Hello,
On one of my Sherline Mills I have noticed that it can get out of square at times so this is something that I check frequently. This is a Model 2000 mill. (the 8 directional mill)
I find that I dont really have any problem with the X alignment but the Y can move at times.
I have been looking at the tramming tools that people have made for their mills and I have wondered if something like this would work for the Sherline. Since I have the indicators I thought I would model the tool in Alibre and draw up the plans, but I have run into a situation that I am not comfortable with.
As you can see on Plan A, the indicators are too close to the spindle shaft. One of the indicators is .004 and the other is .009. (all of the indicators vary in diameter)
I am already too close, in my opinion, to the edge of the table. This mill has produced a lot of parts and there are a few dings in the table edges. As drawn, I have .0425 from the edge of the table to the indicator centerline on each side. My concern with Plan A is I would like to move the indicators out to allow for any machining error or future replacement with a larger diameter indicator and this would put them in the questionable area of the table.
My next thought was to move the indicators in slightly closer to the spindle and away from the table edge and then position the indicators at 45 degrees. Please see Plan B.
Has anyone made a tool like this for the Sherline?
Does anyone see any problems with either plan?
The table is really not that beat up as the above may sound. In all the years I have had this mill I only had one (bad) accident. I had a part clamped to the table approx. 5 inches wide, 3 inches deep, and 3 inches high. This was a steel part that I was modifying.
After clamping it to the table I just had this feeling I did not have enough clamps, but I thought I would just go a little easier on the feed and it would be ok. Everything went ok up until the last cut. I got lazy and instead of moving the table around to make a conventional cut, I decided that a climb cut should be ok this time. Dumb.
I can still remember the sound of the part hitting the back column, and then falling back against the table. Somehow, the part rotated about 100 degrees so that the newly machined, and very sharp edge, fell on the corner of the table.
This was how the table received two dings in the back.
I got up, unplugged the mill, walked away, and returned a while later thinking that I knew better and that how foolish I was for doing what I had done. Looking at the part laying there in between the table and column I could see that at least I had only messed up the back of the table.
I then reached down and grabbed the part to pick it up. Between my feeling bad about messing the part up and damaging the mill I had forgot that there were sharp edges on the part. As soon as the blood started to flow I immediately dropped the part.
This is how the front of the table got dinged up.
Boy its a good thing that these mills cant talk .
On one of my Sherline Mills I have noticed that it can get out of square at times so this is something that I check frequently. This is a Model 2000 mill. (the 8 directional mill)
I find that I dont really have any problem with the X alignment but the Y can move at times.
I have been looking at the tramming tools that people have made for their mills and I have wondered if something like this would work for the Sherline. Since I have the indicators I thought I would model the tool in Alibre and draw up the plans, but I have run into a situation that I am not comfortable with.
As you can see on Plan A, the indicators are too close to the spindle shaft. One of the indicators is .004 and the other is .009. (all of the indicators vary in diameter)
I am already too close, in my opinion, to the edge of the table. This mill has produced a lot of parts and there are a few dings in the table edges. As drawn, I have .0425 from the edge of the table to the indicator centerline on each side. My concern with Plan A is I would like to move the indicators out to allow for any machining error or future replacement with a larger diameter indicator and this would put them in the questionable area of the table.
My next thought was to move the indicators in slightly closer to the spindle and away from the table edge and then position the indicators at 45 degrees. Please see Plan B.
Has anyone made a tool like this for the Sherline?
Does anyone see any problems with either plan?
The table is really not that beat up as the above may sound. In all the years I have had this mill I only had one (bad) accident. I had a part clamped to the table approx. 5 inches wide, 3 inches deep, and 3 inches high. This was a steel part that I was modifying.
After clamping it to the table I just had this feeling I did not have enough clamps, but I thought I would just go a little easier on the feed and it would be ok. Everything went ok up until the last cut. I got lazy and instead of moving the table around to make a conventional cut, I decided that a climb cut should be ok this time. Dumb.
I can still remember the sound of the part hitting the back column, and then falling back against the table. Somehow, the part rotated about 100 degrees so that the newly machined, and very sharp edge, fell on the corner of the table.
This was how the table received two dings in the back.
I got up, unplugged the mill, walked away, and returned a while later thinking that I knew better and that how foolish I was for doing what I had done. Looking at the part laying there in between the table and column I could see that at least I had only messed up the back of the table.
I then reached down and grabbed the part to pick it up. Between my feeling bad about messing the part up and damaging the mill I had forgot that there were sharp edges on the part. As soon as the blood started to flow I immediately dropped the part.
This is how the front of the table got dinged up.
Boy its a good thing that these mills cant talk .
