The Home Machinist!

A few months ago, I started using my intended-for-wood Craftsman 10" miter/chop saw with a cheapo Harbor Freight 80 tooth carbide blade to cut aluminum blocks in the sizes you mentioned and larger. I'll never use the bandsaw again for cutting big alum. barstock! That thing sails right through 2...

I have always bought Starrett blades from Enco for mine and had decent results allthough mine will only cut a reasonably straight with a brand new blade. A few months ago, I broke the last Starrett on a Fri. night on a "must finish" project. I drove to the HF store Sat. morning and found 2...

I've had an X-3 (same machine, different color from Grizzly) for 14 mos. now and love it. It's a much more substantial machine than the Mini-Mill. Here's a link to the manual from the Grizzly website. Grizzly's manuals are usually better than H/F's. http://www.grizzly.com/images/manuals/g0463_m.pdf ...

The cheapest I've seen is at CDCO http://www.cdcotools.com/index.php where they have the (clone) AXA Turning & Facing Toolholder for $9.00! I haven't bought any yet but asked on another forum and was told they work fine but you have to repl. the 8mm setscrews. I'm planning to buy a few and will ...

Just remove your compound and mount it the cross-slide with an inexpensive 90 deg. cast iron angle plate from Enco. That's what I used for a couple years before I got an X-3 mill. I mounted a "screwless" vise to the compound to hold the stock. You'll have to make small cuts and tighten you...

Thanks Mauro.:) When I read your response late last night, the content went zing, right over my head. With this morning's coffee clearing my head, it makes perfect sense and fits with what what I was thinking. I'm going to set aside a few coils in the next week or so and see how they measure up. The...

I have this fuzzy daydream that won't go away and am hoping someone here might have the knowledge to help me remove the fuzzy edges.:) I've drooled over the Maier butane powered desktop model engines http://www.ministeam.com/acatalog/Maier_Gas_Powered_Model_Engines.html and want to do something simi...

I guess I didn't know any better. I just snugged up endmills in my 3 jaw and milled away for a couple years before I got my X-3. Granted, I was diligent about snugging down the the gibs and carriage lock when possible and took light cuts. Never had a problem. My milling attachment was home-made from...