Mill
Last updated January 9, 2024
Attention
WEAR SAFETY GOGGLES *AND* EAR PROTECTION when using the machine.
Instructions
Make sure that your part is slightly longer than your desired length.
The mill is very precise, so if the part is much longer than you need, it will take a while because you are grinding up extremely short lengths at a time
Measure the length of your part with a caliper to determine how much you need to cut off.
Put your part between the two blocks of metal and secure it by attaching the iron crank onto the protruding hex shaft and rotating it clockwise.
Move your part so that it is touching the side of the drill bit.
To move your part side to side, rotate either of the two cranks on either end of the main body.
To move your part back and forth, rotate the crank in front.
To move your part up and down, you can either pull the small black lever at the front left up and down, or you can turn the crank next to the black lever by interlocking the grooves on the crank with the teeth next to it.
Zero the X and Y by pressing the white buttons to the left of where the X and Y coordinates are shown.
Change the units (in vs mm) by pressing the button labeled INCH/MM
Green light on = inches
Green light off = millimeters
The top coordinates shown are the X coordinates, and thus affect the length of the shaft. This is how you will know how much you are cutting/when you need to stop.
Caution
Caution: Make sure that you are wearing safety goggles and ear protection!
Move your part forward, then press the green button to the bottom right.
The green button starts the mill, the red button stops it, and the large red button labeled EMERGENCY stops the mill immediately
Caution
Caution: use the EMERGENCY button if something goes wrong.
Move the part ~0.02 inches to the right (this will show as negative on the screen) and then move it backwards so that some is “shaved” off
Move the part another ~0.02 inches to the right and move it forward, again shaving more off
If you mill too much at a time, the mill will make more noise which is bad! Remember to slow down!
How slow do you go? Taking about 8 seconds to fully go through a shaft is about right speed - this sounds very slow, but never go fast
Repeat until the absolute value of x coordinate on screen is equal to your desired cut length
Turn off the mill by pressing the red button. The drill bit will then slow down. To stop it quickly, pull the black lever that is above and to the left of the black wheel
Remove the part by re-attaching the iron crank and turning it counterclockwise
Measure the length of your part once again with a caliper to double check that it is now in your desired length
ASK IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS!!!!
heads, teachers, or adults are happy to help