The Ultimate Mini Mill - The Best Upgrades I Made To It

Ғылым және технология

G'day everyone,
To kick off the new year I thought I should start with a video that was planned for last year. I know. The video I a look back on the upgrades that I have done to the milling machine and giving you a quick update on the ones that really mattered/improved the mill.
For what its worth, the mill was a much more complete unit than the lathe was, and finding areas to improve it was quite difficult. But eventually I found a few things to do, over the course of 2 1/2 years.
Timestamps
0:00 - Introduction
1:49 - DRO/Digital Readout
4:35 - Quick Change Mill Tooling
8:46 - Power Table Feed & Power Head Lift
10:16 - Speed Handle For the Vise
11:16 - Coolant For the Mill (Flood Coolant)
14:11 - Motor Upgrade (3HP Induction)
15:59 - Column Stiffening Bracket
16:51 - Epoxy Granite and Lead to Dampen Vibrations
17:24 - Gib Scraping

Пікірлер: 145

  • @nuneke0
    @nuneke04 ай бұрын

    So you are basically done with this one. Are you going to build yourself a bigger one next? 😄

  • @smashyrashy

    @smashyrashy

    4 ай бұрын

    Probably just buy the mext best one

  • @PSY7HON

    @PSY7HON

    4 ай бұрын

    after he gets that bandsaw.

  • @nuneke0

    @nuneke0

    4 ай бұрын

    @@PSY7HON I hope he builds one!

  • @jambusspeakermouse1325

    @jambusspeakermouse1325

    4 ай бұрын

    Ha, as soon as i saw the title i thought "he's getting an upgrade!"

  • @artisanmakes

    @artisanmakes

    4 ай бұрын

    Nah, the plan is to keep this one for the foreseeable future. It’s a pretty good piece of kit these days, and I really don’t need anything larger at the moment

  • @crichtonbruce4329
    @crichtonbruce43294 ай бұрын

    Great overview of the history of your modifications. I've not needed to do a great amount of scraping, but I saw a trick on another channel that has worked great for me: During the initial roughing out I use a Dremel grinder to remove the high spots and this saves a huge amount of time. I got good enough that I only needed the scraper for the final passes. You can even use this technique on hardened steel!

  • @Bob_Adkins

    @Bob_Adkins

    4 ай бұрын

    Agree! I use an angle grinder to do the roughing in, and even a little more. Back when I used one to scrape for the first time, I was worried about gouging and over grinding. I was very, very careful, but was surprised by how gentle, accurate, and controllable an angle grinder could be. They can hog off the worst high spots in no time. Tradition is a good thing, but wasting time is a bad thing. The traditionalists will squawk about grit and gouging, but this hasn't been a problem for me.

  • @donmittlestaedt1117
    @donmittlestaedt11174 ай бұрын

    Thank you, I appreciate your work and opinions.

  • @MyTubeSVp
    @MyTubeSVp4 ай бұрын

    Totally agree : milling without a DRO is no fun at all!

  • @ScheunenTecCNC
    @ScheunenTecCNC4 ай бұрын

    Strong Mini Mill, thanks for showing all the updates

  • @perrystoll6122
    @perrystoll61224 ай бұрын

    Angle grinder with a cutoff wheel. And not a single mention of the momentous occasion, perfectly played.

  • @jurgenbartels2743
    @jurgenbartels27434 ай бұрын

    I´m no maschinist, I don´t work with metal, but I really like you calm videos. Kind of cathartic. Thanks for these videos :)

  • @trollforge
    @trollforge4 ай бұрын

    Love the Coffee Stirrer!

  • @douglashank8480
    @douglashank84804 ай бұрын

    Sounds like good advice all around. Thanks!

  • @vivigarr
    @vivigarr4 ай бұрын

    Nice to see all the modifications and upgrades you did to yours! I ordered an import 9x30 benchtop mill similar to yours back in November and it will be arriving within the next week. It's going to be a tough job to try and get it to my basement lol

  • @victoryvisiontour
    @victoryvisiontour4 ай бұрын

    C-channels are definitely flexy. Good idea putting a plate on the back of the column.

  • @lindonwatson5402
    @lindonwatson54024 ай бұрын

    another excellent video, thanks M Makes

  • 3 ай бұрын

    Usinagem sempre é um show 👏👏😊

  • @FladFlidington
    @FladFlidingtonАй бұрын

    Excellent, you resolved what most wouldn't realize the inherent problems are with these machines being the rigidity of the column and the vibration, Just a warning on changing the spindle bearings double check the ENTIRE bearing numbers and letters that denote the size AND angle of the tapers with the replacement bearings, I found out the hard way, on one of the replacement bearings the taper was different .

  • @Hilmi12
    @Hilmi124 ай бұрын

    That is the most expensive coffee stirrer ever

  • @FamTech.
    @FamTech.4 ай бұрын

    Great job mate🎉

  • @cocon16_PW
    @cocon16_PW4 ай бұрын

    With each video you're become more and more This Australian Tony xD

  • @colemine7008
    @colemine70084 ай бұрын

    You made a very good machine there.

  • @mikemcdonough1793
    @mikemcdonough179317 күн бұрын

    I'm Gearing up to do the Stiffner thing but I'm also going to do a Riser Block. I went with the wiper Motor on the Top. js

  • @jimmyfleebot
    @jimmyfleebot4 ай бұрын

    Time to get a bigger one now!

  • @graedonmunro1793
    @graedonmunro17934 ай бұрын

    lots of good advice!!

  • @rsc4peace971
    @rsc4peace9714 ай бұрын

    Overall very good upgrades and reviews all in one place. I have a very similar mill to yours and noticed you have some sort of brace for the cover on the left side of the spindle crank handle which appears like a fix for a problem I have where the cover is always popping out. Could you explain what you have done to fix it. I am thinking of making some of the upgrades you have done to improve the overall user convenience and even low end power issues you mention. All the best for the coming year with more advanced projects and cheers from USA

  • @deanknipp
    @deanknipp3 ай бұрын

    Now that you have a lathe and mill, which would you buy 1st if you had to start over again? Love all your videos! Keep up the great work! Alwys look forward to your new uploads! and did you ever consider building your own lathe or mill?

  • @combatcurtful
    @combatcurtful4 ай бұрын

    Love the Spaceballs reference

  • @wmweekendwarrior1166
    @wmweekendwarrior11664 ай бұрын

    Good stuff

  • @KingBjord
    @KingBjord4 ай бұрын

    I really appreciate the spaceballs reference

  • @Neudezign
    @Neudezign4 ай бұрын

    Oh *slaps forehead*, that's how you make a good cup of coffee 😂😉Well damn, I need to go out and get myself a mini-mill. Good stuff mate, I love the upgrades you've made to it. You definitely made it your own and made it work for your workspace and the type of projects you do. 👍

  • @rohanfielder6796
    @rohanfielder67964 ай бұрын

    I love this video. Three thumbs up!😂

  • @alewis8765
    @alewis87654 ай бұрын

    I've been running a benchtop mill for the last three years, and last month added a knee mill with vertical and horizontal spindles. Still don't have it running yet, but it's a huge upgrade. The benchtop will be used exclusively for cutting spur gears. Your lathe sounds like it needs new bearings in the headstock. It's making the clackety-clack sound.

  • @christiantrab6160

    @christiantrab6160

    4 ай бұрын

    The gearboxes in these cheap lathe are terrible, I had one like it from new, they make a terrible noise.

  • @ImolaS3
    @ImolaS34 ай бұрын

    I have the same mill and for a hobbyist (also with limietd space), it is really good enough, although sometimes I wish the head tilted

  • @jrk1666
    @jrk16664 ай бұрын

    local man is going insane

  • @eragonpower2397
    @eragonpower23974 ай бұрын

    The spaceball referente at the beginning had me cracking😂

  • @CheffBryan
    @CheffBryan4 ай бұрын

    Even though I work wit ha VF5 mill lathe that yours would fit inside of, I'm very grateful to learn what any of these machines do, instead of being some worker monkey who just puts metal in and take part out. For sure I need to make some speed handles as well, since these $60,000 machines are still using the same terrible vice handles as your old one

  • @4GibMe
    @4GibMe4 ай бұрын

    Love all your mods, and especially your builds. What's the chances of you starting a Patreon, so we can help you out with your shop infrastructure?

  • @stormdrifter7904
    @stormdrifter79044 ай бұрын

    I always think your mill looks like Optimus Prime

  • @Kineth1
    @Kineth14 ай бұрын

    0:28 I was not expecting a Spaceballs reference.

  • @samuelb6960
    @samuelb69604 ай бұрын

    Dark Helmet: What's the matter with this thing? What's with all that churning and bubbling? You call that a Radar Screen? Colonel Sandurz: No sir, we call it Mr. Coffee. Care for some?

  • @Kineth1

    @Kineth1

    4 ай бұрын

    I'm glad to see someone else caught the Spaceballs reference.

  • @BakerGlare

    @BakerGlare

    4 ай бұрын

    "We're At Now, Now."

  • @Narwaro
    @Narwaro4 ай бұрын

    Those videos always give me some perspective. I often think about how everything is a bit cumbersome, but when I notice that the vertical spindle from my smallest mill weighs 300kg Im suddenly very grateful for how good my machines are. Granted Im not a hobbyist but still.

  • @jamesfield5346
    @jamesfield53464 ай бұрын

    How difficult are dro's to install? I'm going to buy one for my mini lathe and kind of want a heads up how frustrating it will be or if I'm able to do it myself.

  • @messylaura
    @messylaura3 ай бұрын

    ok 34 seconds in and coffee that colour!!

  • @bobaloo2012
    @bobaloo20124 ай бұрын

    My power feed died a couple of years ago and I haven't gotten around to replacing it. On the other hand, if the power lift were to die it would be replaced the next day.

  • @guloguloguy
    @guloguloguy3 ай бұрын

    LOL!!!!!!!!!! VERY FUNNY INTRO!!!!!!!! ..."MR. RADAR"....

  • @P.Trim69
    @P.Trim693 ай бұрын

    Cool

  • @soothcoder
    @soothcoderАй бұрын

    Haha! Did you dub over 'I was experiencing stiffness issues' and replace the word stiffness with rigidity? - I have and MH28V Optimum and wouldn't mind adding some of your upgrade also. Thanks for the ideas! Luckily I got a broken powerfeed for free but unfortunately it was the sort meant for a knee mill so I had to change out the bevel gear for a straight gear and make a bracket to take the power feed. Very much glad I did it though! And all that was wrong with it was the switch! Is that an Ausee vice? Not too bad but better without the angle base (as you have it).

  • @wildgophers91
    @wildgophers914 ай бұрын

    Any one else surprised he used a disc grinder instead of a hacksaw?

  • @jonarnold7689
    @jonarnold7689Ай бұрын

    I love what you do! I’d be interested in the $ spent versus just buying a better quality milling machine? I understand the modifications are half the fun, but there is a trade off here?

  • @artisanmakes

    @artisanmakes

    Ай бұрын

    Bigger machine is always better but if you don’t have the money to buy a bigger machine then you don’t have the money to buy a bigger machine. This isn’t my job so I have to be careful about what I spend on machinery.

  • @trumanhw
    @trumanhw4 ай бұрын

    The value prop would be superior for buying used stuff at the price point as these new items & restoring them...and it'd provide great content in the process.

  • @vivigarr

    @vivigarr

    4 ай бұрын

    The problem is finding them used. They don't pop up as often - or even at a good price a lot of times. At least not here where I am at in the US. As much as everyone on the internet loves to hate on them, I rarely see them sold used and if they are they are very well used so they must have worked for what they needed.

  • @corey_nz

    @corey_nz

    2 ай бұрын

    @@vivigarr in New Zealand, good condition used milling machines are usually very hard to find. Hobby size lathes pop up quite often (there's actually a lot for sale currently, about a year ago there didn't seem to be many) but home sized mills in any part of the country may only pop up every other week

  • @zarni-dude
    @zarni-dudeАй бұрын

    Find the budget, I want to be introduced to Mr Radar!! I wouldn't want to go over your helmet :-)

  • @JordanHaisley
    @JordanHaisley4 ай бұрын

    Look at the tomek dbs22, it’s a fairly cheap way to sharpen end mills.

  • @N1ghtR1der666
    @N1ghtR1der66615 күн бұрын

    urggh, Raspberry!

  • @barryporteous4904
    @barryporteous490425 күн бұрын

    I was thinking of fitting ballscrews to mine, if possible.

  • @TheUncleRuckus
    @TheUncleRuckus4 ай бұрын

    Obligatory algorithm boost 👍👍

  • @harkbelial
    @harkbelial4 ай бұрын

    That's not coffee, that's milk!

  • @Raye938
    @Raye9384 ай бұрын

    lmao the starting sounds made me think I was watching blondihacks for a second.

  • @jonathanmulzer17
    @jonathanmulzer178 күн бұрын

    That vise handle looks like Stevie Wonder welded it with his feet. 😆

  • @artisanmakes

    @artisanmakes

    8 күн бұрын

    Sulphurised steel will do that

  • @paulypaulypauly8011
    @paulypaulypauly80114 ай бұрын

    So where could I get a “no mist” coolant sprayer here in Australia? Thanks

  • @artisanmakes

    @artisanmakes

    4 ай бұрын

    I’m pretty sure you could get a fog buster kit off eBay. That’s my first go to

  • @jastoddart
    @jastoddart4 ай бұрын

    while great upgrades I'm wondering with the expense you put into it whether a more expensive machine to start would have been more cost efective.

  • @billdoodson4232

    @billdoodson4232

    4 ай бұрын

    You beat me to it. I know he mentions space considerations, but the bigger bench mills don't really take up much more space and are quite a bit sturdier. Having said that, the next thing you do with them is what he has done with this one.

  • @oliverer3
    @oliverer34 ай бұрын

    Mach Super has an amazing video on scraping if anyone is looking to try it out!

  • @foldionepapyrus3441
    @foldionepapyrus34414 ай бұрын

    I don't need to check it, I know on my mini mill the gibs are garbage and I rather expect the dovetails are not very good on the table either. But the motor and spindle, really the whole Z section is really darn good (for such a small machine anyway). And its been useable enough to not be worth fixing - I keep figuring I'll replace my mini set up with a larger more capable lathe and enough extra bits to treat it like a small mill in whichever fashion I I end up with - maybe even just making at attachment to put the current mini-mills shocking good column on it...

  • @georgegeorgiev2610
    @georgegeorgiev26103 ай бұрын

    What kind of run out do you get on this mini mill?

  • @artisanmakes

    @artisanmakes

    3 ай бұрын

    About 0.01mm of run out in the spindle taper. 0.015-0.02 if you measure an endmill in its holder

  • @roberthercules3159
    @roberthercules31594 ай бұрын

    16:05 I'm pretty sure you meant to say "if they do offer a **brushless** motor version..." here 😂

  • @freestyla101
    @freestyla1014 ай бұрын

    Genuine question: why don’t you just slip your 20mm tooling into a 20mm ER32 collet? You just loosen the nut and swap the tool. Same as what you’re doing now

  • @CornflakesOriginal

    @CornflakesOriginal

    4 ай бұрын

    If you do that you have to fiddle with three pieces and you loose the height. (his toolholders have shoulder) At that point you might as well change the morsetaper collet in the spindle and end up with more rigidity and concentricity

  • @freestyla101

    @freestyla101

    4 ай бұрын

    @@CornflakesOriginal i agree with the height point but the rest is virtually the same. You’re only loosening the collet nut so that it drops out. Same as loosing the draw bar to release mt3 collet

  • @jamesfield5346
    @jamesfield53464 ай бұрын

    Roflmao... That's the best way to stir your coffee, lol

  • @Pushyhog
    @Pushyhog4 ай бұрын

    you monster:-)

  • @neffk
    @neffk4 ай бұрын

    A scraping project! Is your scraper dull? It looks like you're working pretty hard. That radius is quite narrow, which probably makes the work more difficult. You're digging in and stopping hard, which probably is a clue to do something different. One of the old-hand's tricks is making a flexible handle which naturally gives you a soft start and soft stop. Perhaps you need a bit more negative rake at the cutting edge? These are all minor points compared to the job you've done.

  • @artisanmakes

    @artisanmakes

    4 ай бұрын

    White cast iron which the gibs are made of here is much harder than the normal grey cast iron the saddle and table are made of. I don’t like scraping it. Cheer

  • @leflavius_nl5370
    @leflavius_nl53704 ай бұрын

    The Mill of Theseus, coming soon.

  • @Seanfrtd
    @Seanfrtd4 ай бұрын

    what size vice do you have??

  • @artisanmakes

    @artisanmakes

    4 ай бұрын

    It’s a 100mm - 4inch

  • @otterconnor942
    @otterconnor9424 ай бұрын

    Corrosion preventive is an antioxidant

  • @jarrodrainsford8296
    @jarrodrainsford82964 ай бұрын

    @Artisan Makes How would I contact you? I Have some tooling that you maybe interested in as we no longer have a machine that it fits into.

  • @erwinkonopka7071
    @erwinkonopka707114 күн бұрын

    Me looking at the beginning: You better not have an accident because I AM NOT EXPLAINING THIS S**** TO SAFETY INSPECTOR.

  • @phantomvir
    @phantomvir4 ай бұрын

    There's only one man who would dare give me the raspberry.....*slams helmet closed* LONE STARRRR!!!

  • @rjung_ch
    @rjung_ch4 ай бұрын

    👍💪✌

  • @larrybud
    @larrybud4 ай бұрын

    Which mill do you have?

  • @jurgenp.2488

    @jurgenp.2488

    4 ай бұрын

    That could be a Sieg SX 2.7L.

  • @britenrhodehouse8692

    @britenrhodehouse8692

    4 ай бұрын

    Used to be a sieg 2.7😂🤣🤣🤣

  • @mudgem3742
    @mudgem37425 күн бұрын

    With the money and time spent on upgrades- you could have got a real mill. 😁

  • @artisanmakes

    @artisanmakes

    5 күн бұрын

    Well you can. I never had the $6-7000 to drop on this hobby

  • @ThePottingShedWorkshop
    @ThePottingShedWorkshop4 ай бұрын

    Be careful. Resolution and accuracy are not the same thing. Just because the reading says its within 5um, doesnt mean its real. Cheap scales may have resolution, but not accuracy. Having said that, a DRO is probably the best improvement you can do on a mill to improve ease of use.

  • @MrTimmmers
    @MrTimmmersАй бұрын

    My god, that scraping. Best way to make a scraper is from an old file, heat it, batter it flat and make an arced tip then harden by quenching it again, grind the end to a cutting edge. Coolant can cause nasty skin conditions if you get it on you a lot, it's tough to get rid of.

  • @artisanmakes

    @artisanmakes

    Ай бұрын

    I’ve never much liked tool steel scrapers, I much prefer carbide. Especially when I have to do white cast iron

  • @fedrigaz
    @fedrigaz4 ай бұрын

    Initail D on machine.. oh no only mrCoffee

  • @Newbforlyf
    @Newbforlyf3 ай бұрын

    What milling machine is this

  • @artisanmakes

    @artisanmakes

    2 ай бұрын

    Sieg x2.7l

  • @asvarien
    @asvarien4 ай бұрын

    Like a little bit of coffee in your milky water?

  • @Kineth1
    @Kineth14 ай бұрын

    15:50 Brushless?

  • @jurgenp.2488

    @jurgenp.2488

    4 ай бұрын

    With the new engine, yes.

  • @Kineth1

    @Kineth1

    4 ай бұрын

    @@jurgenp.2488 I mean in the video, he was talking about brushless being better, then at that point, he said that if the mill had the option, you should get the brushed motor.

  • @KenjiDev
    @KenjiDev4 ай бұрын

    I started form WSD-16 drilling, added ER-25 collet, DRO, colling, crosstable and for about 1000$ i've got way stiffer machine then this one on video :) cheers!

  • @artisanmakes

    @artisanmakes

    4 ай бұрын

    That’s all well and good, I’d like to see it. Best of luck

  • @bjondersson

    @bjondersson

    4 ай бұрын

    @KenjiDev, just curious, how can you tell it’s way stiffer?

  • @user-ou2wn7xi1b
    @user-ou2wn7xi1b4 ай бұрын

    7:35 what?! no hacksaw?!!!!!!

  • @BrainHurricanes

    @BrainHurricanes

    4 ай бұрын

    Lame 😄

  • @valmirlima2746
    @valmirlima2746Ай бұрын

    Traduzir os comentários deacordo com localização territorial bom vc com🪒

  • @ego73
    @ego734 ай бұрын

    Y'know, I still don't know your name, matey. Mine's Ian.

  • @WaddedBliss
    @WaddedBliss4 ай бұрын

    Why not skim the gibs on the mill rather than scraping them?

  • @Kineth1

    @Kineth1

    4 ай бұрын

    That could be a great option if the gibs are really off, but... You can't use the mill to cut the gibs while you have the table taken apart.

  • @WaddedBliss

    @WaddedBliss

    4 ай бұрын

    @@Kineth1 Ah. Yeah.

  • @Mike40M

    @Mike40M

    4 ай бұрын

    Having a masters degree in machine tool design, scraping is the way to do it. If you wants precision.

  • @WaddedBliss

    @WaddedBliss

    4 ай бұрын

    @@Mike40M Is there a reason why? Given that Artisan Makes was talking about microns and whatnot, it seems a very imprecise way of machining.

  • @Mike40M

    @Mike40M

    4 ай бұрын

    @@WaddedBliss Back in 1974 we did a tour to a number of machine tool manufacturers. All of them said that their grinding machines was so good that they didn't need scraping. But when touring the factories they all had workers busy with scraping. There is two reasons for scraping. First to get a better plane surface. A rough estimate is that the precision of a machine tool shall be ten times better than the machined part. A skilled worker can make a surface better than one micrometer (half an tenthousand of an inch). Second reason is to improve lubrication by making tiny scratches. The scraping in this video does both.

  • @graealex
    @graealex4 ай бұрын

    10:23 Those welds though 💀You could re-use the parts. Remove the three handles, clean up the center part on the lathe, and then thread both the center part and all three handles, and screw in with lock-tite.

  • @markrainford1219
    @markrainford12194 ай бұрын

    Do you like coffee with your milk?

  • @WaddedBliss
    @WaddedBliss4 ай бұрын

    Not impressed. You used an angle grinder to cut that shank down instead of a hacksaw.

  • @perrystoll6122

    @perrystoll6122

    4 ай бұрын

    But not mentioning it *is* the joke.

  • @the_normal_guy9308
    @the_normal_guy93084 ай бұрын

    16:17 Thats not what you buy for that...

  • @apollorobb
    @apollorobb4 ай бұрын

    At the end of the day its still a tiny little thing thats limited in what it can do. If you want a big boy mill buy a BIG BOY mill .

  • @britenrhodehouse8692

    @britenrhodehouse8692

    4 ай бұрын

    Im sure he can fit a K&T 330 tf 17 on that back porch💁‍♂️ wood floor and all

  • @apollorobb

    @apollorobb

    4 ай бұрын

    @@britenrhodehouse8692 Im sure thats what i was talking about putting a HBM on a wood floor. There are table top Mills bigger than that that are useful

  • @britenrhodehouse8692

    @britenrhodehouse8692

    4 ай бұрын

    @@apollorobb but are still just that... A table top mill💁‍♂️ and still, the bigger of them far exceed the load capacity of and old wood floor and offer little improvements over what he has now. I'd say the guy has done a pretty good job with what he has to work with.

  • @EltonMcManus
    @EltonMcManus4 ай бұрын

    I thought that was a cup of tea and nearly unsubscribed because of how milky it was.

  • @inquisitive_stranger
    @inquisitive_strangerАй бұрын

    You found anything? Nothing sir..... How about you? We ain't found shit!!

  • @Festivejelly
    @Festivejelly4 ай бұрын

    Thats the weakest coffee ive ever seen!

  • @JETHO321
    @JETHO3214 ай бұрын

    Out of projects eh?

  • @JETHO321

    @JETHO321

    4 ай бұрын

    Also, you're sacrificing rigidity by not putting your tools directly in the MT collets in the spindle.

  • @artisanmakes

    @artisanmakes

    4 ай бұрын

    Well yes I said that in the video, but everything is a compromise. And no, I’m just on holiday at the moment. This stuff was all filmed in November last year.

  • @revbobuk
    @revbobuk4 ай бұрын

    That's the worst looking cup of coffee I've seen in years!

  • @GavinM161
    @GavinM1614 ай бұрын

    That's a TERRIBLE looking cup of tea. You can tell you're an Aussie! 🙂

  • @robertbutler8004
    @robertbutler80044 ай бұрын

    Come on man cut out out the childish coffee stirring.

  • @bobdickweed
    @bobdickweed4 ай бұрын

    I see a new Mill , in your Future .../ Soon

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