New toy

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I've wanted a mill as long as I've wanted a lathe, but I knew I needed a lathe first. I got that sorted out about 18 months ago and I've got a lovely big capacity Harrison.Finally, when I started looking for a mill, I knew I wanted it to be relatively hefty, relatively adaptable/flexible, and most importantly, CNC. Reasons:- automatic oilers keep the ways in better condition- ball screws as standard for accuracy and climb milling- circular interpolations and BCD spacings make a flat rotary table redundant - one less bit of kit to buy- repetitive tasks like making steelwork end plates - can all be drilled via CNC rather than by hand - eliminating the need for an ironworker- everyone is scared of old CNC controls - making them better value for money over the manual equivalentI started looking at used machines from late 90's/early 00's, but even the dealer ones were worn out. There is some junk out there.Finally a mate who owns a machine shop told me he was buying another large bed mill and his smallest one would be up for grabs. I said yes please!It has a Centroid control, which is not common over here, but it was leaps and bounds ahead of the competition in its time. Uses G-code for 3D CNC milling, and has a simple conversational programming control.The first thing I wanted to make for it was a large fly cutter head, so I turned this 6" lump in the lathe and set it up in the mill for a slot and some grub screws. It will take 1" shanked lathe tools, including my indexable carbide... should be good for skimming up to 10" widths.


I squared up the control head with some shouldered spacers, it annoyed me seeing it slant down like that!The first thing I wanted to make for it was a large fly cutter head, so I turned this 6" lump in the lathe and set it up in the mill for an angled slot and a flat  to drill for grub screws. It will take 1" shanked lathe tools, including my indexable carbide... should be good for skimming up to 10" widths.

Last edited by Munkul; 23 Hours Ago at 03:57 AM.Murphy's Golden Rule: Whoever has the gold, makes the rules.
Reply:Looks great 👍 Dave

Originally Posted by Munkul

I've wanted a mill as long as I've wanted a lathe, but I knew I needed a lathe first. I got that sorted out about 18 months ago and I've got a lovely big capacity Harrison.Finally, when I started looking for a mill, I knew I wanted it to be relatively hefty, relatively adaptable/flexible, and most importantly, CNC. Reasons:- automatic oilers keep the ways in better condition- ball screws as standard for accuracy and climb milling- circular interpolations and BCD spacings make a flat rotary table redundant - one less bit of kit to buy- repetitive tasks like making steelwork end plates - can all be drilled via CNC rather than by hand - eliminating the need for an ironworker- everyone is scared of old CNC controls - making them better value for money over the manual equivalentI started looking at used machines from late 90's/early 00's, but even the dealer ones were worn out. There is some junk out there.Finally a mate who owns a machine shop told me he was buying another large bed mill and his smallest one would be up for grabs. I said yes please!It has a Centroid control, which is not common over here, but it was leaps and bounds ahead of the competition in its time. Uses G-code for 3D CNC milling, and has a simple conversational programming control.The first thing I wanted to make for it was a large fly cutter head, so I turned this 6" lump in the lathe and set it up in the mill for a slot and some grub screws. It will take 1" shanked lathe tools, including my indexable carbide... should be good for skimming up to 10" widths.


I squared up the control head with some shouldered spacers, it annoyed me seeing it slant down like that!The first thing I wanted to make for it was a large fly cutter head, so I turned this 6" lump in the lathe and set it up in the mill for an angled slot and a flat  to drill for grub screws. It will take 1" shanked lathe tools, including my indexable carbide... should be good for skimming up to 10" widths.


Reply:One of the most satisfying results, when everything is right, is fly cutting aluminum.I would like to add DRO to my Bridgeport mill. A good one would cost more than I paid for the machine. I deal with manual operation, dials and backlash. I do have a working table feed, (X). I get by until someone comes in, starts talking and interrupts my chain of thought.

Good luck with your mill.

Ernie F.
Reply:I'm jealous! The trade school I went to had some Harrison lathes but the teacher liked the Standard Modern lathes they had better.
Reply:I finished off the fly cutter last night.


I got this lathe tool that uses the "blunt" corners of CNMG inserts. I thought the approach and relief angles could work really well for fly cutting, and if nothing else, I could grind my own carbide edges out of used-up inserts. I put one of my random ceratip inserts that I don't know what they are for. (The box says steel, but they don't work on steel worth anything). I tried it out-of-the-box, and I also tried it after giving the edge a little tickle with a grinder.

This was a 1 thou cut (I did several at different speeds/feeds). The pictures don't do the finish justice. I couldn't clean it properly, but trust me, this is almost mirror finish. Really happy


Just need some grub screws to replace the bolts I used for testing...

and to get some more materials to try out... need to learn these things before a job comes in that has to be perfect... I'll try it on steel as well and see how rigid the setup is.Last edited by Munkul; 58 Minutes Ago at 02:52 AM.Murphy's Golden Rule: Whoever has the gold, makes the rules.