Keith_W Posted January 10, 2014 Share #1 Posted January 10, 2014 Hello all, I am contemplating a Proxxon MF70 after seeing how useful it is with making precision parts. However, the accessories page on Proxxon's website seems to be rather limited. I was wondering if MF70 owners (or owners of other mills) could list the accessories they use on their machines, along with a link on where to buy it, as well as possible applications for these accessories. As far as I can see, the standard MF70 kit does not include the precision steel vise PM40, the dividing head, or parallel supports. Neither does it include any milling cutters. I plan to buy these when I order my machine. I wonder if there is a center finder, or whether a tool like this is important for our application. Many machining sources I have read place great emphasis on squaring the quill to the workpiece prior to milling, but there does not appear to be a single accessory on the Proxxon page to assist with this. I would also like to know if the standard Proxxon 1mm, 2mm, and 3mm tungsten milling cutters is good enough (my feeling is not) - and whether milling cutters smaller than this are available. Quote Regards, Keith 2007 (completed): HMS Bounty - Artesania Latina 2013 (completed): Viking Ship Drakkar - Amati 2014 (completed): HMS Bounty Launch - Model Shipways Current: HMS Royal William - Euromodel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMBROOK Posted January 10, 2014 Share #2 Posted January 10, 2014 Hi Keith You are correct in that no accessories are included,however the step clamps are as well as a full set of collets.I think a lot depends on what you intend to do with the machine.I have found it ideal for small work which was my reason for buying.There are larger more capable machines out there but my reasoning was there would be more of a luxury and the advantage size wise would be of little advantage compared to the big jump in price.I bought the vice,rotary head and tools together with the machine in order to maximize it's potential. I have found that the Proxxon cutters are extremely good and having only two flutes are optimized for the higher cutting speeds.With the supplied collets you can also use many of the woodcutting burrs from the Dremel/Proxxon range. As regards squaring the workpiece to the quill,I either have machined packers to support the workpiece or measure the face to be machined with the depth gauge of a digital vernier to the table.You cannot rotate the z axis,so this remains square the the milling table.I have yet to find the need for a centre finder. Kind Regards Nigel AntonyUK, lapwing and Keith_W 3 Quote Currently working on Royal Caroline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntonyUK Posted January 10, 2014 Share #3 Posted January 10, 2014 Hi. I have the Proxxon MF70 mill. Got mine from new from EBay compleat with the vice, set of colets, rotary chuck, set of 3 cutters,and clamping kit. The cutters are excellent quality and cut very clean. And I use mine a lot Have also brought a chuck that I can use to hold cutters or small drills. Just using mine ATM drilling 0.5 holes and there are a lot of them. Also purchased a set of cutters with 6 different shapes. Not yet tried them. You can get PCB board cutters that are very small and will cut hardwood forever These will fit into the chuck. Spend some time and tighten the gib strips. Really spend time on this as it will improve the Quality of the cut and give longer cutter life and machine life. In my opinion it's a very good machine But don't expect it to mill steel. Regards Antony. NMBROOK and Rik Thistle 2 Quote Best advice ever given to me."If you don't know ..Just ask. Completed Mayflower Completed Fun build Tail boat Tailboat Completed Build Chinese Junk Chinese Pirate Junk Completed scratch built Korean Turtle ship 1/32 Turtle ship Completed Santa Lucia Sicilian Cargo Boat 1/30 scale Santa Lucia On hold. Bounty Occre 1/45 Completed HMS Victory by DeAgostini modelspace. DeAgostini Victory Cross Section Completed H.M.S. Victory X section by Coral. HMS Victory cross section Completed The Black Pearl fun build Black Queen Completed A large scale Victory cross section 1/36 Victory Cross Section Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMBROOK Posted January 10, 2014 Share #4 Posted January 10, 2014 Hi. I have the Proxxon MF70 mill. Got mine from new from EBay compleat with the vice, set of colets, rotary chuck, set of 3 cutters,and clamping kit. The cutters are excellent quality and cut very clean. And I use mine a lot Have also brought a chuck that I can use to hold cutters or small drills. Just using mine ATM drilling 0.5 holes and there are a lot of them. Also purchased a set of cutters with 6 different shapes. Not yet tried them. You can get PCB board cutters that are very small and will cut hardwood forever These will fit into the chuck. Spend some time and tighten the gib strips. Really spend time on this as it will improve the Quality of the cut and give longer cutter life and machine life. In my opinion it's a very good machine But don't expect it to mill steel. Regards Antony. Hi Antony Did you find Proxxon's chuck fits the machine?I have been toying buying one on the off chance.Incidentally,I have found the large shank small drills by Proxxon vastly superior to standard ones.Normal drills always end up snapping at the base of the flutes,the proxxon ones eliminate this through their design. Kind Regards Nigel Quote Currently working on Royal Caroline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntonyUK Posted January 10, 2014 Share #5 Posted January 10, 2014 Hi Nigel. Yes they do fit. The link below is my source. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Proxxon-MICROMOT-Keyless-Chuck-/300522249537?pt=UK_BOI_Building_Materials_Supplies_Carpentry_Woodwork_ET&hash=item45f8859d41 If your bits keep breaking then get the ones with a 135 degree ground angle. They are made to NOT move as they enter the material you are drilling. Regards Antony. NMBROOK 1 Quote Best advice ever given to me."If you don't know ..Just ask. Completed Mayflower Completed Fun build Tail boat Tailboat Completed Build Chinese Junk Chinese Pirate Junk Completed scratch built Korean Turtle ship 1/32 Turtle ship Completed Santa Lucia Sicilian Cargo Boat 1/30 scale Santa Lucia On hold. Bounty Occre 1/45 Completed HMS Victory by DeAgostini modelspace. DeAgostini Victory Cross Section Completed H.M.S. Victory X section by Coral. HMS Victory cross section Completed The Black Pearl fun build Black Queen Completed A large scale Victory cross section 1/36 Victory Cross Section Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMBROOK Posted January 10, 2014 Share #6 Posted January 10, 2014 Hi Antony Thank you for the tip(no pun intended ) and i shall purchase one of the micromot chucks. Kind Regards Nigel AntonyUK 1 Quote Currently working on Royal Caroline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith_W Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share #7 Posted January 10, 2014 I think a lot depends on what you intend to do with the machine. Thank you for your reply Nigel. My problem is a little like a Catch-22 situation. (1) I don't know what is possible, because (2) I don't know what parts are available, therefore back to (1) I don't know what is possible Hence this thread. I have been devouring build logs to get an idea what people can make with this machine. So far what attracts me is the precision - a level above what I can do with my humble hand tools. Unfortunately most build logs are rather sketchy about how they achieved the results ... all I can see is "I milled this on my Proxxon" without specifying what cutter they used, how they clamped it down, how they squared it, etc. NMBROOK 1 Quote Regards, Keith 2007 (completed): HMS Bounty - Artesania Latina 2013 (completed): Viking Ship Drakkar - Amati 2014 (completed): HMS Bounty Launch - Model Shipways Current: HMS Royal William - Euromodel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMBROOK Posted January 11, 2014 Share #8 Posted January 11, 2014 Hi Keith, I think if you are wanting a machine that is capable of producing deck fittings etc the MF70 is ideal.If you are wanting a mill to cut the deadwood slots in the keel of a 1/48 first rate then the MF70 is not ideal for that,although it would be possible.I did start my milling thread with the intention of illustrating what can be accomplished with a mill for newcomers like yourself.Unfortunately due to my work load I have not been able to devote as much time as I would like,but I will continue to expand on it.If you want an illustration of what can be made on the MF70,have a look at marsalv's Royal Caroline build.He has some great pictures of work actually being milled and gives a good idea of what you can produce. Kind Regards Nigel Keith_W 1 Quote Currently working on Royal Caroline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jud Posted January 11, 2014 Share #9 Posted January 11, 2014 NMBROOK; Had a local machinist tell me that when he bought bits that he put them into a cold oven then set the heat at 450° F and left them in for an hour after reaching the set temperature, turned the oven off after that hour and let the bits cool in the oven. He was of the opinion that many drills were hardened but not tempered properly. I haven't tried it yet, but if I get any bits from China or find a set that breaks when they shouldn't, in the oven they will go. jud WackoWolf and NMBROOK 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Slog Posted January 11, 2014 Share #10 Posted January 11, 2014 If you are wanting a mill to cut the deadwood slots in the keel of a 1/48 first rate then the MF70 is not ideal for that,although it would be possible. Hi Nigel, Can you please clarify why this is the case. I have little to no experience with mills but thought it would be perfect for this. Cheers slog NMBROOK 1 Quote _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ HM Bark Endeavour (First Wood, On Hold) Borodino (1:200 Card, Current Build) Admiral Nakhimov (card 1/200) Mazur D-350 Artillery Tractor (1:25 Card) F-8 Crusader (1:48 Aircraft, Plastic) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boccherini Posted January 11, 2014 Share #11 Posted January 11, 2014 Keith, I purchased an MF70 last year through Chronos engineering supplies in the UK, even with the freight costs it was still several hundred dollars cheaper than anyone in Australia, I can't vouch for their current price. The service was good and came with tracking. Just needed to swap the plug on the power cord. The machine comes with 3 cutters, some clamps and a set of collets. In addition, I purchased the precision vice, dividing head and the adjustable chuck. The adjustable chuck is ok, not fantastic. Better to stick with the collets wherever possible.The chuck and collets will take drill shanks up to 3mm. I have purchased some additional Kyocera cutters (0.5 - 0.8mm with 3mm shanks) from My Tool Store in Qld. He provides a reasonable service, shipping/delivery is good. I have used the mill to make some blocks, the dividing head was useful to ream out the ends on some barrels. So far, the MF70 appears to be a useful tool. It is particularly useful if space is a problem, being easy to pack up and store. It is vital to bolt it down on your bench before using. Regards, Grant. NMBROOK, Keith_W, WackoWolf and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMBROOK Posted January 11, 2014 Share #12 Posted January 11, 2014 Thanks Jud,this is very interesting.The small bits( 0.4mm) I was buying where in large numbers with no stated providence,they may well have been made in China. Kind Regards Nigel Quote Currently working on Royal Caroline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMBROOK Posted January 11, 2014 Share #13 Posted January 11, 2014 Hi Nigel, Can you please clarify why this is the case. I have little to no experience with mills but thought it would be perfect for this. Cheers slog Hi Slog Yes Janos is correct in that I was referring to the limited table travel and size which makes clamping larger items a little more complicated. Kind Regards Nigel Captain Slog 1 Quote Currently working on Royal Caroline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith_W Posted March 4, 2014 Author Share #14 Posted March 4, 2014 I have a question for owners of the GE70 engraving accessory for the MF70 (pictured above). Proxxon's website warns against using the tool freehand, however I would imagine that this warning is most applicable to milling metal. For our application (milling wood) - has anybody tried using this tool freehand? I would imagine that it would be very useful to blow up a feature from a plan 5:1 and then use this tool to mill out the design, however that would involve using the tool freehand. Is this possible, or is the resistance in the tool too great to allow such precise control? NMBROOK 1 Quote Regards, Keith 2007 (completed): HMS Bounty - Artesania Latina 2013 (completed): Viking Ship Drakkar - Amati 2014 (completed): HMS Bounty Launch - Model Shipways Current: HMS Royal William - Euromodel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q A's Revenge Posted March 4, 2014 Share #15 Posted March 4, 2014 As drill chucks have been mentioned can I just say that they should only be used for drilling. They are not designed to take sideways loads as in the use of milling cutters. Drill chucks are generally not as accurate as collets either. NMBROOK 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMBROOK Posted March 4, 2014 Share #16 Posted March 4, 2014 967f024493daba2d4f80af71ba4feaae.jpg I have a question for owners of the GE70 engraving accessory for the MF70 (pictured above). Proxxon's website warns against using the tool freehand, however I would imagine that this warning is most applicable to milling metal. For our application (milling wood) - has anybody tried using this tool freehand? I would imagine that it would be very useful to blow up a feature from a plan 5:1 and then use this tool to mill out the design, however that would involve using the tool freehand. Is this possible, or is the resistance in the tool too great to allow such precise control? Hi Keith, I have the 'engraving' attachment and have used it to produce some window frames on mass.Check out my milling and jig making thread in the jig section.It does explain how I went about it.The technique has not been perfected,but once I have ironed out the teething troubles,I am hoping to be able to use this for mass cutting of shapes.You could do it freehand but the device doesn't move as freely as you would imagine,so I machined guides in the template for the stylus to follow. Kind Regards Nigel Keith_W and Q A's Revenge 2 Quote Currently working on Royal Caroline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMBROOK Posted March 4, 2014 Share #17 Posted March 4, 2014 As drill chucks have been mentioned can I just say that they should only be used for drilling. They are not designed to take sideways loads as in the use of milling cutters. Drill chucks are generally not as accurate as collets either. Yes,I only wanted more flexibility than the collet sizes for drilling holes,not for milling.I completely agree with what you say.The collets only go down to 1mm,so I wanted something to hold the tiny drills. Kind Regards Nigel Quote Currently working on Royal Caroline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith_W Posted March 4, 2014 Author Share #18 Posted March 4, 2014 Nigel, thank you for your response. I am still getting my order together, and I am thinking of adding the GE70 to my order list. Quote Regards, Keith 2007 (completed): HMS Bounty - Artesania Latina 2013 (completed): Viking Ship Drakkar - Amati 2014 (completed): HMS Bounty Launch - Model Shipways Current: HMS Royal William - Euromodel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith_W Posted March 11, 2014 Author Share #19 Posted March 11, 2014 Well, I received my order today. In the box: - Proxxon MF70 - Proxxon precision vise - Dividing Head for MF70 - Engraver GE70 I also received my DS-E belt sander. I am already thinking of making some accessories, but for that I will have to wait for my lathe to arrive. usedtosail 1 Quote Regards, Keith 2007 (completed): HMS Bounty - Artesania Latina 2013 (completed): Viking Ship Drakkar - Amati 2014 (completed): HMS Bounty Launch - Model Shipways Current: HMS Royal William - Euromodel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgbot Posted March 11, 2014 Share #20 Posted March 11, 2014 When milling freehand one of the first rules that I learned is to take light cuts. A little at a time. This way you have more control and less of a chance for getting hurt. Also I must stress this wear eye protection at all times. I lost and optivisor years ago when a mini end mill snapped and hit the lens. Better a new optivisor ot safety glasses than a new eye. David B WackoWolf 1 Quote Work in progress USS Maine in cardstock.http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/7446-uss-maine-by-dgbot-hmv-card/#entry220003 Completed Blockade runner Teazer http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/6063-blockade-runner-teazer-by-dgbot-card-stock/#entry175967 Completed The Monitor Lehigh http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/6920-the-monitor-lehigh-by-dgbot-card-model/#entry203680 Completed Kingston Class MCVD http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/forum/10-kit-build-logs-in-progress/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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