Vertical Miller

There is a single 1950's conventional, manual-feed, vertical milling machine located in the general purpose workshop.  This is still used for occasional pocketing and slot drilling operations. 

Only trained, competent staff must operate the machine without direct supervision. Students in Key Stage 4 and above are authorised to use the machine under direct supervision. Under no circumstances must students in Key Stage 3 and under use the machine! 

As with all tools and equipment used by pupils, they are expected to observe a practical demonstration before being authorised to use them themselves. Learners must prove that they can use the milling machine safely and competently. 

Due to the age of the machine and distortion of the cast iron bed, clinometers cannot be used to guarantee horizontality of the workpiece and therefore all operations must be done under manual line-of-sight. 

The machine is not fitted with an automatic lubrication feed and under no circumstances should high carbon steels or spark-inducing materials be machined using the vertical miller. 

The machine is fully serviced, safety checked and certified annually by an external contractor and maintained on a monthly basis (depending on frequency of operation) by the D&T technician.