Tag: Horizontal Milling Machine

Hands-On: NEW Precision Matthews PM-728VT Precision Bench Mill

I decided it was time to add another milling machine to my lineup! And this time I’d go smaller- I already have a Precision Matthews PM-949TV (9″ x 49″ Bridgeport clone), but for some jobs, smaller is better. It will also be nice to have a mill that I can leave setup for things like […]

Building the ULTIMATE Lathe Spider For Your Lathe

One of the first things I do when I get a new piece of machine shop equipment is to decide how I’ll “customize” the machine and organize all of the tooling. Machining is a very personal thing, and it’s therefore “just a part of the process” to get things dialed-in and setup the way the […]

Lathe Fundamentals 101: Lathe Safety

HERE IT IS EVERYONE! Lathe Fundamentals is officially underway, and I’m kicking it off with one of the most important topics, lathe safety! This series will span several years, and will be broken down into 100, 200, 300, and 400-level topics, each in a series. Please explore the navigation at the beginning and end of […]

Precision Matthews PM-1440GT Lathe In-Depth Walkthrough and Demo

For years I’ve wanted a high-precision engine lathe. It’s been something I’ve contemplated, considered, and shopped for on and off for about 15 years. It was precision rifle gunsmithing that finally motivated me to “do it”. It was painful to sell my Logan 11″x36″ lathe as I had put a lot of time and effort […]

3-Phase for the Shop: Static Phase Converters -vs- Rotary Phase Converters -vs- Variable Frequency Drives

So you are the proud owner of a heavy piece of iron with one or more 3-phase motors. Welcome to the club! These machines old and new can represent a great bargain either at auction, or via private sale. Heavy machinery with 3-phase power is difficult to move, and requires a power conversion option if […]

iGaging EZ Data Micrometers: Overview, Measurement, Data Logging

When you get into serious precision work, you need the ability to measure with a high degree of precision and accuracy. When I’m chambering match-grade rifles, “tenths matter” (0.0001″). When I decided to upgrade micrometers, I knew I needed tenth-level resolution/accuracy, and wanted to cover a 0-3″ measurement range. The new iGaging EZ Data micrometer […]