Tooling for mills: what should I get to start?

[markba633csi]

It's Dykem not "Diechem" layout fluid (unless they've changed the name- I haven't bought any for a while)
A great deal of the things on the above list don't apply to a Unimat-sized machine- Kurt vise for example

 

[Paramax55]

I didn't realize what a light machine that is. I fooled around with a drill press early on that I tried to mill with. I reinforced the knee. I got an X/Y table. I made a "collet" that I could hold end mills with... it was an exercise in frustration. I got a Harbor Freight bench top mill for about $450 around 20 years ago and it changed everything. They don't sell a machine like it any more, but you would be surprised how inexpensively you can get a used Bridgeport or bench top if you are willing to keep searching online. I wouldn't put much money into that light machine and I wouldn't expect to cut anything stronger than aluminum. As soon as you get your feet wet, you will want something bigger.

 

[mickri]

Only buy what you need for the project at hand. Buy the best quality that you can afford. Over time you will accumulate a bunch of stuff. All of which you will have used. You can go nuts in this hobby buying everything under the sun. Often stuff that you will never use and that will get tossed in a drawer and forgotten about.

 

[STEMtheMachining]

It's Dykem not "Diechem" layout fluid (unless they've changed the name- I haven't bought any for a while)
A great deal of the things on the above list don't apply to a Unimat-sized machine- Kurt vise for example

I think that 6" Kurt is larger than my lathe.



Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[GeneT45]

The best thing you can get is experience. There are few tools that are so universal that "everyone" has them. You're pretty safe finding a good vise (maybe a 'screwless' grinding vise for a machine that size, and a decent set of calipers. After that what you want and/or need really boils down to how you approach a task. I've purchased a lot of tools over the years that were recommended to me by others that it turns out I don't use nearly as much as they thought I would... (I'm probably guilty of commending tools to friends that might not use them as well.)

Particularly if you are limited by space and/or budget - try to discover what you need on your own and buy things as the need arises.

GsT

 

[hman]

Only buy what you need for the project at hand. Buy the best quality that you can afford. Over time you will accumulate a bunch of stuff. All of which you will have used. You can go nuts in this hobby buying everything under the sun. Often stuff that you will never use and that will get tossed in a drawer and forgotten about.

Adam Savage (of Tested on Youtube) has a different take on buying tools. He suggests starting out with the least expensive version you can find, using it as a learning tool, then graduating to the best you can afford.

 

[Aaron_W]

Unimat mill is even smaller than my Sherline, so not sure what size vise to recommend, but I have a 2" screwless vice which has worked well for me. Might fit on a Unimat, or you might want to go down a size, maybe 1-1/2".

My Sherline has a 2.75x12" table , so you can compare to the table on yours to help decide on a good size for you.

You can find vises of this type on ebay usually for $30-60. Many have round holes, I had to look around to find one with a slot which works better with Sherline's hold downs.

Collet blocks are handy as well, ER32 and 5C are the most common but you might be able to find ER16 to match your collet set.

Both can be seen in this photo on my mill.



I've been satisfied with the end mill sets I've gotten from Little Machine Shop. I've used up to 3/8" end mills on my little mill, so the suggestion to just order a couple different 1/4" end mills, maybe also some 1/8" is probably a pretty good idea. Most sets go up to 1/2" so sets are probably not that useful for the Unimat.

I wouldn't go to nuts on different cutters until you actually have a need.

Slitting saw arbor and some different size slitting saws may be useful.


You are going to want a small hammer and a set of parallels to use with the vise.

There are a couple of books specifically for the Unimat. I've got one called The Book of the Unimat by DJ Laidlaw Dickson which is a pretty good overview of the different models, what to expect from them, accessories, modifications etc.

There is another called Making the most of the Unimat by Rex Tingey. I don't have this one, but appears to be similar in intent to the Book of the Unimat. There was a companion book Projects for the Unimat also by Tingey.

Both of these were written in the 1970s and out of print but not too hard to find used. I've found much better prices at Abe Books where you are mostly dealing with used book sellers, than Ebay or Amazon where the sellers include terms like rare... England seems to have a more active small machining community (model engineering as they call it). You find a lot more copies being sold in the UK so keep an eye on where the seller is or shipping may be more than you expected.

 

[Aaron_W]

Also be very careful about sizes, Unimat and Proxxon are about the smallest lathes and mills you can find. A lot of the stuff intended for Sherline and Taig machines may work, but (and something I rarely get to say) they are a bit larger machines.