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I'm a mill beginner

neer724

Well-Known Member
Welcome to the club!!! You will have hours of fun making things! In terms of tooling, buy what you need when you need it. Many years ago when I got into this, I bought all kinds of cool tooling that I thought I would need that just sat in the box. Granted, I did end up using them but could have spread that initial investment over months\years....

Its an addictive hobby for sure....
 

trlvn

Ultra Member
What are the must tooling and accessories to get for me as a beginner.
As you can see from the replies so far, there is a LONG list of stuff you will probably want. But a lot depends on what you want to make with the mill. You might want to choose a project and then figure out what tooling you really need to get it done. And so on.

Take slitting saws, for instance. There are itty-bitty 1" blades that are only 0.012" thick up to (at least) 6" diameter and 3/8" thick. Obviously, they do very different jobs.

Craig
My wife used to tease me that every wood-working project required at least one new router bit!
 

Crosche

Super User
Greetings from Calgary and welcome to the forum.

One thing that I would suggest is that if you are going to buy a drill chuck for your mill then get one that has an integral R8 shank. You can buy drill chucks and R8 shanks w/ Jacob tapers separately, but I believe that they are slightly longer once assembled.....or at least mine is and sometimes the extra 1/2" or so makes all of the difference. ;)

See example below:

 

Blouin55

Michel
Like you guys said above, i would like to buy all of those accessories...
I prefer begin by receiving the machine first and look after for the must need tooling.
Thanks to all f you.
 

Blouin55

Michel
Greetings from Calgary and welcome to the forum.

One thing that I would suggest is that if you are going to buy a drill chuck for your mill then get one that has an integral R8 shank. You can buy drill chucks and R8 shanks w/ Jacob tapers separately, but I believe that they are slightly longer once assembled.....or at least mine is and sometimes the extra 1/2" or so makes all of the difference. ;)

See example below:

There is one in the kit i bought...
Thanks
 

Blouin55

Michel
For the drawbar, i let a message on the King Canada site asking if the drawbar included...i'll let you know when i 'll have the answer
 

LenVW

Process Machinery Designer
Premium Member
Take some time to get you mill setup on a sturdy and secure support.
. . . Then add as much ballast as you have available, anything heavy in your shop.
Weight will dampen the vibration that is generated during machining . . . That is why industrial mills are setup on cast iron columns and bases.
Only buy cutters & tools when you need them, unless you find a deal, it is too easy to spend a lot on thing you will rarely use.
Get to know some other ‘hobby’ machinists that will share tooling with you.
 

Blouin55

Michel
Take some time to get you mill setup on a sturdy and secure support.
. . . Then add as much ballast as you have available, anything heavy in your shop.
Weight will dampen the vibration that is generated during machining . . . That is why industrial mills are setup on cast iron columns and bases.
Only buy cutters & tools when you need them, unless you find a deal, it is too easy to spend a lot on thing you will rarely use.
Get to know some other ‘hobby’ machinists that will share tooling with you.
I'll keep that in mind!
 

LenVW

Process Machinery Designer
Premium Member
Gaspe is a beautiful part of Quebec.
I really enjoy Quebec City and the Eastern Townships.
My golfing buddy goes there every summer for the dart tourneys.

Are there a few CHMWs in that area ?
 

Blouin55

Michel
Gaspe is a beautiful part of Quebec.
I really enjoy Quebec City and the Eastern Townships.
My golfing buddy goes there every summer for the dart tourneys.

Are there a few CHMWs in that area ?
I dont know anybody around here on CHMW...woul like.
Would like to see if there is bodies from province of Quebec on that forum.
 

LenVW

Process Machinery Designer
Premium Member
There are many helpful fellows in this club.
You will see many ‘West of Winnipeg’ because the CHMW was started in the Western Provinces. The numbers are growing where I am, in Ontario, and in the Maritimes.

Are you familiar with plastic drain tile ? Big O Pipe ? Soleno ?
I worked for Big O in the 1990’s.
 

Blouin55

Michel
There are many helpful fellows in this club.
You will see many ‘West of Winnipeg’ because the CHMW was started in the Western Provinces. The numbers are growing where I am, in Ontario, and in the Maritimes.

Are you familiar with plastic drain tile ? Big O Pipe ? Soleno ?
I worked for Big O in the 1990’s.
I know those plastic goods...where working in Quebec or Ontario?
 

LenVW

Process Machinery Designer
Premium Member
The 4” plastic tile rolls went into farm drainage.
Big O Inc had plants in Boucherville & Cote de Lac in Quebec.

I worked at the Machinery Division in Exeter, Ontario.
We designed and built corrugated plastic pipe formers that made pipe up to
48” outside diameter. The larger sizes of pipe (18, 21, 24, 30 and 36”) are used in road construction and large rainwater control systems.

After my name you see that I am in Kitchener, Ontario.
What is the name of a town near you ?
 

Chicken lights

Forum Pony Express Driver
The 4” plastic tile rolls went into farm drainage.
Big O Inc had plants in Boucherville & Cote de Lac in Quebec.

I worked at the Machinery Division in Exeter, Ontario.
We designed and built corrugated plastic pipe formers that made pipe up to
48” outside diameter. The larger sizes of pipe (18, 21, 24, 30 and 36”) are used in road construction and large rainwater control systems.

After my name you see that I am in Kitchener, Ontario.
What is the name of a town near you ?
I’ve pulled enough of that junk to suit me. There’s another place by Lancaster On that makes it, I believe, or at least they distribute it. There’s a plant in Pennsylvania I’ve hauled out of too. Actually the larger pipe isn’t bad to haul, the 4” coils are a pain in the keister.
 

LenVW

Process Machinery Designer
Premium Member
I’ve pulled enough of that junk to suit me. There’s another place by Lancaster On that makes it, I believe, or at least they distribute it. There’s a plant in Pennsylvania I’ve hauled out of too. Actually the larger pipe isn’t bad to haul, the 4” coils are a pain in the keister.
Eventually we had to build our own trailers to haul the plastic pipe because we needed to ‘nest’ the smaller diameter pipes in the large pipes (which were sold in 4m lengths) otherwise there was little gross weight and lots of ’air’ in a load.
I had designed custom trailers for transporting the Coils of 4” tubing.

That tubing ‘junk’ has a 100 year lifecycle and the initial production run of 18” dual wall pipe of 4m lengths is buried under the dividing wall of the 401, from Windsor to Cornwall, Ontario.
That MTO job paid for the prototype former that I invented back in 1993.
 

Susquatch

Ultra Member
Administrator
Moderator
Premium Member
That tubing ‘junk’ has a 100 year lifecycle

All very interesting but I dunno if 100 years is really a good thing or a bad thing.

I have about $100k of big O drainage tiling in my farm dirt. After about 10 years it is all plugged up from clay fines and has to be redone. As you prolly know, they use a tile plough now to install new tile. Although my wife and I have probably laid a few miles of Big O by hand, the days of laying clay tile by hand are gone. Basically, new tile is laid by ripping right through the old tile runs to lay the new ones. So if it really lasts 100 years, then 90 of those years are just wasted. It might be better if it didn't last so long. If I lived long enough, I'd prolly end up with a foot deep layer of plastic big O soil down there and the ministry will be adding a new soil type called Oh Dirt. It will be perfect for growing rice cuz nothing will drain by then.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against BigO drainage pipe, it's easier to work with than clay tile. But I'm thinking maybe 100 years is not an ideal life span. For farming applications, it would probably be better if it disintegrated in 20 years or so. Unless they can figure out how to stop it from plugging up.
 

deleted_user

Super User
All very interesting but I dunno if 100 years is really a good thing or a bad thing.

I have about $100k of big O drainage tiling in my farm dirt. After about 10 years it is all plugged up from clay fines and has to be redone. As you prolly know, they use a tile plough now to install new tile. Although my wife and I have probably laid a few miles of Big O by hand, the days of laying clay tile by hand are gone. Basically, new tile is laid by ripping right through the old tile runs to lay the new ones. So if it really lasts 100 years, then 90 of those years are just wasted. It might be better if it didn't last so long. If I lived long enough, I'd prolly end up with a foot deep layer of plastic big O soil down there and the ministry will be adding a new soil type called Oh Dirt. It will be perfect for growing rice cuz nothing will drain by then.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against BigO drainage pipe, it's easier to work with than clay tile. But I'm thinking maybe 100 years is not an ideal life span. For farming applications, it would probably be better if it disintegrated in 20 years or so. Unless they can figure out how to stop it from plugging up.
we know how to stop it blocking up. farmers can't afford the installation to do it properly
 
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