generic milling adapters for the mini (or other) lathe - anyone used one of these or know about them?

M

Mr. Science

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I've been using one on my 13 x lathe for a while and despise using it. I don't yet have a mill though so I make do!

The good points:
  • I can do some basic milling on it
  • It's cheaper than a dedicated milling machine
The bad points:
  • It's not very rigid - it chatters
  • Your cross slide may not have enough range of motion to use the full area without modification
  • It's not very rigid - it doesn't like large cutters as they cause the cross slide to pull into the work if plunge cutting
  • It takes time to set up. You have to remove the tool post, install and tram. You then have to do the reverse of this to have a lathe again
  • It's not very rigid - it doesn't like small cutters as it can pull or push the cross slide causing your cutter to break
  • On mine at least the graduations seem to be neither imperial or metric. When comparing with a dial indicator 1 mm does not equal 1 mm!
  • It's not very rigid - Get greedy with the cut and it'll swivel and ruin your part. The same can be said when using it to drill holes
  • The working area is deceptively small. You can only get a limited size vice in there and there's not a lot of room for hold down clamps
  • It's awkward to set work up with hold down clamps as gravity doesn't help keep things in place
  • Spindle speeds are likely too slow for most smaller cutters
  • It's hard to see the cut as you work
I have mostly used it for making slots in keyway bushings for broaching and to be fair it allows me to do this fairly easily although the set up is a faff. I would not however see this in any way as a replacement for a milling machine. For infrequent use or where a mill is not an option then they will get you by as long as you work within their limitations.
 
hmm yes - that was kind of my worry - I was thinking (alternately) that maybe one could weld a T-slot fixture to a massive L-angle and find a way to rigidly attach that to the ways on the lathe - perhaps allowing for a tiny bit of 'micro' adjustment where needed .. if maybe that might not be better (?) - also thought of getting a replacement cross slide and welding a t-slot fixture to that at a right angle as well ...

i was hoping to do some fly cutting on the lathe and am just trying to figure out how to do that in a way that might rival a 'proper' mill ...
 
I've used such a device before, and to be honest Saml is absolutely right. It can be made to work, but rigidity (because of the single point mounting) is lacking to a great extent.

Fly cutting? No. Don't even think about that, in my opinion. Were I you I'd be thinking about mounting the object on the faceplate and flattening it that way - it's the way that was commonly used in the earlier days of model engineering for doing things like machining port faces and flattening engine beds.
 
was thinking of something along these lines but yes - of course the rigidity would absolutely need to be there - i don't see why it wouldn't be at least as rigid as with a large mill if you did it right (?)

 
The problem isn't the fly cutter but the part holding in the milling adapter, in my opinion. The part is being held in a vise on a table that is held vertically, with fixing only at one end. As such, the cutting forces are acting on what is essentially a lever attached to the cross-slide.

Couple the slop in the gibs, the single-point mount and the interrupted cut of a fly-cutter and you have a recipe for vibration and mediocre cuts. In my eyes, its all down to the forces acting in the wrong 'direction' for stability - the vertical slide is flopping bout in the air instead of firmly anchored as a base casting.
 
just old al said:
The problem isn't the fly cutter but the part holding in the milling adapter, in my opinion. The part is being held in a vise on a table that is held vertically, with fixing only at one end. As such, the cutting forces are acting on what is essentially a lever attached to the cross-slide.

Couple the slop in the gibs, the single-point mount and the interrupted cut of a fly-cutter and you have a recipe for vibration and mediocre cuts. In my eyes, its all down to the forces acting in the wrong 'direction' for stability - the vertical slide is flopping bout in the air instead of firmly anchored as a base casting.
Click to expand...


yes i know - my thoughts too - the mount is in effect acting like a pendulum - that coupled with a sympathetic vibration of the right frequency and you have disaster waiting to happen ... but therein lies the challenge i guess - well anyway- i guess i'll look elsewhere than the devices i posted at the top
 
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