Quote:
Originally Posted by asid61
If you buy benchtop mills, make sure they are not round-column. Dovetail column is practically a must due to numerous problems with moving round-columns up and down.
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As far as edge finder I use manual, as they are cheap and repeatable. Electronics, while more expensive to be as good, are easier to use.
EDIT: make sure you do get a good indicator though for squaring up your spindle and table and centering holes.
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We have a Brown and Sharpe 6" for normal stuff and a 12" Mitutoyo for long stuff. I like both brands, and I think anything will work as long as it's reputable. Used Mitutoyos are really cheap on Ebay, but Brown and Sharpe are more expensive even used. Depending on the precision you're looking for used might be ok.
Dial calipers are easier to get a good measurement out of than digitals for me, as I can see the needle move to the "true" measurement.
I'm not sure you even need micrometers, as they are difficult to read and are usually overkill for FRC. However, a digital 0-1" Mitutoyo is only $40 used, and reads dead-on for shaft diameters.
A quiet air compressor lets people talk while working. I had to work with a really loud one for a couple years, and switching to a quiet one was an immense change.
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I second all of this.
If your looking into bench top CNC mills look at the Nomad 883 by Carbide 3D, for the price its the best I've seen.
With edge finders I don't see the point in digital, just something else to run out of battery. The standard wigglers are great, Starrett is a reputable maker of those.
For dial calipers go Brown and Sharpe (what I use), they're the best. Starrett dial calipers aren't what they use to be. For digital I like the Mitutoyos.
For a quite compressor I think screw compressors are the way to go. 192 has a Kaeser.