my 3990 arrived a few weeks ago,, been busy tramming and taking a slow learning curve.. cleaned it all up and mounted it on a welded stand that held a craftsmans jig saw for 45+ years (way over built for the saw) stand was cleaned up and painted, a 1.5" laminated top was mounted, new adjustable feet added along with a shelf.. along with the mill came a accessory package, drip pan and a few other things..
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setting up a LMS 3990
- Thread starter tghsmith
- Start date
added a mac pod tach unit,, very simple.. noticed that the shifting the handle for Z axis was "not smooth" took the handle apart and found metal chips in the spring ball area,, a little cleaning and a light touch with a reamer and its now working great.. started on adding the basic spindle lock block,, it comes with screws to adjust the alignment,, did some quick test and made up a brass shim instead,, waiting now on my iqauging DRO set to arrive along with and LED light ring for the spindle..
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2018
- Messages
- 130
Looks great ! I have my 4190 mounted on a steel bench and while the bench is super sturdy i'm occasionally observing some vibration chatter of the bench. I added some 3/4" thick plywood shims under the mill's base feet and this helped deaden a lot of the vibes. It's not all the time, seems to vibrate the most conventional milling in the Y axis. If I can offer one tip , save your pennies and get the power feed. It's cuts your machining time in half from being able to rapid off your workpiece. Trust me using the handwheel is going to get tiring and redundant on your right wrist ! I'm SO glad I added the 3" riser block. I't doesnt sound like a big deal but when drilling you run out of Z length VERY quickly. The added 3" makes a big difference in allowing drilling parts with my large 5" vise. You are probably going to find out that ditching the lower vise swivel plate for your vise will add some needed height. The probability of you needing the swivel function of your vice in minimal.
not too worried on the height at this time,, the mill is for my ship model and small live steam work.. (it is a big step up from my unimat SL100) set up the magnetic mount spindle light this morning.. steel insert pins were loctited in drilled holes in the spindle lock unit.. shim and lock bolted into place,, all looks good.. (I
have a stockpile of gear and angle drive motors that might work for the powerfeed)
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2013
- Messages
- 4,415
Nice setup! The LMS is definitely a step up from my HF 44991.
As for "as of this morning all the bells and whistles the mill will get for a while have been installed" ... aw, c'mon! I've done a number of mods/improvements on my 44991 over the years. Here are a couple of quick ones that you might want to consider:
As for "as of this morning all the bells and whistles the mill will get for a while have been installed" ... aw, c'mon! I've done a number of mods/improvements on my 44991 over the years. Here are a couple of quick ones that you might want to consider:
- Chip shield. I soon became dissatisfied with the hard shield - got in the way of the work too often. I had some thick clear vinyl (flexible window from a boat canopy). Attached a piece to a random stiffener bar. Stops hot chips nicely, and can move itself out of the way when the vise or workpiece rides underneath it.
- Fine Z control. I scribed four lines on the front face at 90º angles. The gearing is imprecise, but ¼ turn lowers the head .015" or so. This is a quick way to adjust Z height for multiple passes.
for a while,, I'am looking at replacing the Z knob with a larger handle to give a better feel (think mini bridgeport handwheel) wish I hand another like the one I fitted when I built a control unit for my unimats vertical post.. also not overly fond of the stock chip shield (it's already been modded for more travel)
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2018
- Messages
- 130
Maybe take a Sharpie black marker and paint the top of the chuck ? That reflection would drive my nuts. This is one of the reasons I like my adjustable sewing machine LED light, depending on where I need the light (or don't want the light) I can move it around.
I have the same screwless vise as you, if your looking for a cheap mount method , drill a pair of your toe clamps for a .312" dowel. Works perfect.
this mill works great for my needs, had some fun and started making the steam chest for the modded engine I'm working on.. spent 15 minutes looking for the spindle lock tool, decided it needed a color change,, it will get a holder also!!!
