Smithy Milling Woes

[mac1911]

I think I’ll attempt this tomorrow.

As for missing out on the other mill, I don’t expect that I’ll run in to that situation again any time soon. It was one of the moments after it was over, that you kick yourself. The other issue was that it had to be out of there by noon the next day. It went up for auction about 4pm. After it sold, the wife asked about why I didn’t bid and the auctioneer heard my reply, part of which was “ how do I get it on a trailer, which I would have to borrow?” The auctioneer pointed to a hoist system built in to the ceiling of the garage and said, we use that to pick it up and put it on a trailer. I got to kick myself twice that day.

I have list out on many pieces for lack of rapid moving ability.
I dont have anywhere to put any equipment. Why I snagged the smithy. $200 500lbs is a easy move for myself. Anything more gets tricky.

 

[G-ManBart]

A stand along mill would have to be pretty small to wedge in to a tight shop space.

I passed on an on site auction knee mill about a year ago. It was an American made Bridgeport looking machine but not a Bridgeport. Made in Conn or Mass, I can’t remember which. Had some tooling with it, just couldn’t figure out how to get it in the basement except in pieces.

That's what makes the Clausing 8520 and 8530 milling machines so popular...you can disassemble them easily and two people can generally carry them down into a basement. I had one briefly and they can do real milling work. When I sold it we disassembled it and easily put it in the back of an SUV. I expect they take up less floor space than a 3-1 Smithy does, so you might actually save room.

 

[matthewsx]

I have a small space so when I got the chance to but my baby bridgeport (clone) I jumped at it. It has a 9x35 table and fits in a smaller space then a full sized machine. Pretty much like the PM935 but much cheaper used.

Between this and my 12x36 lathe I pretty much have my small shop needs covered.

Plus, bonus....

Both machines are Taiwan built in the 1980's and carry the Samson brand name....

John

 

[Alcap]

You said you made up a riser from material you had on hand also it was mentioned using hardwood . Maybe another option would be 2-4-6 blocks or similar that you could use now and later if you go with a stand alone mill . https://www.ebay.com/itm/2853738665...6e08cd7450cbbdddc64c6cf2e8891f6d48747c6d56d2c

 

[Tincamp67]

I spent a couple hours today, trying to disassemble the feed mechanism on the mill. Unfortunately, my machine doesn’t match the one in the video above. No adjustment on the worm gear and no adjustment on the down feed gearing. I even located the paperwork that I got from the original owner when I bought the machine. Checked the parts list and diagram, nothing mentioned about any adjustment parts. Oh well.

The 2-4-6 blocks might work if I used 2, cheaper than the riser from Smithy.

Used machines just don’t seem to pop up around here. I missed out on the mill, but 15ish years ago, I saw a SB heavy 10 sitting under a tarp behind a guys garage. I looked it over and offered the guy $1500 on the spot for the machine and tooling in the cabinet. He declined, cuz someday he’s “going to use it.” It had been there a while since it was already settling into the ground.

Those are the only 2 good pieces of equipment over ever located. I do know where there is a harbor freight mini mill I could probably buy, but not sure I was to go that route.

 

[Alcap]

Is your crossfeed screw metic or imperial ?

 

[mac1911]

I spent a couple hours today, trying to disassemble the feed mechanism on the mill. Unfortunately, my machine doesn’t match the one in the video above. No adjustment on the worm gear and no adjustment on the down feed gearing. I even located the paperwork that I got from the original owner when I bought the machine. Checked the parts list and diagram, nothing mentioned about any adjustment parts. Oh well.

The 2-4-6 blocks might work if I used 2, cheaper than the riser from Smithy.

Used machines just don’t seem to pop up around here. I missed out on the mill, but 15ish years ago, I saw a SB heavy 10 sitting under a tarp behind a guys garage. I looked it over and offered the guy $1500 on the spot for the machine and tooling in the cabinet. He declined, cuz someday he’s “going to use it.” It had been there a while since it was already settling into the ground.

Those are the only 2 good pieces of equipment over ever located. I do know where there is a harbor freight mini mill I could probably buy, but not sure I was to go that route.

Every model seems to be slightly different even with in same model numbers

Old Smithy Machine Identification

Cutting Threads: All the feed screws on this machine are in a metric thread pitch. When cutting threads, be sure to use threading chart on the inside of the pulley box door on your AT300. Threading charts you may see in more recent machine manuals are likely different. Ordering Parts and...

smithy.com

I have a mid 2000s model.
My attempts with the mill so far have ended in glorified drill press.
I dont get much time on mine.
Took a few long weekends to get the lathe portion straightened out.
Next summer Im going to see what I can do with the mill.
https://smithy.com/pages/old-smithy-machine-identification

 

[Tincamp67]

As long as I’m very careful at set up, go slow, and take very light cuts, fumble through with the mill. I have to watch the backlash though. If I push it up to remove backlash, it tends to get pulled in to the work as it cuts. If I don’t take out the backlash, I have to be careful not to take very heavy cuts or the quill moved back up. I need to come up with a more rigid way to lock the quill.