Does anyone tip over a mill to use as a lathe?

[slashmaster]

Would it work to just get a carriage and tailstock to put on a column and head from a mill to use as a Lathe?

[Geof]

A mill spindle is not equivalent to a lathe spindle. It is much thinner, doesn't have much of a through hole, if any, and the bearings are probably lighter duty.

For small pieces it will probably work but I doubt that the utility of it warrants the effort of doing the conversion.

[JWB_Machining]

You know it's funny this got brought up today. I glanced at it while at work and didn't even think about it. Then after work I stopped at my local B&N and picked up the new copy of Digital Machinist. The cover story is actually about using a Haas CNC Mill (VF2) as a lathe. The guy had to make some relatively small parts and admits he did it out of desperation because his only other option was driving an hour n a half to use a rented lathe n sleep in his truck.

Long story short he mounted his lathe tools on the table, put his work piece in the spindle, crafted a live center that was attached to the spindle and viola, Mill used as a lathe.
http://www.digitalmachinist.net/comi.../contents/view

Pretty cool thing to do if you've really gotta. If you got any question about the article lemme know. Or you can just buy the magazine to keep in your archives. I guess if you really need to and your parts are small you can do it, just gotta think it out.

[Geof]

This has been discussed in several threads here on the Zone and I have posted pictures showing lathe type thread cutting in a mill; that is the workpiece held in a collet and the threading tool held in a vise on the table.

But this was on very small diameter material on a decent sized spindle.

[djr76]

Sounds like a bad idea....I did inquire about using the spindle as a keyway shaper for a 3/16 keyway once, but that was just an orientation and very small incremental moves along one axis...Haas frowned upon the idea.

[Geof]

Using a mill spindle as a keyway broach is very different to using it as a lathe.

Haas frowned on this idea because the spindle is stationary and stationary ball races can handle only a fraction of the load that a spinning ball race can. In addition a repetitive impact on a stationary ball race can cause damage called 'false brinelling'; Google this term and you will get a lot of information.

[mc-motorsports]

It's been done pleanty of times. I've never done it, but the first time I ever saw it done was 13 years ago.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...l+use+as&hl=en