Quote:
Originally Posted by candyman
C.G Ive been "machining" sinse I bought the mill 4 months ago, im getting the hang of it now. I find it easier to just jump in with both feet, get my hands dirty and experiment rather than letting someone tell me what they think is best. Couple of people have told me that using a drill chuck is a bad idea, well........ so far so good, when it breaks i'll change it. Coming from cutting all the metal by hand with the WA2000 getting the mill is just like...... just like having a mechanical arm that doesnt wear out! you know what I mean though, if someone was to give me a set of engineering diagrams I wouldnt know where to begin, but once I have a picture in my head of what I want I can make it.
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Good on you! It takes a good dollop of intrepidity to buy some gear and start cutting metal. One thing about using a drill chuck to mill:
Drill chucks are designed for axial loads only. In many cases they're held on with a taper fit which can come loose when you intermittently side load them (i.e. side cutting with a fluted mill exerts a radial load). If this happens the whole chuck falls off the taper adaptor and usually chips the mill. Not a huge dangerous accident with sub 1hp mills, but it can gouge a pretty deep scratch in a part you've been slaving over for hours and make you wait for a replacement cutter.
Many drill chucks also don't have an internal thread in the taper adaptor which fits in the mill spindle. Side cutting operations require an axial rod which pulls the taper adaptor into the mill spindle so they don't come loose. If the spindle taper falls out while side cutting, you can mar the inside spindle taper when the tail end of the chuck taper skids around. A marred spindle does not hold tapers well because the surfaces don't match. Unretained tapers (no axial rod) will fall out more easily and you lose coaxial alignment with the spindle and other taper adaptors.
Keep posting! You're last project is gorgeous. I look forward to seeing your WA2000.