and Unimat in the same..almost sentence I am confused. I have the Unimat DB200 and it is definitely not anywhere in the same upper league as the Sherline.

There are plenty of examples on line of micro machining using Sherliine equipment so I think more information would be helpful.

David
 
It is also far easier to obtain information on sherline equipment as well as source it.
Unfortunately Levin and Derbyshire do not make milling machines as best I can tell and I have yet to locate a retail outlet for derbyshire equipment...
The specs on the Levin lathe (as well as the derbyshire) is far greater than I anticipate requiring, everything that I have drawn so far is much, much larger than the 0.0004 hole diameter they boast about. And the specs listed on the sherline lathes are simply not that far behind it with 0.0002 OD turning accuracy listed.
I was also confused with the comparison of the Unimat and sherline lathes after doing a little research on the unimats.
 
What kind of material removal can I expect to get with the sherline mill working on 316L stainless. ie. How fast of a feed with 0.1 inch depth of cut, cutting out a channel with a 1/4 inch cutter can the mill handle? I'm planning on having most of the material removed on a water jet cutter first.(there are 7 fab shops with water cutters close by and they have reasonable prices) So the milling is to bring to final tolerance and chamfer some radius edges. I'm just wondering how much material removal in cubic milimeters/minute the machine can handle without too much deflection. That will roughly tell me what I can expect to set my speeds and feeds to for each operation and thus how long it will take to make the everage watch case.

Looking at the sherline lathe vs the mill, the lathe seems to be able to handle way more material removal, which has dictated alot of how I'm planning my setup.

Granted the only parts I'm concerned about speed on are the case parts, the watch guts take forever always.
 
Often times when people discuss Sherline lathes Taig is mentioned as a competitor. I have a Taig lathe and Taig mill. I believe Taigs are a little less expensive. I'm bias but I wonder what I could do on a Sherline that I can't do on a Taig.
 
Desolus said:
I'm just wondering how much material removal in cubic milimeters/minute the machine can handle without too much deflection.
Click to expand...

I honestly don't know the answer to this, mainly because I don't work in terms of metal removal rates at so many mm/min. Maybe one of the CNC guys can give you a better answer. Just keep in mind that the deflection will come largely from the end mill, not the milling machine, so you might be better off using carbide end mills.

What I can tell you is that a Sherline mill can drive a 3/8" HSS end mill through a 3/16" slotting cut in 303 stainless without breathing hard.
 
Welcome to the group!

Desolus said:
The written word isn't my strongest suit
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Personally I don't see that at all!

I have no experience with horology or the tools used, but I have been amazed my several projects and posted here.
Check these out:
http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/my-watch-workshop.31420/
http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/clock.40182/
http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/a-beginners-clock.9737/
http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/synchronome-clock-build.19586/

Some threads do discuss the tools used.

-brino
 
DaveInMi said:
Often times when people discuss Sherline lathes Taig is mentioned as a competitor. I have a Taig lathe and Taig mill. I believe Taigs are a little less expensive. I'm bias but I wonder what I could do on a Sherline that I can't do on a Taig.
Click to expand...

I've often wondered the same thing. I have over 20 years on a Sherline mill and lathe so I know very well what they can do but I never ran Taig equipment. From what I have heard, Taig machines are very good and with a good machinist, they should be capable of most anything the user would need (within the envelope of the machine). I suppose I would have to buy some Taig machines to find out but that isn't likely to happen.
 
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