Semifinished castings enable a home

machinist to turn out a precision

tool, using a lathe and drill press.

By Walter E. Burton

AN a craftsman of average ability build

C himself a milling machine? And if he
does, can he expect that it will turn out
precision work?
You bet!
In my shop there's a little bench mill
that proves both points, at least to my own
satisfaction. It also demonstrates that if
you start as I did with semifinished castings,
the entire job can be handled with just a
9" lathe and drill press.
Of course I could have made up a set This is it—the finished mill at work. Below,
of patterns, had them cast at a foundry, and an assembly blueprint furnished with castings.
FLAT OR V-PULLEYS OPTIONAL

3/8"-16 CAP SCREW

¼" -20
OPTIONAL CONSTRUCTION
SET SCREW GIB
GIB

¼" -20
SET SCREW

3/8"-16 CAP SCREW

BALL THRUST
BEARING
File all rough spots from the semimachined Overarm clamp screws are made by turning a
castings before starting assembly, and fill blow handle to the shape shown above, cutting a
holes with either auto-body solder or suitable 3/8"-16 thread on the end, and then bending the
iron cement. Drill each corner of the column handle until it makes an angle of about 110
base for a 3/8" or ½" bolt, spot-facing (center) as deg. with the threaded part. Drill and tap the
necessary to provide a flat area for the head. slotted projections for these.

begun from scratch. Apart from the extra replaced the crank, and the table-elevating
labor this would have taken, I'd have needed control sprouted out in an entirely new and
a shaper, planer, or large milling machine (I think) better place.
to make the flats, dovetails, and T-slots that Let's assume you've ordered a set of semi-
are already accurately formed on semifin- finished castings and the necessary steel bar
ished castings. As it was, there was plenty stock, bronze nut blanks, and bearings. The
of nice, finicky machine work. first step on the main casting is to file down
When you make your own machine tools, all rough edges and fill any blow holes with
you always have the privilege of modifying solder or iron cement. Drill and spot-face
the design and trotting out what ingenuity mounting holes in the base, and drill and
you have. This bench mill, I found, was tap the slotted projections at the top that
no exception. Though the maker* supplied lock the overarm. Don't forget to open out
good prints, I departed from them in nu- the left sides of these holes screw-clearance
merous small ways: micrometer dials were size to get clamping action.
made extra large, permanent handwheels The overarm bracket that forms the out-
*The Lewis Machine Tool Company, Los Angeles.

Bore a 1 5/16" hole in the larger end of the bushing, and ream to ½". Acme threads for the
arbor-support casting, slot it, and provide a elevating screw are roughed out with a single-
3/8"-16 locking bolt. Thread the lock-screw hole point tool and finished with a homemade tan
as above, turning the tap by inserting a rod or (center) cut with the same gear setup. Drill
Phillips screwdriver in the chuck. In the smaller and tap holes in the saddle casting for the gib
end, bore an oversize hole, press in a bronze screws, as at the right.
210 POPULAR SCIENCE
board arbor support is bored out, slotted,
and tapped for a clamping capscrew. (A
long locking screw might be a hazard here.)
The hole for the arbor bearing should be
located carefully; it must have a center-to-
center distance with the upper hole that
corresponds precisely with the same holes
on the main casting. Press in a bronze bush-
ing, but don't ream it yet.
Three lathe-turned screws are required
to control table movement, the longitudinal
and elevating screws having right-hand Gibs are cut to length from steel strips and
threads, and the transverse feed screw being their edges are beveled to match the dovetail
left-hand. They should preferably have angles. After placing the gibs in position, spot-
standard Acme threads, although V-threads drill each to receive the screw points.
will do. Cut them carefully on the lathe,
using a follower rest. While the nuts that
fit on these screws may be threaded with
single-point tools in the lathe, it is better
to make the finish cuts with taps. I made
three special taps of cold-rolled steel while
the lathe was set up for cutting the screws,
case-hardening the cutting edges.
After the two bronze feed nuts have been
threaded, drill and tap each for 10-24
mounting bolts and face off their bases.
If you use handwheels rather than the crank,
the distance between the cross-feed screw Use a follower rest in cutting threads on the
and the bottom of the saddle can be greater longitudinal feed screw. Standard V-threads
than the blueprint indicates. will serve for this and the other two table-
control screws, but Acme threads are better.
Drill an 1 1/16" or ¾" hole in the projec-
tion at one end of the table casting for the
longitudinal screw. Install a flanged bronze
bushing and ream it for the ½" screw shank.
The thrust in one direction is between the
bushing flange and the micrometer collar;
in the other direction it is between the inner
end of the bushing and a small collar
mounted on the screw. You can install the
table with the crank at either side.
The vertical-feed screw operates in the
threaded post bolted to the base of the main
casting. Its upper end extends through a
web that forms a part of the knee casting.
Drill and ream the web to receive the 3/8"
portion of the vertical screw, spot-facing
both ends of the hole. The weight of the
knee is borne by a ball thrust bearing be- screw holes would permit the plate to be
tween the web and the elevating-screw shifted to obtain perfect alignment of hole
shoulder. On the upper end of the screw and elevating screw. Then the plate bolts
one of a pair of steel miter gears is secured could be tightened.
by means of a taper pin. The second miter gear is mounted on a
Alternately, the bearing might be ar- ½" shaft that extends outward at an angle
ranged in the knee web by drilling an over- of about 30 deg. through a 7/8" diagonal hole
size hole and mounting under it a 3/16" in the side of the knee casting. This elevat-
by 1" by 1" brass plate with a reamed 3/8" ing shaft rotates in two bronze bushings in
hole and four ¼" corner holes for 8-32 the ends of a 6.875" length of 11/16" i.d.
mounting bolts. The oversize mounting- tubing. Solder a steel collar with an index
APRIL 1948 211
 mark to the outer end of the tubing.
A ball crank is installed on the longitudi-
nal feed screw. If the elevating shaft is
brought out at an angle, permanent hand-
wheels can be used on the vertical and
horizontal controls. These might be cast
at home, using a lathe tailstock wheel as
a pattern, or made from 4" cast-iron valve
handles.
For the micrometer collars cut disks from
a cold-rolled or stainless-steel rod, drill a
center hole, and ream it to ½". About ¼"
from one end of each blank, tap a hole for
The cross-feed screw is supported at its outer a ¼" setscrew. With this screw, lock each
end by a casting attached to the knee dovetail blank in turn on a true-running mandrel
with two 3/8" bolts. A handwheel was machined
from a 4" valve wheel like the one at right. and machine it to a diameter of approxi-
mately 1.688" and a suitable length.
Each collar has 100 divisions, every tenth
.625 x 1.688
one being numbered. These graduations
MICROMETER
COLLAR
may be cut by locking the collar with a set-
OIL
HAND- screw on an arbor in the lathe chuck or
SCREW BRASS WHEEL collet. If your lathe doesn't have provision
(9 ¼" LONG) PLUG
½"
for indexing, mount a 100-tooth gear wheel
between the collar and headstock. Devise
½" .437
a plunger to fit between the gear teeth so
it will hold rigidly yet can be backed out
OIL-LESS SILVER- as needed.
BEARING TAPER SOLDERED Mount a tool bit ground to a slightly flat-
PIN
BEARING- RETAINING DlSK
tened point, and lock the compound rest
parallel to the lathe bed. Set the tool to
CROSS-FEED DETAIL plow a neat furrow in the collar blank when
moved toward the headstock.
Although the micrometer scale on the
TAPER
SOLDER
APPROX. 30º ¾" TO FIT compound rest may be used to control the
PIN BEARING BRAZE OIL CUP HAND-
WHEEL
lengths of the lines, an easy way is to use
pieces of steel rod as stops to limit carriage
movement. After the lines are cut, remove
½" DIA. the collar from the mandrel and stamp the
MITER MOUNTING .688 I.D. x 6.875 BEARING
GEAR PLATE 2" x 3" STEEL TUBE .625 x 1.688 numerals. TO BE CONTINUED
ELEVATING SHAFT MICROMETER COLLAR

Three 5/16" bolts attach the elevating-shaft Micrometer collars were graduated with this
mounting plate to the side of the knee casting, setup, a 100-tooth gear wheel serving as an
a 7/8" diagonal hole being bored through the indexing guide. Oversize collars are desirable
casting itself for the tubular housing. in order to improve visibility of the scales.
 Finishing
and Setting Up
Bench Mill
Careful lathe work is called for in
machining the running parts of this
versatile little milling machine.

By Walter E. Burton
The completed mill set to cut a channel in a
steel block. A drill-press vise holds the work. M AKING the spindle is one of the most
precise operations involved in building
the milling machine begun last month. So
that the spindle will fit the bearing bores
snugly but not tightly, the outside diameter
must be held to close tolerances, this diam-
eter being 1.2501" plus or minus .0003".
For the workshop fan, such finicky opera-
tions are a challenging part of any job. And
this one will present several—even though
you begin with semifinished castings, as I
did, and work from blueprints supplied by
the manufacturer. When it's completed,
you'll have a machine that opens many new
opportunities for your shop—at about a third
of the cost of a similar mill bought ready to
go.
Make the spindle from steel tubing or rod.
At this point came several variations that I
A tapered hole was bored in the spindle while
it rotated in the steady rest, the work being introduced to make the mill more suitable
fed by the compound rest set to the taper angle. for my particular requirements.
A lashed lathe dog drives the other end. Instead of making the spindle the length
specified, I made it 9" long to give extra
Threads were cut on the spindle by mounting thread at the back for later addition of an
it between the tailstock center and a tapered automatic-feed gear. Furthermore, instead
mandrel in the headstock. The same setup was of using two lock nuts on the spindle, I
used for machining the spindle to diameter. made a threaded ring about ¾" long, split it
with a radial saw cut, and provided two 6-32
fillister-head bolts to lock it on. Such a ring
can be adjusted with greater precision for
controlling end clearance.
Clean out the recesses bored in the main
casting, coat them with a film of thin oil, and
tap the bearing cups into position with a
plastic hammer or a suitable drive ring. The
V-belt grooves may be cut in the cone pulleys
with a cut-off tool. Dimensions suitable for
a B-section belt are indicated in the sketch.

Here's the spindle assembly with the pulley Three knock-out holes drilled as in the draw-
in place and the split nut being threaded on. ing will make the roller-bearing cups easier to
Note the two 6-32 locking screws in the nut. remove if replacement is necessary. Coat the
Two setscrews hold the pulley to the shaft. recess with oil before tapping in the cup.

recesses in the casting should be relieved at one end, drill a center hole, and attach a
the inner faces to permit felt dust seals to be dog. Supporting that end on a center with
installed. the dog lashed to the faceplate, I placed the
In machining the bearing covers, an im- other end in a steady rest and bored a No. 3
provement is to recess the inner face of each Morse taper hole. A steel bar taper-turned to
to take a thin felt washer that will form a fit the lathe spindle was tapped into it, and
dust seal around the front end of the spindle a No. 3 Morse taper turned on the protrud-
and around the retaining nut at the rear. ing end. Then the milling machine spindle
Cement the washers to the cover plates with was placed so its taper socket engaged the
an oil-resisting adhesive. bar, its other end being supported by the
There are various ways of machining the tailstock center.
spindle. What I did was clean out the bore A standard cut-off tool may be used to
to slightly larger than ¾", drive a plug into machine the four-step V-belt pulleys from

Cover plates for the two roller bearings were Four screws hold each bearing plate in place,
machined to the desired outer diameter as seen the holes being drilled w i t h the plate itself
below. The plates were chucked in outside as a template. The inner f a c e of each plate
jaws for machining the inner diameter. was recessed for a thin dust-seal washer.
 the rough castings, the blade being set to
protrude from its holder a distance equal to
the groove depth desired. First mount the
casting in a four-jaw chuck with the larger
end outward. Face off the end and true up
the hub portion. Then reverse the casting,
with the chuck jaws grasping the hub, and
bore the hole to 1¼" diameter.
Grooves may be formed by making a
central cut with the cutoff tool to the depth
required, the compound being set at the
angle desired for one of the sides. In this
case, 18 deg. was used, or a total angle of
36 deg. Feed the compound back and forth
to cut one side of each groove. Then reverse
the compound and cut the remaining sides.
For maximum trueness, you can mount
the sheaves on a true-running mandrel, take
light finishing cuts with a sharp bit, and
then file and polish. Although each sheave
should be keyed to its shaft for maximum
strength, two 5/16" setscrews placed 90
A hinged base makes it possible to swing the deg. apart to engage flats on the shaft will
countershaft toward the mill to release belt be adequate for most purposes. The screws
tension. A bolt-button device locks the base.
extend through the second smallest groove.
One of the cone pulleys is mounted on a
shaft that rotates in plain holes bored in the
countershaft casting. In semifinished cast-
ings, these holes are already bored. But if
you're using a rough casting, you can bolt
it to the carriage of the lathe and drill holes
about 1" diameter. Then mount a boring bar
between centers and bore the holes to size
by adjusting the cutting bit outward for suc-
Taper the arbor at one end to fit the spindle cessive passes. Also face off the areas around
hole of the milling machine. It's desirable to the holes so the pulley ends will have true
make an arbor for each standard cutter size.
bearing surfaces.
You probably will find it advisable to
obtain the large countershaft pulley wheel
already turned and reamed, for in the rough
state it is a bit hefty for a small lathe. Along
with a V-groove sheave on the motor shaft
and an A-sectibn or B-section belt, this
wheel forms a V-flat drive. If you wish you
may substitute a grooved sheave on the
countershaft, producing a full V-drive.
Although a collar is indicated for the
countershaft, the two pulleys will hold the
shaft in position if the casting is faced off so
they run smoothly. Considerable end play
is permissible if the two cone pulleys are
aligned properly, the "floating" action some-
times being quieter than a tight fit. The ratio
of the motor and countershaft pulleys may
be about 7:1.
Because a V-belt should always be slack
At the rear, the mill looks like this. Use a when it is changed from one cone-pulley
1/3- or 1/2-hp. motor, and for convenience mount
the control switch at the front of the bench. groove to another, the countershaft in this
214 POPULAR SCIENCE
case was mounted on a heavy wooden base
hinged along the edge nearest the mill and
provided with a hold-down arrangement at
the opposite edge. This consists of a bolt
installed in the bench top, a button made
from channel steel, and a supporting block.
Slots in the base of the countershaft cast-
ing permit it to be shifted to offset belt
stretch. However, the tilting arrangement
could be designed to perform this function
by blocking up the button-edge initially with
a strip of wood that is, say, ½" thick. As the
belt stretches, substitute thinner strips.
End mills may be mounted by grasping
their shanks in collets tightened by a draw-
bar extending through the spindle, exactly
as in a lathe spindle. A keyed chuck on a
No. 3 Morse taper arbor will hold small end
mills, drill bits, etc. Always lock the chuck Table feed is controlled by a crank located at
in the spindle by a drawbar. This may be a the right-hand end. However, the crank may
¼" threaded steel rod engaging a threaded be placed at the other end if you prefer.
hole in the end of the arbor, the other
end being equipped with a handwheel bear- Here a dial indicator is handy, for it can be
ing against a sleeve in the spindle hole. mounted to gauge the trueness of table
Standard milling cutters like those seen in travel, etc. You can bring the dovetail slides
some of the photos are usually mounted on to a high degree of perfection by careful
an arbor tapered at one end to fit the milling- manipulation of a metal scraper and judi-
machine spindle hole and turned at the other cious use of abrasive cloth and sticks. Adjust
to a ½" diameter to fit the bronze bushing in the gibs so the parts move with minimum of
the overarm bracket. play, but do not bind. The center gib screw
Collars to space the cutters on the arbor of the vertical slide should have a handle or
are best machined from steel tubing. They knob so it can be used as a locking screw
should be of various lengths. It is important when occasion requires. Equip all other gib
that the ends be faced off square. screws with lock nuts.
Oil the overarm bearing each time you in- Work is held on the table by a standard
sert an arbor into it. Also remember to oil all milling vise, or by any other suitable clamp-
other parts of the machine frequently. The ing arrangement. In the setup shown on
spindle bearings should be packed with lu- page 212, a vise is held by two pivoted steel
bricant designed for roller bearings. plates, the center pivot being a bolt whose
When the machine is ready for a trial run, head engages the T-slot. The outer ends are
check it carefully to see that everything is supported by cap screws pressing against the
performing with the required precision. bottom of the slot. END

MAY 1948 215