A friend of mine asked – Have you used your mill yet? The answer is Yes! I built a fixture to hold N-scale locomotive shells so that I can drill accurate holes for various wire detail parts, like grab irons (sometimes called Hand Holds), and lift rings (much like an eye bolt). This fixture [...]
Well, the Digital Readout is finally finished on my mill, and it works well. I still have to figure out how to use it, and make sure that the direction of the axis make sense. This thing is really a small computer. Two projects remain on the mill. First, I need a chip guard to [...]
This is the bare board for my Shumatech DRO-550 Digital Read Out, for use with my mill. It came mostly assembled, but may parts still had to be soldered on. I have to finalize the case construction. A case was purchased from Wildhorse Innovations, but the back isn’t available drilled for the connectors I’m using [...]
Well, I have just about set up the Mini Mill the way I like want it. I have installed iGaging scales on all three axis in preparation for a real Digital Readout system. The remote readout nearly gives me this already, something I’ve come to call “The Ghetto DRO.” These remote readout scales cost [...]
Well, the calipers came, and I was a bit disappointed. They feel very rough. Much rougher (sliding) than the Harbor Freight calipers. So I ordered another pair of 6″ calipers from Harbor Freight, and they were a bit rough, too. Not quite as rough as the eBay deals, but not as smooth as my older [...]
It turns out that getting the mill was a little premature. Three things are needed before I can start setting up the mill: I had to have room for the mill. I needed light for the mill I needed a support for the mill Let’s go over each of these. I. I had to have [...]
I’ve been using the Cen-Tech brand digital calipers from Harbor Frieght for years, and with a price between $15 and $20 (depending on sales), I thought they were a good value. Imagine my surprise when I found these on eBay for around a buck a piece! OK, there’s a catch. First, they’re shipped from China, [...]
After years and years of avoiding this purchase, I finally broke down and bought a mini-mill. While I’d been envious of other model railroaders who had and used such a mill, I really couldn’t justify the expense for what I needed to do, versus what I wanted to do. Technically, what I needed was a [...]