Hardtail Vise Build Ep.9: Facemilling in the Kearney & Tracker Horizontal Mill 

“The D.R.O on this mill isn’t that accurate, it always changes a couple thou when you lock and unlock the knee”. [Proceeds to get the indicator out] Indicator changes a couple thou when you lock and unlock the knee. I guess the D.R.O IS that accurate! 😂🤣

Neat how the body of the mill looks like it's spinning in the correct direction but the cutters look like they are spinning backward.

I would have just run a fly cutter that can reach up under the jaw overhang area.

Im just waiting for the hand scraping to get some oiling surfaces in it ❤😂

Captain overkill has come to play on this vise series!

Love me some Abom on a Saturday! Tell Abby I love her too! Thanks for all your hard work and great educational content Adam

I like this new tech where the tool spins opposite direction to the spindle. I believe that reduces imbalance vibrations and yields nicer surface although chips are being blown away in a direction opposite to cutting because of wind from spindle. Very cool!

Nice to see the manual machines still being used at the home shop! Always liked the Monarch lathe!

I remember you making the trip over to Mississippi to buy the K&T from James Kilroy... and you did some work on it once you got it. Fun to see it in action again... I know its a heavier more rigid machine than than normal size bridgeports... Vice is coming along!

The sound it makes is like 10 Santa sleighs jingling at the same time.

I’m going to get one of those sky hook jacks and just look for stuff to lift onto my workbench. I don’t care if it’s just a case of beer I love that thing!

Thanks for sharing. I saw Keith Fenner use counter weights on his old K&T mill. Nice job.

Would it be possible to use all of your different machines to do work on the vise? It would be awesome to say every machine you own had a hand in building the vice :)

I absolutelylove this series. You and Jason are both fantastic.

I thought you were taking the piss lifting the vice with the crane? Fair play I just couldn't be bothered to set that up to lift things like that 😮

I have not been “into” your new shop all that much. So it has been very enjoyable to see you back in the old shop again, for both this video and a few previous ones…. Thanks.

Boy oh boy the comments. Cant win in the comments section no matter what. I enjoyed the video a lot! Interesting to watch you work around variation in the machine. Great job!

ANOTHER RELAXING SATURDAY AFTERNOON THANKS

Close up of the milling made want to go get my safety glasses. Crisp!

The K&T is like the rest of us old timers Wore out but can still work the snot out of some s#@t

Great to see you back in the home shop Adam .....

That sky hooks a back saver for sure

Wouldn't a fly cutter be ideal for getting under the fixed jaw?

You're getting lots of haters on this video. Keep doing what you're doing Adam. Ignore these hater

Hello Adam my name is Paweł. You are a very good specialist. Greetings from Poland. 👍

Every time he says Sky Hook, I am reminded of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Thanks for another great video

Most excellent.

Love this series on the Hardtail Vice

Super enjoying this series too!!! Thanks!!

I wish Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and your family. Greetings from Germany.

Always good to see the old K&t working! I finally got a 2HL K&t I have been wanting for quite some time so after some small maintenance on it I’m ready to get to use it Thanks for the video! Adam

Mmm that good K&T content. I’m really enjoying this project to have all your machines collaborate/contribute to this vice. Gonna be some real satisfaction down the line using this vice, in turn, for other projects (-8

Love vids at the home shop! Thanks

Cant wait to see it finished! Great videos, thank you.

I suspect that the marks on the right-hand end of the piece were caused when the leading edge of the face mill became unloaded.

Really enjoying the series, thanks

Quite a job,man.Great video.Thank you.

Great job. Thank you 😊

28:08 I believe the end marking is because half a tool realeses from the engagement and tool pressure lowers making the other side dip in to the part dipper. a spring pass usually solve this. but looking forward to see your troubleshooting...

Exceptional workmanship! I always learn something new.

I'm sure many of us viewers are jealous !!! Nice work.

Adam, that old K&T is an awesome machine. What you did shows that your an experienced machinist who knows what his tools need to get a good part.

It's nice to see the K&T back in action, even with its limitations.

Adam I share your passion for the old machines. Love watching the shaper work. I learned to use a shaper in a machines trades class in 1978. The machine was old then but still was my favorite. Made gas money boring small engines on an old Bridgeport. Brings back some very good memories watching your videos. Thanks for sharing. Merry Christmas to you and Abby!!!

This series is just incredible, I cannot wait to see the entire series out! keep up the lovely work!

Love that Harbor Freight jack cart! 1k lb capacity, used it to load a rifle safe the other day, worked a dream.

It doesn't look like it would need the Sky Hook, but the specs say that 8" TMX vice is 150 lbs.

Good stuff

when i retired i used the similar k and t. not sure if the models changed much in those years kudos on the DRO. a complete rebuild would be amazing

The combination of rpm and your camera's fps makes for a delightful illusion.

At 27:37 the reason for the machining marks is when the cut finished, the cutting load decreased allowing the trailing edge to start to cut. It happens to varying extents on all face milling operations on all machines.

❤ .0005 is close enough. A cigarette paper is. 0025 so 1/5th the thickness of a cigarette paper on that old milling machine isn't too bad. I am sure a lot of work has been done plus stones used just like you did in the center of that table so it's not going to be perfect as a new one for sure. Even a new milling machine will move the table when you tighten the knee. ❤ I enjoyed watching the show Adam. I do not think I have missed a episode in the last 2 or 3 years and I like them all. KEEP EM COMING AND I WILL BE HERE.

In Serbia you don't need sky hook

Its good to be back. I was subbed way back when you guys started the weight loss journey. Ive changed a lot in the last five years. You look great as always kid. Its good to see you. Tell Mrs. Abom hello for me. God bless you guys.

Work has 8" Kurt vises for the big mill. I'll be making lifting plates like that.

nice!!

Maybe u could use a fly cutter onder the jaw..

What about a flycutter or the underside? And a final pass or 2?👍👌🇦🇺

Adam likes to make his tooling, surprised he didn't make a flycutter to get that done.

Really enjoying this series. Thanks for sharing.

I wonder if a fly cutter would have been an option to get under that overhang and also finish the rest of the surface?

Wild how the camera reacts with the speed of the tool head and spindle rotation.

This would of taken much longer, but a fly cutter could of gone under the jaw.👍👍Adam are you going to visit Doug and SV Seeker sometime soon????????????????????????

Fireball tool just did a video on his K&T, exact same issues.

You could take that vise to the next level and get the biax scraper out and scrape those 4 surfaces flat, square and parallel.... It would look pretty neat too !

Would be cool to see how it checks out on the granite table.

Be interesting to see how the vises are machined in the production shop.

A whole episode to mill one face?

This setup would be the perfect time to have some Abom sized "low" profile table vices. The ones that have the taper to them to press into the material as they are tightened down. But, they use a SHCS fpr a fastener which is recessed in the body fully. Putting two on either side rather than the toe clamps to stabilize the middle and reduce or eliminate the ringing. Most of these clamps are only about a half inch thick. I'd like to think and Abom sized one would be an inch and a half thick and two inches wide.

Still partial to the old shop

Nice work Adam. It will be a hell of a good vice when it's done. The castings look excellent quality. Just out of interest, have they been seasoned? They season engine blocks to prevent movement after machining. Keep the good stuff coming. Your better than anything on TV! Regards Brian

Dangit,, now there's two machines I need to come pick up. the Victor and this mill. Adam, you don't need this aggravation. I can be there in 3 hours. lemme know.

Is that TBT oval sticker at 12:15 from the band Trampled By Turtles maybe?

If you set the part on the table the other way round so you cut from right to left, the chips would fly to the back instead of towards you. The indicator is not needed. The finishing cut is relative to the previous cut, if both have the table locked the distance the knee moves on the dro or knee dial is correct. When the knee was moved up to 0.048" on the indicator it actually moved 0.050" because the needle dropped to -0.002" when unclamped. On the second attempt the table was moved 0.048" from -0.002" on the indicator to 0.046" and the clamp raised the final 0.002". Generally the knee is rarely locked, the large mass of the knee takes care of any Z axis backlash. This leaves the knee solid and the sheer mass of the knee & part stop any lift. The only issue arises when a combination of a cut with the knee locked is referenced to a cut without it locked. This is what was used in the video & the issue was entirely self inflicted. Using a depth micrometer with a 5" long spindle does not give a solid feel. It is far easier to use a 1" rod onto a 4" gauge block. A nice chamfer could have been added to either side with that cutter.

Poor Adam - having to clean that cast-iron dust off every machine in the shop (and probably everything else because that sh..., uhm, stuff gets everywhere!

Hello Adam I was hoping you would use a horizontal milling cutter, I belief thy call it a slab mill

Never used a machine that didn't shift by a couple thou when you locked an axis. Just used an indicator like you did.

First question after years of viewing . At the end of video ……can that roughness be polished out or is it good that way . Thanks and Merry Christmas !

If you're making this a show piece may I suggest jeweling or scrapping it. How cool would it be to have a vice with the only jeweled or scraped vice? Silly I know, but you might start a trend of youtube one up manship and us benefiting with great content to watch.

I would like to have seen the last cut feed rate halved to around 4" per minute. That would have made it look even better than it does and even better leave 5 thou oversized then use a fly cutter for a perfect finish.

The finish changing on exit could also be from the part or tool 'ringing'. A 0.050" cut isn't nothing. Cutter on the backside has less load/deflection so prolly cuts a bit more coming back across which I'm sure you know. Also, yeah a long fly cutter would have done it...

Hi 👋 ❤

Wear on a machine shouldn't affect DRO scale readings as they should be measuring absolute position totally unrelated to machine wear, it's kind of the whole point of them!

Would a fly cutter work to get under the jaw?

Disc/slot cutters might work, but slow to run.

Love your channel & I've been following the vise build from the start. One question though, if this is Ep 9, why does is say EP 11 in the opening display panel ?

If you run a board thru a planner you get “Snipe” maybe that’s what your Mill is doing?

A K& T rebuild?

Rats, Big wide long mill in the other shop that might be able to do this in its sleep. Not many have those. And I see why you use your old mill with options.

You have always had issues with the K&T. Problems with the motor, the knee, the ways and locks and even the spindle. Hell, you had it for several years now and you still haven't touched the on-board coolant. With the new shop, it may be time to let go of the K&T and pick up a big boy mill.

Adam, beginner question.... your dial indicator does not have the base square....i take it, that does not matter....you are looking for movement from its random ref....is that correct?

Have you considered rebuilding it . To tighten up the tolerance . Or is it not worth the time and money?

Lots more detailed explanation than a non machinist viewer might care for. One operation in almost 30 minutes!

So is the mill a lost cause or is a trip to Cash Masters in order?

I'd love to know how you ensure that the spindle is square with the table.

Man what’s one of these vises go for - like $5k. A lot of hours in on this thing. I wonder how much dust has collected on all those fancy machines in the other shop

Will the K&T not turn 90 degrees?

I think your depth mic has a bent shaft

mov on need no staf