I'm more or less a self taught machinist. I don't do anything very precision but make lots of non-critical stuff. I have learned a lot from your videos. What I really like is that you don't spend 20 minutes talking about useless stuff. You are right to the point and show how it's done. Thank you so much for sharing you vast knowledge of machining.
It's nice to see someone sharing good tips, a lot of engineers like to keep these to themselves. I've seen over the years the skill level of young engineers drop dramatically due to cnc machining, it seems like all they're getting is just a green button apprenticeship. Keep up the good work! 👍
Hey Joe if you were close enough I'd fix your mill for you. You guys that take the time to share info like this are certainly earning some help from those of us who are able to help. Thanks for your efforts, many people are glad to see you share your experience. Thanks
Joe...Love your videos. I'm 38 years old with 10 years of machining experience. Unfortunately, I started backwards in the machining industry on the CNC mill and lathe machines. Only as recently as this year did I transition to manual machining as a conscious career choice. Essentially, I want to become a better machinist. The amount of respect and awe I have for those trailblazers who plied their craft on Bridgeport mills and Cincinnati lathes is immeasurable (not even calipers can measure it ;) ) Its one thing to push a bunch of buttons and rely on a programmer to plot out your work. From a business owner's standpoint, I'm sure CNC helps to increase productivity and reduce error. However, it's an entirely different level of production when you are forced to do the thinking for yourself and understand why you are implementing certain processes. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Here it is Feb 2023, and I am going back 5 yrs to refresh my ole mind as to a round part that needs a 11/64 pass through hole, but at a 2deg angle. Joe knowledge an teaching is better than looking up how-too's I'm my Machinists Handbook any day! Heck, he's still teaching us in 2023 and I owe 98% as a hobbyist from Joe. Keep on Keeping on friend! Bear.
Thanks again, Joe. I always look forward to your videos and watch them first despite having about 50 subscriptions to other channels. Although being new to this, you are one of the best.
Just started in machining 5 years ago when I met my best dude Randal. He's a tool and die maker for 40 odd years. He has taught me loads of things you could never learn in school! I have been watching your channel for a while now and trying your techniques in the shop. Some he already knows and has taught me such as this OP. And some I even taught him. I was real proud of that you can bet! We do not have any cnc machines. Everything is manual with DROs as our only electronics. Most everything we do is custom one off parts or repairs and sometimes small production runs of say up to 100 parts. Thanks for putting your time and knowledge out there for those who have this passion to make and create. Who would otherwise not have the opportunity to meet someone such as I have to help them learn. You are really giving back. Not only to the community but to the world! LOL! Hook 'em Horns! Formerly Temple/Belton, TX now Fort Wayne, IN.
Hi Joe I am fitter and machinist by trade here in Australia and the tricks you have shown and the clear and understandable way present them are really great.l am 63 and have worked in large machine shops, toolrooms and general maintenance and have never seen some these great techniques in the other videos, Fantastic work Joe, keep it coming, kind regards Jay
I had to do this in 3/4 S/S nuts for a anti tamper wire. Orders were for 1,000. Came in from the side with a 3/16 4f center cut @ 850-900rpm then set up with the drill bit. Gota love an air vice!
im not a machinist but i have a mill and I have a very specific need to drill an angled hole. Its for gas port in a virgin rifle barrel. This video was very helpful Thanks!
OK well done. This is one of the first techniques I learned as an apprentice journeyman 45 years ago. Make a flat before you drill. In my case it was clearance drilling and counter boring for 4-40 socket head screws on the edge of .75 diameter copper bar clamp. 3/16 dia. end mill (as flat and c'bore), center drill, 1/8 clearance drill. de-burr, done. Point, you can use non-center cutting end mill if you can enter the workpiece from the side, X or Y axis rather than Z axis as shown. in the video'
More great info- who the hell puts a thumbs down on this?Evidently they have no idea just how valuable all this stuff is even if you already know a lot of it- small side comments that you make are often quite illuminating- thanks again Joe. Just brilliant
I think my Bridgeport was even louder. I rebuilt the top end last month. It's probably just a bushing repair. There's plastic bushings on the motor pulley ( on variable speed machines) and the front variable speed pulley. But on my machine nearly every bearing felt like it had sand in it as well, so I was glad I did the whole top end - just a couple hundred dollars in parts, I got a great understanding of how the machine works and the nearly silent running machine was the reward.
I also second Jame's recommendation. It could just be the plastic bushing the spindle drive pulley. I've heard that's a common source of noise in older machines.
Thanks, Joe. I’m not a machinist, just a wannabe. I tried this on my Bridgeport mill (old round ram with no nod feature). It worked perfectly! Thanks for teaching. Much appreciated.
I know this is a 4 year old video but I needed to make sure I'm on the right track with drilling and tapping some holes into a few round parts for a race bike I'm building. Yet again you sorted it Joe. I need to counterbore to recess the heads of some cap screws into the parts so this technique is just the job. Oh, and my Bridgeport head rattles like crazy too lol. Thanks again from the UK.
Just found your video channel few days ago, Joe. As an older machinist who is still turning all the dials by hand, I enjoy watching. My shop is very small, and I make mostly one-offs and short runs of parts for various customers. Love seeing you work on the manual machines, but enjoy some of the CNC vids, too. What's really nice is seeing someone who knows some of the older tricks I learned when I was young, working with the old heads in the trade. Thanks for the enjoyable banter, too.
Just to go a little further to accommodate an odd sized hole you can trig out in infinite number of offsets from the hole center in order to achieve a near perfect match to the drill size required (if necessary). 3 steps per quadrant will usually suffice if the end mill is close to the desired hole diameter. Thanks, by the way, for giving me an outlet for what has become useless information now that I have retired.
What we need is a sort of Peace Corp where retired guys can fan out and share their tons of information with younger guys wanting to learn. It is a shame the amount of hard won information that is lost every day in the world as guys exit the work force, no matter how well deserved.
I don't think it will ever be useless information. We hobbyist are always in need of tips from you old masters. Any tip you guys can give is priceless information to pass on to the next generation of machinist.
I so enjoy your videos...I am a retired Aircraft Propeller Blade Technition...I have worked on many different types of Aircraft Propeller, from C130 and P3 Orion, Cessna Aircraft, Pipers, and crop dusters, and the list goes on....I Am fascinated by Your precision and downright incredible ability to make things work...The knocking sound in Your milling machine, is like a set screw has backed out of a rotating shaft and is hitting a stationary metal structure..? I am considering purchasing a small (used) lathe, and making some fun things...there is a video of a gyroscope and a few other things I am looking at also....Henry...keep up the wonderful Work You are doing...
Joe, I use this trick often but I would make sure and give a caution. Not everyone out there has a Milling Machine and my try this on a Drill Press. It's not a good idea to do this in a Drill Press as the Endmill will often walk, reach the edge of the hole, dig in and break off. You used a Center Drill after the Endmill as one of your steps. For Drill Press users, try the same thing except skip the Endmill and use the Center Drill as step one. You can go deep enough with the Center Drill if you use frequent Peck cycles to let the captured chips fly out of the short Flutes on a Center Drill. If you go deep enough, you will have a full circle to start your cut with a Drill and there is the starter hole created by the Center Drill to keep everything centered up.
You will have to be very patient. The centerdrill 2 flute design will have a greater tendency to walk than an end mill. Its the angled tip of the centerdrill and angled surface that will increase deflection potential.
I just have to thank you again I never thought of making a flat spot or using an end mill, I always used a guide, other part with hole it or I just didn't try to drill at any angle but a 90 degree ! If you every need another Job Please start teaching young people !! Your easy going,simply straight forward way of presenting things is just what this generation badly needs as most seam still lost at 20 - 30 yrs and older ! Your the Solution!
Your absolutely correct, spare the rod spoil the Child-sort of! I never spanked my two Daughters - just cut their privileges & taught them right from wrong, tried to raise them right & show them by example what it's like when 2 people Really Love each as my wife & I do!
Thanks Joe. I'm glad that I subscribed to your channel. As a newby I've learned quite a few things from you. I'm glad that you are willing to share your knowledge with me.
Mr. Joe Pieczynski, many thanks for sharing your knowledge through his instructive and well explained videos. Besides dedication for the quality of its editions. Again, Thank you very much and greetings from Argentina.
Joe Pie, thanks for sharing. That technique convinced me. Keep making these vids please. I refer friends to your vids because you demonstrate and explain well.
Super useful. I have done the mill cutter in a Jacob's chuck and had it pull into the job and ruin it, causing me to invest in an er collet which has been a blessing.
Everyone is different, but I am not a fan of endmills in chucks. I do it once in a while if I am counterboring aluminum and there is already a hole, but otherwise, you are not going to catch me finishing an 80% lower on a drill press.
That mill sounds as noisy as mine, a cheap Chinese ZX50CA, with geared head. I have tried adding thicker transmission oil but one of these days I will have to take it apart and check the bearings and gear meshing if I want to keep my hearing! Love the videos and have learned alot from them, keep up the good work.
I’m a new subscriber and very new at machining. A hobby in my retirement. Love your way of thinking and vast experience. I own a very low end King mill, belt drive with stacked pully,s. On one occasion while changing speeds, I encountered the exact same rattle. Turned out I over tightened the belts. After the tension on the belts was adjusted, the rattle was gone. Who know, maybe something to check. Thanks for the videos.
If your mill has one of those sliding levers in the front of the head up top for back gear, sometimes the bushing that rides in the inclined slot can wear down and cause the gears to rub inside. If you have that type, check that bushing.
Another Great video Joe- the head on my mill sounds similar. When you find out what it is - let us all know with a repair video. That's exactly how I do angled holes or holes on round stock - you need a flat.
I will support Martin Vernon's comment concerning the spline and spline socket rattling. Probably caused by a slightly bent spline shaft. This will cause the knocking your mill is making. Good video and well explained.
videos get better and better. Great detail. i really like how u focus on oddball things or things that arent usually talked about but happen all the time in the shop. Maybe you can do a video on using endmills in the lathe in the future? Maybe knurling or reaming? I really liked the steady rest video. I always seem to have problems with chatter / endmill cutting way oversize. Sadly, our shop doesnt have the proper tooling for the job a lot of the time and I have to improvise. Thanks for the videos Joe Pi
Hey Joe. Looks like you got things working REALLY well with your new video setup. Well focused and steady, good lighting and good sound. Congrats. Good info on this video. Thanks
Joe I would have done it the same way you did.... With one variation. Even if I were using a face cutting end Mill, I would plunge cut only down to the point of where I had a full diameter flat..... And then I would have walked it out to the side in order to ensure that the surface the center drill would encounter would be dead flat. I'm used to working to aircraft tolerances and I would have to minimize any chance at the center drill would walk even a couple of thousands off center if it encountered a convex surface left by a simple end Mill plunge. Also, to minimize the drill walking as it broke through the backside I might have pre-drilled a 1/8" pilot hole all the way through, and I would make sure that the final sized drill would have a split point..... So that the linear pressure on the drill would be reduced. This would help to minimize it from walking as it broke through the other side. All in all, you've made a great video here!
Great tip!! I have used the end mill trick. But using the knee to control the feed is priceless.. P.S. I had a drill press making same noise, ended up the set screw on motor pulley backed off allowing it to rattle on the key way...
Great video, I like the tip, Id probably try to finish the whole with the end mill, that should be interesting. As far as the noise goes, I got the same one, and I finally fixed it! Ear plugs...take care and keep making vids!
Hey Joe, I just caught this video today; figure you've got that noisy milling machine sorted by now... but if you've got any other maintenance/repairs needed, I'm moving to central Texas this year and would be happy to give a hand in appreciation for the fine content you keep putting up
Nice tip.....the best message to me was "take your time" "take your time".....as a young man working as a mechanic it was beat into me beat flat rate.....I am always going TOO FAST.......
Useful tip for drilling on an offset. I to don't like the idea of using an end mill in a drill chuck as I've been told the vibration set up in the cutting process is enough to work the chuck or the end mill loose. I've never tried this but can always remember my instructor tell us about this. I had a bench drill given to me a long time ago - it too sounded like your machine, when I looked for where the noise was coming from I found the belt had been repaired with a metal link joining the belt. The belt had been repaired with a twist in it. I ordered a new belt but in the meantime I flipped out the link and replaced it with out the twist. The machine ran quietly without the vibration.
Yes, I tried it Outlooker 251 - despite reading a warning about not using an end mill in a drill chuck. I had just started to learn engineering and had a brand new small drill/mill. I had a very small flat to put in the side of a piece of drill rod (for a set screw engagement). I would use a very SMALL end mill, so what would be the harm - I reasoned. I could have easily mounted my end mill chuck - but I had been drilling holes you understand. Anyway, I had hardly touched the work when the chuck let go of its arbor.... There is an old saying that says that experience is what you get when you get noting else out of an endeavor. I have a little round gouge on the top of my mill vice's front jaw (where the end mill hit it) that I call my "experience mark"! Every time I see it I remind myself to listen when experience speaks. Joe has the experience and that is why I have subscribed. Thanks Joe!
Joe Pieczynsk: This is one of those, "I thought everyone knew that" subjects. However, there might be some that will experience an 'ah ha' moment and benefit from this video. I'm not so proud that I can't admit I've learned or have had my memory jogged from some of your videos.
I think if you turn on Closed captions starts @ 3:10. you will find its not rattling. It is "MUSIC". ahh the sweet sounds of a drill press! just sayin :)
Hello Joe and Ro Efa, One final thing.A pair of stethoscopes as used by car mechanics will quickly and accurately locate exactly where your machine noises are coming from without a lot if stripping and examining. Brilliant things and very cheap too.
Back in the day, we would stick the tip of a screwdriver against the suspect surface and grip the handle with our thumb over the end. Press that thumb knuckle against your ear and you have an instant stethoscope. Try it.
I suppose saying 'a PAIR of stethoscopes' has blown my cover as a doctor. Your videos are very educating for the experienced as well as the novice. They are presented so professionally they remind me of my time at night school. Great stuff. I think the screwdriver stethoscope was phased out in the seventies when we had long hair ;-).
...Nice to be the first... Hi Joe - thanks for this video. I knew to make a starting pocket for this holes, but to use the quill for a better "feeling" is new to me. Thanks again and keep going on. Tom
All good stuff Joe ....... I guess a quill helps ! Be great to see a video of your mill head tear down and refit .....I'm sure there are Kent of noisy mill heads out there. All the best Mat
Hi Joe, Great video as usual. Just one comment...... Since I stopped using centre drills for anything other than drilling holes in which I'm going to use a centre, I've never had the tip break on one. Spotting drills all the way!
Getting the hole at an angle is the easy part-getting it positioned precisely is hard. A demo of using tooling balls would be great. I have a rough idea of how to use them, but haven't seen an actual demo.
I live just up the road a piece, and I would happily trade you a case of the finest local brew for the old girl. I'd take her home, treat her kind, and even sing her a song of welcome
Yea that rattle can be annoying my old girl has the same problem. as best I can determine it is the bull gear rattling. It's a fairly pricey and deep down in the head repair. I opted to go ahead and buy the parts so I have them on hand, and just run it till she won't run anymore. I've had the repair parts for several years now, so that's just that much longer the repair will last when I finally have to do it.
I finally tore into it on Friday and Saturday. Its the spline sleeve on the motor pulley. The pulley itself looks a bit worse for wear. I'll talk with the techs in the morning. Its about $300 in parts and some patience to fix it. I actually filmed it and will post the video when its done.
Good Tip, thats how I do it. Can I request a video? One area I am very uneducated in is the naming of different metals. I often hear people on RU-vid refer to '4140' or '316' or in this video '17.4'. Can you give any explanation as to the where the numbers are derived from and how you would go about choosing what grade to use for a component. At home I just use what ever I can get hold of and at work we don't use any common materials so ive never had to study it. Cheers
I'll look into this one Crispin. Good suggestion. Coming from a medical background, I can say the 17-x series stainless steels are heat treatable. I was surprised at that one. 17-4 cuts great and heat treats easily. Ends up at around 44C rockwell.
Yep, that's how I do it. I was told way back that you never use an end mill in a chuck. That it is bad for the chuck. Though I have done this in aluminum when only making a flat big enough to get a center drill on. (by the way, I am looking to get out of production lathe work. Need a hand out there in Texas Joe) ; )
I don’t live nearby, I’m in Seattle, Washington, but I would be happy to drive anywhere in Wa, OR, or ID and fix your drill press for free. But I can easily imagine down below there are a half-a-hundred offers. Your videos are always instructive. Thank you!
Thank´s for sharing your experience. I´m a beginer chinistma , well almost, just 5 years in the trade. that noise on your mill may be the bearings. on another subject, I see you´ve been in Nayarit Mexico at "el Gordo" , I live in Mexico at a 4 hour drive to Nayarit. Saludos desde Mexico
Regarding the noise you drill press is making, check the fan shroud on the back of the motor. Also there is a possibility that the impeller may be fractured.
Granted im not a machinist and im not around a knee mill alot. i took a machine tools class in college and all 4 knee mills they had sounded like that so i dont know who has a quiet mill but its not common and its nothing to be sorry for lets face it machining is not a quiet task.
Thanks Chubbza5. Its a nice camera. I'm a bit old school and kinda wish it had a full manual mode for the video, but my quality is getting better. Good to hear from you.
All my hole look just like that especially while trying to drill them exactly on Center! Haha! Don't think I've ever drilled a perfectly straight hole in round stock in 58 yrs! : ) : )
Hey Joe, I saw a neat video you might like. "I make an 8-ball out of solid stainless steel and brass" by "My Mechanics". He used a boring bar, an angle plate, and a rotary table to make a perfect sphere.
