homemade vertical milling machine

[johnthomp]

hello out there can anyone help me with a serious dilema i have finally killed my converted pillar drill milling machine by dropping it while moveing workshops :'(its totaled and nothing exept the spindle bearings and the chuck are salvageable :-\ so ive decided to build my own useing a half horsepower reversible single phase motor i have had under the counter for years :and an x/y table i can ressurect from the ill do something with that someday cabinet ;D has anyone got any ideas or plans for any kind of headstock i can use for this devise as i have loads of I section gurders from my previous occupation as a builder and a fair few feet of 2 1/2" steel pipe lying around the place i found in the local scrap yard i have no choice but to build a new miller because ive been made unemployable due to a bad work accident and therefore i have no money so does anyone fancy egging me on while i undertake one hell of a scrapheap challenge

 

[kcmillin]

I cant help you with plans for a head. But I will be intertested in seeing it come along.

Kel

 

[bearcar1]

Hi John, I am sorry to hear of your troubles. It seems to me I remember reading an article and seeing actual photographs of a mill that was devised from the 'junk' recycle pile and a discarded engine block. Maybe if you perform a google search you will run across the article. It included drawings etc. It appeared as an odd looking contraption but it seemed to function quite well in it's role as a milling device.

BC1
Jim

 

[johnthomp]

I cant help you with plans for a head. But I will be intertested in seeing it come along.

Kel

soon as i figure out how to get fotos uploaded onto this site ill start posting them ive already started with the rear stem and base with the gurders and working on some way of makeing a carriage or slider to wind along what i call the up and down axis i would call it x/y or z but algebra isnt one of my strong points as ive never heared the word hypotenues over the dinner table haa haa watch this space

 

[johnthomp]

Hi John, I am sorry to hear of your troubles. It seems to me I remember reading an article and seeing actual photographs of a mill that was devised from the 'junk' recycle pile and a discarded engine block. Maybe if you perform a google search you will run across the article. It included drawings etc. It appeared as an odd looking contraption but it seemed to function quite well in it's role as a milling device.

BC1
Jim

ive seen something similar to what you described on youtube but it was removed after some safety nut reported the fella for putting the machine online it ran outside only due to the main guts of it being a briggs and stratton mower engine with a chuck straight on its pto shaft going at 7000rpm theres another video on there you might be interested in its a polish fella thats made a 15ft woodturning lathe out of junk for turning 12" square beam supports looks pretty bloody scary but verry high quality craftmanship watch this space for the progress fotos

 

[johnthomp]

part 1
i started by welding two pieces of gurder together at 90 degrees to create what can only be described as a giant square i then wrapped the longer section with angle iron offcuts to create a snug fitting box section slider (only because i didnt have any box section suitable to my purpouses at the time)
in the back of the box section i welded a 10mm nut to act as a stay for my 10mm threaded bar winder shaft then fixed either end of the threaded bar to either end of the gurder with yet more angle iron offcuts giveing me one hell of a solid stand and travel with a winder that seems to be more than solid enough for my purpouses
http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m310/amd47/SDC16395.jpg[/img]]

 

[johnthomp]

part 2
after a restless grinding the gears in my head i came up with an idea for a headstock
for this i used a chunk of gurder again with a length of 2" internal bore steam pipe housed on the end keeping it all as square as possible and as i have no milling machine at the moment i had to butcher the pipe into the end of the steel useing a 7mm drill bit in my hammer drill and a 4" angle grinder and while tacking it together with the ark welder a few fine adjustments with the large battering stick i used the 2" pipe because it sort of fits the two bearings i pulled of an old pump pallet truck wich have a 1" inner bore perfect for the spindle i thinkhttp://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m310/amd47/SDC16397.jpg[/img]]

 

[johnthomp]

part 3
ive been at it with some of the gubbins for this contraption ive made the spindle out of 1 1/4" steel bar i dont know what type of steel but it started life as a half drive shaft off a car if its strong enough to do that its strong enough to do this and it was begging to be used anyway
i then installed it in the red tube on the headstock shell with the two big ass bearings off the pumptruck and press fitted them into the steel bearers i made for them so i could weld them in when ive got it running true down the pipe
once i was happy with the resulting lump i then welded it to the slider i put on the post the day before and to all intents and purpouses so far it dont look too bad for a pile of junk ive even shocked myself with this one it all runs free true and has literaly no play in it anywhere (not bad for the 19 hours metal bashing spent so far ) http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m310/amd47/SDC16398.jpg[/img]]

 

[johnthomp]

I cant help you with plans for a head. But I will be intertested in seeing it come along.

Kel

ive got some pics and illustrations up here now and its comeing on a little now but please keep an open mind as its made from scrap iron and salvaged parts and as yet hasnt cost me a penny ;D

 

[kcmillin]

Looks like a good and sturdy column and head to me.

Nice work John.

Kel

 

[johnthomp]

i appologise to anyone who is watching this build for me not doing anything with it for the last few days but ive had serious illness with my lathe its a little john mk1 built in 1950 and its decided to remind me that it needs retireing anyone in the uk that knows what a dewhurst and partner cylinder reversing switch is will instantly know how rare this part is i finaly found one for £30 and spent a full day building a verry good one out of the new seacond hand one and my burnt out one what a learning mission that was i promise ill get back onto the miller on the weekend fingers crossed !!!!!!!

 

[Deanofid]

Hi John;
This looks like you may want to turn your welder up quite a bit and burn in a good hot pass to stitch it together well. That spindle is going to take forces from all directions. Right now, there is little or no penetration on these welds. Seriously, I wouldn't expect it to stay put.
It needs more amperage, and burn it in to the parent metals.

Best of luck with your project.

Dean

 

[johnthomp]

Hi John;
This looks like you may want to turn your welder up quite a bit and burn in a good hot pass to stitch it together well. That spindle is going to take forces from all directions. Right now, there is little or no penetration on these welds. Seriously, I wouldn't expect it to stay put.
It needs more amperage, and burn it in to the parent metals.

Best of luck with your project.

Dean

not for the want of sounding rude or disrespectfull in any way but that photo was taken while i was just tacking it all together i have since ground down all my welds v grooved them and run over the lot at twice the amperage i do my initial welds like that so they are easily ground off if i want to change my mind or readjust anything but on this note cheers for looking out for me on the safety and failure side of it all and besides my welder is only a lightweight it can only do abbout 12" of weld at full belt before it overheats cuts out and needs an hour to come back on again so i do as many tacks as possible so i have plenty to do in the cooling down time

 

[TygerTung]

I'm sure that it will look much better when it is painted.

 

[Estaban]

Very interesting...looking forward to this coming together.......there is a yahoo group that might have some info that could be helpful...google multimachine