What do you use to mill frames and plastic

[voldemort]

I've had some modest success with my DCC conversions.  I do have to take just a bit off the shell in one location to make it fit properly.  So far I've used a pointy tipped and a round tipped dremel rasp.  I have some other locos that, if I want to put sound in will require milling of the frame.

Do people have full sized milling machines?  A modified drill press?  Eyeball it with a dremel or put the dremel in some kind of a jig?

Thanks for your advice.

David

[voldemort]

I should mention that I'm working in N scale so everything is obviously tiny, and a tight fit

[woodone]

I use a micro mill milling machine now. Before I got the micro, I did milling on a drill press that I had mounted a X~Y table to the drill press table. I also made a attachment to control the Z axes on the drill press. This worked petty good has long has you don’t do heavy cuts that load the quill sideways.
The micro is much better suited to do small work.
I do a lot of N scale installs and the mill has paid for it self.

[conrad]

David,

I'm on my second frame mod after many decoder installs.  I use files and a small saw.

Check out Steveruger45 reply #5 to my post "ESU LokSound Micro Select Direct install in Atlas GP40-2"

Conrad

[nightmare0331]

Grizzly G0619 is my main workhorse for milling.

https://www.grizzly.com/products/Grizzly-6-x-21-1-HP-Mill-Drill/G0619

I also have a Microlux 84630 milling machine I picked up last year from a friend but really only use it if the G0619 is fixtured for something and I don't want to tear that down. (this is a rebranded Sieg X2 machine which is also available in one form or another from Harbor Freight, Little Machine Shop, Grizzly and others)  This particular machine (X2) has a large community and following out there.  It is large enough to do practical work with and small enough that you don't need 3 or more people to move it and for a home machinist/hobbist would probably fill 95% of your requirements.  I may convert this one to CNC someday.  When I find time.  haha.

And finally, taking up space is my original mill, a Harbor Freight Central Machinery 47158 micromill (rebranded Sieg X1).  This and a Bridgeport knee mill I had access to at one point are what I cut my teeth on.  Talk about two very different ends of the spectrum.

Each of them have paid for themselves many times over.

Some observations and advice if you decide to go the mill route:

get a machine larger than you think you will use.  You will invariably need to machine something larger than what you originally bought it for. 
expect to spend quite a bit on decent collets endmills and other accessories. 
Don't cheapen out and buy the cheapest endmills you can find

Anywhoo...just my observations and opinions so take it for what you paid for it. 

Enjoy!

Kelley.
www.dufordmodelworks.com

[peteski]

I happy owner of Sheline lathe and mill here.
https://www.sherline.com/

[woodone]

Talking about milling tools (cutters). Seeing you are going to be working with N scale loco’s. The frame material is pretty soft and stringy.
I have found that a two edge milling bit tends to gum up the cutter. I have found that a router bit mills the N scale frames much cleaner.
The milling machine I have has a low and high speed pulley and I use the high speed 90% of the time. I wish I could turn it faster with small cutters . Get a good vice to hold your work!

[mmagliaro]

I use a milling machine (the Micro-Mark version of the ubiquitous Sieg X2, which is sold under many brands, including Grizzly).
Before that, I used a Dremel with various small grinding tools and just eyeballed it.  It worked, but of course, was never as neat as with a mill.

[Southern1970]

Can’t afford a mill at the moment (nor have the space for one).  I’ve used a cordless dremel with a mandrel and EZ456 cutting discs to mill the speaker area at the back of atlas n scale frames or 193 high speed cutter to widen the channel above the motor.  Takes a bit longer (wouldn’t want to do a heap of them), but during COVID isolation I found I had time.

[bbussey]

Sherline 2000 for me.

[keeper]

I just bought a Proxxon MF70.

https://www.proxxon.com/en/micromot/27110.php

I'm very happy with it.

Thomas

[Maletrain]

I have not done this with loco frames, but I have made a lot of channels and recesses in aluminum, plastic and wood with a variable speed Dremel and a flat bottom burr.  I control depth with one of these:

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

And various cutting tools like these:

[ Guests cannot view attachments ] [ Guests cannot view attachments ]

It is cheap, makes free-hand cutting much easier/neater, but requires more time because I can only take out small amounts of material per pass.

It pays to test on scrap material for the best tool speed for the combination of material and bit.  Faster is usually better up to the point where you start melting or burning the material.  I have to devise way to solidly hold the work piece steady and to provide "rests" for the tool depth control collar so that the depth of cut is properly controlled across the entire travel of the tool on the piece.  I typically need to make many passes, each at small depth increments, to make the recess that I want.

I have sometimes done the same thing on a regular drill press, with the press set for the depth of cut and sliding the piece on the press table by hand.  There is much more power in a regular drill press than in a Dremel tool, but it is hard to use it because too much side pressure on the drill chuck can cause the quill to drop out of the press, so I still need to make a lot of shallow cuts to get much depth.

[woodone]

Maletrain- I don’t think your quill is what is falling down ,but its the Chuck adaptor. Next time it comes out you need to really clean the quill socket, oil it well and wipe out with a lint free cloth or paper towel. Then also clean the chuck adaptor too, then replace and give it a good top with a lead hammer (or dead blow) to seat. This should keep it in place.

[Maletrain]

Yes, I meant that the spindle that holds the chuck dropped out of the quill.  I did clean it and replace it, but did not use a blow to seat it, just pressure from the handle that lowers it (per Sears instructions).  That has been sufficient for years.  I only got too exuberant with my "milling" on it once.

[conrad]

While I'm filing away I dream of this:



Conrad