Wiki
| Name: Grizzly Mill |
| Location: Metalworking Area |
| Status: Operational |
| Training: Required |
| Slack Channel: #sig-metalworking #help-metalwork |
| Owner: Wistful Embers/Camron |
Training
This is a precision metalworking machine! Familiarity with it’s Controls + Operation and Education on the specific types of operations you are going to perform, the materials you are working with, and the tooling required to complete them is necessary to operate safely and effectively!
The Machine requires passing a training class from a certified Mill Trainer, this training is sufficient to get you started but if you have zero or very little experience with machining principles and best practices it is Highly Recommended that you take time to research on your own. Machining is a complex and nuanced topic that requires a lot of attention to specific detail and patience. There is a plethora of information online in various formats from videos to books to blog articles that cover just about any topic within the hobby you can think of. Use this information to your advantage and you can always ask in the slack for recommendations on resources and take advantage of any community education and SIG meetings. Hobby Machining is a community built on shared knowledge and education!
Read and Understand the provided Machine Manuals for Mill and DRO (stored in the cabinet with the other manuals as hard copies for referencing easily while operating the machine as well as digitally here on this wiki page) The grammar and syntax can be a little weird at times but there is a lot of valuable information in them that is very useful to getting you started. Feel free to make notes in the margins of the paper copies, it’s a great way to pass on information and help grow our understanding of the machine!
Regular Training classes are currently in the works, this section will be updated in the future with class schedules
Operation
Safety
Read the documentation! Be familiar with all Machine Specifications, Potential Hazards and Safety Protocols! The manual for the machine does a good job of laying out the basic safety skills that are required when operating this machine. they will not be listed exhaustively here but it is expect you know them. Always inspect the machine for wear/damage before operating and wear all proper PPE.
!!!This Machine CAN and WILL Kill/Maim/Injure you and keep running without skipping a beat. There is a large amount of torque driving the operation of this machine. It is designed to cut and shape metal within very tight tolerances. It can cut through you effortlessly and WILL NOT STOP if you get caught in it while it is running. There is very little guarding on the machine by nature of the way it operates, Your attention and respect are VITAL for safe operation of the machine AT ALL TIMES!!!
Setup
Have a Plan! Know what operation you are going to be performing, what material you will be performing the operation on, what type of tooling and fixture you will need to accomplish this task. All of this should be planned out before you actually begin work on the machine. When you have the machine running and are making chips you should always know what your next move is going to be. The order in which you do the operations is also extremely important and should be well thought out from start to finish. If you do not pre-plan and consider this you can run into problems where you have milled off material you still needed to be able to hold the part for a different operation.
It is generally a good idea to start from a drawing with critical dimensions laid out before you begin a project. It doesn’t have to be a meticulously drafted engineering schematic or anything fancy like that (Although these can be very useful once you understand how to read them and a lot of online projects provide them) but even just a sketch in a notebook with the critical features and dimensions laid out can be extremely helpful when making parts.
Fixture your work to the mill table using an appropriate method for the shape and size of material you are working with and what operations you are performing. This can range from the mill vise to T slot clamps to rotary tables and chucks. Make sure your work is securely tightened. The golden rule here is firm but not torqued. Over-tightening risks breaking the T slots on the table or damaging the work holding device you are using. Under-tightening risks the part coming loose during machining and becoming a dangerous projectile and damaging the machine.
Select the tooling you will need and install it in the proper tool holder, the machine takes R8 taper tooling.
insert tooling into spindle and tighten drawbar, lock down with firm pressure. Do not Over or Under Tighten! Over-tightening can lead to damage to the spindle, drawbar, and tooling while Under-tightening can lead to the tooling coming loose during operation and become a high speed projectile!
You will also, depending on the operation you are performing, need to make sure the work is precisely placed in it’s fixture. This usually involves time spent with various Gauges,precision measurement tools, and Reference tools to make sure a part is accurately and precisely placed and that the tooling is properly referenced and zeroed in relation to the work piece. This is a time consuming process but the more time and effort you dedicate to this step the more you set yourself up for success in reaching tight tolerances and making good parts.
You will need to move the handwheels on each axis individually in the appropriate direction to adjust the position of the work in relation to the head, Zeroing the dials on each handwheel (and the DRO if you are using it). The Quill should remain as far up as possible and the quill lock engaged for all non-drilling operations.
Usage
RESPECT THE MACHINE. This is a Highly precise and sensitive piece of equipment with a large amount of torque behind it. Please be mindful of the amount of force you use to operate the machine. If anything binds, feels difficult to turn/actuate DO NOT FORCE IT! If the machine makes strange sounds like Grinding, Chattering, Squealing, or any other strange sound during operation STOP AND REEVALUATE what you are doing!
Turning on the Machine:
Plug the machine in and turn on the switch on the back of the DRO
Turn gearbox speed selector to High or Low depending on desired speed range (If gearbox selector does not engage properly grab the spindle and rotate by hand a little while trying to turn the knob to the desired speed range . you should feel it mesh into place and the knob click over.) DO NOT ADJUST THE GEARBOX KNOB WHILE THE MACHINE IS RUNNING
Turn the spindle direction selector to Forward or Reverse
turn the spindle speed all the way down (counter clockwise)
Hit the start button and allow the spindle to spin up
adjust the dial on the speed setting to your desired spindle RPM. you should have already calculated the appropriate feeds and speeds for the tooling you are using and the material and operation you are working with.
The specific details of the way you turn the handwheels and dial in your depth of cut and feed rates are skills that will take time and practice to get a feel for and are hard to explain in a wiki article. The general advice when starting out is to start out conservative with both your feed rate and depth of cut when you are performing operations you are unfamiliar with or tooling that you are unfamiliar with. Check reference documents for the tooling you are using, and always be aware of the limitations of the machine itself.
When familiarizing yourself with the machine you should run the machine through it’s spindle speed range as well as run the machine through the full range of movement of each of it’s axis and quill control in a no load situation to familiarize yourself with how the machine should look, sound, and feel under normal operating conditions.
Monitoring
When operating the machine and making parts you will be constantly monitoring various aspects of the process and using them as feedback to make adjustments to the way you operate the machine. This is multi-sensory task that requires your full attention while the machine is running and you are performing any operation.
Things to look out for:
How do the chips coming off the work look?
How does the surface finish look as i’m cutting?
Is my tooling going to get close to any of the fixturing?
is the machine shaking?
is there smoke coming from anywhere?
did the work move in the fixture during cutting?
Things to Listen out for:
Is the machine making any strange noises?
squealing, chattering, clunking, grinding or any other unusual sound?
does the motor sound bogged down when the cutter is engaged?
Does the cutter make a woody knocking sound when cutting? (dull tool)
Things to Feel out for:
Does the machine bind at any point?
Is there excess vibration anywhere?
does anything feel too loose or too tight?
Shutdown & Cleanup
Please remove any tooling from the spindle and place it back in it’s proper storage spot when you are finished with it. Clean up any chips you made from the table and T slots, wipe down table and spindle and put away any other equipment you used.
unplug mill but leave DRO plugged in! If DRO is left unplugged for too long it can lose it’s parameters stored in its memory!
The machine should also be regularly lubricated and inspected for damage/wear. Lubrication points and their recommended lubricants are detailed in the User Manual. It is also recommended that the unpainted machine surfaced (table, vice, spindle, other shiny bare metal) be wiped down with a lightly oiled rag to prevent rust. This isn’t a massive problem in Denver given our relative average humidity but it is a good general practice.
Troubleshooting
if you have any mechanical problems with the machine please post in the slack and let us know! If you are having a particular issue with a specific operation or tool or function of the machine please feel free to ask!
Accessories
Need to take inventory of everything and update this section
Files & Resources
History
This section is for noteworthy events such as:
- When and how it was acquired
- Repairs/service
- Upgrades