Milling Machine

[Bruce Page]

I can side mill wood, any wood, all day at 700 RPM and get jointer like finishes that require very little sanding. The only time the slower speed of a metal cutting mill is a handicap is when you are trying to get a good finish off of the end of the cutter.
When I do need a good finish like on the bottom of a milled pocket I swing my milling head 180° and presto I have a high speed spindle using my home made router adapter! (old pic)
As far as this oily, grease covered world that some envision with machine shop equipment, that is not the case unless you are running 60+ year old machines with babbit oilers all over it.

[Frank Drew]

A friend of mine bought a used milling machine for mortising but has found it too slow for production work.

For mortising, a milling machine would be accurate but rather slow; a good quality horizontal slot mortiser would be accurate but fast, and that would be my choice.

[george wilson]

I use my Bridgeport type mill for wood projects often. It is only necessary to wipe the vise clean of oil,and keep a vac nozzle where it cuts to keep chips and wood dust from getting on the machine. I just made a dining table

with large mortise and tenon joints. Squared up the mortises with a chisel,quick and easy. I want a foot treadle mortiser,but haven't had one turn up yet.

[Steve H Graham]

Here is what I think: the router is woodworking's inefficient, inaccurate, dangerous answer to metalworking's milling machine. People who rout metal are willing to spend ten grand on a metal router, so milling machines are rigid, safe, and precise. People think two hundred bucks is a lot for a wood router, so all you get is the motor, the collet, and a couple of handles!

I've used my mill on wood, and it does precision work that would be extremely hard to do with my routers. Taking off a thousandth at a time is a breeze. On top of that, you get total repeatability, and you are much less likely to ruin a workpiece, because the vise or clamps will prevent most types of accidents. And you can even get a power feed, to keep your hands away from the cutting edge.

I haven't tried putting wood in my rotary tables, but I'll bet I could do a lot of lathe jobs that way.

If you have lots of skill, you can do great things with a router. If you're like me, you're better off with a mill.

I think a used milling machine is a great thing for any woodworker to have. When it's too clapped-out for metal, it's still far superior to any ordinary wood router. And you can pick up one up for the cost of a cabinet saw.

[Tom Cornish]

Among many other things, a mill will be the best drill press you'll ever buy.

I've done some fairly scary things on a table saw trying to work with small pieces of wood - with the mill I can keep my hands on the cranks and not near the blade.

I haven't had trouble with the machine being a mess for woodworking - my head doesn't drip oil all over the place, and pretty much the only cleaup I have to do is if I do a metal project where I'm using coolant.

[Lee Schierer]

I've used milling machines at work on several occasions to create precision parts that would be extremely difficult to do with most woodworking tools. I run the speed up to near the maximum and the cutters seem to work okay. I've cut wood with both router its and end mills. I dovetailed the drawer runners and separators shown in this jewelry box on a milling machine with digital read outs so that the spacing was exactly the same on each side of the finished box.. I also did the inlay in this box with a milling machine.

[Mark A Johnson]

I've got an older Bport, it the Swiss Army knife of the tool world. Being able to lock your work piece in the vise, makes it much safer. I don't know any machinist that have lost any finger while working.

On cutting longer pieces, you need a right angle plate: http://www1.mscdirect.com/eCommerce/...le+work+holder

After clamping the plate to the table, then clamp your work piece to the right angle. Make sure that your piece of wood is free and clear hang off the back of the table. Then you need to dial it in you have indicators. Other wise eyeball it so you cutting equal amounts on both sides. As your cutting, take lighter cuts so your work piece is less likely to move. Feel free to pm me if you need help.

[Steve H Graham]

I don't know any machinist that have lost any finger while working.

That really puts it in perspective. As long as I don't get rolled up in my lathe, I feel very safe with my metalworking machines. My table saw scares me every time I turn it on, my jointer is like something out of a horror movie, and my routers can be unpredictable.

I guess the problem is that there is no economic justification for a $10,000 router.

[Bruce Page]

I don't know any machinist that have lost any finger while working.

Don't think for a minute that it won't bite you. I have been a machinist since 1969 and I have seen plenty of nasty bites including two lost fingers.
I have never had anything worse than a few stitches but I take nothing for granted when running any machine.

[Frank Drew]

I feel very safe with my metalworking machines. My table saw scares me every time I turn it on, my jointer is like something out of a horror movie, and my routers can be unpredictable.

Steve,

Any tool can be dangerous if used carelessly, but what's the alternative, are you suggesting that a broad range of woodworking can reasonably be done with metalworking machinery, to the exclusion of using traditional woodworking machines (reasonably, in this case, meaning within a finite amount of time)?

[Tom Cornish]

Steve,

Any tool can be dangerous if used carelessly, but are you suggesting that woodworking can reasonably be done with metalworking machinery (reasonably, in this case, meaning within a finite amount of time), to the exclusion of using traditional woodworking machines?

I'm not the person you're asking the question of, and I certainly couldn't make the argument that it is reasonable to do woodworking with metal machines exclusively, but I have benefitted from some cross-discipline ideas from the metal industry, some milling operations being one example.

[george wilson]

Certain operations can be done with milling machines and metal lathes. The extreme rigidity of a milling machine does allow you to get excellent finishes with a relatively low speed cutter,like 2000 rpm instead of 20,000 rpm you'd get with a router. For making accurate cylinders,like for bench vise screws,a metal lathe is great. also great for making very accurate flat facing cuts or angular cuts.

I wuld not say that you should feel safe when using any machine. If you get caught in a milling machine or a decent size lathe,it isn't going to stop for you.

[Steve H Graham]

are you suggesting that woodworking can reasonably be done with metalworking machinery (reasonably, in this case, meaning within a finite amount of time), to the exclusion of using traditional woodworking machines?

I'm no expert. I'm lucky if I can nail two boards together. I just recognize the benefits when they're obvious. Sometimes the mill just blows the router away.

I don't know how you could replace a table saw with a woodworking machine, and planers work so well, I don't see much reason to consider fly cutting. But when you have to have an invisible fit between two pieces of wood, a mill can do amazing stuff.

I wonder what it would be like to use a mill for jointing small boards. I've done it with tiny workpieces, but I haven't tried anything larger than a few square inches.

[Noah Katz]

And you can even get a power feed, to keep your hands away from the cutting edge.

? Power feeds mount right next to the handwheels, which are far from the spindle.

[Noah Katz]

When it's too clapped-out for metal, it's still far superior to any ordinary wood router. And you can pick up one up for the cost of a cabinet saw.

Yeah, I felt pretty good about getting a new PM200o for a couple hundred off until I realized it was more than I spent on my Bridgeport (clapped out for sure but works fine).

I guess the problem is that there is no economic justification for a $10,000 router.

Per above, you don't need a new one, though you can get new smaller mills or mill/drills for less than a few thou.