Sieg C2 Milling attachment

[panama]

Hi guys, i'm new to the forum but it seems like there is a wealth of knowledge and experience on here.

I have purchased a Sieg C2 lathe (which has not arrived yet and is days overdue   ) and at some point when the credit card has recovered I want to get a milling attachment for it similar to the one that "the little machine shop" sells. 

There seems to be a few variations on them and i was wondering if anybody else has a C2 that has added the milling attachment or "vertical slide" to it could tell me which one is best for the price, or what other options i have that i may not have found?

i am chasing one with a vertical lift but i also want the ability to rotate it for milling different angles without repositioning the workpiece. it would be even better if the rotating plane had a degree measurement on it. 

i have seen the rotary tables and i think they might be a bit expensive at the moment because i'm not looking at rotating while operating the machine, more so between cuts.

kind regards,
Jase

[Vinny]

Just say NO! I tried it on a mini-lathe and it wasn't pretty. It's just not rugged enough for such a task. Tiny, tiny cuts in something soft like aluminum, it does a half assed job but it's really not worth it. You'll never get the finish you're hoping for and you'll probably need to make MANY adjustments to the lathe afterward to make it perform the way it did before you used that thing.

[panama]

fair enough, thanks for the input.

anybody else agree or disagree?

[TomG]

Jase,

Unfortunately Vinny is correct. Lathe milling attachments are marginal at best and the one in in pic looks lighter than most. Milling takes a tremendous amount of rigidity (mass) to accomplish and that attachment just doesn't have the rigidity or capacity required. As Vinny pointed out, you would be limited to very light cuts with small end mills in light metals. It may be better to save your pennies and put them toward a dedicated milling machine. Even a bench mill would be a much better option provided it is not the round column variety.

By the way. Welcome aboard!

Tom

[Dr Stan]

Both Vinny & Tom are correct in their assessments.

[f350ca]

I had one, looked heavier though that I used on a 14x40 lathe. Its not a replacement for a proper milling machine but better than a file and chisel. I cut a lot of keyways with it using the 3 jaw to hold the end mill, apparently that doesn't work, but I didn't know that at the time.

[Dr Stan]

When I had to stub the spindle motor shaft for my mill I was really pressed for a way to cut the keyseat.  I only had the one mill so I mounted the shaft (5/8" dia) in a QC tool holder and an endmill in a collet in the lathe spindle.  I dialed in the QC tool holder prior to installing the tool block.  I also centered the shaft with the CL of the spindle using an edge finder in a collet and used the appropriate gage block to raise the tool holder.  Used a 1/16" undersized endmill to rough in the keyseat then  finished the width & depth with an on-sized cutter.  Not the best key seat in the world, but good enough for gov't work.  

[panama]

thanks guys, i was only thinking of using it for a bit of manouverability for plunge cutting, cutting keyways and slots and putting a few flat edges onto round things. i will be mostly working with brass and 6061 ally and i may occasionally venture into mild steel if i need a job doing, not taking 10mm cuts or facing cylinder heads.

so far i've cut a bit of each of those and even some 316 stainless on the lathe and seems to be going great guns for what i need to do since i put the brass gibs in to stop the chattering.

haven't cut a thread yet but i have only just put the 4 jaw chuck ontot it and now need to make a holder for my dial indicator before i'll come up with a project to learn how to do that.