New CNC Mill on the horizon

[fvfdrums]

Originally I was going to have a load of parts cut for me but I as I was not sure my Mill was up to the job, or the long runs needed 400mm plus in some cases however I sort of took the bull by the horns in the end when i couldn't get them all done and bought some good measuring devices which makes all the difference.

Also spending time to get the correct cutters, feed speeds, and DOC are important. Luckily I used to run a large CNC lathe and had a load of high quality end mills left from this which just turn aluminium into lovely little chips so its not so much a problem but like I said the play in the spindle when extended on the mill is not good so trying to get the workpiece as close to the start point of the mill was important. After that is was surprisingly satisfying :)

[GEOFFREY]

Looking good, well done. G.

[Jonathan]

but like I said the play in the spindle when extended on the mill is not good so trying to get the workpiece as close to the start point of the mill was important. After that is was surprisingly satisfying :)

Part of your problem with rigidity on the mill will be due to using a drill chuck for milling. Drill chucks are not designed for radial forces, since drills apply a largely axial force. For that reason you shouldn't use a drill chuck for milling as they don't grip very well, in addition to being prone to have higher runout. Get an ER collet chuck and set of collets off eBay and I'm pretty confident you'll see the difference. Just get a suitable size one with the right taper etc...