Selecting the Correct Oil for Your
Industrial Hobbies Square Column Mill

Selecting the Correct Oil

Lubrication is not an exact science so there is often a range of viscosities that will work in a particular application.  In the below chart you will notice that there is some overlap in the ranges, select the range where you do most of your machining. 

The general rule for gear oil is: “the slower the gear operation the higher the oil viscosity” or “the higher the velocity the lower the viscosity”.

Selecting an oil viscosity that is too high

If your oil viscosity is too high you will not be able to attain high-speed operation.  The oil will foam excessively and you will generate a lot of heat.  In just a few minutes your VFD will overload and shut the spindle down.  It will shorten the lifespan of your mill dramatically.

Selecting an oil viscosity that is too low

If your oil viscosity is too low you will have excessive wear on the gear during low speed/high torque operations.

Selecting an oil viscosity that is just right

If you plan to just run the machine manually select a high-grade 80w gear oil, Mobil DTE Heavy Medium is a great choice.

For most folks Mobil DTE Light will work great for all around higher-speed performance, yet allow occasional low speed operations (couple hours a week).  3000-RPM spindle speed is attainable, but you will get some foaming.

If you’re just going to work aluminum and other high-speed materials Mobil Velocite Oil #10 will be a better option and allow smoother high speed operation.  If for some reason during high-speed operation you find excessive foaming of the #10 oil you can switch to something as light as #8 (please give us a call before you go to #8).

We highly recommend use of the higher-grade machine oils, cheaper oils or oils not designed for machine use can have serious adverse effects.