Post edited 2:41 PM – August 18, 2010 by Tyler

John Lawson invited me over to his shop a few days ago and showed me some pretty amazing things he's made over the years, including his Atlas vertical milling attachment that he made from Taig parts. His vertical attachment really caught my eye because I am in the process of restoring an Atlas MFC mill and I've been looking for a good vertical option for a while now. I think the design is in some ways an improvement over the Marvin milling attachment. Apparently John got the idea when he saw a Taig mill being parted out on eBay. He bought the spindle and motor for a fraction of what a Taig mill costs new and he had everything he needed (except for a mounting plate which he made) for his conversion. Here's a video of the attachment in action.

I know what some of you Atlas purists are thinking. "How could anything be better than a Marvin?!" Well, for one thing, it's available. I've never seen a Marving on eBay or anywhere else for sale (although they do supposedly show up for sale occassionally). And I've heard that when Marvin milling attachments do show up for sale they cost a fortune. Unless you're a collector the Marvin isn't practical. John's attachment is. 

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