turretmountedmillingplate

Turret Mounted Milling Plate

Simple Milling Plate for 7X12 Lathes Can Be Mounted in Tool Holder

While working on an L-bracket type milling plate and vertical positioning vise for my Harbor Freight 7 X 12 Metal Lathe, I realized that for many simple milling jobs it would be possible to mount a small milling plate directly in the tool holder turret. This web page then is about the design, construction, and use of this quick-to-attach milling plate.

CAD Drawing:

The Milling Plate is just a 2" by 6" X 1/4" section of aluminium plate, with threaded holes for clamping screws, countersunk holes for #10 countersunk bolts, and a 1/2" X 1/2" X 5" length of iron stock bolted to the back. This 1/2" square strip on the back is locked into your turret type tool holder. Those with QCTP (Quick Change Tool Post) adapters will have to make a different mounting arrangement. Stock to be milled is clamped to the front and moved in & out with your normal slide adjustment. You have to manually un-clamp project material and move it up or down to make vertical adjustments for milling.

The milling plate bored, threaded, and countersunk.

Milling Plate with 1/2" X 1/2" X 5" piece attached for mounting in the tool turret clamp.

Here it is mounted in the lathe turret, ready to mill something.