New Forum for 3 in 1 machines

Pmedic828

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Hi Ya'll - i have a 3 in 1 machine and now have a forum to discuss setup, tooling, etc for people with smaller lathe / milling machines - Is anyone else working with a 3 in 1 machine? If so, how does setup and tooling differ from the "big boys". Now we can discuss these topics here.
Thanks to the administrators for adding this topic selection for me.:anyone::thanks:
 
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You're welcome. :))

I don't happen to own a 3 in 1 so can't really comment on setup. But I can't see why tooling would be any different from an equivalent size single function machine.

Robert D.
 
I don't have a 3 in 1 machine but have been looking at them but keep getting told that they are fiddled to set up for lathe work then change over to milling or drilling and still maintain precision so I will be following this to see what others think
 
Hi Ya'll - i have a 3 in 1 machine and now have a forum to discuss setup, tooling, etc for people with smaller lathe / milling machines - Is anyone else working with a 3 in 1 machine? If so, how does setup and tooling differ from the "big boys". Now we can discuss these topics here.
Thanks to the administrators for adding this topic selection for me.:anyone::thanks:
There are quite a few of us on the site that have combo machines from HF, Bolton, Grizz and others. They fill a special need and are an excellent choice in a shop with no room to spare. Mine is as basic as you can get, but it is more accurate than me from the beginning. I will be a long time out growing that machine due to the unique sizes of material it is capable of managing.

Bob
 
I have a 3 in 1 Smithy 3 in 1 model CB 1220 XL.

Fortunately, I didn't get the memo that said you can't make anything will them...

IMO having worked on larger machines, it is a decent lathe and an okay milling machine.
The work envelope is what it is... The mill spindle is too darn close to the column and I can only mill a little less than 8" travel, so you have to pick your battles. The round column can be a PIA, but having used it a couple years now, I just think ahead when doing setups, which is always a good idea, right?

It is really a 4 in 1: lathe, drill press, vertical milling machine and horizontal milling machine! I often use the lathe spindle with a fly cutter or mount a cutter in an arbor between the centers to bore a long straight hole in work mounted on the cross slide/carriage!

It does seem like whenever it is set up as a milling machine, I need a lathe and vice versa. But, I can change it from one to the other in minutes! Of course you have to dial in your vise, etc.

The tooling is the same as single purpose machines. Because the spindle at it's lowest is still pretty far from the table, one possible needed extra is 2 x 4 x 6 blocks or one of those riser blocks to put under your smaller vises, toolmakers block etc. I like the work up where you don't have to have the spindle all the way extended.

I for one, will never look down on 3 in 1s. If you have limited space and or budget, and you are not building a full size locomotive, you can't beat them. If you find a good deal on one, I think it is a great way to get your feet wet as a hobby machinist!

I would like to get a better mill and maybe a better lathe one day, but if I do, I think I'll keep this machine, too!
 
I also have a Smithy 3 in 1 (Granite model). I have no complaints. It does what I need. To change from Mill to Lathe doesn't require much more than remove/install the vise, flip the lever for the the drive for mill/lathe and indicate the vise if needed. Literally takes a few minutes if you don't have to indicate the vise.

Limited space, and funds is what pulled me into the Smithy. I took my time setting it up, followed the manual and have had very positve results with it.

Like the previous poster said, if I found the space and money for an idividual mill and lathe I'd still hold onto the Smithy.
 
i have a central machinery early 90's LH009 mill/drill/lathe combination
with only a couple hours of run time with my machine, i'm initially happy with it.
it is by no means a tool you would want to use for any heavy milling. medium milling in soft materials is very good, but harder materials require light cuts. the short distance between the quill and the milling table limits the size of the part you can machine.
the lathe function works very well. fairly large work can be chucked up or put between centers.
mine has a quick change gear box. very easy to make changes for threading and feed rates.
with the stock gearing it will thread 7 to 24 tpi.
mine didn't come with a threading dial and i don't see a place where it would mount on the carriage:thinking:.
But that's another project....

threading entails reversing the machine on every pass, but it does thread ok.

it has a 3 jaw scroll chuck. it has about .003" runout measured on a round tool steel blank
the dovetails appear to be robust and a lot of iron was used to give it a solid bed.
the tool holder appears to be mismatched for the lathe function and sits about .020" below centerline
the compound doubles as a vice for small milling operations. the lathe toolholder mounts to the moveable jaw on the vice and has a micrometer on the compound.

all and all a good machine, don't expect to make or repair very large things with it but used within it's capabilities it will prove to be very useful.
 
I purchased a used Shoptask 1720 XMTC about six months ago. I think I got a pretty fair deal being it came with some basic tooling. I really have no room for individual machines so I thought to give this a try. Lathe seems ok mill takes planning but there are no production expectations here. Now if I can just remember all the knowledge my school shop teacher tried to fit in my head 30 years ago.
 
I have a CraftEx B2071 Mill/Lathe combo machine.

Lathe works OK for me. The slowest carriage travel is a little too fast though. There is a considerable amount of leverage, that allows for chatter, because the cutter tip is so far up from the bed.

As far as the mill goes it's fair. A little too close to the chuck. I have a X-Y table that I can mount on the carrage so I don't have to use the little compound/tool holder vise.

I would assume that the newer models with the mill mounted at the middle rear would be better.

All this being said, I am a total noob ! :victory:
 
If the slowest available carriage feed rate is too fast, perhaps you don't have all of the change gears. If you do, look into acquiring some additional size gears. Keep in mind that in a straight single plane spur gear train, only the first and last gear tooth counts matter. Unless any of the intermediate gears are compound (two gears stacked on a common axle with one gear being driven and the other driving).

Robert D.
 
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