I recently binged all of your videos and now I have trouble watching many other YT machinists.... the multiple simultaneous angles are just a godsend for these videos!
I just ran across your videos. I enjoy them. I'm a retired machinist. I started in a job shop in my late teens running Bridgeports and many other manual machines and ended my career as a NC programmer at Boeing. What your videos remind me is how great those early years were running Bridgeports. 😊
As always I enjoyed your journey with this. I do like seeing you tighten the Cap Screws... A nice touch - a snug fit, not torqued to within an inch of their life (as we see many others doing). I knew an older fitter many years ago who's favourite, tongue-in-cheek, advice to the apprentices was "Tighten it up till its strips, then back it off half a turn". Still get a chuckle from that to this day.
Following along with this series. I have a PM 728 VT I’m currently installing a DRO on. Your Y axis solution has given me some inspiration on what to do. I will have to do something similar on the Z axis as the side of the column is not flat top to bottom. I really enjoy your content. Thanks you!
I was pulled into your channel from one of your 3d printing videos. I don't do any subtractive manufacturing, but I've binge watched everyone of your videos and just wanted to say thanks for the effort you put into teaching me all kinds of things.
Soot, spatter, cold starts, and hot craters are the name of the game with aluminum spooge-gun. Consider designing, fixturing, and welding such that you start a weld bead in an area of least mass, and end in an area of a lot of mass.
Those words went through my head. Last time I used welding in a project, I did it off-camera, so I could make new parts and try again, or TIG-wash over the fugly beads to clean them up. Doing it on-camera is a different animal. You get what you get, and aluminum spray welding of short stitches happens in an instant.
Manufacturer: adjust by eye, its no problem when its off by a mm, it will just work fine. Clough: we are 10nanometers off in this position and a blonde one tilted up, i think i gotta do adjustments for the next hour. nice job!
I earned a living running a spool gun for a year or so. I got pretty good at it. That being said I still would have selected the TIG for that job. Like you said mig needs to be fast and hot. It's hard to do short thin parts like that.
Mig-welding aluminium is gruesome: it only works well on thick material, with weld that are fairly long, to adjust while welding. But learning to tig-weld is a long road, but will give you much more control in the end. You are a brave man, James. Keep up the good works. I really enjoy your videos.
James, you are becoming one of my favorite You Tubers. You take the time to show us newbies not only the How, but the Why. Great stuff!!! I just ordered the PM-940V and I plan to convert to CNC after using it as a manual mill for several months. I was looking at the DRO Pros EL400 as well. I have a couple of questions: 1. Are you planning to install the 4th axis on the quill? If not, how do you plan to use it? 2. Do you have plans for the parts you made to install the X, Y & Z axis that you would sell? I would be interested in purchasing a copy if you do.
good progress cant wait to see it finally finished! a tip on behalf on the aluminium welding, i recently watched a welding channel and he said when welding aluminium you have to clean the are really good with a wirebrush to get rid of any oxidisation to get a clean weld.
These parts were all brushed with scotch-brite and then degreased with dish soap and dried prior to welding. A couple of strokes with a stainless brush probably would not have gone amiss.
@@Clough42 ah ok, then maybe it comes from the wire gun, the other one was Tig(Wig?) welding but i´m not an expert in welding 😅 my skill is just on hobby level with the little school kwnoledge from back then, just thought to share this as i seen it not long ago and found it interesting how strong the oxidization of the aluminium can interfere with the weld and how quick it oxidizes, if i remember correctly it was just minutes before it was to much oxidization to get a clean weld. But i didn´t try it myself as my welder don´t has the ability for aluminium so it is all hearsay from my side i guess 😅
Nice work. Reminds me of when I installed DROs on my lathe years ago. It came with a selection of brackets but I ended up making custom parts. Overall it was fiddly work and took hours but the investment was well worth it and I wouldn’t be without them. Good shout out to Stefan - small World isn’t it ?
I am 1:08 minutes into you your video, and already I have to say: WOW the way you zoom into your fusion360 model is astonishing! Just wow, I really like the smooth transition, which lets look into the magnificent amount of effort you put into your videos. Overall, thumbs up!
@@Clough42 Can you remind us what type of device you are using ? Is it a space ball or similar. I do a lot of CAD work and keep thinking about whether to invest time getting used to something like that rather than the mouse.
A tip for situations like when you were aligning the bracket to transfer punch, I like to put a drop or two of super glue and that's usually strong enough to hold things in place for marking and such. Then a tap on the side breaks it off easily.
Not a bad idea. DRO Pros actually shows the foam tape technique in their videos, but it most definitely did not work for me. Maybe if I had cleaned the surfaces better first or used a different kind of tape. I figured VHB was the gold standard, but maybe it's unsuitable here for some reason.
I bought and installed the 3 axis absolute dro kit from DRO Pros a few years ago. The spacer head plastic shim that came with the kit I received was much thicker than the one I had received for my two axis non absolute kit I installed on my lathe. I installed the 3 axis kit as per the spacing instructions. When I turned it on I received read errors from the display. I soon figured out that the read heads were spaced out too far to read properly (about 1/16" to 3/32") . I respaced the read heads from the scales with the plastic spacer i had on hand from the two axis lathe install and every thing worked properly (proper spacing approximately 1/32") I had a friend that bought the same absolute 3 axis kit as me at the same time and he had the same issue and resolved it by tightening up the head clearance spacing. Moral of the story is, if you install one of these kits and during use of it you find the display shows an error is giving inconsistent results, check the read. It was found to work best the closest the head clearance could be without rubbing. I hope no one has this problem but if you do this might be the reason. GOD Bless
Interesting. The technical drawings that come with the read head specify 0.5mm spacing. I didn't measure the shim, but maybe I will. Thanks for the heads-up.
I prefer drilling and tapping cast iron dry. Iron is lubricated by itself by definition. Blowing chips out of a tapped hole is easier without any lube. The lube never completely blows out of the hole, and microscopic bits or iron remain in the hole with it. The thicker the tapping lube, the more remains, along with more bits or iron.
Not many things that are more inherently stressful than drilling hols in your mill. Broke a bit off in one of the holes doing mine and had to get creative to make up for it.
Yes. This is true. For most of the holes in the mill, I had already thought through a backup plan if I needed to grind off the broken end of a tap and make a new hole a centimeter to one side.
That's the smoothest 3d model translation/rotation action I've ever seen. And you must be doing it with one hand since you are also moving the mouse cursor at the same time. How do you do that? Great video series btw, thanks!
I know your comment is a year old, but smooth control over CAD drawings is easy when using a 3D mouse. The one I use is made by 3DConnexion and is called the 'space mouse compact'. I use the 3D mouse in my left hand and a normal mouse and keyboard for the right hand.
i have recently upgraded my mill drill and van norman mill from igage to glass scale dro. so i was very interested to see how you approached the install process. came out very nice. take some time to practice yor tig welding and i know you will be much happier with the results. spool guns are not the best choice for small jobs like that. these Chinese dro's work quite well and the price is right.
Given my current skillz, this got a good result today without spending a couple of hours experimenting and a few scrapped parts. Once things open up a bit, my plan is to find a community college welding course, or maybe fly to Vegas and do one of the TFS workshops. One of my biggest regrets is not taking welding in high school.
@@Clough42 I have a lot of respect for someone who is very skilled in one field but says I need a course to get better in another field. I also like that you read and react to many of the comments here from people who take the time to offer helpful suggestions or who ask questions.
They do indeed. With hex shanks so you can pop them in an impact driver. I'm not sure any of the other RU-vid machinists would speak to me again if I used one in a video, though. :)
@@Clough42 not the traditional thing for precision machining, but when you're fitting air lines to steel girders for instance, they're perfect. Would be interesting to try them out in a mill and see how good a thread they actually make with proper fit gauges, which I don't have.
So nicely done! BTW, I have an old Dell PC here that has very low latency in LinuxCNC and would be perfect for your CNC control for that thing. :) Hey, we all need at least one devil on our shoulder talking in our ear, right? Kidding aside, super great videos. I continued to be impressed with your quality of production in equal parts to your machining and methodical approach.
Turn your argon up to 40cfh that will help the shelding gas and use acid tone to clean the Aluminum before welding. I also brush In only one direction with stainless steel brush that Dedicated for this process. I been welding on Aluminum for dump trailers semi trailers and tool boxes with spool gun the best is pushing at 15 to 20 degrees as you get use to your equipment it will get better.
@@Clough42 Hi James I try to do an video for you. Some times the Aluminum extrusion bought at the big box store are not very good quality also pre heating the Aluminum to be welded works well.
Wow, that spool gun action was "blink and you miss it" - super quick. It's all in the setup... About matches my experience with my practice stringer beads of flux core. That seems like a pretty nice machine. That mill looks pretty nice! Any big benefits or disadvantages when compared to eg a big old knee mill? (Besides not needing to be scraped in again)
I think if you can find a good knee mill for a good price, it's a great option. I have a low ceiling and thought this would fit better. I also live in a part of the country where decent used equipment is hard to find and fetches a high price, so I decided to try the PM.
Sorry buddy love your vids because i want to become a hobby machinist. My main job is welding oh st cert 6 g pipe. i can do most types of welding. That is too cold of a weld wire for something as tiny of a part as this is tricky. Don't be afraid to bust out the tig torch and practice on some cupons is really alot easier than you think when you figure out the whip technique
Hi James, I have now received my PM 932 mill with the dro installed at the factory. I know you no longer have the 940 but its similar. Did you ever plumb it for coolant, specifically the drain from the table which you ran into the scale in this video. My scale part covers the drain so using it is a no go. I'm debating drilling a new drain through the bottom of the table but wondered how you handled it. If, that is, you established a coolant drain before you found your other problem which prompted you to change mills. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks, Ron in canada.
James on the Aluminum welding it get iffy on Aluminum its clean clean and clean and push i had that spool gun and it soso pleas pm me I still trying to get releases so I can do videos on youtube its all about not giving something to public not to be seen. You have my information and keep up the great work.
What is the model of dial test indicator that you are using? I really would like to purchase a dial test indicator that has an adjustable probe tip, i already purchased 2 of them thinking that they are adjustable but after trying to pivot the probe i learned that some of them are fixed and cannot be angled into other positions. I messaged Tom Lipton and he told me they are called dial test indicators but still i am not sure of what what specific name the adjustable probe tip is called?
A little grinding would have made those welds consistent with the quality of all your other work. I have found that a grinder is a hobbiest welders best friend.
If the part is strong and clamped rigidly, and the thread is large, you can just get it started and let it pull the quill in on its own. For small threads like the M4x.7 in this video, and long, flexible parts sticking out of the vise, it's more delicate. I'm trying to apply enough pressure to the quill handle to overcome the return spring so it floats. In practice, a little bit of downward pressure on the part works best. I'm also keeping a little downward pressure during the retract and letting the tap push the quill back up. Too little pressure and the quill will pull the part up out of the fixture. Too much, and it will strip the hole or break the tap. This is much easier on a Bridgeport because the quill movement tends to be a lot lighter and better balanced.
James, great series. I recently subbed to you channel and am really enjoying the content. You’ve probably mentioned it before, but what software are you using for your schematics/drawings?
As a certified visual weld inspector, those are ugly but look functional especially without any active load on them. Tip for you. If you want to cut and inspect aluminum welds like that with more detail that shows up on camera. Draino to etch it works great. Only works on aluminum, not steel or stainless but does it great.
Thanks. I went through my bathroom cupboards looking for chemicals I already had on hand that would etch aluminum and came up empty. I kept using the word "penetration" but I guess in this case I was really looking to see if I was getting fusion or if I was just laying metal on top with lots of voids at the gap.
Advice from a mid-level welder. Try to avoid floating your MIG gun. Hold onto the noozle so you can brace your hand on the bench. The other hand will run the trigger. Should help with keeping proper distance and a smoother feed. Kind of like writing with your hand floating above the paper vs your hand braced on the paper/surface
Good advice. I had intended to brace my left wrist against the front edge of the table, but due to clamp placement issues, the setup ended up in the wrong place to do that. This is the first time I tried welding on the aluminum plate, and I'm not sure it's better than just using the steel table.
@@Clough42 you can also throw something next to your workpiece to raise your wrist up. A block of wood, aluminum, etc. Anything you do to stabilize that nozzle end. Keep up the good work!
In theory, I think there would be less if I could get the tip a little closer, though with spray transfer, it's a tradeoff with risking burn-back into the tip. I haven't seen that happen yet, so I don't know how big a risk it really is.
@@Clough42 actually with aluminum mig you want to have a pretty good stick out, like 3/4" ....it's not like short circuit mig on steel, where the closer you get the better it runs....when you hit that goldilocks stickout distance, things will run really smooth, assuming your voltage and wfs are good
Yes. If I bring the table all the way forward until the crank handle hits the power feed limit switch, the spindle is about 1/4" behind the back edge of the table. The saddle is overextended past the end of the dovetail by an inch or two in that position.
It’s always a little nerve-wracking when you start drilling and tapping holes in a brand new machine. I did the same thing with my new lathe back in September last year, video link below in case you’re interested: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-y0PkB-zcJ6c.html It all worked out fine in the end. It’s just a case of taking your time and thinking ahead. What you’re doing is great, drawings and CAD models of the parts you’re making is a handy record of how it all goes together. Better to do that than find out a problem the hard way when you’re doing things on the fly. I bought a Bridgeport last year too with a 3 axis Heidenhain DRO but only 2 encoders fitted to X and Y. I’ve got the Z axis encoder so I just need to fit it. A quill DRO would be so useful! I’ll have to get onto that too! Great videos, keep up the great work! You’re motivating me to get my butt into gear! Ha ha.
Would Machinery Manufacturers ever consider fabricating their machines with flush surfaces and space to install these DRO's easily? Just a crazy thought. :-)
I've been enjoying your channel, especially your electronic leadscrew vids and this new mill. But I have a question; you're obviously very intelligent and working with beautiful high tech 2021 equipment, why are you still working in inches? 19.72453 inches? Are you kidding me? Pretty much everything you are buying is Asian made and obviously in metric. Buying high tech 2021 equipment and working in inches is like buying a high tech 2021 Lamborghini and trying to drive it through a field like it's a 1920 car...
You obviously live somewhere where metric equipment and metric-dimensioned materials are readily available. Enjoy that luxury. I work with what's available where I live. This tool is indeed Asian made, but the dials are all imperial in the US market. Your comment also suggests that you associate the use of a second unit system with low intelligence. I find that curious. I'm not sure why working in metric on a machine with inch dials would make me more intelligent. It would definitely make my life harder.
@@Clough42 you bought a machine with inch dials? And I'm assuming imperial leadscrews to match? Ouch, and so the problem continues for another generation. I feel for you, most countries left that inches silliness behind last century. I work in EE and I'm pretty sure your scales will be natively in metric microns, and your DRO software and memories fully in one system too. What they normally do in inches mode, is a microns to inches conversion just before display. This will probably give you some weird results with settings, memories and rounding. Anyway, thanks for the reply and great channel. 👍🙂
I guess you could assume that I can see that utility in having a $600 vise, but haven't run into a situation where a more expensive drill would work better.
@@Clough42 the vise is most important indeed. it matches with the mill quality and price . no I was thinking it's funny to have this drill , because all your other tools are top quality you have borrowed it from your neighbor ? :)
@@Clough42 the last tool survived 20 year for me was a "Bosch-schlagBohrmaschine" not anymore , now Milwaukee is a good brand I am using ( at the office they also use Hilti )
