Clay,
I've travelled the same road you are embarking on.
I've milled on my 7x12 and on a Burke horizontal miller I bought
last fall. I used the Taig milling attachment on my 7x12. You can
get it for $47 from www.discountcampus.com . Click on "Taig" and
look for part # 1220. It's not quite as nice as the LMS one you
saw, but it is a lot cheaper, and works OK for what it is.
However, aside from the low cost and space saving aspect of milling
on the lathe, I can't think of many other positives. I much prefer
milling on my Burke. The working envelope on the lathe is very
small. Depending on the part you're trying to make, and the setup,
you usually only have an inch or so of movement along the y and
z axis. This is the biggest limitation.
I completed two little projects using the Taig attachment on the
lathe before a dedicated mill became "a necessity" for me.
Even if you only have the space for one of the mini-mills, I think
it offers more flexibility than trying to mill on the lathe.
Plus, it's just more fun to have a real mill.
So, if it was me starting over, knowing what I know now, I'd
probably skip buying the milling attachment for the lathe and look
for a mill from the get go.
B Flint
--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "ccarlile1 <ccarlile1@y...>"
<ccarlile1@y...> wrote:
... I have also found that
milling is almost a necessity in this hobby and I am looking for
alternatives to a milling machine. I discovered Varmit Al's
site and the attachment he designed for a lathe and also found
the $129 milling attachment at LittleMachineShop.com. Can anyone
offer comments on this approach to milling on the lathe -- both
the pros and cons?
Many thanks in advance, Clay
