Cylinder head blanks in place:
Also connecting rods are in place. I did some run-in on the lathe with cylinders and pistons installed. Pistons are still bit stiff, but getting better.
Mad jack, good points. But there is seriously weak spot in my mill/drill construction. Being that the two pieces, which support the mill/drill head, are made of aluminum. So it is quite useless for steel milling.
Even on alu and brass, only light cuts can be taken.
That's the reason, why I preferably machine parts using lathe, as much as possible.
Sorveltaja, I understand, I had an 11 inch drill press which, with a cross slide table (four inch), I used for my first milling machine, with bronze bushings for bearings, and a five eighths spindle, it was not a power-house, but barely even acted like a mill. If your lathe is of decent size, such as nine or ten inches, I found kits for T slotted cross slides, casting kits really, which allowed me to turn my ten inch Logan lathe into a horizontal mill, and with an angle block, a vertical mill too. Mine came from a company called "Metal Lathe Accesories", and I ended up with two different cross slides, one with about ten inches of "T" slots, about six or so, and the other with three "T" slots in the rear, and a hole to put a top slide in, at the front, so it will do double duty. I was able to machine a three by three by eight inch iron block accurately with the long "T" slot cross slide, the block having slots on two sides, and two different arrangements of dozens of holes on the other two sides, and being extremely stiff and rigid to hold stuff for milling in the lathe. I hope this is of some help or value. I know how hard it is when you don't have the right equipment, or even a good shed to put the wrong equipment in. At least you get to work on what your hobby, cheers Mad Jack
