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Homemade Mill Deckler-like

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GEspo

Plastic
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May 26, 2021
Hello all. Very new to machining. Originally trying to beef up my 50 yr old drill press, got a bridgeport j head(head only) and i planned to make a base/mount. For x/y i have large setco slides, both 12” travel, each weigh around 230#, and also their setco right angle(170#), so all 3 together make a pretty substantial base. Instead of making a turret style setup, wondering what considerations would be involved in mounting the head to the angle plate(its 24” vertical), using the slides to move the head, and use a stationary table, like the Deckler. Of course i would be limited in travel to 12x12 in xy, and minimal in Z..

Question: will the j head handle this setup? other thoughts/comments welcome

(i dont have the space or $ for a bport mill, and have the setco stuff thought i would try to use)
 
Question: will the j head handle this setup? other thoughts/comments welcome
BP heads - with and without advancing quills - began life as add-on ONLY, served that way for many years before growing their own ass and knee.

They have continued to find themselves separately-mounted to just about any sort of mothership short of broken hearts and the crack of dawn.

"Anecdotal evidence" is that they can stand any stress the tooling can transmit up to a 3/8" endmill.

The head only starts to be put "at risk" and need more careful planning and a lighter touch when tooling larger than 3/8" is used. Larger cutting tools certainly ARE utilized, one just has to be less aggressive.

IOW.. what it can "handle" is more up to the mill hand than it is to the mount... or the mill itself.
 
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Hello all. Very new to machining. Originally trying to beef up my 50 yr old drill press, got a bridgeport j head(head only) and i planned to make a base/mount. For x/y i have large setco slides, both 12” travel, each weigh around 230#, and also their setco right angle(170#), so all 3 together make a pretty substantial base. Instead of making a turret style setup, wondering what considerations would be involved in mounting the head to the angle plate(its 24” vertical), using the slides to move the head, and use a stationary table, like the Deckler. Of course i would be limited in travel to 12x12 in xy, and minimal in Z..

Question: will the j head handle this setup? other thoughts/comments welcome

(i dont have the space or $ for a bport mill, and have the setco stuff thought i would try to use)
Can you show some photos of the setco parts. I'm an unclear about how the setco right angle works? With a Deckel mill, the x and z motion sits below the work piece, and the y motion is handled by moving the spindle which sits above the work piece, thus unlike a bridgeport, you are only stacking the x and z movement, making for a very robust and stiff solution. In addition, the big advantage of Deckel is the fact that the tables (and the heads) are removable, with many different types of tables and heads available for different scenarios.
 
Angle plate long side 24x12, short side is 12x12, so id mount the short side to the slide, long side would be vertical.. id mount the j head toward the top of the long side
 

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Angle plate long side 24x12, short side is 12x12, so id mount the short side to the slide, long side would be vertical.. id mount the j head toward the top of the long side
Atttached to what? Oriented how? With how much "throat"?

I'm not sure I can see that being any more useful than immersing the J head in a jug of fish sauce and burying it in the back garden.
 
Why even attempt to reinvent the wheel. So many better options. Horizontal mill as mentioned or an actual V mill.
ROFL!

"Possession" of PARTS.. inspires a body.. Thank heaven Iyam LAZY!

Tried to buy a clapped-out Range-Rover many years ago, knew it had a bad wheel.

So I bought the alloy wheel in preparation. Deal fell through. Thankfully.

Did I try to assemble the rest of a Range Rover so as to make USE of that ONE wheel?

I did say LAZY?

Eventually, I bought a far, far newer and NICER Range Rover. Complete.

And four as-new alloys for it. Kerb-rash thing.
Old wheel don't FIT the newer model, y'see.

Now.. if'n I can find a BirdPort head.. to go with that wheel...
 
End product would resemble this drill mill, but with stationary table and traversing mill head..

The reason for it is: zero additional investment at this time and use what i have (along with tiny footprint and very mobile)
other considerations: i dont know if ill need to mill anything 20” so it’s possible 12” of travel will suffice.. if and when i get there ill cross that bridge.. No reason to buy a hummer on 40” tires when an old beat Toy pu will get the job done..

probably should add i got the setco slides and angle for $200

defense of idea done, pls continue
 

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End product would resemble this drill mill, but with stationary table and traversing mill head..

The reason for it is: zero additional investment at this time and use what i have (along with tiny footprint and very mobile)
other considerations: i dont know if ill need to mill anything 20” so it’s possible 12” of travel will suffice.. if and when i get there ill cross that bridge.. No reason to buy a hummer on 40” tires when an old beat Toy pu will get the job done..

probably should add i got the setco slides and angle for $200
I will suggest that you ask over here:
www.hobby-machinist.com

If you don't, I "Estimate" that this thread will be locked in less that qty (10) more postings.
 
End product would resemble this drill mill, but with stationary table and traversing mill head..

The reason for it is: zero additional investment at this time and use what i have (along with tiny footprint and very mobile)
The amount of time and effort only to end up with a conglomeration of parts that may/may not even equate to the poor quality of said mill/drill is so not worth it.
As wordy as Thermites response was it actually nailed the gist of what I’m attempting to say.
I remember wanting to build a “tube notcher” maybe 20yrs ago for a specific job. The cost and time was ridiculous compared to a small clapped out Clausing 8540 H Mill missing everything but precisely that I needed. I got said mill for $200. It did the job great and I saved myself a nightmare and quite a bit of money. I had the parts to make the machine and it still was not worth it.
I can appreciate your wanting to do it yourself. I simply question the WHY.
 
Good question. Suppose i would never need more than 12” x/y and dont care to rotate the head.. will my proposed setup be more rigid and accurate than a bport? (assume executed correctly)

should note: testing this setup would involve bolting the angle to the slide and making a plate to mount the j head.. so very minimal time since the slides already have a 36x36 base
 
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End product would resemble this drill mill, but with stationary table and traversing mill head..

The reason for it is: zero additional investment at this time and use what i have (along with tiny footprint and very mobile)
other considerations: i dont know if ill need to mill anything 20” so it’s possible 12” of travel will suffice.. if and when i get there ill cross that bridge.. No reason to buy a hummer on 40” tires when an old beat Toy pu will get the job done..

probably should add i got the setco slides and angle for $200

defense of idea done, pls continue
The CONCEPT is sound enough....


Good luck with the "Iron deficiency anemia" challenge of the implementation phase!

I bought this one for $500. Maker sez it only weighs 5205 lbs Avoir .. "buck naked'.

 
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somewhat still defending: the slides are really what im trying to utilize with this concept, guessing they can handle big loads no prob.. seems like a waste and a bit backwards to strap a 50# workpiece to them

** this should have started as “homemade MINI mill”

i suppose i should assemble and report back so i can get feedback on potential weak points.. thx for the replies
 
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I will suggest that you ask over here:
www.hobby-machinist.com

If you don't, I "Estimate"

Optimist!

What's the greater insult?

OWNING a store bought "Milling Machine SHAPED Object"?

Or trying to build a WORSE one as an "improvement"?

But we can still hope and pray for the legendary "lockypoo"

Or "manna from heaven"

Even "free beer".

.. whichever rocks yer boat.

"Safe sex' might be asking too much..... given it's an oxymoron.
 
somewhat still defending: the slides are really what im trying to utilize with this concept, guessing they can handle big loads no prob.. seems like a waste and a bit backwards to strap a 50# workpiece to them

** this should have started as “homemade MINI mill”

i suppose i should assemble and report back so i can get feedback on potential weak points.. thx for the replies
We're easy.

I'm sure you'll be given a free pass if you don't even mention it again...
 
Em..
it´s doable.
I have done it.
Well.

But You probably don´t have 100.000 €++ and 17.000 work hours it cost me to make a good large VMC from scratch.
I started with a BP M head and a 3-phase Hitachi 200 VFD around 2003.

There are 2-3 self-built mills around on the interwebs that are decent and work.
They have about 1/2" steel walls on large box sections.
 
Em..
it´s doable.
I have done it.
Well.

But You probably don´t have 100.000 €++ and 17.000 work hours it cost me to make a good large VMC from scratch.
I started with a BP M head and a 3-phase Hitachi 200 VFD around 2003.

BeePee 'M' head + 17,000 person hours, a hundred thousand Euros...

Y'know?

"That just fits" ........ the hanermo we know so well.....
 
We're easy.

I'm sure you'll be given a free pass if you don't even mention it again...
appreciate it.. i tend to have lots of “creative” projects due to no real $.. once i get going on this others are bound to arise so thanks in advance
 
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