The Home Machinist!

Great post! First, I beg the experts to forgive me for writing this in a style that conveys I know what I am doing, for I most definitely do not. This is just my writing style that I have used for decades to convey things about which I DO know something, a lot, in fact. (Machining is certainly not o...

That last thing is a "geometric die head" (among other things). They have a limited range, and you would need several for a full range of threads, but looks like you've got quite a few different thread pitch (and size?) cutters for it (them?). Sad about the fellow who was collecting them. ...

Yeah, it would be SO sweet. Power AND rapids, universal table, all that goodness, plentiful accessories that are oh so cool, and probably less money than a clapped out Bridgeport. The only problem is finding (buying) and fitting a vertical head with a quill. Another option I saw locally was a Shikou...

Is the motor supposed to run in the reverse direction when switched to the low speed range? Yes. Should the back gear be engaged when running in the low speed range? Yes (typically anyway) Is there times when you would run the spindle direct and the motor in low? Only if you want the spindle to tur...

This is pretty much dead on with my limited experience. I started out without a clue other than extensive experience in mechanical and fabrication related work, all quite alien to "machining". Then I learned (mostly through reading) about speeds-n-feeds. So I began to obsess about them. Tr...

Any of them will do it, lots of folks report good luck with the HF version, particularly when the cost is factored in, but they are generally considered a "kit" and require some work. I hear that the Enco version is better, but still far from the matching Baldor. That last one is major ove...

No worries, I didn't take any offence, my skin is thicker than that. And considering my general lack of skill or experience, it pretty much HAS to be! :D I look forward to any and all comments and factor those into my growing knowledge, hopefully improving subsequent attempts. I've also heard of the...

I think someone already mentioned, but you want that mounted on the spindle (or related) rather than the table. That way the vacume end will stay put in relation to the cutter. I did something similar, but I built a heavy "hard point" mount from 1.5" aluminum plate drops that clamps t...

SFPM is what the cutter edge is seeing as it moves past the material. This is used along with cutter diameter to calculate rpm, often called simply "speed". The table feed, either linear or rotary, gives you depth of cut, or chip load, or often called simply "feed". So, "spe...

<voice=Homer>Uhhmmmghhhhh</voice> I'm having visions of a 2H Universal, power on all axis, 50 taper spindle, and a 2hp 2J head on the over-arm to keep the quil and vertical spindle. Has the power drive for universal indexing, and super solid platform. The only down side is loosing the turret and ram...

I can't comment very far down that road, but I can say that voltage measurement between the phases (particularly generated to L1 and L2) under load are the typical way of testing the ballancing at that load.

I've got a 12" Troyke V/H. I won't move that thing by myself, it weighs somewhere close to 200 lbs. I've got an 8" horizontal "Manex" (taiwan apparently?) that is easily moved. It's the "V" in "V/H" that makes it MUCH heavier and unwieldy, but nice to have if ...