Making Molds On a POS Manual Mini Mill Featured

... BIGGER through spindle more.

... BIGGER through spindle BORE.

To many thoughts. Not enough time.

... BIGGER through spindle BORE.

To many thoughts. Not enough time.

----------------------- You need more bore. I saw a Monarch at an auction with a bore big enough to turn 21" torpedos. No tailstock though, so I passed on it. Or maybe you just need new glasses, that's it.

I figger it's much better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it ... actually the only thing I'd change is to put a 3 phase motor with a VFD on it .

Thanks , you just bumped my ego a bit ... I've found that just about every person I meet knows something that I don't - and need to . The lathe was an impulse buy , I saw it in a pawn shop that I traded with frequently (buying tools , not pawning my stiff) and knew right away that it was put there for me . I waited a couple of months for the price to fall some before I made an offer because I knew there is little demand for that sort of thing in Memphis . It came very well tooled with everything but a motor , and I already had a line on one . As far as motorcycles , I've always thought that it not what you ride as much as it is you do ... my personal choice is Harley's but there are many motorcycles out there , choose the one that fits your needs and wants . Ride on , Man !

I figger it's much better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it ... actually the only thing I'd change is to put a 3 phase motor with a VFD on it .

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I'd use the extra size if I had it. My mill is only big enough with extra external supports, like hanging the other end of long stock from the ceiling. I think it's big enough to not need upgrading as a beginner's hobby machine but I build practical working machinery up to 16 feet long. The bandsaw mill's frame is 7 feet long. Drilling the wheel axle holes parallel would challenge a 9" x 49" Bridgeport.

Bob got upset and stormed off, not me. He must be busy making those 17 videos he spent hours writing about. Why watch a video when you cam just read about it instead?

I've done a few videos in the past. Some very seat of the pants one take as it happens sort of things. Back in the early days of YouTube those were quite popular. In fact my most watched video ever was on soft plastic plastisol rubber injection in just such a format. I setup a camera, made some rubber fishing lures, and uploaded it all. It was pretty much terrible in every way including technically about the process. Now people expect a better produced, distilled, and curated video. Some want detailed drawn explanations of every process, and some want you to magically know what they personally want to know and include not one word or grunt that doesn't personally serve them. Obviously you can't do both.

I've spent a while thinking about this project. I've probably been thinking about if for a year. I even dismissed it a couple times as non-productive and unprofitable. It just keeps coming back into my thoughts. I finally started an outline which I shared with a publisher I know. I quickly realized the introduction alone could get bogged down in basics people need to know, but would turn off those who just want to get to the meat of the matter. The publisher's suggestion was to just leave that out and let them flounder with the missing material. I didn't like that. I'm not creating the series for people who already know everything, and I fully expect a large portion of the three people who watch the series to know very little about machining. Of course I can't please everybody, and some I could not give a damn if they are pleased or not, but I do want it to have wider appeal. I decided to compromise.

The introduction will outline what the series is about and show some basic information. There will be supplemental videos along the way for those who need more, and then there will be actual episodes that show individual mold projects. People who already know how they will do everything or have a good grasp of the basics can skip the supplemental videos. They will be invited to skip the supplemental videos, and in those where there are options, the best option and the cheapest option will be presented first.

This format should keep all videos relatively short. Ideally around 5 minute, but some will certainly have to be a little longer. I hope that none exceed 15 minutes with those being mostly limited to the project episodes.

Hence:

1. Introduction: What its about
2. Supplemental: About the machine & its limitations
3. Supplemental: Work Holding & Locating
4. Supplemental: Tool holding and selection
5. Episode One: Making a _____ Mold On a Manual Milling Machine
6. Episode Two: Making a _____ Mold On a Manual Milling Machine
7. Supplemental: The first machine improvement(s).
8. Supplemental: Good enough vs tolerance stacking This may be covered in Episode One instead.
9. More...

etc etc etc... Again, know-it-alls are encouraged to skip all the supplemental videos. Those who think I am full of s*it are encouraged to skip all the videos. Those who only watch so they can build themselves up by tearing me down are welcome, but unpleasantness of any kind will be censored in the comments. It would be best if they kept their smug superiority to themselves. Imagine how great it will make you feel to know you are better, smarter, more knowledgeable, more handsome, and have larger procreative organs while I ignorantly blather on without even knowing it.

So that it doesn't get bogged down in waiting I hope to do most of the video and outline work for 1-5 together so that each of those can be published only a few days apart. I don't want somebody to watch the introduction and then have to wait a month for Episode One, and I don't want those who want more help getting started to not have the option to get it before Episode One is published.

I considered dropping all of the first block of videos at one time, but I think that could be just as bad as dropping a single 40 minute long video. It would instantly lose those people who don't have an attention span much longer than a sound bite.

External supports are a real part of machine work. Whether its machinist jacks on parts that overhang past your vise jaws, or a roller stand 10 feet behind your horizontal band saw.

I doubt I will ever need it, but I positioned the knee mill so I can crank the table over and mount a stand on it to support an extra long work piece on the 14x40 lathe. I think accepting that not every solution is elegant is just part of machine work.

Many simple VFD solutions leave you with very little torque at low RPM. Variable pulley or step sheaves have the advantage of giving you full motor power at any spindle speed.

One of the disadvantages of pulley sheave gearing for speed control is sometimes not quite enough torque to get everything spinning up without lugging in the highest speed settings. I've noticed this more on a lathe than a mill.

Some VFDs can be programmed to help with many issues. Increased current for brief periods when needed, slower ramp to speed, soft braking, etc.

Motor selection can also be a big deal. No matter what I do with a VFD I won't get much low speed torque on a spindle designed to turn 24K at

This is a 6 speed gear drive ... there are times when the slowest isn't slow enough , and same on the other end of the speed range . And sometimes you just can't find that "right" speed for the operation . Having a power feed has lessened some of those problems but still sometimes it's a compromise . <>