Mini Pallet for Sherline 2000 Mill and others

[DIYer]

Thanks jjr2001! We've added your Mini Mill Pallet to our Milling category,
as well as to your builder page: jjr2001's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Mini Mill Pallet by jjr2001

tags: mill, fixture, pallet

[PJs]

Thanks for the additional pictures and links. For some reason it didn't dawn on me that it was for the mill vice sitting next to it. Thought it was for clamping small parts. Pricey little devil but it is laser engraved and anodized. I had been working on a similar design for my spare 3" chuck for the mini to make a poor mans Angle Rotory table. I had worked with Mic6 plate before and cheaper than 7075 and more stable which are available at McMaster (cheaper) and Online Metals. It never came to fruition because I don't have a back plate for the mini. Think they would be pretty simple to make and look forward to seeing what you come up with. Thanks again for the extra detail and posting your DXF file for everyone!

[jjr2001]

Thanks PJ, The prices from Mcmaster remind me why I buy from the cutoff bins at Southwest Metals. I pay 2.25 per pound of aluminum.
Whatever they have at the time. I have rounds,squares,plates. Mostly 6061. A few times some T7075. All for the same per pound price.
Man, this stuff is expensive when you buy it on line!

I have bought some 12L14 and cast iron from Speedy Metals on line. My local steel shop only has cold rolled 1018 and hot rolled.
Hot rolled and 1018 if they have any in their cut bins is 69 cents per pound. That is why I use so much hot rolled in my projects!

Cheers, JR

[PJs]

I totally agree JR, about the local places but around here the main guy thinks his stuff is gold. He gets stuff from going out of businesses...like a full sheet of .5" AL plate he cut into 2' squares and wanted $140 per and it was all dinged up from his people and his outdoor yard. Only $200 for pristine online. His steel and brass are mostly mystery metal. He does have the largest supply of fasteners (any you can think of) at reasonable prices though. The local shops are more conservative about going through the scrap bins/barrels anymore too. Most don't want to even bother with it and save it for the haulers. In the old days I could get scrap or even cuts from their stock from them (and knew most of them) for cheap or free sometimes but that is an hour away now. Mainly look to my S-i-L or friends and Garage Sale and such...always have my eyes pealed even along side the road. The closest big metal places is 3hrs away (6hr RT)...lucky and glad you have SWM close enough.

I get a lot of rounds/hex and even fast thread from the local Fastenal (wholesalish prices) and they have 01 up to 1" on hand in 3' lengths which lasts me a long time.

For a good project though I don't mind spending $25-$50 for some good stuff...just don't have a lot of access anymore for quality stuff. I used the mic6 on my Drill machines headstock plates (~3'x5'x3") and for the mounting blocks for the 4 drills each...worth it for something like that as it's still running after 18 years now and Straight.

Cheers, ~PJ

[NeiljohnUK]

We use off cuts of optical plates to make ours, and drill table tops

[WmRMeyers]

Thanks Paul, My other mill is the "mini mill" from Micro Mark model 84630. It is the one with the tilting Zaxis. When I bought it I did not want the tilting feature but that was the mill I wanted. So, I added a .500" inch thick by about 5" wide and 16" long piece of hot rolled plate. Made some adjusters and was able to tram it in to just about perfect. https://www.micromark.com/Milling-Machine-R8-500W

When I bought the Sherline I wanted a bench top tool that could go "in house" and when I saw that 8 axis Bridgeport like movement I knew that that was the one. Seriously considering the lathe also for "in house" bench top use also.

The blue cloth was just a piece of cotton material from my wife's sewing supplies.

Cheers, JR

Have you shown the modifications to your Mini-Mill? I've got one here I bought very used, and for a goodish price, but it has the tilting column. I'd really like to tram it, and freeze that joint myself. I've seen a couple of ways to do it, would be interested in how you did it, too.

Thanks!

Bill

[Toolmaker51]

Spiral flute taps eject chips in same manner as a drill bit. Not suitable for every material, but within those 'we' use.
Gun taps eject (shoot) chips forward, also good for general work within one limitation, they don't like bottoming in blind holes. If you are big on cleaning out tapped holes, those are more difficult to pick out as well. They haven't any relation to firearms work.
They work fine on holes with a bit of extra drilled depth, and ideal for through holes.