Adding a horizontal spindle to a vertical mill

[tonyfoale]

A little while back I made a post here showing how over six decades ago I converted a horizontal mill to a vertical machine, see Ancient horizontal to vertical mill conversion.

This time I did the opposite. i.e. I added a horizontal spindle to a vertical milling machine. This time it was done during last week not decades past. Although I did this on a Bridgeport base the same techniques could be used on many other milling machines. I attach a PDF file with full details of the work. Included here are some photos without explanation, to pique your interest. Explanations are all in the PDF file.

Click images for full size.

[DIYer]

Thanks tonyfoale! We've added your Vertical Mill Horizontal Spindle to our Milling category,
as well as to your builder page: tonyfoale's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Vertical Mill Horizontal Spindle by tonyfoale

tags: mill, modification

[tonyfoale]

I forgot to mention that the bearing housing and spindle only takes a minute to remove so it and the motor, another minute, can be mounted on a plate that can be bolted to a lathe cross slide. Either aligned with the X or the Z axis. When aligned with the X it will allow roughing out cam shaft blanks using the same setup and software that drives my cam grinding conversion (which will be described in a future post).
With motor and spindle mounted on a plate like that it can also be bolted to the mill table and used when a non-indexed rotary motion is needed. It would turn a CNC mill into a CNC lathe, Just a question of coordinated Z and X movements.

Lathe to cam grinder
Click for full size.

[Jon]

Congratulations tonyfoale - your Vertical Mill Horizontal Spindle is the Homemade Tool of the Month for December 2024!

This modification adds significant versatility to a vertical mill, can be done with scrap and parts on hand, and will be easy for others to reproduce with the dozens of photos and detailed explanations in the PDF that you provided.

Some more good builds from December:

Drill Press Tap Adaptors by jjr2001
Carriage Drilling Method by Mook
Parallel Springs by jjr2001
Multi-Position Mill Table Stop by winkys workshop
Mill Tapping And Drilling Setup by winkys workshop
Portable Table Saw by Mazay
Three Point Center Punch by Philip Davies
Cylindrical Square by Occasional machinist
Rotary Table Fix by tonyfoale
Independent 4-Jaw Chuck by celsoari
Tailstock Arbor by mariost
Drill Press Vise Clamps by jjr2001
Magnetic Coupler by rgsparber
Piano Notes Slide Rule by rgsparber
3D Welding Square by Liquidhandwash
Table Leg Height Adjuster by Catfish
Extended Center Drill by mr_modify1
Belt Sander by VuVT Workshop
Bandsaw Table by carl blum
Optical Center Punch by Mr. Factotum's Workshop
Motorized Wheelbarrow by darus627
Bench Vise Swivel Base by katy
Circular Saw Cutoff Jig by Make Things
Tenon Jig by Make Things
Hydraulic Pipe Bender by Mr.DK DIY


tonyfoale - You'll be receiving a $250 cash prize, in your choice of Amazon, PayPal, or bitcoin. Please PM me your current email address and prize choice and I'll get it sent over right away.

And, you'll now notice the four-column award in the awards showcase in your postbit, visible beneath your username:



Nice work