Shimming a mini-mill - a few questions

I have a Fastenal right here in town, I didn't know what they did. Handy, or perhaps expensive...
 
The local store in my city sells items much lower than what's advertised online, it's always a good idea to call and ask for a quote . they can take your order and have it shipped to the store for free pick up or a couple of $ extra.
 
Last time I went to fastenal they wanted me to buy the whole package of 50 , other stores may vary
 
I've used aluminum foil, beer cans, aluminum flashing, and plastic scraps from packaging. Whatever works. At work, we have a set of brass shim stock from McMaster-Carr. I think the whole assortment is about $80 and has pretty big pieces ranging from .001 to .015. It seems like such a luxury for home use.

-Ed
 
So pro-tip, when you are thinking in your head "if I do this, guaranteed it's gonna cut me" - stop! It was almost comedic, how the next second I was all "yuuuuup, that cut me". Pro-tip #2 - drilling brass shims using standard drills is very dumb. I made the critical error of thinking "it's so thin, that brass grabbing thing shouldn't matter". Haha! Pro-tip #3 Don't hold sharp tiny stuff you are about to drill with your bare hands.

It's kind of miraculous I have made it this far in life, honestly.

I also discovered that I truly don't understand how shimming works (it almost seemed like "do the opposite of what your indicator says"), but in the end it only took me about 45 minutes.

Further, the brass shim stock I got seemed to influence readings dramatically more than their advertised size values. For example, X-axis was 0 on the left, +15 on the right. (in the end) I added a 5-thou shim on the right to bring it to +1.5. The Y-axis was 0 at the front, +8 at the back. I added a 3-thou shim to the back to bring it to +1. I have to assume the shim stock was good, but my understanding of shimming was not. :)

(maybe I needed to accommodate for where I was shimming, and the difference it would make farther out? i.e. needs maths?)

The good news, though...
- The mill is trammed in! Only out about 1.5 thou across the X-axis, and <1 thou across the Y-axis.
- The old Palmgren vise I had "accidentally" lying around is working great, although the jaws have seen better days - another project for another day...
- Took some long cuts in scrap mild steel, not feeling the same ridge between cuts from before! \o/

Shimming adventure
Feb2018-shim_adventure.JPG

Decided against drilling...also, mark the thickness!
Feb2018-shim_format.JPG

OWWWWW that was dumb
Feb2018-shim_woopsie.JPG

Brass & normal drill angles yo
Feb2018-shim_woopsie2.JPG

New-old vise!
With proper (?) usage of strap clamps!
Feb2018-milling_vise.JPG


Thanks again, everyone!
 
To Drill really thin stock like that, it is easier to sandwich it between (2) pieces of wood.
Cheap 1/4 Plywood scraps are good for that.
It will save your fingers.
 
To Drill really thin stock like that, it is easier to sandwich it between (2) pieces of wood.
Cheap 1/4 Plywood scraps are good for that.
It will save your fingers.
Yup! I even thought that just before, but stupidity overcame me. :p
 
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