Mill vise stop

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
I wanted to make a mill vise stop but didn’t have any appropriate sized flat stock. Or did I? Why not make a piece?
I found a chunk of round stock that was the right size and parted off a .70 thick section and faced both ends reasonably smooth.
After some work with a 3/4” end mill I had a rectangle roughly the size I wanted with all sides milled smooth.
43B7E54A-7343-4ADE-B919-57896039A2F2.jpeg
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Not a complex project but it gave me a chance to work on milling, using the DRO, and the power feed.
.030 deep cuts with a 1/2” end mill were no problem. Didn’t push it any harder than that.
Best of all I ended up with something useful for the mill. Nice to be able to make your own tools.
 

KeithB

Resident Half Fast Machinist
You will find that very handy the first time you need to make two parts come out the same. The more you do it the more you can see what you want hidden inside all kinds of stock. Good job!
 

Wasalmonslayer

Well-Known Member
Nice work Brad!
I remember the first time I used a mill and a lathe I was lost!
Then a good friend who did a lot of machine work showed me some tricks and the rest is history!
I no longer have my mill/lathe combo it was stolen but a couple buddies let me use there once in a while when they are not using them for production.
When you can make your own tools and make repairs on those tools and make parts it is a huge game changer.
I used to farm and with antique equipment you either made the parts when they broke or you retired the piece of equipment.
Let’s just say I spent many a night making parts so I could farm the next day.....
Congrates on the new piece of equipment :)
 
F

freebullet

Guest
Nice work! Your already better with that tool than you think you are. Keep at it.
 

Ian

Notorious member
Made it out of a rod drop huh? Nice to be able to use what you have on hand to transform shapes. Me jealous! Very nice work for your second project. FB's right, you're way better at this than you think you are, you jumped right in and got the hang if it right away.
 

Wasalmonslayer

Well-Known Member
Long story short I had it stored at a friends business because I did not have a place to set it up true and keep it out of the weather.
His shop got broken into and they cleaned the place out!
No alarm or cameras so Max’s lathe mill combo was never seen again....
Still makes me sick thinking about it but it’s water under the bridge now :rolleyes:
 

smokeywolf

Well-Known Member
Didn’t push it any harder than that.

When the object of your machining is your own enjoyment and satisfaction, hurrying does not pay. Taking it easy, cutters and spindle bearings last longer, you use less cutting oil, and can practice holding tighter tolerances and producing finer surface finishes.
 

Pistolero

Well-Known Member
Yep. I needed 416 for my 1911 FP stop, only had 5/8 round stock. So, I milled it out of
that. A mill is a real useful tool.

Bill
 
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