A good practice is to put your vise in different locations over time, offset to the right or the left to better utilize the entire working area of the mill ways! Congratulations on the new mill!
It also reduces potential distortion (over the mill's bed or the vice's) over time, usually incurred by ambient temp changes or incorrect torquing of the holding bolts
I run the manufacturing finances at a GE Aviation site... Seeing this video and knowing how much quality Adam is getting in this mill. I cannot wait to see what he builds. Also... We still have mills older than your old Bridgeport... It's one of my favorite parts of my job to see old machines still running like a swiss watch, turning parts for modern jets. It's a testament to the skills of our operators.
I have that with practically all of the content that makers like him make. It's the passion he has for his craft that really sells it. It's not some guy showing of his latest gadget. It's a man in love with his craft telling you all he can about it hoping some of that passion rubs off on his audience. And by god it does ...
I don't know why exactly, but I love comments like this, folks that don't do this kind of work, don't have hobbies like this, but still love watching these videos. Glad you enjoy it like I do, Jelo! Yes, check out This Old Tony and AvE, and they will lead you to more via RUclips's suggestions if nothing else. 😉
1:10 - In Europe I think "chasing zeros" makes just as much sense. You're constantly trying to increase your precision and accuracy to be 10x better than it was before, e.g. inserting more zeros.
Quite frankly if you're looking for more than a few thousandths out of any cutting machine then you're doing it wrong. If you want an extra zero then get grinders.
@@1pcfred quite frankly youre probably using the wrong techniques if you cant , you can turn a diameter reliably on on a lathe for example to within 2 tenths, if youre using the right method.
I spend the last two months restoring my 1958 DECKEL FP1 I bought four years ago. It was a tedious, dirty and hard process and every step resulted in two more to do. But it was one of the most wholesome things I've ever done. And it's nice to see to what precision you can get with such an old machine. Greetings from Germany
I'm jealous! Being in the US, Deckel and Maho machines are hard to find, but I would love to get one one day. Kinda funny as DMG mori has a facility 5 minutes from my house.
@@lopezepol75 I was very lucky. An old guy a few kilometres away retired and closed his car part shop. He only wanted a few euros and someone that gets the machine out of his shop. The hardest part was getting it home. But absolutely worth it.
Nice mill! I work for a machine tool manufacturer, and work on a lot of lathes and mills installing accessories and scales (including Newall!), and just wanted to say, I think your x axis power feed can be adjusted to be quieter when you hand crank it! On the ones we install at work which look fundamentally the same as yours, we shim them to get the gear mesh more exact and the gear noise almost goes away entirely. It's pretty easy to do if you ever want to play with it, but you'll have to get/make some round shims. Keep it up!
@dylan94 hey Dylan, Caught this 2yr old comment about your work & you mentioned shimming the power feed. I just got my 1st mill, (@ 69), an old round column Jet-16. It has a power feed on the x-axis, but due to height, there were clearance issues, so the power feed was mounted horizontally, instead of the typical door knob placard position. It makes a heck of a gear knashing racket when cranking it, & it's quite noisy when using power feed. Have you ever sorted on of them out when they're mounted horizontally w/ the appropriate kit & might you have any suggestions on info or from your experience. I've been unable to find anything on YT, so I'm kind of at a loss. The noises it makes are bound to lead to gear destruction. I thought I'd try to go back to a vertical mount, but there just isn't room, if I could even get the parts. Making the gear(s) isn't in my skill/tooling set. Any clues to finding info or suggestions would be greatly appreciated by an ancient maker. GeoD
@georgedennison3338 I wouldn't think the power feed being mounted horizontal would really be an issue. If you want to check your gear mesh on your pinion gear the best way to do it is to pull off your handle, and if it's at all similar to Adam's mill, your dial and pinion gear that's keyed to the shaft should come off together, leaving just the drive pinion on the power feed exposed. When I'm setting the mesh I remove the dial from the large pinion that is keyed to your shaft, make sure you clean any grease from around the ID of the housing on the power feed that the drive pinion gear is in, and clean grease off the OD of your keyed pinion, and put it back together how it was, except with your dial removed. With the dial removed, and everything reassembled, you should be able to see a small gap around your power feed housing, and the keyed large brass pinion. With the power feed powered off, but toggled either direction, you should be able to peak between that gap and see how much lash you have between the two pinions if you slowly rock your handle back and forth and peak through the gap with a flashlight. I just remove shims until there is as little lash as possible but still enough to have the tiniest play between the two gears. The two pinions come with a super sticky grease from the factory as well, so try to find something like that to put on the gears as well to help with noise. I wish I could tell you where to source some shims or grease, but everything I work on comes in a kit with everything.
@@Dylan94 I should be able to managr shims & lube. Just knowing that minimal clearance is OK is a big help. The adapter used to mount it horizontally is real jinky. It clamps on the end of the bed, which is raw casting on the inside, so it does seat well & sits at an angle. I thought it would help to get it squared up, so I got it remounted 'right' & the damn thing howled & barely moved. Had to remount it 'wrong' to get it to work. I'm still going to try eliminating the adapter, using studs & spacers. Hopefully that'll work. I think if I get a reproducible mount, I can get a good gear mesh & reliable function. Thanks for the info. GeoD
I LOVE HOW HUMAN YOU ARE!!! "i am a competent operator, that's the hightest compliment" - that is soooo cool to hear someone say after 30 years of using a machine. it displays reflection and honesty. your trial of positioning the camera either displays authenticity. i admire you, mr. adam savage.
i have stumbled over your channl rather recently and i love every single video you have. your excitement. your authenticity. your non-scripted confusion about how to tell things. i admire you as a person so much.
"So we're gonna mix some army green and burnt umber to get the dirt look, but the real secret is this baggie of dirt that a friend sent me from scotland. I'm gonna mix that in and just wash it into all the crevices...then before it dries I just wipe it up...and...ohhhh...yeahhhhhh...that's what I'm talkin about!"
The thing I like about Adam the most is that he is humble. Like hes been using the mills for decades and he knows that he has not mastered them and still learning and will to the day he can't anymore. The concept that someone can achieve mastery over a skill is an illusion.
Surprised to hear the ThisOldTony reference! Love to hear you reference the other machining RUclipsrs like him, AvE, or I think I heard an abom79 reference in there too in a video Since Past! Beautiful mill!
I am not at all a fan of AvE. Something about his attitude, vocal patterns, etc… make him feel to me like an even more rude and obnoxious and self-aggrandizing version of Cliff Clavin from the TV show “Cheers”. Like, just about the last person on earth that I want to be forced to be exposed to for any period of time.
I also got a new tool recently! I bought a new chef's knife, and man, it's a delight to finally have a sharp blade again. It just does what you want without any fuss or worry about it going the wrong way! The new milling machine feeling must be in the same vein :)
Oh, no! You shouldn't put the chef's knife (or the milling machine) in any vein! That gets very messy at the same time interfering with your ability to cope.
I've had a Sharp LMV-50 since about 2006 or so, and it's an excellent milling machine. Probably not as nicely made as a brand new Bridgeport from the 1960's, but very much as well made as a current production Bridgeport (which is also imported, sadly). It's been here ~15yrs and in that time I've had zero issues with it mechanically, and it's made a lot of chips in that time. You'll really like that machine, and it should last you the rest of your life. Have been really glad to see you really start to buckle down and learn how to use your machine tools properly, and it's been really great to watch how quickly you're progressing at it.
You say you're not super fast. Fast does not always mean expert. My dad has been a machinist for over 50 years. He has worked as a machinist, worked in tool and die, in R&D and for over 2 decades for an industrial service company. (Basically taking portable machines out to plants and strapping them on machinery/parts that need repair but are too big to feasibly take into a shop to machine.) The machines are portable, but just as exacting.) He is my hero and capable of thinking out of the box beyond the norm. One of the reasons I enjoy watching your videos. I work at a company that he did as he is now retired (and subsequently busier than ever) and hearing veteran machinists speak of his unparralled skills make me so proud. He taught me to cut pipe and a plant machinist after watching me, asked how long I had been cutting pipe & was shocked when I said 6 months. He said, "Ive seen guys that have been cutting pipe for 20 years that can't cut pipe like that." In saying all that, my point is, he still takes his time developing a plan, thinking through it before he starts work. His quote from having to go out and save jobs after "faster" less experienced machinists screwed things up will stay with me forever -"It's always easier to do it right the first time than having to unf*ck it first" Creative machining as he has done and you routinely do will lead to unexpected/unintended consequences from time to time, but thinking through things will eliminate many of them. Keep up the great work and fun videos!
If you haven’t already come up with an idea for your old mill donate it to a trade school they welcome new equipment and students tend to be rough on new tools so it’s better to give them some thing a little worn in.
Some of the very first machinist used files, stones, scrapers, to remove material, those tools were then used to build machines like the lathe and mill.
Good on ya Adam! I'm in a similar situation as you. I bought a used Bridgeport of 60s vintage 11 years ago and it is what I learned on. It blue a belt a couple of months ago, one of the "toothed" ones that requires a head tear down. So I checked to see what a head rebuilt would cost and decided to buy a new one. Couldn't afford all the nice features you got, but did get a power feed and a DRO...and it is SOOOO quiet. As a machinist I can share and appreciate the pure joy a new machine brings. Good luck/have fun. B--Safe
Finally! I noticed the LMV-49 with all the bells and whistles months ago. I can only imagine the pleasure of running a brand new mill. Very nice machine Adam, glad to see you treating yourself to such a fine piece of brand new machinery, thanks for the little tour.
You're gonna love that new mill. I bought a new TMV-K loaded out about 5-6 years ago now and the machine has been perfect. I love the variable speed and the muffin fan is louder than the spindle! Thanks for all the videos and creativity.
Seeing Adam on the mill makes me miss being a machinist and machine repairsperson. I started when I was 18 and just recently changed careers at 21. I’ve fixed so many split nuts, belts and brakes, removed heads and bearings, and not to forget chasing numbers (:
Everything I know about milling machines is what I've learned from watching Adam's vids over the last couple of years. I've never even seen one, except Adam's. But from the way he uses them, I always got the impression that a milling machine was like a manually-operated CNC machine. Instead of a computer moving the heads back and forth, up and down, spin faster or slower, etc., the operator controls the motion with the manual wheels and levers, using pre-set stops and calibrated threads to get very precise amounts and directions of movement. I guess it would be more accurate to say that a CNC machine is essentially just a milling machine controlled by computer software.
Man I love absolutely LOVE that mill!!! Not throwing numbers out or anything. Yet like Adam said “invest in what you love”. That mill with that deck and tooling runs about 35k. Sounds like a lot right!? It’s not. He uses it every day he profits from it. And he loves it. It’s kinda like you and your car. You want all the options so you get them. You love it cherish it and use it. Mills are expensive due to them being exact to .005 that’s a normal run out of that mill. Being a machinist I don’t have one like that. I had to start small. Yet one day. I will! Love is the answer! Have a great day you beautiful people! ❤
Thanks for confirming this you got a new mill. I thought I was seeing a difference but since you did not mention it till recently I thought I was wrong. Keep making awesome content.
Just seeing this now, nearly a year late... Glad to see you upgraded Adam. I rudely commented on your older video showing your Bridgeport, about buying something better than what you had (for which I'm sorry). Good that you got a newer machine. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to do precision work on clapped out machine tools. Sure there's the old adage, "a good craftsman does not blame his tools...", but there's a point where no amount of skill can fix a worn out tool. Belated congrats on the new acquisition, it's a PRIMO mill!
I'm jealous of Adam's new mill. About five years ago I purchased some machine tools for my personal workshop. I bought a decent lathe but went with a mill/drill. I initially though I wouldn't need no stinking DRO but soon changed my mind and installed a 3-axis aftermarket one myself. I'm good with the mechanical distance readouts on the lathe. I now wish I had spent another couple of $K and bought a Taiwanese knee mill. One rule of thumb that should be mentioned is that the tooling required to actually use such equipment can easily equal the cost of the machine itself. Re: a Kurt mill vise. Originally, Kurt had a patent on the "angle-lock" design of the vise so you could only get that feature from Kurt. Of course, that patent has long since expired and you can buy equal quality vises with the same feature for less than the name brand product. The angle-lock design applies both a downward force to the workpiece as well as a normal straight linear force. That helps prevent the workpiece from shifting up during machining.
videos like this, even when they are about things I don't fully understand, showing Adam do a show-n-tell while being so enthusiastic about the subject, is the exact reason we all enjoy watching these videos
my grandfather, the one who taught me to use a mill, told me that a mill is a machinists chisel and the lathe is the paintbrush. with it the machinist can make art that the outside world may never see, but their art is felt by many. he worked on bombers during WW2 was a diesel mechanic for most of his life afterword's. i am eternally grateful to him for teaching me about these things and this art is not as popular as it should be in my opinion.
Dear Mr. Savage. One important thing just came to mind when I look at your workshop where there is a huge variety of stuff and different liquids and both electrical equipment and space is cramped anyway. Where is your fire extinguisher and emergency exit. Do you know how to put out an electric fire? Or different flammable different materials? Don’t want to lose your life’s work or your fabulous workshop just because you’re not prepared for it. It's a good idea to clean and organize your tools and stuff. I recommend.
I KNEW IT!!!! every-time it's in the background i'm like "thats gotta be a new machine.... maybe he just re-painted it...why hasn't he mentioned it??" lol
I would suggest adding an LED Halo/ring light to the spindle quill. Even if you think you have enough light on the subject, this simple addition is a whole new level of visibility. With a small amount of work you can have a clamp-on LED ring light directly over your cutting action, reducing the amount of shadow and blindspots that results from using directional lighting. I wouldn't run a manual without it. The smaller mill I had, I was able to just pop an 80mm light directly on the quill and just friction alone holds it great. I think the full knee mills such as yours would need a larger ring so probably an adapter of some kind is needed but I believe that its well within your abilities to make. Might make for a great one day build. Don't take my word for it either, look up LED Halo light for Bridgeports or other mills and you'll find enough examples. There's even some being sold specifically setup for the purpose of mounting to a mill, not sure if they are worth the money over just the barebones LED rings you can get for under $20. I bought a 2-pack for under $20 and 5 years later am still using the first. Regardless, that Sharp is a good looking mill! It's got to be really nice to turn the wheels on something brand new and well made.
WOW! I am experiencing an emotional drool right now. Love it. I am leaning towards obtaining a Sharp once I am ready to pull the trigger. Thank you so much.
I am rebuilding a 1980's ACRA mill with dual power feeds. I am upgrading to ABEC 7 class bearings to really push up the accuracy along with some re-scraping. Should then hold a tolerance tighter than new.
I love when he finishes a point, looks at his new toy and quickly sighs through his nostrils. He's so proud and excited about it. It really is endearing.
Back in the late 1960's I had a temporary Federal Civil Service appointment with the Department of the Navy at the Pasadena Naval Undersea Warfare facility. There was also a remote facility in the mountains above Azusa at Morris Dam. I was a technician trainee. I already had some training using machine shop tools as far back as Junior High School. At Morris Dam there was a machine shop that was equipped with some very large WWII vintage but high quality machines. One I remember in particular was a big vertical mill, about fifty percent larger than Adam's Sharp, that had mechanical two speed rapid traverse on both the XY table travel and on the knee Z axis as well as variable speed mechanical feed traverse. There were levers that actuated the rapid traverse. Sometimes I couldn't help but make the machine dance around just because it was so amazing. There was also a huge radial drill that probably had a six foot throat as well as a shaper. I had actually used a shaper in Junior High but they are pretty much obsolete these days. In operation a large shaper is pretty intimidating, the large head moves back and forth at a relative high speed. A tool mounted in the head shaves metal off the workpiece on one stroke and then hinges to pass over the workpiece on the return stroke and repeat. Of course there were also lathes with twenty foot beds and massive chucks. That facility did hazardous testing in open bays facing the lake on such projects as testing torpedo motors and torpedo thermal batteries. Humans were protected behind thick concrete walls and blast doors. The test bays could only be observed by looking at mirrors that pointed through high-mounted ballistic glass ports so there was no direct path for any debris that might be created in a catastrophic failure to hit observers. Then there were the day trips out of Long Beach Naval Base (since decommissioned) on a 40 foot TRB (Torpedo Recovery Boat, think PT Boat) to fish so engineers could collect fish slime, but that is another story.
So Adam I love your builds. I watched one last night that scared me. It was the mandalorian rifle. When you were polishing the scope with scotch Brite. You gripped the whole piece from the top. One handed. No no no. I care about your arm. When you grip like that, your fingers can lock into a fist around the shaft and pull your hand into the lathe. When I was taught to polish, you held the Brite on the bottom side with both hands usually a couple of fingers so if it catches it pulls from your hands. Same with Emory clothe. Sandpaper. Always underside always lightest grip. Also when dealing with coils I seen you grabbing them with your hand. Some pliers is the way to deal with those. Dont grab the Parrarell cuts or any with your fingers. I don't want to get into horror story's I've heard. But as an job shop and aerospace Machinist. Please heed the words of someone that's been taught in a shop by people with 300 plus years experience. I love learning from you. Also on this Knee Mill is it power Z axis.
@@shubinternet I think that's just what Adam calls it. When I started a web search to find out what the colored dots were, I eventually found "tooling plate" and apparently the color coded dots correlate to the threaded hole size they are covering.
For whichever Tested team member reads these, please reassure Adam that I WAS listening to him tell the story, but at around 11:10 or so, I was highly distracted visually by the Mandalorian Mythosaur skull in the background, and now - to paraphrase "Starship Troopers" - I want to know more!
Sharp makes a nice machine. Very accurate. It’s good that you don’t have to bring most of your machines down concrete stairs as I had to do, except for my 14” lathe which ended up in the garage with my welding and powder coating equipment.
I believe the term is "clapped out Bridgeport". Hopefully that old machine can go to someone new to machining rather than ending up as scrap. I'd still love to see you get into scraping, it's something that seems right up your alley.
We have 4 Bridgeports in the shop at my work. They are of ascending age and quality and everyone of them has a Kurt vise on it. They are amazing pieces of gear... Just this past Friday I was removing a 1/4" of material from a 1" block of aluminum with a fly cutter because one of the other engineers mismeasured where two surfaces meet.. (grrrrr.. nevermind... different story)... Anyway..... I was marveling at the precision and workmanship of the Kurt vise.. If there are better vises out there somewhere in the world, I'd love to see one..although I highly doubt there is.. I am a Mechanical Engineering Tech, and I literally could not do my job without a Bridgeport.. Fabricating pieces for newly designed machines or for improving processes around my plant. Use it nearly every day. A marvel of precision and ingenuity.... BTW... All of our axis have motors... inuding the knees.. I can't imagine them without it.. Think I'm spoiled..
I've got an old and warn out mill that has very little travel in the x axis without it getting really tight and just bought a used but very good condition three axis Bridgeport CNC and the difference is night and day. For one offs the CNC part is of limited use but handy for light to medium production. I was so excited when I got my first mill, not sure how anyone gets by without one, almost as excited about this one as well, they ain't getting any cheaper though :-(
I have a CNC milling machine, a tiny one. I've broken it plenty. I'd love to have space for a big proper one like this, to be able to take on some serious projects. Oh - and those demerit badges rock. They mark out real maker experience I think - someone who hasn't done these things is either doing really well on vicarious learning or hasn't tried enough themselves. Thanks, Adam!
recently went to a haas shop tour. they had a turn mill making knee mill z axis handle adapters to fit a hand drill. best thing cant work without it now
I'm a machinist and actually for the majority of the work I do, I prefer to do it on my knee mill and I CANNOT even imagine it EVER being that quiet!!! THAT IS INSANE!!
I'm quite impressed with the Sharp mill! Being a son, grandson, great grandson and great great grandson of tool and die engineers and toolmakers, I've always used Bridgeport mills, and the rate Clausing mill... 😁
When I started with a major frozen food manufacturer in 1974, our machine shop had mostly used machines most 20years or more old. Forward 30 years another major food manufacturer bought us out. The came in and told us to start up grading out shop. We bought a 18” by 72” lathe! Great but than they said we could not afford to buy anew mill. My boss told me to fix it as cheaply as I could. Page 1 bought a new power table ($5000 from a friend who ran a machine rep business, 1/2 price from that of the manufacturer). Than I took the power head off and rebuilt it and had the motor remanufacture. Replace 5 of the 8 gears and all bearings and more things than I could remember. That all cost $3500. After it was rebuilt and the boss brought in the manufacturer tech to check and calibrate the lathe. When he can in I was with him for 3 hours and he finally turned to me and said why did they call him in to calibrate a new machine. I had to show him the parts I had changed out before he told my boss that that machine was now to tighter tolerances than machine that left the factory now! Only got a pat on the back also I did make all the mechanisms mad buy adding a duel key system To run it so these with monkey brains did not destroy it. Retired in 2017, plant closed on 2019 and I went to the equipment sell at the plant and bought that mill for $1000 and sold it to my rep machine guy for $5000 plus a 10 % sales bonus for getting the new plant to buy the machine and reinstall it back in the same plant! Also got a $2500 job for month to help them learn to use it.
I hope someone took your old Bridgeport! Those things are BEASTS - and the DRO kits and electronic lead screw conversions are readily available, so you can make a Bridgeport into something resembling a modern mill.
Check out the adjustable work light from h&w machine repair and rebuilding. It mounts to the dovetail under the ram. We bought a set for each of our mills. They're small and very adjustable. The part number is WLDBLED.
Adam, you sing the praises of that Kurt vise now, but I remember the howls in the comments when you used it as an arbour press to broach your Samaritan replica.
Being new to milling this video was so fun to watch! I've recently changed careers later in life and am taking on machining, and we use old Bridgeports, it was so cool to see one in your shop.
I work for a major auto manufacturer, and we still use the old Bridgeports from back in the day in our Toolroom. Its hard to beat them. They are tanks.
I always loved the mill in shop class in high school, it was my favorite tool to use. The lathe always interested me as well, but I didn't really have many reasons to use it unfortunately.
The metal shop class I teach, that is what we have in our shop. A bit older and a little less equipped but its a nice machine that I enjoy using. Cheers to many piles of chips in its future!
I think the first distinction between a drill press and a vertical mill is the spindle bearings. Drill press bearings only need to work under thrust. Milling machine spindle bearings experience both thrust and radial forces.
11:45 - I was around for the arrival of a Fadal CNC mill at Hackerbot Labs in Seattle some years back. Big giant rectangular box (the mill itself was shaped thus; not referring to a packing crate), and a long hallway with a 90 degree turn in it. And then another to get into the lab. The “guy” was a wonder on that forklift. The hallway was probably almost 3 meters wide? So no biggie on the straightaways, but the way things worked out at those corners, there was like... maybe a centimeter or so of clearance?!?? Maybe slightly more, but it was a very tight fit. And this person just fuggin’ nailed it. He slowed way down, and was careful with the cargo... but he hardly had to adjust, he just was that good at operating that forklift, at sizing up the cargo, sizing up the space... serrrrrrrioussssly impressive. If I ever need to move a mill in San Francisco, I hope you don’t mind if I reach out to find out who your guy is... because yeah, sounds like you did ok, but I’ll want an expert. :)
Dude you have all the best toys. I have a shed attached to my house that is full of junk right now, but someday it's going to be a workshop. Nice job talking through multiple yawns, that takes true focus
It isn't just using the mill that can wear it down, crap in the air can too. My first job was at a welding and machining shop, I wasn't hired to weld or machine, I was hired to clean but ended up doing both anyhow. The small machine shop had 2 lathes, 4 mills, in what was once a small 1 or 2 car garage. 3 people usually worked in there and they smoke like chimneys. Plus the coolant turning into mist and dust from metal. We took apart one mill and all that crap in the air had settled on the tracks and just got ground into it.
I use around 15 different cnc machines and lathes. We also have about 5 bridgeports, a comparator, tumbler and 10 other various machines. I'm realizing that I've taken it all for granted lol.
If I was upgrading from a Bridgeport, I’d go with a Prototrak . The conversational programming is easy to use and bulletproof. It is the perfect melding of cnc and manual machining. Going from a manual mill to a Prototrak is as significant a upgrade from going from a drill press to a mill.
I love Adam doing his own filming. It really feels like just hanging out with someone.
At first I’m like man this guy is way too theatrical and then I’m in the tractor beam. 5 million subs and counting. Some people just have IT.
@@prmcollin It's Adam Savage, that's why they have so many subs. Most here are fans of the show.
I hate it. I barfed all over the place.
@@randynovick7972 I'm scrolling the comments 'cause all the swinging around was giving me motion sickness
@@jimmybryan6760 I think you two might actually die if you ever try a VR game
Everyone deserves a partner that looks at you the way Adam looks at his new mill 😂
I bet he bought it dinner, then slept beside it for the first night. ;)
Well said and thanks i needed a laugh this morning.
@@csimet Don’t tell me he tucked it in and kissed it good night?
A good practice is to put your vise in different locations over time, offset to the right or the left to better utilize the entire working area of the mill ways! Congratulations on the new mill!
It also reduces potential distortion (over the mill's bed or the vice's) over time, usually incurred by ambient temp changes or incorrect torquing of the holding bolts
Good point
i love how occationally he just looks at it like you can tell how happy he is to have that machine
Here’s hoping his wife isn’t the jealous type? ;)
Yeah he is just about to burst.
I run the manufacturing finances at a GE Aviation site... Seeing this video and knowing how much quality Adam is getting in this mill. I cannot wait to see what he builds.
Also... We still have mills older than your old Bridgeport... It's one of my favorite parts of my job to see old machines still running like a swiss watch, turning parts for modern jets. It's a testament to the skills of our operators.
I'm not a handy man, and yet I sat thru a 20 minute video about a milling machine glued to the screen, absolutely fascinating
If I say "This Old Tony" you're gonna disappear for months.
Yes, for real, watch This Old Tony. No doubt you’ll be glued to his channel too!
I have that with practically all of the content that makers like him make.
It's the passion he has for his craft that really sells it.
It's not some guy showing of his latest gadget.
It's a man in love with his craft telling you all he can about it hoping some of that passion rubs off on his audience.
And by god it does ...
I don't know why exactly, but I love comments like this, folks that don't do this kind of work, don't have hobbies like this, but still love watching these videos. Glad you enjoy it like I do, Jelo! Yes, check out This Old Tony and AvE, and they will lead you to more via RUclips's suggestions if nothing else. 😉
1:10 - In Europe I think "chasing zeros" makes just as much sense. You're constantly trying to increase your precision and accuracy to be 10x better than it was before, e.g. inserting more zeros.
the metric system has a special place for zeroes, but tends to remove them quite efficiently.
Quite frankly if you're looking for more than a few thousandths out of any cutting machine then you're doing it wrong. If you want an extra zero then get grinders.
@@1pcfred quite frankly youre probably using the wrong techniques if you cant , you can turn a diameter reliably on on a lathe for example to within 2 tenths, if youre using the right method.
How long till he buys a CNC mill?
@@jokeassasin7733 don’t think he‘s a CNC type of guy.
I spend the last two months restoring my 1958 DECKEL FP1 I bought four years ago.
It was a tedious, dirty and hard process and every step resulted in two more to do.
But it was one of the most wholesome things I've ever done. And it's nice to see to what precision you can get with such an old machine.
Greetings from Germany
I'm jealous! Being in the US, Deckel and Maho machines are hard to find, but I would love to get one one day. Kinda funny as DMG mori has a facility 5 minutes from my house.
@@lopezepol75 I was very lucky. An old guy a few kilometres away retired and closed his car part shop. He only wanted a few euros and someone that gets the machine out of his shop. The hardest part was getting it home. But absolutely worth it.
I have to remember when adam makes something awesome he has been creating since before I was alive. :) inspiration to my future projects
F
Right there with ya
Nice mill! I work for a machine tool manufacturer, and work on a lot of lathes and mills installing accessories and scales (including Newall!), and just wanted to say, I think your x axis power feed can be adjusted to be quieter when you hand crank it! On the ones we install at work which look fundamentally the same as yours, we shim them to get the gear mesh more exact and the gear noise almost goes away entirely. It's pretty easy to do if you ever want to play with it, but you'll have to get/make some round shims.
Keep it up!
@dylan94 hey Dylan, Caught this 2yr old comment about your work & you mentioned shimming the power feed.
I just got my 1st mill, (@ 69), an old round column Jet-16. It has a power feed on the x-axis, but due to height, there were clearance issues, so the power feed was mounted horizontally, instead of the typical door knob placard position.
It makes a heck of a gear knashing racket when cranking it, & it's quite noisy when using power feed.
Have you ever sorted on of them out when they're mounted horizontally w/ the appropriate kit & might you have any suggestions on info or from your experience.
I've been unable to find anything on YT, so I'm kind of at a loss. The noises it makes are bound to lead to gear destruction. I thought I'd try to go back to a vertical mount, but there just isn't room, if I could even get the parts. Making the gear(s) isn't in my skill/tooling set.
Any clues to finding info or suggestions would be greatly appreciated by an ancient maker.
GeoD
@georgedennison3338 I wouldn't think the power feed being mounted horizontal would really be an issue. If you want to check your gear mesh on your pinion gear the best way to do it is to pull off your handle, and if it's at all similar to Adam's mill, your dial and pinion gear that's keyed to the shaft should come off together, leaving just the drive pinion on the power feed exposed. When I'm setting the mesh I remove the dial from the large pinion that is keyed to your shaft, make sure you clean any grease from around the ID of the housing on the power feed that the drive pinion gear is in, and clean grease off the OD of your keyed pinion, and put it back together how it was, except with your dial removed. With the dial removed, and everything reassembled, you should be able to see a small gap around your power feed housing, and the keyed large brass pinion. With the power feed powered off, but toggled either direction, you should be able to peak between that gap and see how much lash you have between the two pinions if you slowly rock your handle back and forth and peak through the gap with a flashlight. I just remove shims until there is as little lash as possible but still enough to have the tiniest play between the two gears. The two pinions come with a super sticky grease from the factory as well, so try to find something like that to put on the gears as well to help with noise. I wish I could tell you where to source some shims or grease, but everything I work on comes in a kit with everything.
@@Dylan94 I should be able to managr shims & lube. Just knowing that minimal clearance is OK is a big help. The adapter used to mount it horizontally is real jinky. It clamps on the end of the bed, which is raw casting on the inside, so it does seat well & sits at an angle.
I thought it would help to get it squared up, so I got it remounted 'right' & the damn thing howled & barely moved. Had to remount it 'wrong' to get it to work.
I'm still going to try eliminating the adapter, using studs & spacers. Hopefully that'll work.
I think if I get a reproducible mount, I can get a good gear mesh & reliable function.
Thanks for the info.
GeoD
I LOVE HOW HUMAN YOU ARE!!! "i am a competent operator, that's the hightest compliment" - that is soooo cool to hear someone say after 30 years of using a machine. it displays reflection and honesty. your trial of positioning the camera either displays authenticity. i admire you, mr. adam savage.
i have stumbled over your channl rather recently and i love every single video you have. your excitement. your authenticity. your non-scripted confusion about how to tell things. i admire you as a person so much.
"I used to be an average machinist like you... but then i got a motor on the knee."
Massively underrated comment
Hahahaha, I’m gonna take this one to the shop. 😂
I NEVER comment or reply to anything, but:
Made my day :'D
Us old guys , would be glad to never hand crank a knee again ,or drop the handle on our toes
Next video: Weathering my new milling machine
Yes! 😁
Theres bound to be something not-quite-right in the flow...
"So we're gonna mix some army green and burnt umber to get the dirt look, but the real secret is this baggie of dirt that a friend sent me from scotland. I'm gonna mix that in and just wash it into all the crevices...then before it dries I just wipe it up...and...ohhhh...yeahhhhhh...that's what I'm talkin about!"
The trick is to leave it the corner of a shop and let it get beat to hell. I think that's what he's going for here
*making it look more steampunk or dieselpunk would be awesome*
The thing I like about Adam the most is that he is humble. Like hes been using the mills for decades and he knows that he has not mastered them and still learning and will to the day he can't anymore. The concept that someone can achieve mastery over a skill is an illusion.
Finally! I've been waiting months for this. I thought I had missed a video about it. lol
Surprised to hear the ThisOldTony reference! Love to hear you reference the other machining RUclipsrs like him, AvE, or I think I heard an abom79 reference in there too in a video Since Past! Beautiful mill!
I just wish I heard fewer references from people to AvE. That channel rubs me the wrong way, big time. Otherwise, I agree. :)
I am not at all a fan of AvE. Something about his attitude, vocal patterns, etc… make him feel to me like an even more rude and obnoxious and self-aggrandizing version of Cliff Clavin from the TV show “Cheers”. Like, just about the last person on earth that I want to be forced to be exposed to for any period of time.
@@shubinternet I’m glad I’m not the only one (though these aren’t my only reasons.)
@@DavidLindes I get very tired of his constant libertarianish horseshit.
@@DavidLindes We are legion. I will inhale ToT videos for hours, I can stand AvE for seconds. Personal taste is like that.
I also got a new tool recently! I bought a new chef's knife, and man, it's a delight to finally have a sharp blade again. It just does what you want without any fuss or worry about it going the wrong way! The new milling machine feeling must be in the same vein :)
Oh, no! You shouldn't put the chef's knife (or the milling machine) in any vein! That gets very messy at the same time interfering with your ability to cope.
I've had a Sharp LMV-50 since about 2006 or so, and it's an excellent milling machine. Probably not as nicely made as a brand new Bridgeport from the 1960's, but very much as well made as a current production Bridgeport (which is also imported, sadly).
It's been here ~15yrs and in that time I've had zero issues with it mechanically, and it's made a lot of chips in that time.
You'll really like that machine, and it should last you the rest of your life.
Have been really glad to see you really start to buckle down and learn how to use your machine tools properly, and it's been really great to watch how quickly you're progressing at it.
You say you're not super fast. Fast does not always mean expert. My dad has been a machinist for over 50 years. He has worked as a machinist, worked in tool and die, in R&D and for over 2 decades for an industrial service company. (Basically taking portable machines out to plants and strapping them on machinery/parts that need repair but are too big to feasibly take into a shop to machine.) The machines are portable, but just as exacting.) He is my hero and capable of thinking out of the box beyond the norm. One of the reasons I enjoy watching your videos. I work at a company that he did as he is now retired (and subsequently busier than ever) and hearing veteran machinists speak of his unparralled skills make me so proud. He taught me to cut pipe and a plant machinist after watching me, asked how long I had been cutting pipe & was shocked when I said 6 months. He said, "Ive seen guys that have been cutting pipe for 20 years that can't cut pipe like that." In saying all that, my point is, he still takes his time developing a plan, thinking through it before he starts work. His quote from having to go out and save jobs after "faster" less experienced machinists screwed things up will stay with me forever -"It's always easier to do it right the first time than having to unf*ck it first" Creative machining as he has done and you routinely do will lead to unexpected/unintended consequences from time to time, but thinking through things will eliminate many of them. Keep up the great work and fun videos!
If you haven’t already come up with an idea for your old mill donate it to a trade school they welcome new equipment and students tend to be rough on new tools so it’s better to give them some thing a little worn in.
It was probably sold before the new mill arrived. The couple grand he got for it defrays the cost of the new one.
@@1pcfred cool
Always nice to have a tool that you know you'll actually use so much it will wear out eventually. Whereas mine just break.
No more than he uses it, it will last him a life time.
That sucks man.....! It sucks when a tool breaks, and you have to get one vs. just wanting to upgrade.
I wish I had an old worn out milling machine. I have to make all my parts with files.
Even with a mill you still end up doing a lot of filing.
Some of the very first machinist used files, stones, scrapers, to remove material, those tools were then used to build machines like the lathe and mill.
Sometimes that is the quickest way to make something.
I thought this was a CNC joke at first...
@@brandon_stargrave Lol now I get it!
Good on ya Adam! I'm in a similar situation as you. I bought a used Bridgeport of 60s vintage 11 years ago and it is what I learned on. It blue a belt a couple of months ago, one of the "toothed" ones that requires a head tear down. So I checked to see what a head rebuilt would cost and decided to buy a new one. Couldn't afford all the nice features you got, but did get a power feed and a DRO...and it is SOOOO quiet. As a machinist I can share and appreciate the pure joy a new machine brings. Good luck/have fun. B--Safe
Finally! I noticed the LMV-49 with all the bells and whistles months ago. I can only imagine the pleasure of running a brand new mill. Very nice machine Adam, glad to see you treating yourself to such a fine piece of brand new machinery, thanks for the little tour.
Thank you. I was wondering which model that was because you can’t tell from certain angles.
You're gonna love that new mill. I bought a new TMV-K loaded out about 5-6 years ago now and the machine has been perfect. I love the variable speed and the muffin fan is louder than the spindle! Thanks for all the videos and creativity.
I’ve been a working machinist for 20 years and I can totally feel the pure joy of a new machine! Haha! This is great!
And the vise… absolutely!! Haha
Seeing Adam on the mill makes me miss being a machinist and machine repairsperson. I started when I was 18 and just recently changed careers at 21. I’ve fixed so many split nuts, belts and brakes, removed heads and bearings, and not to forget chasing numbers (:
Everything I know about milling machines is what I've learned from watching Adam's vids over the last couple of years. I've never even seen one, except Adam's. But from the way he uses them, I always got the impression that a milling machine was like a manually-operated CNC machine. Instead of a computer moving the heads back and forth, up and down, spin faster or slower, etc., the operator controls the motion with the manual wheels and levers, using pre-set stops and calibrated threads to get very precise amounts and directions of movement.
I guess it would be more accurate to say that a CNC machine is essentially just a milling machine controlled by computer software.
Man I love absolutely LOVE that mill!!! Not throwing numbers out or anything. Yet like Adam said “invest in what you love”. That mill with that deck and tooling runs about 35k. Sounds like a lot right!? It’s not. He uses it every day he profits from it. And he loves it. It’s kinda like you and your car. You want all the options so you get them. You love it cherish it and use it. Mills are expensive due to them being exact to .005 that’s a normal run out of that mill. Being a machinist I don’t have one like that. I had to start small. Yet one day. I will! Love is the answer! Have a great day you beautiful people! ❤
Thanks for confirming this you got a new mill. I thought I was seeing a difference but since you did not mention it till recently I thought I was wrong. Keep making awesome content.
Adam's shop is literally a treasure trove that I would LOVE to pick through just to see what I can see
Man what a lovely piece of machinery! You deserve it Adam, thanks for the tour!
Just seeing this now, nearly a year late... Glad to see you upgraded Adam. I rudely commented on your older video showing your Bridgeport, about buying something better than what you had (for which I'm sorry). Good that you got a newer machine. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to do precision work on clapped out machine tools. Sure there's the old adage, "a good craftsman does not blame his tools...", but there's a point where no amount of skill can fix a worn out tool. Belated congrats on the new acquisition, it's a PRIMO mill!
FINALLY. I'VE BEEN ASKING IN EVERY COMMENT SECTION IT WAS SHOWING UP IN THE BACKGROUND
That's just a little bit excessive and obsessive.
@@watcherofwatchers that's the goal
Yay! Finally we get to see the sharp new Sharp featured :)
I'm jealous of Adam's new mill. About five years ago I purchased some machine tools for my personal workshop. I bought a decent lathe but went with a mill/drill. I initially though I wouldn't need no stinking DRO but soon changed my mind and installed a 3-axis aftermarket one myself. I'm good with the mechanical distance readouts on the lathe. I now wish I had spent another couple of $K and bought a Taiwanese knee mill. One rule of thumb that should be mentioned is that the tooling required to actually use such equipment can easily equal the cost of the machine itself. Re: a Kurt mill vise. Originally, Kurt had a patent on the "angle-lock" design of the vise so you could only get that feature from Kurt. Of course, that patent has long since expired and you can buy equal quality vises with the same feature for less than the name brand product. The angle-lock design applies both a downward force to the workpiece as well as a normal straight linear force. That helps prevent the workpiece from shifting up during machining.
It makes me happy how jazzed Adam is about his new mill. It's so far beyond what I can comprehend being able to use but I watched the whole thing.
videos like this, even when they are about things I don't fully understand, showing Adam do a show-n-tell while being so enthusiastic about the subject, is the exact reason we all enjoy watching these videos
my grandfather, the one who taught me to use a mill, told me that a mill is a machinists chisel and the lathe is the paintbrush. with it the machinist can make art that the outside world may never see, but their art is felt by many. he worked on bombers during WW2 was a diesel mechanic for most of his life afterword's. i am eternally grateful to him for teaching me about these things and this art is not as popular as it should be in my opinion.
Dear Mr. Savage. One important thing just came to mind when I look at your workshop where there is a huge variety of stuff and different liquids and both electrical equipment and space is cramped anyway. Where is your fire extinguisher and emergency exit. Do you know how to put out an electric fire? Or different flammable different materials? Don’t want to lose your life’s work or your fabulous workshop just because you’re not prepared for it. It's a good idea to clean and organize your tools and stuff. I recommend.
Finally got my first milling machine this weekend and have got to work returning it- it’s needs a lot of work. Exciting times.
I KNEW IT!!!! every-time it's in the background i'm like "thats gotta be a new machine.... maybe he just re-painted it...why hasn't he mentioned it??" lol
"i've got a guy who moves mills". good guy to know
You have no idea. :) (See one of two top level comments from me for more.)
He moved the old one out ... but could not sechedule moving the new out one in. Feels odd.
I would suggest adding an LED Halo/ring light to the spindle quill. Even if you think you have enough light on the subject, this simple addition is a whole new level of visibility. With a small amount of work you can have a clamp-on LED ring light directly over your cutting action, reducing the amount of shadow and blindspots that results from using directional lighting. I wouldn't run a manual without it.
The smaller mill I had, I was able to just pop an 80mm light directly on the quill and just friction alone holds it great. I think the full knee mills such as yours would need a larger ring so probably an adapter of some kind is needed but I believe that its well within your abilities to make. Might make for a great one day build.
Don't take my word for it either, look up LED Halo light for Bridgeports or other mills and you'll find enough examples. There's even some being sold specifically setup for the purpose of mounting to a mill, not sure if they are worth the money over just the barebones LED rings you can get for under $20. I bought a 2-pack for under $20 and 5 years later am still using the first.
Regardless, that Sharp is a good looking mill! It's got to be really nice to turn the wheels on something brand new and well made.
WOW! I am experiencing an emotional drool right now. Love it. I am leaning towards obtaining a Sharp once I am ready to pull the trigger. Thank you so much.
I’m a machinist and I love the machining videos, underrated
I am rebuilding a 1980's ACRA mill with dual power feeds. I am upgrading to ABEC 7 class bearings to really push up the accuracy along with some re-scraping. Should then hold a tolerance tighter than new.
Very nice machine, congrats! I’m a machinist 40 years into the trade. Motorized knee? dude, you are livin the good Ife!
I love when he finishes a point, looks at his new toy and quickly sighs through his nostrils. He's so proud and excited about it. It really is endearing.
I like how you paused your speaking several times and just stared in awe at the mill, literally speechless!
Back in the late 1960's I had a temporary Federal Civil Service appointment with the Department of the Navy at the Pasadena Naval Undersea Warfare facility. There was also a remote facility in the mountains above Azusa at Morris Dam. I was a technician trainee. I already had some training using machine shop tools as far back as Junior High School. At Morris Dam there was a machine shop that was equipped with some very large WWII vintage but high quality machines. One I remember in particular was a big vertical mill, about fifty percent larger than Adam's Sharp, that had mechanical two speed rapid traverse on both the XY table travel and on the knee Z axis as well as variable speed mechanical feed traverse. There were levers that actuated the rapid traverse. Sometimes I couldn't help but make the machine dance around just because it was so amazing. There was also a huge radial drill that probably had a six foot throat as well as a shaper. I had actually used a shaper in Junior High but they are pretty much obsolete these days. In operation a large shaper is pretty intimidating, the large head moves back and forth at a relative high speed. A tool mounted in the head shaves metal off the workpiece on one stroke and then hinges to pass over the workpiece on the return stroke and repeat. Of course there were also lathes with twenty foot beds and massive chucks. That facility did hazardous testing in open bays facing the lake on such projects as testing torpedo motors and torpedo thermal batteries. Humans were protected behind thick concrete walls and blast doors. The test bays could only be observed by looking at mirrors that pointed through high-mounted ballistic glass ports so there was no direct path for any debris that might be created in a catastrophic failure to hit observers. Then there were the day trips out of Long Beach Naval Base (since decommissioned) on a 40 foot TRB (Torpedo Recovery Boat, think PT Boat) to fish so engineers could collect fish slime, but that is another story.
over 20 minutes of a man justifying his new super expensive tool to the world :)
Basically, but I'm not in any position to throw stones.
He's just happy , if you've spend decades **@#$&😡 at completly shot out machines , you would understand the happy .
So Adam I love your builds. I watched one last night that scared me. It was the mandalorian rifle. When you were polishing the scope with scotch Brite. You gripped the whole piece from the top. One handed. No no no. I care about your arm. When you grip like that, your fingers can lock into a fist around the shaft and pull your hand into the lathe. When I was taught to polish, you held the Brite on the bottom side with both hands usually a couple of fingers so if it catches it pulls from your hands. Same with Emory clothe. Sandpaper. Always underside always lightest grip. Also when dealing with coils I seen you grabbing them with your hand. Some pliers is the way to deal with those. Dont grab the Parrarell cuts or any with your fingers. I don't want to get into horror story's I've heard. But as an job shop and aerospace Machinist. Please heed the words of someone that's been taught in a shop by people with 300 plus years experience. I love learning from you. Also on this Knee Mill is it power Z axis.
I've been in the machining trades for 8 years. You deserve a proper mill.
So what are all the multi-colored spots on the left side of the setup table?
I’ve been wondering that for months. Only today did I learn that it’s called a “setup table”.
@@shubinternet I think that's just what Adam calls it. When I started a web search to find out what the colored dots were, I eventually found "tooling plate" and apparently the color coded dots correlate to the threaded hole size they are covering.
For whichever Tested team member reads these, please reassure Adam that I WAS listening to him tell the story, but at around 11:10 or so, I was highly distracted visually by the Mandalorian Mythosaur skull in the background, and now - to paraphrase "Starship Troopers" - I want to know more!
And what was the background sound we kept hearing in that section? Something to do with the large door?
There's nothing better than watching someone go through a piece of equipment/something they love. :)
Sharp makes a nice machine. Very accurate. It’s good that you don’t have to bring most of your machines down concrete stairs as I had to do, except for my 14” lathe which ended up in the garage with my welding and powder coating equipment.
I know everything about mills and still watched this. Nice vid
Great shop tour. Looking forward to more projects!
I believe the term is "clapped out Bridgeport". Hopefully that old machine can go to someone new to machining rather than ending up as scrap.
I'd still love to see you get into scraping, it's something that seems right up your alley.
I thought the same thing.
We have 4 Bridgeports in the shop at my work. They are of ascending age and quality and everyone of them has a Kurt vise on it. They are amazing pieces of gear... Just this past Friday I was removing a 1/4" of material from a 1" block of aluminum with a fly cutter because one of the other engineers mismeasured where two surfaces meet.. (grrrrr.. nevermind... different story)... Anyway..... I was marveling at the precision and workmanship of the Kurt vise.. If there are better vises out there somewhere in the world, I'd love to see one..although I highly doubt there is.. I am a Mechanical Engineering Tech, and I literally could not do my job without a Bridgeport.. Fabricating pieces for newly designed machines or for improving processes around my plant. Use it nearly every day. A marvel of precision and ingenuity....
BTW... All of our axis have motors... inuding the knees.. I can't imagine them without it.. Think I'm spoiled..
14:10 slightly panicked, thought someone was screaming in the far off distance XD XD
I thought it was powered by the souls of lamenting machinists
It sounds reminiscent of Bill Hader in that firehouse sketch
Finally ever since i spotted it in the background i've been waiting for this video!!
I've got an old and warn out mill that has very little travel in the x axis without it getting really tight and just bought a used but very good condition three axis Bridgeport CNC and the difference is night and day. For one offs the CNC part is of limited use but handy for light to medium production. I was so excited when I got my first mill, not sure how anyone gets by without one, almost as excited about this one as well, they ain't getting any cheaper though :-(
So happy to know you follow TOT.. He surely deserves it
I have a CNC milling machine, a tiny one. I've broken it plenty. I'd love to have space for a big proper one like this, to be able to take on some serious projects. Oh - and those demerit badges rock. They mark out real maker experience I think - someone who hasn't done these things is either doing really well on vicarious learning or hasn't tried enough themselves. Thanks, Adam!
recently went to a haas shop tour. they had a turn mill making knee mill z axis handle adapters to fit a hand drill. best thing cant work without it now
I'm a machinist and actually for the majority of the work I do, I prefer to do it on my knee mill and I CANNOT even imagine it EVER being that quiet!!! THAT IS INSANE!!
Love how excited you are to show us your new toy.
I'm quite impressed with the Sharp mill! Being a son, grandson, great grandson and great great grandson of tool and die engineers and toolmakers, I've always used Bridgeport mills, and the rate Clausing mill... 😁
When I started with a major frozen food manufacturer in 1974, our machine shop had mostly used machines most 20years or more old. Forward 30 years another major food manufacturer bought us out. The came in and told us to start up grading out shop. We bought a 18” by 72” lathe! Great but than they said we could not afford to buy anew mill. My boss told me to fix it as cheaply as I could. Page 1 bought a new power table ($5000 from a friend who ran a machine rep business, 1/2 price from that of the manufacturer). Than I took the power head off and rebuilt it and had the motor remanufacture. Replace 5 of the 8 gears and all bearings and more things than I could remember. That all cost $3500. After it was rebuilt and the boss brought in the manufacturer tech to check and calibrate the lathe. When he can in I was with him for 3 hours and he finally turned to me and said why did they call him in to calibrate a new machine. I had to show him the parts I had changed out before he told my boss that that machine was now to tighter tolerances than machine that left the factory now! Only got a pat on the back also I did make all the mechanisms mad buy adding a duel key system To run it so these with monkey brains did not destroy it. Retired in 2017, plant closed on 2019 and I went to the equipment sell at the plant and bought that mill for $1000 and sold it to my rep machine guy for $5000 plus a 10 % sales bonus for getting the new plant to buy the machine and reinstall it back in the same plant! Also got a $2500 job for month to help them learn to use it.
I hope someone took your old Bridgeport! Those things are BEASTS - and the DRO kits and electronic lead screw conversions are readily available, so you can make a Bridgeport into something resembling a modern mill.
Check out the adjustable work light from h&w machine repair and rebuilding. It mounts to the dovetail under the ram. We bought a set for each of our mills. They're small and very adjustable. The part number is WLDBLED.
Even as the pandemic eases, I still relish the distractions given by Adam Savage... thanks for helping me stay sane while working from home
The other comfort I had during the lockdown year was Patrick Stewart's daily Shakespearean sonnets.
This old tony is such an amazing channel
True
Adam, you sing the praises of that Kurt vise now, but I remember the howls in the comments when you used it as an arbour press to broach your Samaritan replica.
And since then I think I've noticed a real arbour press in the background in some shots. Maybe we'll get a new tooltip some day.
Finally!!! We’ve been waiting how many months?!?
Oh, well - we love you anyway, Adam. Thanks!
bridgeport, kondia, lagun.. great model machine.
i got a lagun ftv1. variomatic variable speed mill. from 1990.. works like a charm.
Being new to milling this video was so fun to watch! I've recently changed careers later in life and am taking on machining, and we use old Bridgeports, it was so cool to see one in your shop.
I work for a major auto manufacturer, and we still use the old Bridgeports from back in the day in our Toolroom. Its hard to beat them. They are tanks.
I always loved the mill in shop class in high school, it was my favorite tool to use. The lathe always interested me as well, but I didn't really have many reasons to use it unfortunately.
The metal shop class I teach, that is what we have in our shop. A bit older and a little less equipped but its a nice machine that I enjoy using. Cheers to many piles of chips in its future!
Machining videos are my fave.
I think the first distinction between a drill press and a vertical mill is the spindle bearings. Drill press bearings only need to work under thrust. Milling machine spindle bearings experience both thrust and radial forces.
FINALLY!!!!!! This video just made my day!
14:10 I can hear the Safe-T Goat screaming!
Happy for you, Adam. Congrats on a very nice machine. Also congrats to all us fans for what i am certain to be many nice upcoming o.d.b's 😉
11:45 - I was around for the arrival of a Fadal CNC mill at Hackerbot Labs in Seattle some years back. Big giant rectangular box (the mill itself was shaped thus; not referring to a packing crate), and a long hallway with a 90 degree turn in it. And then another to get into the lab. The “guy” was a wonder on that forklift. The hallway was probably almost 3 meters wide? So no biggie on the straightaways, but the way things worked out at those corners, there was like... maybe a centimeter or so of clearance?!?? Maybe slightly more, but it was a very tight fit. And this person just fuggin’ nailed it. He slowed way down, and was careful with the cargo... but he hardly had to adjust, he just was that good at operating that forklift, at sizing up the cargo, sizing up the space... serrrrrrrioussssly impressive. If I ever need to move a mill in San Francisco, I hope you don’t mind if I reach out to find out who your guy is... because yeah, sounds like you did ok, but I’ll want an expert. :)
Dude you have all the best toys. I have a shed attached to my house that is full of junk right now, but someday it's going to be a workshop. Nice job talking through multiple yawns, that takes true focus
Congrats!! It will keep the new workbench in good company :)
It isn't just using the mill that can wear it down, crap in the air can too. My first job was at a welding and machining shop, I wasn't hired to weld or machine, I was hired to clean but ended up doing both anyhow. The small machine shop had 2 lathes, 4 mills, in what was once a small 1 or 2 car garage. 3 people usually worked in there and they smoke like chimneys. Plus the coolant turning into mist and dust from metal. We took apart one mill and all that crap in the air had settled on the tracks and just got ground into it.
And I thought I was excited about getting a new alarm clock last week! 😉
Next up: Adam Savage's new shop, now with a floor rated for forklifts
I use around 15 different cnc machines and lathes. We also have about 5 bridgeports, a comparator, tumbler and 10 other various machines. I'm realizing that I've taken it all for granted lol.
Any other machine operators than me in here? Keep it up Adam!
Do wannabe machinists count? I have a dremel on a press stand, fitted with a proxxon XY table... on a good day it can cut plastic sideways :D
Hell yeh that counts! at least imo xD
You are a very good and skilled person, Mr. Adam
I wish you could explain more about the company and the country of manufacture of this device🙏
My Sharp TMV mill thinks yours looks very nice. Happy machining!
That is awesome!! Congrats...well deserved purchase. Thanks for showing it.
As a machinist... Yes. Motorized knees are the business! we use Sharp tools each day at our shop.
If I was upgrading from a Bridgeport, I’d go with a Prototrak . The conversational programming is easy to use and bulletproof. It is the perfect melding of cnc and manual machining. Going from a manual mill to a Prototrak is as significant a upgrade from going from a drill press to a mill.