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Today I received the foundation for my tubing notcher. It is a 1965 Nichols horizontal mill that has a really nice, small footprint. Most of the horizontals out there are pretty big, but this one is nice and compact. Anyway, I am going to set it up as my tubing notcher. I have been using a borrowed Mittler Brothers "ultimate" tube notcher, but am not terribly impressed with it. It wiggles and chatters pretty bad - and it is a fairly new one in nice, tight shape. This Nichols mill has a pneumatic feed system on the X axis of the table which allows you to set up an automatic cutting cycle. It can also be moved manually, but uses a rack gear and lever instead of a lead screw and crank. The Y axis uses a conventional lead screw, as does the Z (knee). So, with a vice mounted via a swivel with angle graduations and v block jaws it ought to be perfect for making my notches.Here are some pictures: Attached Images |
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