Time to add a mill. Knee or vertical?

[darkzero]

Ok Will, Explain the 8520 thinggy... I just bought one, because I wanted a Knee, and could not fit a BP. As a matter of fact, I can't fit the 8520 . I'm more than 1/2 through the refurb, the machine is being assembled, waiting on the bearings.
What should I be aware of? I know it's not a full size mill, I know it's more stout than a most benchtops. It has a standard knee, which means I get to make depth adjustments based on the dial on the knee crank... So what is the NOT 8520 mean?
Inquiring minds want to know.

Jeff, in regards to the 8520, nothing at all really. In that post I was trying to explain the differences between smaller benchtop mills & full size knee mills. Rather than saying a "BP or full size knee mill" every time I referenced to it I just wanted to simply say "knee mill". To avoid any confusion, that's why I stated "When I refer to a knee mill below, I'm talking about a BridgePort style mill & not a benchtop knee mill or a Clausing 8520 style knee mill."

That's all, nothing more. Congrats on the new mill!

 

[woodchucker]

Ok, cool. I was worried I didn't account for something. I know I gave up a tilting head (yes it tilts left and right) but not up and down...
But I was able to dismantle it and take it a piece at a time down the stairs to the basement... with one minor mishap, when the base cabinet went through the wall down the stairs Oh boy.

 

[woodchucker]

I would first get my head examined!

There is no price at which I would be interested in such a machine.

Here's what I got for $2k. Not shown are several boxes of lathe tooling.

Nice score, and a good price too. Please tell me you didn't bend your lead screw with those straps... I hope you had a piece of wood under it extending out.

 

[ezduzit]

wc--that is the professional mover and, no, the lead screw was not bent.

I have posted this elsewhere, but here is my first part I ever made on a milling machine (a couple years ago). It is an aluminum end fitting, of my own design, for a 4" sailboat boom. Plastic sheaves were purchased. The stainless axle I made on the lathe; its end cap sits in a milled recess to prevent rotation.

 

[Bob Korves]

Ok, cool. I was worried I didn't account for something. I know I gave up a tilting head (yes it tilts left and right) but not up and down...
But I was able to dismantle it and take it a piece at a time down the stairs to the basement... with one minor mishap, when the base cabinet went through the wall down the stairs Oh boy.

Jeff, look at these photos of big boy vertical milling machines:
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=k&t+vertical+mill&qpvt=k&t+vertical+mill&qpvt=k&t+vertical+mill&qpvt=k&t+vertical+mill&FORM=IGRE
and notice what they all have in common -- no nodding head function! I am not sure if Bridgeport was the first company to add a nodding function to their vertical mills, but they sure did popularize it. It has become a "must have" on a vertical mill for a lot of buyers.

I have had two Millrite mills, a little bigger than your 8520 but smaller than a BP. The first one had a nodding head, my current one does not. I never used the nodding function on my first Millrite except to tram it. I have never wished for the nodding function on my current Millrite, which is a heck of a lot more rigid than the first one, though part of that may be due to it being in much better condition.

There is nearly always multiple possible ways to mount a part for an angle cut, even for a compound angle cut. I think that many BP and clone users will admit to not using the nodding function to set up compound angle parts sometimes, simply because of the extra time and effort to set it up and then tram it back square to the table again. Of course, depending on the type of work each of us does, the ability to nod the head could end up being more or less desirable. In my mind, I try to best solve for the work I do 99 percent of the time, and ignore the 1 percent, which I can deal with in other ways or design around it. My approach to many things in life is "No last 1% solutions!"

Edit: Cincinnati, too, except on their 'light' machines.
https://www.bing.com/images/search?...+mill&qpvt=cincinnati+vertical+mill&FORM=IGRE

 

[woodchucker]

Jeff, look at these photos of big boy vertical milling machines:
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=k&t+vertical+mill&qpvt=k&t+vertical+mill&qpvt=k&t+vertical+mill&qpvt=k&t+vertical+mill&FORM=IGRE
and notice what they all have in common -- no nodding head function! I am not sure if Bridgeport was the first company to add a nodding function to their vertical mills, but they sure did popularize it. It has become a "must have" on a vertical mill for a lot of buyers.

I have had two Millrite mills, a little bigger than your 8520 but smaller than a BP. The first one had a nodding head, my current one does not. I never used the nodding function on my first Millrite except to tram it. I have never wished for the nodding function on my current Millrite, which is a heck of a lot more rigid than the first one, though part of that may be due to it being in much better condition.

There is nearly always multiple possible ways to mount a part for an angle cut, even for a compound angle cut. I think that many BP and clone users will admit to not using the nodding function to set up compound angle parts sometimes, simply because of the extra time and effort to set it up and then tram it back square to the table again. Of course, depending on the type of work each of us does, the ability to nod the head could end up being more or less desirable. In my mind, I try to best solve for the work I do 99 percent of the time, and ignore the 1 percent, which I can deal with in other ways or design around it. My approach to many things in life is "No last 1% solutions!"

Yea, I get what your saying. And for me it was just recognizing that I will have to do some things in a different way.
And will I miss it, yea, when I am lazy and scratching for a way to do it and not make a bunch of jigs to get around it.
But given the choices I had, I am good with it. Can't wait to make some chips. There are some things I would like to make to solve some issues.
And once I get this up and running, my South Bend Milling attachment will be up for sale. (So I'm coming from that to this and know it's going to be way better).

 

[woodchucker]

wc--that is the professional mover and, no, the lead screw was not bent.

I have posted this elsewhere, but here is my first part I ever made on a milling machine (a couple years ago). It is an aluminum end fitting, of my own design, for a 4" sailboat boom. Plastic sheaves were purchased. The stainless axle I made on the lathe; its end cap sits in a milled recess to prevent rotation.

Nice work I'm sure you'll enjoy making more parts.. Glad to hear that the screw was not bent..

 

[markba633csi]

EZ: What is that red nameplate on your Logan's gearcover? It looks like an H inside a heart- is that the name of a machinery dealer?
Mark S.

 

[ezduzit]

MS--exactly. Oddly, both the mill and lathe had nameplates from the same dealer.

This photo was taken before the cleanup.

 

[markba633csi]

Aha. Kinda presumptuous of them to "tattoo" your machines like that. They sure didn't build 'em. Couldn't they have just used a sticker? LOL
MS