Two helpful items

[earlgo]

Necessity is a mother.
The first is a modification to a mill vise so that tools from a horizontal spindle can reach small parts.

Clearance

The second is the ARO setup. That is Analog Read Out.

ARO

The vertical slide is a T-track from the woodworker's store.

Just amusing info.
--earlgo

[Glenn Brooks]

Earlgo, can you do a closeup of the vertical mount? Looks interesting!

Thanks
Glenn

[Richard_W]

If you used a slab mill on an arbor you wouldn't need to modify the vise. Or it would have been better to mount the vise on an angle plate, then you could have used a face mill or fly cutter.

Good job with the indicators for position.

Richard W.

[earlgo]

These work OK, too, but sometimes it is much easier to use an end mill.

End mill with vise on angle plate

Slab mill

--earlgo

[Mr Ron]

Any setup that hides the cutter from view (angle plate) would not be good.

[earlgo]

Mr. Ron: Agreed. It is much harder if you can't see what you are doing.

Glen: Here are a couple of pics of the setup. One can adjust the DTI to a near location and then read the table position from there if you don't exceed the DTI travel. I made a long pin to screw into the lower plate so that when the table is close to the spindle you can still see the DTI.

Rail

closeup

The rail is an aluminum 3/4 x 3/8 mini T-Trak from either WoodCraft or Kreg. They make other larger sizes, too. The indicator holder is a chunk of 3/4" square tube from Ace or Lowe's. The nuts that slide in the T-track were cut from flat stock.

--earlgo

[Harold_V]

The rail is an aluminum 3/4 x 3/8 mini T-Trak from either WoodCraft or Kreg. They make other larger sizes, too. The indicator holder is a chunk of 3/4" square tube from Ace or Lowe's. The nuts that slide in the T-track were cut from flat stock.

--earlgo

Wow! Very nice setup.
I use long travel indicators routinely. That's a great way to add them to a mill.

Harold

[Richard_W]

I would have turned the angle plate around and mounted the vice to it. That way the vise over hangs the table and chips fall down to the floor and not scatter across the table. Also use can use shorter tools.

I take it your mill doesn't have side controls from your comment?

Richard W.

[earlgo]

Richard_W. This is an old mill built for production of small parts and there is very little, like 7" of in and out travel. Mounting the angle plate as you suggest certainly demands short tools. The angle plate is not good for big cuts because it is only .8 thick and tends to vibrate. Note that there is only 1 T-slot. I am slowly coming to the right configuration for this particular mill.
Wish I had room and $$ for a vertical, but that is for when I am reincarnated a rich young man. (Don't wait up. )
--earlgo

[Richard_W]

Richard_W. This is an old mill built for production of small parts and there is very little, like 7" of in and out travel. Mounting the angle plate as you suggest certainly demands short tools. The angle plate is not good for big cuts because it is only .8 thick and tends to vibrate. Note that there is only 1 T-slot. I am slowly coming to the right configuration for this particular mill.
Wish I had room and $$ for a vertical, but that is for when I am reincarnated a rich young man. (Don't wait up. )
--earlgo

I see, I thought this was a bigger mill than it is.

Richard W.