I recently purchased my first milling machine. It's a Bridgeport series 1clone. I can see it was manufactured by buffalo machinery out of Taiwan but is branded as microcut. As this is my first machine it's all a bit new to me. I have been trying to find a manual for the machine so I can familiarize myself with it as well as fix a few issues I have noticed with it. There is no model number visible on the plate. It's fitted with a 2hp motor also.

I have been able to find information about the microcut 837 which seems similar but has variable speed head so I don't think that's what I've got. Haven't been able to find out anything else about it online.

Interested to hear if anyone has seen or dealt with this clone before. Cheers

I have a mini lathe and would like to know if there is a tool or could I make a tool to put a 1/8in radius hemisphere on the end of each rod I’m working. Basically making a ball end. I may have to do hundreds of these and would like to be able to do it quickly. I’m working bronze. I have already tried to make a tool by drilling a 1/4 hole in steel and then cutting it out to only be a 90 deg section of the hole that I could hopefully use, but it just wasn’t cutting. Any tips?

Edit: Thanks to all for answers. After heat treating the tool I originally made, it began to cut better, but I think I’ll buy a curve cutting tool from McMaster as some suggest

Got one super cheap at auction but before I go to the work of moving it into my shop I'd like too make shure everything is there. Thanks ahead!

I've got a steel excavator track that I need to cut apart. The joints are about an inch thick. I can't figure out if I should spring for an angle grinder, a hand-held cut-off tool, or rent something like a Hilti gas-powered 12 inch concrete saw and put a metal-cutting blade on it. Any ideas or tips would be greatly appreciated.

G'day guys, I am trying to get this Bridgeport running in my home shop. It's got a 2hp three phase motor and my shop has 15amp 240v outlet. Can someone please point me in the direction of a suitable VFD for this application. As I understand it if I am running a 2hp motor via VFD I should have a 3hp VFD to cover it when derated is that correct. Any help would be appreciated. Cheers

I'm in the process of setting up my newly acquired mill. I bought it from a private individual as nearly new. Unfortunately I just discovered that the mounting holes in the bottom of the XY table dont match the holes in the base on which I want to mount the mill. The XY table "holes" are spaced about 225 mm (see photo). The holes in the base are spaced only 160 mm.

The mill is a HBM BF25, but the base is meant for a smaller model. The correct base is sold separately for about 200 euros. Would it make sense to get that base or can I use this one and save some money?

How would you fix this? My idea is to make an adapter plate from trespa with holes for the base and holes for the XY table. Or would you do it differently?

https://preview.redd.it/10v4asiz7kzd1.jpg?width=2000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=17b3d4f89364c8c6d0a1ad4c0a3d3ca795e75a17

https://preview.redd.it/lgwo9riz7kzd1.jpg?width=2000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b77904c4af31fd1bd3cc8b2214af430c11ca6674

Problems is the drill has trapper where it has a increase in dia at beginning and less in the end of the hole. Due to which the thread for mation at beginning is not good. Please kindly help with problem..

I'm new here. I did try the search function and didn't get much help.

Does anyone have recommendations for some spectacles that help with lowlight in the shop(imagine working in the batcave)?? Polarized?? Yellow/Rose tints?? I'm open to anything.

Bonus points for anything that stands up to repeated alcohol wipes. Im in a hydraulic shop so have to constantly wipe oils of the lenses and it just seems to degrade everything so fast.

What is the technique called when you make a cut Back the tool off the job stop the lathe, reverse the chuck rotation touch the tool on so it rubs and slam the auto feed so it returns back to the original start

But on the way it polishes the surface to a brilliant mirror I’ve done it a few times with success surly it has a name

There are four of these corners

https://preview.redd.it/7vd9evj3d7zd1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=49fd34bf0794b3fdce9a3bdc7299e049c5023ad0

I will be milling this with a 1/2in end mill, I need to have this corner as square as possible, what could I do? I was thinking of just putting a fillet on the male end that would be slotting into this, but I'm kind of new to the mill, so I'm not entirely sure how I'd do that manually.

I am looking to have this part recreated with metal.. how could I do that? Are there machinist shops that could scan and create this? Sorry for the noob question

I made a couple of aluminium welds in my mini mill, came out nice 😊

im wondoring what i can do to machine this hole, its meant for an electric motor that has a d-shaped shaft. it has a size diameter of 5mm so quite small.

https://preview.redd.it/19guvbl54dyd1.png?width=1047&format=png&auto=webp&s=d2cdf4faf32e114b9ce3f7b7382c6e4bcdaf2315

https://preview.redd.it/dydo431libyd1.png?width=2559&format=png&auto=webp&s=159c993fe6e8a0fb19e5b95ff741b7345727e12c

https://preview.redd.it/kjcqa51libyd1.png?width=2559&format=png&auto=webp&s=b886d6ff9fdaa9a871de14afa86b9a89bd1def7b

These are the lathes I'm choosing between.

The top one is around 750 usd and the bottom one is around 2k usd, The top one has plastic gears and doesn't include a 4 jaw and the bottom one has belts and does include a 4 jaw, I know the bottom one is higher quality but is it worth 1300 usd more, The company that sells the bottom one is in the same country as me so i guess getting to support would be easier.

Thanks

Hi i am interested in getting a little 7x14 lathe but i have some questions (i am coming from 3d printing).

Does it need to be in a heated room?

Should i buy carbide or hss cutting tools?

What are some stuff i need to get to complement the lathe equipment?

I plan to make some small "steam" engines like the wigwag and maybe some stuff for an rc car i am working on so extreme precision is not the goal here and i am still in school so I'm not made of money.

I already have calipers, files, drills and stuff like that.

Thanks

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Dumb question. How do I oil this? Oil, grease? Do I need a fitting?

I’m restoring an old DJ-15 Delta Jointer. When I was removing an eccentric bushing a part chipped off the flange.

It’s not the end of the world but cosmetic wise I’m bummed because I’m going thru the process of cleaning and fixing it up and I’d hate not trying to correct the break.

The sad thing is Delta no longer makes replacement parts for the jointer and I can not find anything similar anywhere.

The Overall width is 22mm Inside hole diameter is 12mm (table shaft goes in) Hole diameter is 20mm (fits into the jointer hole)

I’m curious if any machinists might be able to help either make one or know a site that make sell an eccentric bushing.

Material can be ferrous or bass I think.

Any help would be great!

pics of measurements

If anyone knows of a better deal out there for the vise in the title I'm all ears.

I've spent at least a couple of hours scouring the internet to no avail but my Google Fu may be lacking.

The DX6 is too big for my benchtop milling machine.

ETA: Found at HAAS for $553 including tax and shipping thanks to a member here and the "SAVE25OCT" coupon they have going on right now.

I am trying to fabricate watch parts on my mini lathe. This means that I have to use a collet instead of a chuck, and work needs to be done very close to the collet. In order to slide the carriage all the way to the left, I have to back out the cross slide by a bit, or else it will interfere with the motor cover. It's a little hard to describe, but you can see what I'm referring to from this video (https://youtu.be/UzeWSTuVVrg?si=rE5E6ZkwzpCxFVlD&t=240, look below the chip guard).

Since the cross slide is now backed out, the cutting tool (¼") no longer reaches the spindle, so I have to reposition it forward in the tool holder which creates a lot of overhang over the ways. I'm concerned that this will cause some issues with the tool deflecting under load. Watch parts are made out to about half a thou of precision, so I want to be sure my setup is not undermining my attempts to make parts. On the flip side, I'm only cutting from stock that is 1-4 mm wide, so it's not like I'm making extremely deep cuts, so my whole point may be moot.

Hello,
I plan to convert a small Drill Press (0.35 kW) into a mini mill for small aluminium milling work, my parts would be a max of size of 5cm³ Which mill bits would be suitable for good material take off? (2-3mm deep cut)

Hi, I hope I find you all in good health.

I am a PhD student working in grinding process. My experiments on our surface grinding machine (mostly on mild steel) are leaving me with a lot of practical questions. I often find myself uncertain about some of the fundamentals, and I am hoping those of you here who have an experience with grinding might be able to offer some insights. Specifically, I would like to understand:

1. Wheel Dressing: How do you decide when and how much to dress the wheel? Are there clear signs that indicate a wheel needs dressing, and what is your method for verifying that it’s been dressed properly?
2. Burn and Chatter: Under what conditions do these issues typically arise? There are times when the wheel makes a rubbing noise without significant power consumption or visible burn marks, though leading to chatter, what does this tell about the wheel condition? This is also making me think there is a wheel failure criteria that decides if its going to be chatter or burn. Am I thinking in the right direction?

Any insights from your experience would be invaluable to me.

Hello. I'm a woodworker but I'm often trying to make parts from steel. ie. dowel forming inserts for a dowel maker, bushings ... small cylindrical things. I manage to make what I want using my drill press and belt grinder but drilling on center in steel with my drill press is hit or miss.

Would a small Sherline lathe be a good choice in this instance or does it make sense to go bigger, shop space permitting?