Home : Workshop : Metalwork : Mini Mill :
Enco used to have a really good price on their five piece fly-cutter set. I'd never use the big one on the mini mill, but it has worked out real well for squaring up the machine and vise. I used scrap 1/2" square steel and drilled/milled/taped it to hold a dial indicator at 90 degrees. One end holds the indicator square to the table. When the post is square parallel to the table (R/L), the dial indicator reading will be the same when the arbor is rotated back and forth 180 degrees. Rotating the indicator from the front to back of the table will read the same if the post is square perpendicular to the table (F/B)... Apparently this is called tramming (trammed/in tram), "to adjust, align, or measure with a trammel"*.
The other end of the 1/2" steel holds the dial indicator square to the rear vise face. Using a pin to lock the arbor in place, and a straight piece of angle, squaring the vice to the table is relatively easy (much easier with the Vise Cradle). Move the table from one end to the other and then adjust the vise by splitting the difference in the readings... While the heavy angle I used to use was nice and straight (now gone), I think that running the dial indicator across the back face of the vise itself (even if its relatively small) may be just as accurate.
Squaring Tool
Enco used to have a really good price on their five piece fly-cutter set. I'd never use the big one on the mini mill, but it has worked out real well for squaring up the machine and vise. I used scrap 1/2" square steel and drilled/milled/taped it to hold a dial indicator at 90 degrees. One end holds the indicator square to the table. When the post is square parallel to the table (R/L), the dial indicator reading will be the same when the arbor is rotated back and forth 180 degrees. Rotating the indicator from the front to back of the table will read the same if the post is square perpendicular to the table (F/B)... Apparently this is called tramming (trammed/in tram), "to adjust, align, or measure with a trammel"*.
The other end of the 1/2" steel holds the dial indicator square to the rear vise face. Using a pin to lock the arbor in place, and a straight piece of angle, squaring the vice to the table is relatively easy (much easier with the Vise Cradle). Move the table from one end to the other and then adjust the vise by splitting the difference in the readings... While the heavy angle I used to use was nice and straight (now gone), I think that running the dial indicator across the back face of the vise itself (even if its relatively small) may be just as accurate.
