Milling the milling table.....

If u want it to look clean take some scotchbrite wrap it around a sanding block or block of wood.
Oil it and scrub till clean.
Comes out pretty nice and won’t change dimesions
 
As Bob pointed out, if it works, leave it alone. Clean it well, service and install the machine properly and use it. I looked over your thread on rebuilding this machine. It looks like a fine enough machine and you have done a nice job. That table is in way better shape than many are.

By far the cheapest and best fix is to just buy another machine. One that gives you a capability boost. If you have a working mill you are way ahead of many folks. You can bide your time and when a better machine shows up, you will know what a good deal looks Iike. For example, you have a round column machi e, does it stay registered? Does that head have a low gear, or is it just belts? How about variable speed? Whatever the issues, use the machine as is - down the road, buy another one which is better. You existing machine, if it is clean and running well will sell on just fine.
 
Oh I didn't do anything with it. Stoned it and reinstalled my two vises. Nothing's moving now that it's all trammed.
No it doesn't stay registered when I raise the head, I just have to be smart about my heights and use more quill if I have to or an edge finder.
It does have back gear and belts.

The only reason id buy another mill at this point is if I win the lottery, my hose burns down, or the stars align and my wife allows me. Lol. I'll own this mill forever. It's just fine.
 
Worked in an aircraft component manufacturing company for years and one of the first things we did was to machine a piece of aluminum plate about the size of the machine table. Skim cut top surface true to machine movement.
Drill and tap holes for bolts to either clamp parts or to bolt parts directly to our "sacrificial" plate.
You do lose some "Z" axis height but not much.
Protected our tables from most crashes or cutters too long, etc.
 
higgite said:
Unless some of the dings are large enough to swallow a vice, I would just lightly stone the table to knock down any raised edges on the ding marks and not bother with filling them in or refinishing the entire table surface. Besides, a few dings (that have been stoned flat) give it character. ;) ymmv

Tom
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I have scraped in mills and we always ground the tables. Like everyone else says fill the holes with jb or something like it and file flat and forget it.
 
My .02 skip fill. It serves no purpose unless your clamping tiny fixtures that don't bridge the defects. Use a stone and carefully hit high spots. Your table can be gouged, dinged, drilled etc and still be dead flat or as flat as it was on its birthday and perfectly useable. You mill it and it will likely be a hunk of junk.
 
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