I picked up a neat and low hour Millrite Powermatic MVN mill. It is basically a 2/3 size Bridgeport without all the bells and whistles.

Here's a quick video from today after I finished adapting a Bridgeport type feed to the MVN.
MOV00413 - YouTube

I've been slowly adding a 3 axis DRO as well. As of right now I have all the sales mounted but X still needs the finished up. It came with a complete horizontal attachment which apparently is rare because I had a guy offer me more then I payed for the whole thing for it...lol View attachment 2518383

I had to pull the bed and saddle off to clear out one clogged oil passage and ha to get pics of the minty fresh ways.

I love the slightly smaller size compared to a Bridgeport for in my full garage and an engine crane lifts it so that's handy to move it.

This will be a very welcome machine to go with my SouthBend lathe.

Nice to see you posting Swigin! Looks like a nice machine, do you already know how to use it or are you just in the process of learning on it?

 

Thanks PA

I can use it but I'm no pro. My buddy has a machine shop and I used to use his when I need to but not no more!

The main thing is looking at the DRO and not the dials is hard for me. I am very new to DRO and setting it up.

 

lucky dog ! how much did that set you back if you don't mind me asking .

 

It was at an auction and I was thinking it should sell for $1200 maybe run up to $1500. I payed a good bit less.

 

quite a bargain even at 1500 , congrats .

 

Very nice machine, congrats. My experience has been once you get use to the digital readout, you will become quite thankful for it.

Do you have a first project lined up yet?

 

Thanks guys!

I had a first project in mind but that will have to wait for another time. I have to finish the X axis scale. Well, the scale is mounted but I need to machine slots in an angle iron To mount up the reader for that scale so that will be the first project.

For years I have been telling my buddy with the machine shop that I need to bring my bench vice over to true up the jaws. It's a very old Parker and it has very odd shaped and expensive jaws, Like $800 for a set. Mine has a missing fixed (back) jaw and was welded up years ago and ground kind of flat. I wanted my first project to be bolt the vice to the bed of the mill and true up that back jaw.

 

I got the DRO finished up today and plugged it in to test out.

I also tramed the head and vice true.

I like how the vice overhangs the table enough to act like a stop so I don't smash the X scale into the Knees dovetails.

 

I got the DRO finished up today and plugged it in to test out.
View attachment 2518561 View attachment 2518562

I also tramed the head and vice true.

View attachment 2518563

I like how the vice overhangs the table enough to act like a stop so I don't smash the X scale into the Knees dovetails.
View attachment 2518564

That is looking good, won't be long till the custom parts are just flying off that machine!

 

I finally got all the scales for the DRO installed and trued up so tonight I moved a few things to make a hole for the mill and set it in place.

Notice in this second pic how only a few of the controls stick out past the garage door opening. I have a new garage to park cars in and this old garage is now just a shop so it wont get run into by anything.

I need to clear off this black shelf to the left to put all the toys for the mill to keep them handy.

I even got it leveled up good enough for me.

Like I said I need to do a long overdue shop clean and organize next and get all the tooling and equipment for the mill organized but in the mean time it's 100% up and running!

 

Notice in this second pic how only a few of the controls stick out past the garage door opening. I have a new garage to park cars in and this old garage is now just a shop so it wont get run into by anything.
View attachment 2519203


That's what they all say till it gets hit!

 

Made a collet rack out of some Corian solid surface scrap at work. I milled out the holes and the counter top guy at work glued it up for me.

 

I also got my first mill recently; it's great to play with, but so easy to make control errors that cause crash damage.

Luckily, I haven't broken anything expensive yet.

Have fun!

 

I've had a metal lathe for years so I think that helps me with the controls but accidents can happen quickly.

 

Maybe it's because I'm still new it it, but it seems like the mill has more possibilities for crashes.
The Lathe is more natural; the work spins and you move the tool in 2 directions.
The mill can go every which way, and the different tools and fittings mean it's usually different from last time.
My tendency to grab the wrong crank doesn't help...

 

I was getting ready to make this video last week but on my way to the mill I tripped and built up some speed trying not to fall and ran right into the back of my JD425 and slid it 6 inches and messed myself up pretty good.

Now, a week later and wounds scabbed over I got to try out the horizontal attachment.
90 Degree Vee Cutting - YouTube

I got talking to a guy who has a horizontal mill and he say the shaft wobble is probably all the faces of the spacers on the arbor. I had the arbor on my lathe and it is straight as can be.

He said if there is junk stuck between the spacers or if the faces are less then true, when you tighten the end nut the arbor can easily bend.

So I got new piece of cold rolled 1.5'' OD with 1''ID coming and will make a single large spacer for each side of the cutter.

 

Uh oh, sorry to hear about the accident, hope you are recovering ok! This should help, left, right, left, right, pick em up and put em down, 30 inches all around! I don't have anything to help you on the mill, it was never my strong point when I had classes in school.

 

I made a sweet vise stop

Then I made or I should say remade an old slitting arbor I had laying around so I could slit the clamp part of the vise stop.

Here is the arbor and 4 jack stands I made today. The problem is I could have used the jacks when making the vise stop. And I could have used a vise stop when making the vise stop...LOL

So it took longer then it should have but now I'm getting geared up and ready for projects.

 

looking good.

OH asked what I'll be making with my new machine tool.
"More tools." I told her.
"Ok, but then what will you make with all those tools?"
"MORE tools."

 

You must have forgot to tell her that, "he that dies with the most tools wins!"

 

That's just what she already thinks...

An old friend of mine died in New Hampshire last year.
Someday, someone will open his huge shed and find his tools
Hint; you'll need a forklift and a semi.
The forklift is already there.

 

I need to find one of those guys that wants to play with his machine tools just for the fun of it. I would even find some way to buy the materials for the parts he could make while at play.

 

I was recently given a 10'' Phase ll rotary table that didn't work. My buddy bought it cheap at an auction and never could get it torn down to fix it. Well, he gave it to me and within 24 hours it was torn down and fixed...lol

I don't know how much I'll use it with the mill but it very nice to have.

I made some T Nuts for it today on the mill.

Merry Christmas

 

Swigin needs a new ID like "Tim, the tool man maker"

 

Nice score on the rotary table.
Where I live nothing is close, so tools like that that are too heavy for regular post are really tough to source.
I found an 8" on ebay in the UK and got it shipped to Portugal.

It doesn't get used a lot but when you need it you need it.
It adds a lot of height to the table and reduces working height.
I made an adaptor to fit my lathe chucks to the rotary table, that's already been useful a couple of times.
I need to make a counter holder for horizontal use with a chuck, mk2 like my lathe tailstock. That will be a challenge, looking forward to it.

I made the chuck adaptor so it also bolts down to the mill table. This is so a lathe chuck can be used as a vertical vice, and it's already proved useful.

 

I like your chuck adapter that goes right to the table, I never thought about that.

I was originally going to install a chuck on the rotary table like you did but I was going to not use the lathe back plate to save some room. But for now since the table has a MT3 in the center hole I ordered a MT3 shanked ER40 chuck and collets.

 

That's a better solution, far more accurate, but of course you're limited to the max collet size.
My rotary table is also mk3 center. I have nothing that fits in there.

 

I needed a bed clamp for my lathe to use my 4'' indicator so I made one finally. I still need to slot the clamp end, but that cutter is not here yet.

The pin is pressed into the top piece and has a loose slip fit into the bottom piece to let it open and close while keeping the bottom piece from spinning when tightening.

 

When are you going to start your business of manufacturing NLA tractor parts for us??

 

Well, what do you need?

 

It looks like you can make anything with one of them

 

Between the mill and the lathe you can make most things.