South Bend lathe milling attachment – Part VIII

Surfacing the mill bed and test run

With the bed attached to the cross slide and the motor wired hooked up, I could finally start running it.  The first task was to true the bed, which was a simple (but time-consuming) matter.

Using a fly cutter, I was able to remove about 0.006″ with each pass – certainly not hogging material off, but the end results were hard to fault.  There was no perceptible ridge between any of the passes, an indication that the head is indeed perpendicular to the lathe ways.

Using a fly cutter to true the milling bed surface.

Using a fly cutter to true the milling bed surface.

The finished surface.

The finished surface.

 

With the milling bed surfaced, it was almost time to try slotting a spine.  First I needed to make a fixture to hold the spine.  The fixture is made with three pieces of metal that are bolted to the milling bed; the spine is held in a groove with several set screws.

Fly cutting the spine slotting fixture base.  This ensures that the spine is held parallel to the table so that the slot in the spine is, in turn, parallel to the sides of the spine.

Fly cutting the spine slotting fixture base. This ensures that the spine is held parallel to the table so that the slot in the spine is, in turn, parallel to the sides of the spine.

Slotting the first saw spine.

Slotting the first saw spine.

 

The results were better than I had dared hoped for.  While slotting the spines is a time-consuming process, they turned out beautifully.  The slots are perfectly centered and run true for the entire length of the spine.  Best of all, this attachment finally gives me the capability of moving the entire production of the saw into my own shop.

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4 Responses to South Bend lathe milling attachment – Part VIII

  1. Sean says:

    Way cool, Isaac. I need to go back and read parts i-vii. I’ve been interested in learning more about machining, but the last thing I need is another hobby I’m no good at and have no time to practice, but that is a good excuse for spending more money on tools!

    • admin says:

      Sean, Think very carefully before you get into metalworking. It makes hand tools for woodworking look like a cheap hobby. Not to mention that the tools are big, and very heavy. But it is fun. The best thing to do is find a friend who has all the equipment, then sneak into their shop at night and use their machines…
      Isaac

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