Bike Light Build: Part Three - Milling around

I've never really used a milling machine before, aside from using it as a glorified drill press. I decided that the bike light project was worth giving it a try. I needed to mill a 1/8" thick piece of aluminum into a 7/8" square. It was a pretty unambitious job, but you need to learn to walk before you can run, right? I won't go into a ton of detail about how I did it and whatnot, since I am by no means approaching being an expert. I am, in fact, the opposite. I know just enough to not hurt myself. Not this time anyway.

I was actually surprised at how easily the aluminum cut on the Bridgeport. My few previous attempts at milling had pretty poor results as I was trying to cut steel with dull end mills and absolutely no clue what I was doing. I have since learned a bit more of the proper technique. I still struggle with knowing which direction the slides move when you turn the handles, but I assume that I have the capacity to learn that with more experience.

I will detail later what this piece will be used for. Right now I'm just going to bask in the glow of knowing that I turned handles on a Bridgeport and got more than a squealing noise, hot discolored chips, and a mangled piece of scrap from the endeavor.