Well it has been a while between updates. I'm happy to say that despite the various little issues like the spindle feed randomly (?) popping out, and the missing table power feed, I have been putting the unit to work, at least relatively speaking. I've done a fair amount of basic drilling with it - and wow it is so much nicer to use than my drill press - but yesterday I did my first actual milling operation. For a while I've been wanting to build a suitable table extension for my also-vintage Eisele cold saw. The saw itself is awesome, but the base is only about 30" square, with the blade obviously in the middle. So if you need to cut, say, 4" off of a 8' long steel tube, that's about 6' of steel tube hanging out in space, which doesn't work. Long ago I made a very crude work support on a screw base so I had some height adjustment, but it was always intended as a stopgap until I had a proper table extension.
Anyway, for my design, I needed to cut some small slots in a piece of steel C-channel so I can get the rollers in and out. I measured, marked, and drilled the channel out a few weeks ago, but once that was done I didn't even have an end mill that I could use to cut the slot. Finally got a chance to cut the slots out yesterday, and for a first-ever milling operation, I'm happy with how it went.
The whole process has, however, uncovered a few issues - some with the machine, and some with its operator!
First, while I will eventually put a DRO on it, right now there isn't one. The X and Z dials are good, but the Y dial will not lock down. The set screw gets plenty tight, but it doesn't prevent the dial from spinning. I'm a little puzzled as to what's going on here. To compensate for it, I set up a dial indicator for the Y axis and used that to make sure I milled out the same amount on each slot.
Next, I have tried checking and adjusting the gibs. Y and Z seem good, but there is considerable movement of the table in the Y direction - that is, if I extend the table over towards one direction, I can push/pull it towards/away from the machine quite a lot. The dial indicator said something like 7-8 thou. I can tighten the adjustment screw down to eliminate that, but then the table is very tight to move in the X direction. I am assuming (possibly incorrectly) that the procedure is the same as Keith Rucker showed on his 845 on YouTube. And yes, I know I need to call W-I and get the manual!
And finally, it occurred to me when I started milling out the aforementioned slots that I had absolutely no idea what the correct spindle speed, depth of cut, and feed speed (albeit manual feed) were for that operation. I assume I should be picking up a machinists handbook of some sort to help answer these questions, but I have no idea which one. Suggestions?
Thanks all. I'm barely taking baby steps on this thing, but I'm really enjoying learning how to operate it!