Interest in Sherline Mill Classes

[Photomancer]

How much interest is there in Sherline Mill Class?

[mstovenour]

I am interested. Evenings and weekends.

[mdredmond]

I’d take the class.

[darrent]

I’d take a refresher.

[trurobertson]

I am certified on the sherline lathe but not the mill. I’m in! I can do nights after 5 and weekends if we are figuring out times.

[Tres0422]

I’m interested. Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday evenings are best for me.

[Omnomsan]

Nights after 6 and weekends. Definitely interested.

[Photomancer]

Looks like there might be enough interest soon. Based on past experience slighly less than half that say they’ll be there are. But getting close to that number.

I generally don’t schedule evening classes before 6:30, prefer 7 so people have time to get here after work. Will be a weekday - seems most people like M-W.

[Holliday]

For someone with zero experience, what can you make or do with this tool? I did a search, and all the results assumed you already know what you want (reviews, parts, etc.)

[Photomancer]

Like the Bridgeport Mill, it’s used to cut and shape material. Metals and plastics mainly.

Using the accessories, you can make quiet a lot if you have patience. I know that vague, but what you can make is really up to you. Lathes are used to make things that are symmetrical about a rotating axis, Mills are used to do the rest.

The Haas is a vertical mill like the Bridgeport and Sherline - but being computer controlled it can make more accurate, detailed, and complex cuts. But it really can’t do anything the other two mills … you just take forever to do them.

[jast]

I’m not quite clear if my response will be helpful, but here goes:
We have a very nice page on our wiki about the Sherline Mill, which includes specifications, fixtures/supporting tooling, etc.
https://dallasmakerspace.org/wiki/Sherline_mill
so if you’re wanting to know about stock sizes, etc. I think that referring to that page is going to be helpful.

If you’re asking about what “milling is”, I’ll refer to Wikipedia:

Milling is the process of machining using rotary cutters to remove material[1] by advancing a cutter into a workpiece. This may be done varying direction[2] on one or several axes, cutter head speed, and pressure.[3] Milling covers a wide variety of different operations and machines, on scales from small individual parts to large, heavy-duty gang milling operations. It is one of the most commonly used processes for machining custom parts to precise tolerances.

So the Sherline can do “milling operations” (pointing spinning tools into a workpiece) on the scale for which it is sized (physically able to secure/feed the stock in the orientation required for the desired outcome AND able to spin the tooling required at the required speed).
An example: Chris Marlow mentions having used a (her own, but it’s the same as DMS’) Sherline Mill to create the fixtures for her tiny chairs here

Dallas Makerspace Show & Tell - March 2019

Three cherry wood chairs, 1/12 scale, unfinished. I need one chair, which will be painted white and “aged”. This is more or less a replica of a chair from my great grandmother’s kitchen, circa 1936. The other two chairs are spares for some future unknown project, so they will remain raw until I decide where to use them. [IMG_7921a_800px] Since set-up is half the work, it made sense to make a couple extra chairs while I was doing this. OK, correction. Everything is angled; everything bel…

This brings up a good point…
I wonder how hard it would be to gather some “I made this on {toolx}” pics or the like into a {wiki, or other web page} collection, and/or get some prints and post them nearby their respective tools…

[Photomancer]

If you’re REALLY good and patient, here’s what can be done with the mill and lathe:

Note this is a monster engine, something that would go in small ship on the @John_Marlow scale of things (a 4-poster bed could sit on that quarter) - that’s a quarter in the picture:

[artg_dms]

The Sherline website has app notes on projects including how to make the “Turner’s Cube”.

t1000cubeinst.pdf

Think this is what Walter went by to make his brass Cube.

[Photomancer]

Great LATHE project. Hence name name. Now if it were MILLER’S Cube …

[artg_dms]

Hmmm…simultaneous x and y coordinates to cut a circle…good luck. There’s an adapter / rotating base vise for the Bridgeport - is there such a thing for a Sherline mill?

Edit - Should have known better than to ask - Sherline has a complete set of accessories including:
https://www.sherline.com/product/3575-milling-vise-w-rotating-base/
https://www.sherline.com/product/compound-rotating-base/

[John_Marlow]

There’s an adapter / rotating base vise for the Bridgeport - is there such a thing for a Sherline mill?

There sure is!! I did this at home, but we have all of these accessories at DMS. Here’s a setup I was just working on.

I needed a pie-shaped slot in an acrylic annular ring. One edge of the slot was parallel to the centerline (although not on the centerline). The other edge of the slot was 7 degrees off of that line. And the entire slot had to be 30 degrees off of horizontal. Since my workpiece was round, I held it the lathe chuck, then mounted the lathe chuck on the rotary table (using a threaded adapter); then held the rotary table on the tilting angle table.

[trurobertson]

Of you ask nicely, maybe @TBJK will show you the turners cube that he made. I think it contained three separate cubes. Really cool!!!

[jast]

Here’s the written saga, but even if read, doesn’t compare with seeing the real thing.

Tim Bene's Turners Cube

@TBJK was awful modest with his show and tell picture of his turners cube. He sure didn’t take the easy route and start with a cube from square stock. He started with round stock, made it square and then did all the work. The attached video is not Tim, but it will give you a good idea of the scope of skill it took to get it done. Good Job! (and yes - anodize it for that wow factor) video

[b_glazer]

I’m always game for something new and this seems way cool. I’m interested.

[Axel_Ohmstede]

When’s the next class?