I've been rebuilding an Atlas MFC, and I'm getting ready to do the wiring. Some previous owner had hooked up a regular drum switch, and I've been trying to figure out if there's any reason to keep it, or just go back to the standard toggle switch.
Ideas, anyone?
Tove
By all means, if you have the ability to run the spindle in two directions, don't change. There may be times when you would be better off cutting in one direction than another. Reversing your cutter permits exactly that, but only if you can also reverse the motor or can otherwise change the direction of rotation of the spindle.
You'd be hard pressed to find machine tools in industry that are restricted to one direction running if there's the slightest reason to be able to run in either direction. Why should the home shop guy see it any differently?
Harold
The arbor on this mill has an MT2 taper into the spindle. But it also has a threaded driver on the end of the spindle with 2 prongs engaging the arbor. I suspect that these prongs are what supplies most of the torque for milling. Running in reverse could unscrew this driver and unseat the taper. Maybe with small cutters you could run without the driver and just use the taper to drive the arbor. I have no personal experience doing that.
Bob
I can't speak for the MFC, but my little horizontal has a left hand nut on the end of the arbor. This means that the arbor is meant to turn clockwise (viewed from the front of the mill) so that any slippage tightens the nut. This is the opposite of most end mills. So, when I use the mill with an end mill in the spindle, I have to reverse the rotation.
Paul K. Dickman
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