VMC Tooling Advice Needed!

[cncJim]

Hi everyone,

I have just picked up up a Myford VMC and am trying to get me head around how to use it and the different tooling (and terminology!) that came with it.

I have worked out that the machine has a R8 taper and it came with a few different tool holding parts.



The picture shows the following:-

Clarkson Autolock Chuck (and a load of end mills to fit)
ER32 Chuck and collets
A face mill
An Albrecht drill chuck (in a R8 adapter)
A Jacobs Drill Chuck

So my question is is any of these worth keeping or would I be better selling them and buying something else? The ER32 set looks like it would be very useful but the Clarkson autolock chuck already had a load of end mills with it (more not pictured). I guess I cant use the threaded end mills with the ER chuck?

Not sure if the drill chucks are worthwhile as I have a pillar drill? Or I guess the mill would be more accurate (Mill also has 3 axis DRO's).

Any advice to this novice would be most welcome!

Thanks,

Jim

[Neale]

Depending on what you plan to do with the machine, you might choose to ditch this lot and start again. But I wouldn't! That's a great set of starter tooling. Use the Autolock chuck with the screwed shank endmills, with the ER32 as backup if you get any metric shank cutters (assuming that the Autolock is imperial) or plain shank cutters. ER32 is also useful for larger drills that don't fit the drill chuck. I use ER32 for all my cutters (including screwed shank) as I don't have an Autolock but the latter gives a better grip on the cutter. Facemill - useful for cleaning up faces, obviously, and covers a much wider surface than any normal endmill. I've added a boring head for accurate hole-making. After that, you'll be thinking about work-holding - machine vice, clamping studs, t-nuts, etc, but maybe those were part of the deal. 3 axis DRO as well - that's a pretty useful set of kit you've got there.

[cncJim]

Thanks for the reply Neale, and thanks for the advice

Well I plan to cut aluminium and steel - Mainly to make parts for a new diy cnc - I can see a boring head would be used a lot. I know there is a boring head with a lot of cutters in one of boxes of bits but I haven't checked it out yet.

Also included was a couple of machine vices, a set of clamping stuff and also a rotary table.

My inner geek is looking forward to checking out the DRO - Looks really complex and impressive with lights and buttons (no idea what they do...)! The lathe that is coming also has a 2 axis DRO

Interesting that you have used the threaded end mills with the ER chuck. Have you had any problem with this? I imagine you need to make sure that the collet has enough non-threaded section to grip?

Possible stupid question, but I cannot see any way to lock the spindle to allow me to change cutters when using the Autolock or the ER32? On both chucks there are no flat spots to put a spanner on? Is this normal?

Jim

[Neale]

Even threaded shank cutters have enough plain section for a collet to grip - haven't had a problem (although most of my cutters are plain shank anyway).

I have a Warco VMC, broadly similar to your machine; I flip the lid open and hold the pulley to "lock" the spindle and that's always worked OK for me.

DRO's are great. I doubt if I've looked at a dial on my VMC more than a half-dozen times since I've had it. No more losing count when you are moving a couple of inches, trivial picking up centre lines with a wiggler, etc.

[cncJim]

Even threaded shank cutters have enough plain section for a collet to grip - haven't had a problem (although most of my cutters are plain shank anyway).

Ah ok thanks, good to know.

I have a Warco VMC, broadly similar to your machine; I flip the lid open and hold the pulley to "lock" the spindle and that's always worked OK for me.

Yes that is what I had to do to release a cutter that was already in the autolock - It was VERY difficult though (took far longer than it should have), could not for the life of me get a good grip on the pulley. Maybe I will get use to it but I think I will try and come up with a easier solution. Maybe I could make a tool to slip over the "cog" part (or maybe one already exists?).

DRO's are great. I doubt if I've looked at a dial on my VMC more than a half-dozen times since I've had it. No more losing count when you are moving a couple of inches, trivial picking up centre lines with a wiggler, etc.

Wiggler? Is this the tool used to find the edge of the work piece? So to find a centre line I guess you would find the edge of the workpiece with the wiggler, zero the DRO, find the opposite edge and the centre will be half the dro reading?

Jim

[Neale]

To unlock a tool, I would hold the spanner in place on the chuck nose and give it a tap with a rubber mallet. The inertia of the drive system means that most of the shock goes into undoing the locking part. Helps if you put the machine in lowest speed as well. Hopefully that's the last time you will need shock tactics, though!

My DRO lets me "find" an edge with a wiggler. I zero that axis, then pick up the opposite edge. Then there's a "halfway" button on the DRO that sets zero to halfway between the two settings. No arithmetic needed, don't need to know the diameter of the tip of the wiggler, even! Even if you want to zero on an edge, and are going to be using metric coordinates, say, you can pick up the edge with the wiggler, then set the coordinates to half the wiggler diameter (0.25" in my case), and zero is on the edge. Then switch to mm and away you go! So much easier than dials...