Thread: New owner of AL960 B and HM-46

Originally Posted by variant22

I had a 500kg safety limit. I quickly came to the conclusion that the AL960b was the best for me. I am no machine expert, and my drive is best described as a partial cliff. In the end it was an easy decision to go with the AL960b. I have no complaints or regrets at all.

Now I need to find a knee mill that is rigid and ~500kg.. I am dreaming!

No, I have a small horizontal mill that masses less than 500 kg and I saw a gorgeous baby Tos mill for sale in H&F Parramatta some years ago. It's feasible, but you have to be patient, rich or lucky. I bought mine over 30 years ago. Never use it these days as I have bigger machines.

PDW

How many parts can you break down a 1.5t knee lift into? You might get lucky doing it in multiple trips?!
Chances are if it's an old one you would have partially stripped it down once it's in the shop anyway for a good cleanup.

Originally Posted by PDW

No, I have a small horizontal mill that masses less than 500 kg and I saw a gorgeous baby Tos mill for sale in H&F Parramatta some years ago. It's feasible, but you have to be patient, rich or lucky. I bought mine over 30 years ago. Never use it these days as I have bigger machines.

What brand/model is your horizontal? I will do some research on the specs. I had no idea rigid machines could come with a small footprint.

Originally Posted by Ben Dono

How many parts can you break down a 1.5t knee lift into? You might get lucky doing it in multiple trips?!
Chances are if it's an old one you would have partially stripped it down once it's in the shop anyway for a good cleanup.

That is a good idea. I do have a secondary problem however in that I have no space for a large machine. I have competing interests. Primary interest is in restoring a car, and secondary is lining the workshop with machines to help me make parts. A knee mill of any size is really going to close out the idea of ever getting a car into my garage. That is why PDW has piqued my interest in compact horizontal mills.

Can someone please shed some light on the oiling points for the slides on the lathe. What oil can be used and how is it dispensed into those points? I notice they are like little ball bearings with a little spring tension.
Thanks

Originally Posted by variant22

What brand/model is your horizontal? I will do some research on the specs. I had no idea rigid machines could come with a small footprint.


That is a good idea. I do have a secondary problem however in that I have no space for a large machine. I have competing interests. Primary interest is in restoring a car, and secondary is lining the workshop with machines to help me make parts. A knee mill of any size is really going to close out the idea of ever getting a car into my garage. That is why PDW has piqued my interest in compact horizontal mills.

Mine is a Turnwell, made in Australia after WW2. Good luck finding one, I have the only one I've ever seen. I posted some pictures of it last year IIRC.

Basic specs - it has a 30" x 8" table, 16" X travel, 5" Y, 14" Z. V belt drive, 3 direct speeds and 3 via a pretty good reduction back gear. I have braces for the overarm so the knee is tied very rigidly to the overarm & column.

With a machine like this, there's no problem sinking a 3/4" wide side and face cutter 1/2" deep or more into steel in a single pass. I've cut over 1" deep into cast iron using a 1/8" slitting saw in a single pass. Compared to vertical mills or even worse the vertical drill-mills, little horizontal mills like this are seriously rigid and capable of quite heavy cuts. The only reason I don't really use it any more is - ahem - I bought 2 other mills, a Victoria U2 universal horizontal (I wanted the swivelling table) and last year a Deckel type toolroom H/V mill.

PDW

Originally Posted by PDW

Mine is a Turnwell, made in Australia after WW2. Good luck finding one, I have the only one I've ever seen. I posted some pictures of it last year IIRC.

Basic specs - it has a 30" x 8" table, 16" X travel, 5" Y, 14" Z. V belt drive, 3 direct speeds and 3 via a pretty good reduction back gear. I have braces for the overarm so the knee is tied very rigidly to the overarm & column.

With a machine like this, there's no problem sinking a 3/4" wide side and face cutter 1/2" deep or more into steel in a single pass. I've cut over 1" deep into cast iron using a 1/8" slitting saw in a single pass. Compared to vertical mills or even worse the vertical drill-mills, little horizontal mills like this are seriously rigid and capable of quite heavy cuts. The only reason I don't really use it any more is - ahem - I bought 2 other mills, a Victoria U2 universal horizontal (I wanted the swivelling table) and last year a Deckel type toolroom H/V mill.

PDW

Very interesting machine PDW. Thanks for posting the specification.