Mill machines and what to get

Dimitri said:
You are 100% correct, its not good to buy cheap measuring tools, the Canadian Tire digital calipers were a gamble that turned out good for me. Polish tools are pretty good and they make them well if your on a tighter budget. ;)

I've been buying Starrett mainly for my persistion tools. :)

Dimitri
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I find Starrett to be really expensive most of the time.The Starrett tool I own is an edge finder,because the cheapies were blowing up in my face.(literally):runaway:
 
Matt_S said:
I find Starrett to be really expensive most of the time.The Starrett tool I own is an edge finder,because the cheapies were blowing up in my face.(literally):runaway:
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Starrett is alittle more expensive then others yes, but not by much when you consider how much the tools cost anyways. :)

You know your post is quite funny for me, mainly because I recently went out and bought alittle over 1,000$ worth of tools for machining (so I have some basic tools to work with once I get a job in the trade) and I forgot to buy the Starrett Edgefinder I really wanted to get. :p

Oh well next time. :)

Dimitri
 
Dimitri said:
Starrett is alittle more expensive then others yes, but not by much when you consider how much the tools cost anyways. :)

You know your post is quite funny for me, mainly because I recently went out and bought alittle over 1,000$ worth of tools for machining (so I have some basic tools to work with once I get a job in the trade) and I forgot to buy the Starrett Edgefinder I really wanted to get. :p

Oh well next time. :)

Dimitri
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Doesn't take long to drop a pile of a cash on tools EH!Then there is always something else you need.
 
Matt_S said:
Doesn't take long to drop a pile of a cash on tools EH!Then there is always something else you need.
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Yup just scratched the surface so far and I've spent over 1,400$ on metal working tools only. :runaway:

Mind you I got a half decent amount of tooling I think now for someone not even in a apprentiship yet! :D

Dimitri
 
I've been building up my tools for years. Close to 20 different chambering reamer/gauge sets, micrometers 0-1" through 6", 0-25mm metric, 2 sets of depth mikes, 3 digital calipers, one metric, dial indicators with stands, Do-All gauge blocks, gauge pins, gunsmithing tools, drills, reamers, cutting tools, tool holders, taps and dies, and on and on. It would probably shock me if I had to buy them now.
 
Now all I have to do is get a lathe and a mill or mill/drill. For the first time since 1982, I am latheless. That's not entirely true, the 6x18 Atlas I bought through CGN is a good little machine, and quite useful within its size limits. Pretty hard to do rifle barrel work on it though. I'm setting up my new shop, and I designed it so that these heavy tools can be readily moved in and set up. No three phase in the area, but I had the electricians install single phase 220 volt circuits for the machine tools, a compressor and welder.
Had to have a 16" SB with 8' bed moved down a flight of stairs (in pieces) once, and I would not go through that again.
 
We make actions in house. I would have to think that if I went out shopping for good used equipment. Lathe, mill and hydraulic press to broach the race ways plus the tooling I would have to spend about $15,000.00 to turn out the first action. Hobby equipment is far to light to make actions with. Rod
 
If a good machine with a three phase motor were to turn up, I would certainly consider the converter option.
 
Dimitri said:
Tiriaq,

Thougt about using Phase converters to get 3phase power instead of converting the electronics ?? :confused:

Dimitri
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Good observation Dimitri. I expect that he still needs the 220 wiring to handle the increased amperage that a phase converter would draw.
 
SPI,

Yes you need single phase 220V for 3phase 220V equipment even with a phase converter unless you get a step-up transformer installed as well. I was just asking seeing as he said single phase so I think by his responce he converted his machines to run single phase 220V instead of the 3 phase. :)

BTW SPI - My shop coat is nicely decorated with a red maple leaf pin with a "golden" ribbon now. :dancingbanana:

Dimitri
 
Busy Bee - Alarm Bells

Dimitri said:
Now I don't go to Busy Bee anymore, I like dealing with KBC Tools bought some stuff there a few weeks ago was a nice experiance. :dancingbanana:

Dimitri
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Hi Guys,

I went to Busy Bee Tools here in Calgary and the salesman told me that their machine tools required tweaking. He he might as well have told me not to buy from him, because as a beginner, I don't know how to tweak or fix whatever problem he's pawning off on me.

For now I'll be taking that Gunsmithing and Machining course to try and learn a bit about machining.

Cheers,
RD
 
Hope you enjoy your machining and gunsmithing courses. :)

A few things I think might help you:
-> Learn to read a Veriner scale on ether a caliper or a hight gage.
-> Learn to sharpen drills.
-> Learn to form cutting tools from HSS blanks for the lathe.
-> Stay safe, wear safety glasses at all times, might want to get a shop coat from like Marks Work Wearhouse to help deal with the hot chips that might fly at you. Also the shop coat helps you to carry at hand your scriber, tap drill chart, calculator, notes etc.
-> The machines CAN hurt you so be careful and think twice before doing something. Never put your hand near a cutting or rotating surface be it a Endmill, lathe toolbit, the work you have in the spindle of the lathe, a drill bit or a grinder wheel while the machine has power to run it shut the machine off completly and wait till the machine stops moving completly! And don't start grinders while facing the rotating part of the wheel they might crack.

I realize most of these will be covered but I feel they are important and many people dont take the time to learn these things right or fallow the safety rules well.

Stay safe and have fun. :)

Dimitri
 
The Busy Bee in Barrie had some machines on sale that were returns. Chap told me that the buyers had problems because the machines had to be run, no load, in all gears, 10 minutes per setting, prior to doing work. This was to break in the gears. Well, if the gear trains are on the rough side, that makes sense. But they shouldn't be that rough to start with. The BB 12" lathe is over $3 000. Either at the factory, or on this side of the Pacific, each machine should be checked over before delivering it to the purchaser. Car dealers do PDI. Even if it bumped the price $100 (should buy 4 hours time in Ontario), the increased customer satisfaction should be worth it. Same thing as the Norinco M-14s being delivered with the barrels improperly indexed. Shouldn't happen, easy enough to catch pre-delivery.
 
Dimitri said:
Hope you enjoy your machining and gunsmithing courses. :)

A few things I think might help you:
-> Learn to read a Veriner scale on ether a caliper or a hight gage.
-> Learn to sharpen drills.
-> Learn to form cutting tools from HSS blanks for the lathe.
-> Stay safe, wear safety glasses at all times, might want to get a shop coat from like Marks Work Wearhouse to help deal with the hot chips that might fly at you. Also the shop coat helps you to carry at hand your scriber, tap drill chart, calculator, notes etc.
-> The machines CAN hurt you so be careful and think twice before doing something. Never put your hand near a cutting or rotating surface be it a Endmill, lathe toolbit, the work you have in the spindle of the lathe, a drill bit or a grinder wheel while the machine has power to run it shut the machine off completly and wait till the machine stops moving completly! And don't start grinders while facing the rotating part of the wheel they might crack.

I realize most of these will be covered but I feel they are important and many people dont take the time to learn these things right or fallow the safety rules well.

Stay safe and have fun. :)

Dimitri
Click to expand...



A good investment also is a full face shield.safety glasses will not protect the rest of your face from hot chips when roughing.
Another good tool to have is a chiphook for stringy chips,which invariably get pulled into the chuck to become birdnest projectiles.
 
Matt_S said:
A good investment also is a full face shield.safety glasses will not protect the rest of your face from hot chips when roughing.
Another good tool to have is a chiphook for stringy chips,which invariably get pulled into the chuck to become birdnest projectiles.
Click to expand...

Good point! :D

Althought I find full face sheilds to get into the way sometimes, never played enough hockey I guess to get used to them, safety glasses on the other hand I can put them on in the morning at 8am and forget I'm wearing them by 9am so I prefer them. :)

Dimitri
 
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