What is this? It came with a HF mini lathe that I just bought and I have no clue what its used for... anybody know?

Looks to me like the bottom part is meant to straddle the compound or the ways - does it fit in either place?

GsT
 
@Swamppump

That, my friend, is a milling slide for a 7x lathe, or, should I say, one of the multiple designs of milling slide for a 7x lathe.

It is not shop made either, it is a commercially available item.

To use it, you remove the compound on the lathe and mount it in its place.
 
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GrifterGuru said:
@Swamppump

That, my friend, is a milling slide for a 7x lathe, or, should I say, one of the multiple designs of milling slide for a 7x lathe.

It is not shop made either, it is a commercially available item.

To use it, you remove the compound on the lathe and mount it in its place.
Click to expand...
Ding ding ding: the Winner!

Also includes the rudimentary "Clamping Bars" that can be moved along the face of the slide, so it's the high-priced version:

20241112 Vertical Slide.jpeg
 
Thanks everyone for your replies!
It does straddle the Way and the Compound. I didn't know what it was called so I could look it up which brought me here. Thanks again!
 
If you make a fixture, you can hold a Dremel with a small grinding wheel in one and use the grinding wheel to remove the most egregious bumps and ramps and roughness on the underside of the ways in the middle of the bed and get the underside somewhat approaching parallel (and I mean somewhat approaching parallel; it's not a surface grinder! ;)) with the tops of the ways

Why would one do this?

It allows you to have an additional retaining plate fixed to the underside of the saddle, that runs on the underside of the ways in the middle, providing a bit of extra saddle hold down/rigidity.

Honestly though, as far as it's intended purpose, do remember we're talking very light milling. You won't be hogging out tons of steel with honking great depths of cut. ;)

(See Steve Jordan on youtube for the details of the retaining plate)
 
SouthernChap said:
Honestly though, as far as it's intended purpose, do remember we're talking very light milling. You won't be hogging out tons of steel with honking great depths of cut. ;)
Click to expand...

@SouthernChap I can attest to that being absolute fact.


@Swamppump

Even with a 5"x4" myford slide, any milling on a 7x mini-lathe is still limited to light D.O.C. and is an excercise in restraint and patience.

To be fair, for the intended light use purpose, the small milling slide is ok. The usual options in the size you have are direct fit vertical movement only with paralell clamps, vertical only movement with horizontal T- slots, tilt n swivel movement with vertical T-slots and Tilt n swivel with horizontal T-slots and that is before you look at the myford 5" x 4" offerings that are more capable of holding a mini machine-vice for work holding or using a 4" rotary table that require specific mounting points on the cross slide or a direct fit pallet that mounts to the cross slide for the milling slide to mount on.

Yes, I have a myford 5" x 4" vertical only milling slide (which is a direct fit after a light mod), a mini machine-vice as well as a rotary table. Yes I have used them all on occasion to get a job done that I otherwise would not have been able to complete, though the caveat is that the light D.O.C requirement increases the time involved and you also have to deal with the flex if you do not lock the carriage to the bedway or ensure the cross slide is locked in place during use.

It is possible to run the cross slide gibs fairly tightly to limit "movement" in the vertical stability, but it is always going to be a compromise no matter which way you look at it or tackle it.
 
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