Tips and accessories for gunsmithing w/milling machine?

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I've bought a littlemachineshop mid-level minimill (w/DRO &c), as I'm working on some 2011 builds and some accessory ideas.

Any good information on what are gunsmithing-specific accessories and tooling I should look into as time goes on?
Also, normal milling accessories that can be used in creative ways?

My list of to-gets:
Stock to practice on to avoid doing an unfamiliar operation on a real gun
Extra aluminum (scrap) block stock to make custom fixtures for more solid, supported clamping of parts.
soft jaws
Dovetail cutters, as appropriate (are there any that are so common that they're a must-have? I don't even know which one is common to most 1911s, there seems to be at least 3 or 4)
v-clamps for things like barrel porting
sine bar for odd angles
turntable (I intend to experiment experimenting with custom, curved lightening cuts, although I'm suddenly wondering how to do smooth ellipses, which I think would look even cooler)
Picatinny rail form cutter

Similar things:
I own a couple of fixtures for hand work that I expect can be clamped into the mill.
hand-tap and die set
I suppose one could possibly do a mediocre job 'turning' a rod to outside diameter size by locking the quill and putting a turning tool in a vice (but this is really a lathe thing)
Any ideas on specific size endmills or non-usual drill bit sizes that might come in particularly useful for some tasks?
What's some good stock to have on hand?

-JRP
 
A set of parallels, "1-2-3" blocks, "kant twist" clamps (the real ones - not chinesium / Indian / etc). Boring head. Could make a list a mile long.... win the lottery, you're about to go broke. [smile]

Just jump right in and start making stuff. Fastest way to find out what tooling you'll be needing. Don't skimp on a vise - get a good one. I bit the bullet and got a Kurt D675 for my mill-drill. Worth every penny.

Another thing I use fairly often is a set of adjustable parallels.

Oh yeah - assorted dial indicators. 1", 2" and 3" micrometers. Good dial calipers. Depth micrometer.
 
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By the time u get all tools up u be out 5k minimum , cheapper to buy a gun than to made one.

Well, that all depends upon what a person might be wanting to build. Say if you want to build for example a semi MP40, Lanchester, Owen, BREN, Type 99 LMG, 1918 BAR, MG42, FAL, STEN, M31, and PPSH41, etc [devil]

I've got ~ $2,000 into tooling, spread out over many years of acquiring stuff. Mostly used / vintage.fal-izzy-1.jpg1911-ejector-tube.jpgfin-4.jpgsuomi-mockup-2.jpg
 
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You have a decent list so far, and a whole lot of money to spend. Don't be afraid to buy Chinese for a lot of stuff, you won't be using it in production setting with minimal use. No point in buying top of the line stuff to use a few times. Shars stuff is cheap, but works.

You'll have a better time cutting with Carbide endmills. But not always necessary, especially on soft materials like aluminum.

You mentioned blocks for support, great idea. Anytime you clamp something, there is a chance to distort. I always block the inside of a slide when I mill it. (See picture below) The aluminum blocks labeled glock go in slides. The other block is used as a dummy 1911 magazine before I clamp over the grip.

Dovetails can be tricky to cut. One second you are too tight. .001" later the sight falls thru. Get some small dowel pins and learn trig to do the math correctly. Practice practice practice before you cut a firearm!

Barrel porting: do you plan on just eyeballing the location on the radius of the barrel? If so, v block is fine. If you want a more precise way, get a collet block. Or if you want to get super fancy, get a diving head.

As far as tooling, buy as you go. Don't overspend on cutter you may never use. Shipping lead times are quick enough. Get your self a full set of drills. Start with standard. Fraction, number and letter drills. You may need metric from time to time. Either use a close enough standard size, or buy single metric drills.

See My post of a rotary table that I've used for radius work. I believe that's what you were describing when you say a turntable.

Pictured below is also an aluminum plate that I found very handy with working on pistols. You can make one yourself or buy one on eBay for very cheap money. Holes alternate with 1/4-20 tapped holes and. 250 dowel holes. I put this one on a CMM after I bought it from ebay and the results were like .0002" on location. Not bad for a $30 buy.
20210222_193254.jpg20210222_193458.jpg20210222_194046.jpg20210222_194042.jpg
 
Some of my setup pics I have done. Just for ideas for work holding. Which sometimes is the hardest part, because of clearance issues. The sketchiest setups I have done was cutting the feed ramp on a 1911, because of tooling length, I had the frame hanging way too far out of the vise. Also, don't forget to protect your workpiece. Blue painters tape works fine. Sometimes you will find that making a fixture for a job takes longer than the actual job itself. But once you have it, you never have to make it again.

20180706_154230.jpg20180706_170131.jpg20180715_162650.jpg20180811_002852.jpg20180819_003742.jpg20180819_003822.jpg20181015_173339.jpg
 
This may sound lke bonehead stuff but SAFETY FIRST! should be first on your list. Don't work around turning machinery wearing a tie, with shirt or cuffs unbuttoned. Aprons may keep your clothes clean but they work good as hot chip funnels. Take off rings and wrist watches before work.
Some of the old timers I've talked to had an after accident expression that sounds funny until you think about it; "Tore him up so bad they had to take him out with a rake".
Smaller mills and lathes can hurt you just as bad as the bigger machines, so giving them respect will keep you in one piece.

You mention a rotary table. Very handy but learning the basics first is more important. I have a Troyke that's invaluable when I need it (two or three times a year) but otherwise lives under an oily rag on the bottom shelf of my tooling cabinet.

If you can find an old machinist to take you under his wing; good set-ups are where a good finished part comes from. Someone who's been at it for a while can show you more ways to hold, clamp or machine a part than the two or three ways that are most obvious. Learning the progression of cuts is good to know. Don't know how many times I've machined off a perfectly good "handle" that I could have used to hold a part I was making. And yes, even us "experienced" machinists still do it occasionally.

A bench grinder with fine grit wheels for sharpening and / or re-shaping tooling.
High speed steel is good but I'm a fan of carbide end mills. Everybody has their favorites.
A co-axial dial indicator for locating zero on round stock or bores.
Clamp (hold-down) set. A stash of copper strips to use as shims / pads to keep from marring finished surfaces.
An edge finder. Electronic or wiggler, the choice is yours.
Lots of cutting oil. An old machine shop sign says; "Oil Is Cheaper Than Iron~~ USE IT!"
A set-up called a cold gun to blow chips away and keep the work piece and tooling cool. Good because they don't leave a film of cutting oil everywhere and you're not breathing the oil mist and vapors.
Here are a couple but there are more. Cold Air Guns, Nozzles | Industrial Spot Air Cooling Equipment Another is Standard or High Power Cold Gun Only

Continue to ask questions. Once you weed through the resident know-it-all or two, most machinists are glad to give advice or share personal experiences, even including the ones that back-fired. Sometimes knowing what doesn't work is more important than knowing what does.
I've been "chasing the dial" for 50+ years and am still learning a trick or two.
 
1911-ejector-tube.jpg
what's the best way to make the slide side cuts some type of saw, using a mill? you need one of those.
 
Get an ER32 or ER40 collet holder (to R8 spindle if that's what your mill uses). This allows you to NOT have to change out the collets, or end mill holders, when you go to a different shank size end mill. I have both sets (as well as a square and hex body holder for use in the vise) and use the ER32 more (currently).
ER40 collet set with R8 shank holder.

I picked up a Haimer 3D sensor a little while ago and it's replaced both my edge finders and tramming setups. It actually indicates to the center of the spindle, so no 'offset' you need to calculate on. I had electronic, and non-electronic, edge finders as well as two tramming setups. Not using any of those anymore.

Second the rotary table and/or dividing heads for use. I have both right now but might get rid of the dividing head at some point. Just be sure to get one sized right for the mill table.

For end mills, I like to get from Shars whenever possible. Getting their USA made gives faster shipping for lower shipping costs. Plus they're typically here within a day or two. I have their Aventor electronic calipers in both 6" and 12" now. Both preform very well. I also have one of their 6" Tegara vises that opens up to almost 9". I would advise getting one of the three leg 'speed' handles for the vise as well. I went through a few different ones before getting that type and wish I had done it sooner. You get the functionality of both a speed handle and the handle that ships with the vises to really torque down on it.

Get a 1# or 2# dead blow hammer for tapping items that are going into your vise on the parallels. Don't use brass hammers, or any metal ones, since they'll "bounce". Got that tip from a crazy Canadian on ubertuber and it works much better. Plus you won't mark up anything you're locking into the vise from the hammer taps.

I've probably spent at least what I spend on my milling machine in additional items so far. Including end mills, vises, bit holders, DRO set, and more. I'm at the point where I have enough to do pretty much anything I want with a manual mill. Next step (for me at least) would be to get a CNC mill once I'm in a location where I'll have room. If your mill didn't come with power feed on the X axis, I'd get that ASAP. It makes things a lot easier, and gives you a nicer finish.

BTW, I've become a huge fan of set/fixed speed selections on my manual mill. I had a lathe with the variable speed and it's OK when working properly. But, if you get any issues with the electronics, you're screwed. Even when I sent it out for repair (it was damaged in my last move) it was never 100% right after that. I have six speeds to pick from currently, three in the low and three in the high speed ranges. They handle everything I do from steel to aluminum to plastics with ease. Especially with the correct flute type of end mill being spun. When I go for my next lathe, I'm going to try to get one with fixed speeds (if manual at least).
 
what's the best way to make the slide side cuts some type of saw, using a mill? you need one of those.
I used a small endmill with the frame clamped to the table flat on its side. Took a long time, but I could get the rail slot cut for a nice tight fit by using an undersized endmill and making multiple passes to get the width needed.
 
Key cutters are great but limited in depth of cut and maximum work piece diameter. Look into slitting / slotting saws and an arbor. Make sure you get an arbor with a driving key instead of just relying on friction to hold the blade. Those invariably tighten up as they work and sometimes getting the allen bolt loose requires a cheater of some sort.
 
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