Re: pic: Team 696 Teaser #2
 

You could use a 5c indexer or a 5c collet block.

Re: pic: Team 696 Teaser #2
 

Put round shaft on mill, flatten one side, turn 120 degrees, repeat.

Re: pic: Team 696 Teaser #2
 

Re: pic: Team 696 Teaser #2
 

Yeah, making a 120 degree turn without aforementioned "clever jig" isn't exactly easy to do precisely? You need the 5C collet to do it right.

Re: pic: Team 696 Teaser #2
 

The part is definitely possible with a manual mill and lathe. It would just take some time, a decent machine, and someone who knows what they're doing.

Re: pic: Team 696 Teaser #2
 

If you really wanted to get around that it wouldn't be that crazy to tilt the head for one pass to get the process rolling.

Buying the $20 collet holder or using a dividing head (which is a fairly standard piece of manual equipment) is certainly easier though.

A basic milling machine w/ no extras can do a lot of things many people assume aren't possible if some basic math is used (which people often overlook and consider cleverness).