Q A's Revenge

Screwless vices are available in two slightly different types. Not tried type 2 yet.

 

http://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catalogue/Workholding/Machine-Vices

This is the 4 inch vice that normally lives on my mill, with the 2 inch screwless vice clamped into it to make angle cuts. I don't have a tilting vice so this works well.

I have a sine bar for accurate angle setting when required. The 4" is a bit of a lump at almost exactly 12 Kg. Hard to see in the pictures but I made a couple of bushes that are a press fit in the mounting holes. These were made to be a snug fit in the tee slots on my mill so I can just drop the vice in place and know it's within 001" square to the table. I'm not generally in a rush so check it with a DTI as well but the bushes are still a time saver.

 

Vic.

 

Nice review, looks like a good machine.

Some folks make these for their mills:

 

http://www.machinistblog.com/wrenchhammer-combination-tool-for-mini-mill/

 

Hi Jay. Can you give a link to the thread with the nice table  sir. Wouldn't mind taken a look at it. Thanks and don't mind the details of this at all. Gary

Might be this one.

 

Nice of you to take the time to do this Jay, I'm sure lots of folks are going to find your review very helpful. I'm also sure you're going to have lots of fun using this machine!

 

Vic.

This has come up several times but I can't remember the remedy. Apart from the look of the parts there where concerns about glue bonding as well. I believe scraping was mentioned and perhaps Isopropyl?

That's certainly one way to do it that I've not seen before. It clearly works for him as well judging by the pictures of his stock. Thanks for posting Joe.

Following on from this thread:

 

http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/5617-billings-boats-gladanfalken/

 

I need to buy some lime for planking the hull. The original planking is 1.8mm thick X 7mm as specified in the instructions.

The only lime I can get locally is 1.5mm X 7mm. Do you think this will make much difference to the build?

I've contacted the UK distributor about spares. In the meantime deconstruction starts in case I need to replicate the parts myself ...

 

Update. The UK distributor tell me parts are no longer available. I may write to billings in Denmark to see if they have any drawings of the parts I can have.

Thanks for that Michael.

 

Vic.

Good job, nicely rounded blocks as well.

Try one of those calligraphy pens.

That's what I was thinking. You could even shape the end of a plastic straw like an old quill pen for a throw away version?

Any pictures of the finished blocks?

Nice rope Michael! That looks a little more solid than the Amati version, is it a similar size/spec though?

 

Vic.

It's an interesting machine that only seems to be sold by a couple of companies at the moment, LMS in the US and Arceurotrade in the UK.

The spec between the X1LP and the £110 more expensive X2P is very similar. The X2P has about an inch more "Z" and a similar increase in throat. The table sizes and movements are the same. The X2P also has a 500W 2500 rpm motor compared to the 250W 5000 rpm on the X1LP. The X2P is also 10Kg heavier and curiously out of stock in both versions at Arceuro. Arceurotrade also sell a cheaper X1L machine but this has a (not very rigid) tilting column and a two speed gearbox that some complain is quite noisy.

 

All in all the the LMS HiTorque Micro Mill or Arceurotrade X1LP looks like a pretty good machine for the money, especially if the higher speed appeals. Not sure how long this machine has been on the market though so we'll have to see what buyers have to say about it once they've had time to play with it for a few weeks!

Be nice if you could do a review of the machine when you get it. I'm sure lots of folks on here would be interested.

Several on ebay as well.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Thread-Heaven-thread-conditioner-for-cross-stitch-embroidery-/120934583831?pt=UK_Crafts_CrossStitch_RL&hash=item1c28434e17

Looks like you've found a winner there, have to see if I can get some!

I expect the ER16 version of the mill takes up more Z than the MT2 with a finger collet fitted. I also expect the MT2 version with an ER collet chuck fitted takes up a bit more Z than the ER16 version if that makes sense! Only way to tell though is to go see one or ask LMS if they can provide the info.

For what it's worth I have an MT3 ER32 Collet chuck for my mill but have never used it. I'm so used to just putting cutters straight into finger collets. It takes more time to change cutters but it's more rigid and preserves the Z. Depends how you work though and what your expectations are.

You could use your 1/2" router bits if you went for the MT2 version. You could always add a MT2 to ER collet chuck for quick cutter changing.

 

http://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catalogue/Collets/ER-Milling-Collet-Chucks

 

You can choose from MT2 to ER16, ER20 or ER25.

 

Assuming tooling like this is available where you are*

 

From what I've seen on other sites LMS have a pretty good reputation.

 

*Update. Yes they are available, at least in ER25.

 

https://littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=2230&category=-421559299

Nice looking drill Augie!

This is an example for tooling.

 

http://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catalogue/Cutting-Tools/Slitting-Saws-and-Arbors/Stub-Milling-Arbors

 

Most of them are MT2/3 fitting with some R8 at the bottom. They have added a new parallel shank one but it's 1/2" so too big to fit into an ER16 Collet.

 

This is only one example from my area, so best check to see whats available where you are. I find Slitting saws very useful by the way!

The smallest end mill I've used in my mill is 1/16" and it worked fine, bearing in mind the highest speed on my mill is about 2400 rpm. I've used router bits in my mill as well but only on wood. Not sure about the the ER16/MT2 option. Tool changing should be quicker with the ER16 but I'm not sure it's any more secure. MT2 could actually be a bit more rigid and may give you more options for tooling - not sure what's available in your area with straight shanks otherwise. Using a drawbar with the MT2 could be a bit of a pain if you're only using end mills/slot drills. The biggest collet for MT2 is 12mm or 1/2". The biggest collet for ER16 is 10mm or 3/8".

Good idea on the Dremmel adaptor, I've seen that done before and plan to make one for my mill!

I've linked to this one before, looks like a very nice small mill to me. If 5k rpm is fast enough for your needs I'd say go for it. The MF70 is not in the same class as this machine. At only 7kg it's easy to move around if you're short of space and the 20k rpm will be good for some jobs but the 5k rpm lowest speed is a bit limiting if you ever intend to cut metal. At 48kg the Micro Mill is not something you'll want to move around very often but mass is a good thing to have in a milling machine although you'll still need to bolt it down. As said by many others before, you can do small stuff on a big (ger) machine but but you can't do big stuff on a small one. Don't forget that what you're buying is a machine tool, albeit a small one. And if you buy the right one you'll soon find out how useful it is to make your own jigs and tools with it. My only concern is which model to buy, the one with the ER16 Collet or the Number 2 Morse Taper? If you're in any doubt try and find some reviews on the net and see what others have to say about the machine.

 

Update. I forgot to add the link for those in the UK interested in this machine.

 

http://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catalogue/Machines-Accessories/Milling-Machines/SIEG-Super-X1LP-Mill/SIEG-Super-X1LP-Mill