[macdarren]

So I am putting together my order for a new CNC based TAIG.

After reading the assembly directions I can see there are a few items I will
need to get before it arrives if I am to start assembly right away.

Where might I find a source (online or maybe even a local/chain store) for a decent quality square and other items needed for truing up the mill?

I have a few local shops but they cater more to the real pros and seemed pretty expensive.

TIA
Darren

[japroach]

I ended up buying from this guy as he has a lot of variety, good prices, and combines shipping: http://stores.shop.ebay.ca/Discount-...__W0QQ_armrsZ1 Doesn't seem to have that many squares listed, so check out some other ebay sellers.

Also check LMS: http://www.littlemachineshop.com/default.php


btw what really works for truing (the square only gets you so far) is a test dial indicator, magnetic mount, and some way to mount it to the headstock/spindle, as shown here: http://www.cartertools.com/millset3.html

[MichaelHenry]

I have a few local shops but they cater more to the real pros and seemed pretty expensive.

What sort of square are you looking to buy and what are you hoping to pay for it?

There are hardware store squares for a few bucks and cylinder squares that might run several hundred. A master precision square like the one shown on page 2214 of www.mcmaster.com can be had used for perhaps 1/5 or less of the retail price and is pretty easy to check for squareness.

Mike

[macdarren]

Yeah I had been seeing squares for $100+ and figured there were some cheaper but just about as good for my needs. That Starett at McMaster is the sort of thing I was looking for. I have checked ebay and a few other online shops and now have a better feel for the prices.. I am thinking $25 is a much more reasonable price for what I want and I have found a few that sound good in that range. In addition buying a couple 123 blocks and my dial indicator may be the better way to go.

Thanks for the info

[Hirudin]

If you haven't already, check out http://www.shars.com/ !

Before I get too far into this post, I should point out that I have little experience so although I think these shops sell good stuff I might not be the best judge of quality.

I've bought a bunch of stuff for my Taig from them (toolmakers vise, machinists square, a couple Dial Test Indicator Holders, some 123 Blocks, Parallels (I got both the 1/32" set and the 1/8" set, I would only get the 1/8" set if I were buying again), etc.). With the exception of the dial test indicator that came with this set I've found everything they sell to be good quality. Also, they actually put their name on a lot of the products they sell, which I think is a good thing.

Meritool sells some high quality (looking) mills and collets. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but most (if not all) of their mills are 4 flute or more and TiAlN coated. They have a good shipping policy, not only can you use your UPS account to pay for the shipping, they have always shipped within 24 hours for all the orders I've placed.

Another place for mills is American Carbide. They also sell carbide drills (I plan to get some more of these). I think their products are nice, but their shipping is very slow and sending out tracking numbers doesn't seem to be their forte. Pretty much until the package arrived (~2 weeks later) I was left wondering if I was actually going to receive something for my money. Maybe I just got them at a bad time, I have only ordered from them once so far.