Table covers for the mini mill

[jjr2001]

Just a quick one here. Used some neodymium magnets for an easy on/off table cover.
Used a 3/8 "Bullet tip" for Black and Decker fans or just bit tip type drill bit. Makes a nice flat hole.
Epoxy holds in the magnets. Best practice is to use a flat piece of steel with a piece of wax paper
between the magnet and the steel to place the magnet at the exact height. Fill the hole about 75%
with epoxy so not too much excess squeezes out. I always drill the hole deeper than the magnet is thick.
The temporary piece of steel (parallels work good) is protected fromthe epoxy by the wax paper.
Plastic wrap does not work as good. Oil seems to eat right through it!
The covers were made with 3/8 thick PVC and stay in place until I pry them off.
Oh yea, don't forget to clean off all the layout marks prior to putting the magnets in with epoxy!
While magnets attract steel chips I don't find that a problem with them in this setup.

Cheers, JR

[DIYer]

Thanks jjr2001! We've added your Mill Table Covers to our Miscellaneous category,
as well as to your builder page: jjr2001's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Mill Table Covers by jjr2001

tags: table, magnet, mill

[Paul Jones]

JR,
What is the make and model of your milling machine?
Thanks., Paul

[jjr2001]

Hi Paul, My mini mill is the Micro Mark MicroLux 84630. It was just the right size to fit on top of my old Craftsman
Tool Box type roll around base. The base has a wood top that was varnished and sealed and then the Mini Mill
was bolted down on top of it. Nice to be on wheels for storage and cleanup.

I modified it with the "lift kit" (air spring) sold by LittleMachineShop to gain some height clearance.
Added motorized X axis feed from a surplus car seat motor.
This mill has the tilting column and I really wanted the fixed column. So I added a plate of 1/2" steel to the
back of the column with adjustments to bring it into tram for both left/right and front/back. It is now
solid as a rock so to speak. Works great for such a small mill. R8 spindle on this one. Y axis is a bit short at about 4" but I
find ways around that.

Cheers, JR

[Paul Jones]

JR,

Great information on your milling machine and all the improvements you have added. Thank you for the advice on using a sturdy roll around base for this size of milling machine.

Regards,
Paul