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| Workshop standards? |
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| PeterE:
I am just thinking about standardisation in my workshop. With that I mean, using bits that can be directly used on more machines than one. Since I came into the hobby around metal working quite late, I regard myself as a definite newbie. In my shop there is an MJ-189 (Unimat3/4 clone), a C3 lathe, an SX1L bench mill, and a small bench drill press. All machines mainly use M6 for studding and accompanying T-nuts - apart from the drill press. My ER collets are ER 16 for the MJ-189 and for the sizes below 10 mm in the other machines and ER 32 for the other. Using MT2 taper tooling together with a few adapters I can use the MJ-189 tools also in both the larger lathe and the mill. To me this means that I have access to quite a few tools for any of the machines and I only have to buy specific ones to fit a specific machine. What is your opinion on this? Is it "over the top" to try to standardise or useful? How do you do? BR /Peter |
| NeoTech:
Ooh i can only agree, my machines is spread all over.. The lathe uses MT3 and 4, the mill uses W20 (dont even ask) and the mini mill uses MT2.. i have managed to adapt MT2 and ER32 to my mill for standardistion and made the necessary tooling to hold those coolets and tools in my lathe as well.. It saves alot of time to standardise your shop to some form of metric or imperial standard and use a system that is common.. |
| Brass_Machine:
Peter, Without a doubt, standardizing on tools (or most anything else really) is worth it. Instead of having to buy 2 or 3 tools for each machine you only need to buy one. In my case, 2 or 3 tools usually means 2 or 3 cheap(er) tools. When I only have to buy one, I can get better quality. Eric |
| Meldonmech:
Hi Peter, You are on the right track, I have standardized on two main fittings, the no 2 morse taper and the Myford lathe screwed lathe nose. I have got the same MT and nose on my lathe, milling machine , rotary table, dividing head, and my tool and cutter grinder. This enables me to turn a part to size, remove it from the lathe while still in the chuck, and screw it onto any of the other machines or accessories without losing concentricity. I for example can turn a gear blank, take it to the dividing head, set up on the mill, and cut the gear without removing it from the chuck. The combinations are endless, in my opinion it is the best move I ever made, for time saving and accuracy in the machine shop. Cheers David |
| bp:
I am with the others. I have a C3 lathe, with MT3 and ER32, an X2 mill with MT3 and ER32, a 4" rotary table that takes an ER32/MT2 chuck. Also there is a case for standardising measuring equipment, in my case pretty much all metric. Any fixtures I make I use M6 fasteners, as I have a vast quantity of M6 SHCS. Well worth it!! cheers Bill |
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