Milling engine heads on a bench top mill?

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scattermaster

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Good morning!
Question,
I have a benchtop mill from LMS. (a model 5500).
The specs say it has an X axis travel of 19.7".
I am working on a Ford 3.0 V6 engine and have the heads pulled off. The head gasket surface is only about 14" long.
It appears that I can theoretically mill the heads on this machine, but I'm wondering if there would be issues with the table tilting one way or the other when that much travel is being used?
I'm concerned that I might actually be milling an arc into my heads.
Has anyone done a job like this on a bench mill this size?
Opinions?
thx,
Jim
 
Opinion: try on scrap with weight stacked under your scap test piece. Then you know what to expect without creating scrap heads.
 
Doubtful, there may be a loss of accuracy(and rigidity) at the extremes. My personal rule of thumb for ci heads: machine table length should be about twice the milled distance. So 14" x 2 = 28". A Bridgeport with the smallest table (32") would be required, minimum.
Mark
 
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I like to do every possible thing I can myself. It is a control thing and a perfectionist thing, usually with a smug and happy ending. Sometimes I go too far, and end up wishing I hadn't even started the project. Cylinder heads and flywheels fit into that category, unless you have the industrial specialty tools and skills to do the job right -- in my opinion. Getting a cylinder head surfaced by pros is not that expensive, but buying another head and getting it in shape for use can be plenty expensive. I would not try it myself, YMMV. I don't like it when I fail at what I attempt, even more so when it ends up costing me a lot more after wasting my time and effort...

"A man's got to know his limitations." -Dirty Harry
 
I have machines that would machine that head, but I take my head work down the road a 1/4 mile and have the automotive machine shop do it. Just the setup time on a mill takes longer than running it down the road. :)
 
Bob Korves said:
According to LMS, the X axis travel of the 5500 is 15.6" That is not enough to start and finish off the work unless you use a 3/4" end mill.
https://littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=5500
Click to expand...

That is what I was going to say^

Having done this for a vw rabbit head on a clausing mill, the results were great ... but setting up to ensure the fly cutter would finish off the part was the most important thing. You`d be better off doing it on a surface plate on abrasive paper really.
 
Then there are head gasket types that require a specific finish to seal well.
 
Most engine shops grind cast iron heads on a Blanchard grinder.
 
Ive done old type iron engine heads that had soft copper asbestos gaskets.......but I would not face a modern ally head that goes with the hard steel shim gaskets,unless I could be sure of the accuracy required...........In fact Ive found heads recoed by cylinder head exchange shops are often no good due to out of spec machining.........and leak coolant on fitting.
 
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