what my milling machine did...

Howdy - been a while since I posted, being busy with house renovations...
So, on to the milling - nothing too exciting yet, but I'm getting there. Took a pic of a copper block I facemilled in the milling machine yesterday, there's some fingerprints - oh, and two dirty great drill holes done on a bench drill (drillpress) but hey. Oh, and the amusing vice I got with the milling machine imparts a 0.625mm angle to whatever it "holds". I do use the term loosely. Anyway, here's the pic:

edit: Have had to code the pic into a webpage and do it this way as freewebs "free" hosting is "free" in the "Lionel Hutz" sense of the word... Grr...

My website

That's a roughly 2" square copper block, 1/2 inch thick. The drill holes were from an earlier project, was going to use it for a gpu block if I remember properly. Still good for playing around on. The block has come out smooth enough to use 600 grit wet-or-dry to finish it up on. You can barely feel the ridges, depending on which way you run your fingernail.
I'll post some more if anyone likes, and detail a bit about the blocks I'm making. hoping to use a couple of 220W tecs I've got laying around and make something impressive. Let me know your thoughts anyway

no pic?

As for your vice and it's slope, run the surface thru the milling machine and end the problem

Yeah, tell me about it... Having probs posting the pic eagle...checked all the usuals... Hope to satisfy that shiny goodness viewing urge soon

Edit:Yup, given that one some thought eaglescouter. I'm getting a machine vice for it tommorow though that will solve my problems in that area. $85 - that's £45 to us english chaps - but worth it I hope!! Anyway, I shall see, and level out that slopey lump of copper. Also picked up a darn good deal on some carbide endmills, which I shall have to post on. Am hopefully going to use some 1.5mm endmills I have to make a peltier watercooling block as my next project. In between plastering the bathroom / bedroom, fitting en-suite and clearing garden... Whew. Good job I've got some time off at the moment!

Saw the pic on your site. Looks cool and I am once again, officially jealous of expensive toys.

On a side note, get some Lithium Ion Rechargeable batteries for your cam... those are the only ones I found to last.

Bryan D.

thanks Bryan; I did have L-ion cells in the camera that time, it was nearly a year ago that the first one was taken. I've not been able to get any milling work done up till recently, so not much has happened.
Eaglescouter - got my vice, facemilled both sides of the copper bar stock I had, and the result is much better. The two faces are paralell to within 50 microns, or two thousandths of an inch. Still a lot more error than I'd like, but hey. The finish was ok too, you can take it straight off the milling table and lap it with 600 grit, then 1000, and you're good to go. Bear in mind though that I haven't trammed the milling table, shimmed the vice, dialled it in or put the work on paralells, I just rested it on two other bits of copper bar stock, so, most of that innacuracy will most likely dissapear when I set things up properly...

Very nice tools! Looks like a good project on it's way to completion. I too am officially jealous of those of you that have the sweet tools that I don't have!

Same. If I do any kind of "milling" I'll have to use our drill press and buy those expensive bits and the milling vice thing (has nobs to move the peice)