New DM45 mill

[Big Shed]

As shown in this thread, I recently purchased a new mill, a DM45.

Quite a step up from my current X2 Mini MIll.

Nothing much happened for a few weeks, it was just sitting on the borrowed engine crane whilst I was waiting for my son to come over from Adelaide and bring a small stand he no longer had a use or the space for.

This stand came out of a closed factory in Adelaide (sadly one of many) and originally held 2 heavy 3 phase drill presses. It has a 5/16 thick metal top and is quite sturdy. I originally purchased the dedicated stand stand with the mill, but at only 610mm high, it made the mill working height rather low, and I am not a tall person.

I finished up returning it to the vendor and exchanging it for a 6" Vertex rotary table, with the addition of some folding stuff. Vendor, Standaco, was very good about it, their service is excellent.

I put some adjustable feet on the stand as my shed floor tends to slope a little towards the walls.

Once the stand was in place I put a 30mm thick top on it from and old desk with a rubber covering. This increased the total height of the stand to 730mm.

The engine crane came in rather handy for putting the 340kg mill on top of the stand, and having my son here to help was a bonus.

The stand had a frame welded to the back that held a 2 tube fluoro fitting. It was cut off for transport, it would have had to be removed anyway as the mill wouldn't have cleared it.

The frame was modified and fixed to the wall so that te fluoro was in front of the mill head. Lighting is now quite good.

Also made up a tool caddy for some of the R8 tooling and ER sockets, they are now easily accessible.

Did my first cutting on the mill, using the rotary table and ER25 chuck and socket.

Putting some flats on an expandable mandrel for pen turning.

Slitting the expanding end of the mandrel.

The mandrel (and another one) is now on its' way to Spain

Still have to make some drawers to fill in the stand and some cupboards for either side. The space to the right of the mill is because of the travel of the mill table, which totals 66".

[snowyskiesau]

You have been busy over new year!

I'm glad to see that, unlike the X2, the DM45 has some swarf on the table.

Are you going to get rid of the X2 or keep it for little jobs (or CNC it!)?

[wheelinround]

Fred I have shed envy for starters.

Nice one on the mill its new perch and that lighting is brilliant idea (no pun intended).

[Big Shed]

You have been busy over new year!

I'm glad to see that, unlike the X2, the DM45 has some swarf on the table.

Are you going to get rid of the X2 or keep it for little jobs (or CNC it!)?

Geoff, that photo of the X2 was taken the day it went on the bench

Will probably sell it, would be overkill for someone like me to have 2 mills (some would argue it is overkill for me to have one)

If I am going to the extent of CNCing a mill it would be the DM45, but before I do that there are a couple of other items on the mod list. One would be a 3-axis DRO, still not sure whether to use those Shumatech boards or just buy a Sino 3-axis kit, not much dearer.

The other thing I'm looking at is putting a motor on to replace the winding handle for the mill head, it takes a bit of effort to wind this up and down.

[Big Shed]

Fred I have shed envy for starters.

Nice one on the mill its new perch and that lighting is brilliant idea (no pun intended).

Thanks Ray, yes happy with the lighting, got the idea from the way it was originally mounted on the stand.

[Stustoys]

Maybe one day my shed will be that clean and well set up. But I wont hold my breath.
That sort of pens do you make?
Does the rotary table have a MT that the ER25 chuck fits in?
Hope that clamp didnt put a ding in your nice new table.
Stuart

[neksmerj]

Hi BS,

That mill would have to be the bargain of the year, I envy you for snatching it for such a reasonable price. Your workshop looks great, much better than mine as I don't have one yet. It's on the drawing board scheduled for Feb.

Ken

[Big Shed]

Maybe one day my shed will be that clean and well set up. But I wont hold my breath.
That sort of pens do you make?
Does the rotary table have a MT that the ER25 chuck fits in?
Hope that clamp didnt put a ding in your nice new table.
Stuart

Stu, a tidy shed is a sign of a tidy mind.

The 6" Vertex has an MT2 centre which takes the MT2 ER25 chuck. Didn't have a drawbar for it so used a length of M10 allthread and a joiner nut. Have now bought some M10 hex bolts the right length.

If the clamp has put a ding in the table it'll be the first, but I'm sure it won't be the last.

Need to make up something a bit better to clamp down the RT, the fron mounting holes don't line up with the table slots.

Hi BS,

That mill would have to be the bargain of the year, I envy you for snatching it for such a reasonable price. Your workshop looks great, much better than mine as I don't have one yet. It's on the drawing board scheduled for Feb.

Ken

You better get your skates on then Ken, that VFD will be here by then

[Big Shed]

Having just been ticked off on HSM as well for my unorthodox clamping method, I thought I'd better do a better job.

That better Stu?

[Stustoys]

Much better Big Shed.
Although if we were going to be picky. Some washers would be nice and it looks like the clamp goes down towards the clamp block. It should go up a little, so if you have the next size up block it might be an idea to use that.

Of course sometimes you just have to use what you have. It would be nice to have ever bolt lenght known to man but it does get a little spendy.

Stuart

[Big Shed]

Much better Big Shed.
Although if we were going to be picky. Some washers would be nice and it looks like the clamp goes down towards the clamp block. It should go up a little, so if you have the next size up block it might be an idea to use that.

Of course sometimes you just have to use what you have. It would be nice to have ever bolt lenght known to man but it does get a little spendy.

Stuart

Although the photo doesn't show it (optical illusion?) the clamps do actually slope down to the RT.
I guess I was trying to keep this clamping setup as unwieldy as possible as I find the clamps/studs often get in the way of what you are trying to do.

I have a complete set of clamps etc that I bought with the mill, haven't tried the next size up.

I bought some M12 hex bolts in addition to the M12 studs as they can be handy as well.

[Big Shed]

OK, take 2, this time with next size up block and studs/nuts from clamping kit

[Stustoys]

Looks good to me(maybe I little high but you can see better than me)
Could you bring the RT forward and use one of the holes in the RT and one clamp? It might make it easier as the back clamp would be across the T slot(then again it might not).
Stuart

[Big Shed]

Looks good to me(maybe I little high but you can see better than me)
Could you bring the RT forward and use one of the holes in the RT and one clamp? It might make it easier as the back clamp would be across the T slot(then again it might not).
Stuart

If I had set it up the "normal" way it wouldn't have sat so high, but didn't want you complaining it didn't slope down, so slope down it does!

Nope, can't move it forward, that would stop me using the middle T slot for clamping the rear of the RT. Life's never simple is it.

[Bryan]

Yeah, and clean the smeg off the RT, ya grot!