Milling ? for the machinists...

Flooring?

Try wooden shipping / forklift pallets with moulded plastic inter-locking "workshop mats" laid on top.

If all your machines and benches are at "perfect" height, just use the hard moulded plastic workshop / non-slip mats that are about 1 1/2 inches or so thick.

The swarf / chips / crud just falls through to be collected during "clean-up".

The only downside is that any small tools, components, etc. that get attacked by gravity, disappear into the mess under the mats..............
 
Thanks for the tips/advice guys- keep 'em coming !

Yeah, don't want to build up the floor at this point. Most of my workbenches- lathe/mill, duplicator, drill press, were purpose-built by me to the correct working height based on the equipment being used. I'd have to raise them, if I raised the floor level by much.

So now for the latest question...

BEST quality, TiN coated drill bits, source?

I've run the gamut of all the "domestic" (read- Chinese, re-branded) bits- DeWalt, Bosch, you name it...and found that HF (yes, HF) carried a brand of Drill Master TiN coated bits that were head and shoulders above everything else. Many dozens of holes into hardened bolts like butter. I'd buy the whole sets (and have a half dozen lying around) just for the three bits I use.

Well, HF doesn't carry them anymore, and nothing else they, or anyone else, carries will do more than one hole (yes...I know how to drill holes).

HSS doesn't stand a chance, I've had best success with Titanium Nitride coated. Can anyone recommend a source for these available in individual sizes?
 
US shop tools will provide you with a lot of essential tools. I use OSG ex-gold drills in 304 stainless and 17-4 and a lot of different steels. If I have to use jobber drills I like to use colbalt drills.
 
tobnpr.

You can quickly tell a machinist by his boots. The inside will have some sort of good padding, for concrete, and the soles will be eat up with embedded chips. Shoe soles don't last no time in a machine shop, and never wear them inside your home, if you don't want ruined flooring, and a mad wife.

I don't know of any rubber sole that a sharp chip will not embed itself in. Generally after mine got so many in them, I would sit down on a weekend, with a big pair of needle nose pliers, and pull them out.
 
HiBC,

There's one coolant that I used to buy by the gallon, that was green, and you mixed it with water. It worked well, by just dipping a paint brush in it, and wetting the part. You may know the name of this, but I can't remember it.

I added flood coolant to everything. I bought some big plastic tubs, and cut out the lid to mount a pump and a screen for the return. I made some brackets up, for the machines, that had a 1/4" pipe coupling welded on it, and to that, I added a valve and an adjustable coolant spout. I use regular mixed cutting fluid and water for them. I also mounted the coolant pump switch on the machines.
 
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No doubt flood coolant is great if you can manage it.


I ran a real nice 15 in Colchester for quite a while.It had a nice shroud around the chuck.

Could be its part of the difference between a $ shop and a hobby.

I have used green coolant,but I do not recall the name.If you go to that DGI link I provided,or MSC,I would think you could find descriptions and characteristics for each product.These outfits also have a tech line.

Colant that lives for weeks/months in a sump has different needs than coolant squirted from a bottle.Bacterial growth,for one.Beware Chlorine is sometimes used for that reason.Rust protection vs gumminess,etc.
All I can suggest is study the characteristics/applications and pick one.Likely,ones I knew are discontinues and better ones have come out.
See where Cool Tool and Molecular Edge take you.Castrol makes some.Maybe...Simtool,Simicron,Simtrol....???Sim something.I think it was green.
 
I use cimcool in cnc machines but for manual lathes and mills I like to use cool mist hooked up to an air line except when tapping holes than I go with tap magic saves me a lot of broken taps. I like cimcool cause it has a bacteriacide that keeps the smell down. Kind of expensive though
 
To be honest, I cut a lot dry in a lathe. The reason is, I switched to TiN carbide inserts, and you would swear you are burning the tool up, but it remains sharp for a long time. I really like the threading inserts too. Now if I use a brazed on carbide tool, then I apply coolant.

In mills, I run dry if I'm not hogging out a piece, and just taking a light cut, but anything heavier, I use oil/brush or run the coolant.

To set that flood coolant up wasn't much. The costliest thing was the two plastic submersible part cleaner pumps, and the coolant in a 5 gallon bucket. Two thick plastic tubs, with lids, from Walmart, screen wire, some 1/4" hose, fittings, valves, and brackets made up of scrap steel laying around.
 
Well, HF doesn't carry them anymore, and nothing else they, or anyone else, carries will do more than one hole (yes...I know how to drill holes).
Click to expand...
What material are you cutting?
I have been very impressed with Cobalt jobber drills myself. Even in inconel and duplex they usually hold up for at least a few parts.

Have to have some sort of decent insole. I have had success with the $15-20 ones from most shoe stores, but have considered spending the $50+ on the ones Redwing offers and it would be a small price if they worked better.

I buy a lot of non-consumable machinery tools off of craigslist. There is about one retiree a week putting up their tools in my area. V blocks, 1-2-3 blocks, etc are a no brainer. I have 100% Starrett, Mitutoyo, and Interrapid tools and usually pay less than I could buy the cheapest Chinese/Import tools new. Quality office checked them out and so far only one had any problems. Given what I have paid for what I have I could toss that one item without any regrets, but it is still useable in 99% of applications.

I'm not a huge fan of coolant in open set-ups. There is almost always smoke/steam of some sort and it just isn't all that healthy to breath it in. Sometimes it is hard to avoid using something though.
 
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