I know … a manual milling machine like LeBlond’s LVM0900 Series Vertical Knee Mill isn’t a new car. But I’ll make the comparison anyway.
A few years back, I bought a new Honda. Yeah, a Civic has good resale value … a reliable, sturdy engine … good gas mileage. But the real reason I bit on this Honda was a shiny new feature that caught my eye just like a gold bauble catches a baby’s gaze.
Features That Make You Buy
It was the Bluetooth connectivity. I could connect my iPhone to the vehicle and stream music, podcasts and other content through the car’s stereo.
It was a nice feature at the time that is pretty common now with most vehicles. I was all in with the Bluetooth.
LeBlond’s new product, our manual milling machine, is not an automobile, but you should definitely consider the top three outstanding features of LeBlond’s vertical knee mill when making a purchasing decision.
Automatic Power Draw Bar
First, LeBlond’s manual milling machine features an automatic power draw bar. In the old days, you had to break out the tools, find a wrench and snag a nut to tighten and lock the collet in place in order to hold your tooling on the head assembly.
“The LVM0900 Series have a power draw bar,” says Chris Stiers, Customer Service Representative at LeBlond Ltd. “If you hit the button, it pops it up there and locks the R8 collet in place automatically instead of manually having to screw it into place.”
This feature saves you time, making your shop more efficient. Think about it – not having to fiddle with a wrench and nut could save you 15 minutes on the hour. Multiply that by the number of machinists in your shop on a full day’s work and, pretty soon, we’re talking serious money.
Power Feed Capability
The second notable feature of LeBlond’s manual milling machine is that table is power feed. You can control the X and Y-axis with a power feed lever on both the R8 collet model and the larger 40 taper tooling model with a heavier base.
The Z-axis on the latter is manually cranked while the R8 collet model is power-fed. You have the option on the 40 taper tooling model, however, to customize the Z-axis with a power feed option.
Both models allow versatility.
“You can basically do everything with these machines except for turns,” add Stiers.
“You can set up little production jobs. You can put slides in, tap holes and cut V-ways blocks to name just a few machining options.”
Digital Meter
The third rave feature on LeBlond’s LVM0900 Series manual mill is the digital meter on the pedestal that allows you monitor RPM’s. This high-end feature replaces analog needle feedback on lesser competitor models.
This digital meter is user-friendly.
“The analog option on lesser machines is hard to read,” says Aaron Juillerat, LeBlond Ltd. General Manager.
“It’s not real up front. With the digital meter, it’s easy to see to determine your spindle speed and control everything right in front of you.”
The automatic power drawer bar, power feed and digital meter are just some of the exciting features on LeBlond’s manual milling machine that save you time and money.
The automatic power drawer bar, power feed and digital meter are just some of the exciting features on LeBlond’s manual milling machine that save you time and money. Unlike Bluetooth, they don’t allow you to hear music while machining, but they’re solid enough features to influence your purchasing decision!
If you’re interested in a LeBlond mill, check out our promotion where you can save up to 15% off here. If you’re interested in new LeBlond lathe or K.O. Lee equipment, call +1 (888) 532-5663. If you need original OEM parts for LeBlond, K.O. Lee, Standard Modern, Johnson Press, Deka Drill and W.F. & John Barnes equipment, fill out a contact form here.