Milling in a lathe?

[bad_idea]

I saw in the South Bend book: "How to Operate a Screw Cutting Engine Lathe" a milling vise for a lathe. I have no machining experience but a Grizzly 12x37 metal lathe followed me home recently. I have had several projects in the past that having a mill would have been great for. I have had trouble finding a milling vise for the lathe online though. It seems like a great capability to have at home. Much cheaper to buy a vise than a mill. Also takes up much less space too. Anyone use a lathe for milling? Where can I find a milling vise for the lathe?

 

[Outlawmws]

It has to be made to fit your lathe, and its not "just" a vise; it is a "Y" table (turned on edge) and may or may not have a vise incorporated. Then you mount it the compound and the compound provides the "X" directions and the cutting tool goes in the lathe chuck.

 

[neel2008]

hmm Ive never seen one of those....that's pretty neat....gives me some new ideas for my future planned DIY CNC lathe setup....you could pretty much have a small 3 axis "horizontal" (kinda) CNC Mill if you added a servo, motor, and ball screw setup to the Y table.... hmm

 

[454ragtop]

Usually called a milling attachment, while better than no mill at all, they're very limited in capacity and usability. Before I had a mill, I made a tool post by shimming a block up on the compound and stuck an end mill in the chuck. Crude, but it worked. To hold the end mill, put a piece of hex stock in the 3 jaw, mark which flat aligns with jaw 1, and bore to fit your end mill. Then add a set screw in the side. Repeatability is pretty good if returned to the same orientation in the 3 jaw.
Jim

 

[larry_g]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Palmgren-25...117?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3ccc99b0e5

Palmgren made some universal fit ones in a 250 and a 400 model number. They aren't for hard projects but will do simple setups and light cuts.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[bad_idea]

Thanks. I will keep it in mind for the future. I'll see what pops up first: a great deal on a mill or a project I have to get done that the milling attachment proves cheaper.

 

[Dieselbutterfly]

neat

 

[rlitman]

Ugh. I tried that once. Once.
It was a total disaster. Darned near worthless concept. Just about as bad as milling in a drill press.

The carriage isn't designed to deal with the upward forces that the cutter can create. You have to overtighten the gib screws to get anywhere. Trust me. It just isn't meant to be if your milling needs run any larger than cutting keys.

 

[Steevo]

I have the same kind as Outlaw pictured above for my Craftsman/Atlas lathe. It is a handy fixture for a lathe, especially when you don't have a mill.