Been busy in my garage making some new T-Slot plates!

I have been selling on eBay, and sales are doing ok!
Shipping these things is the biggest problem, as they need to be wrapped really good to keep them from getting damaged in shipping!

I'm supposed to be retired! :p
It feels good to inhale som spray mist again!

Eric

Very nice! I was distracted by that GREAT looking mill to begin with...

Yeah - nice pics! Looks very bright and inviting!

How do you pack these for shipping? Who are your principal buyers and what is there use?

Sorry for the questions - nice work!

Scott

Yeah - nice pics! Looks very bright and inviting!

How do you pack these for shipping? Who are your principal buyers and what is there use?

Sorry for the questions - nice work!

Scott

At the moment I have been using the local Pack-N-Ship, as they have huge rolls of bubble sheet, big boxes, lots of popcorn! They charge me for the extra stuff to make it safe in shipping! Its worth it, happy customers and all!

The most sales are from eBay, I would suspect the customers are CNC fanatics like us! I have been watching all the CNC stuff on eBay, and found that Delrin ACME 1/2-10 nuts are also in demand! So I made up a half a dozzen! It's those little T-Nuts that take me so long, they make me want to CNC my bridgeport :rolleyes:

My eBay stuff!
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZeaaenterprisesQQhtZ-1

Eric

Very nice! I was distracted by that GREAT looking mill to begin with...

Thanks!

I need to remove the head on my mill, the break is not working ! Its still under warrante, thats free replacement parts if i return the duds! But I do all the labor .... fortunately I have had several apart before!

Eric

I have had some issues shipping my stuff - it's big and bulky, but not all that heavy. I ended up making a 1X6" perimeter box using wood, then top and bottom with carboard or thin particle board, with padding - looking at your parts it looks like that may be a decent option for your tables. It keeps the UPS guy at bay...kind of....

Anyway - enough un-solicited advice. Nice looking stuff and way to go with addressing the market's demands! We need more pics of your stuff here...

Scott

"We need more pics of your stuff here...

Scott"

More stuff!
Eric

Love your setup. Really do like your parts. They look great and I am impressed.

Jerry

I knew you could pull through to keep me entertained!

Good stuff, Mr. Widget. So much for retirement, huh? Sounds like you enjoy it - that's important!

Scott

Hi, nice tables, just wondering how much distortion you are getting when you pull out so much material out of the plate.

In the past I have had to machine a large 3/4" thick plate and the thing sprang everywhere when all the stresses were taken out of it, a real headache.

Regards M

Nice piccies :) and really impressive product. Retirement? what's that? lol we've just been told here in the UK that they've upped the retirement age from 65 to 68 *gah*

Hi, nice tables, just wondering how much distortion you are getting when you pull out so much material out of the plate.

In the past I have had to machine a large 3/4" thick plate and the thing sprang everywhere when all the stresses were taken out of it, a real headache.

Regards M

I don't have a large enough surface plate to accurately check them for flatness, but I did clamp them tightly to a larger plate to keep them flat during the milling, and to enable one time clamping. Before the base plate, I had to shift the clamps around to get all the slots milled, a real P.I.A. !
The results are quicker and more uniform!

When I placed the beam of my Vernier across the plate, there was visably less than .005 gap, but that was present prior to my milling!
(Assuming my Chinese vernier is straight) ;)

Eric

Hey Wigit,
.005" thats nothing!!! Ahh its actually a lot as I am a machinist by trade, but I mean .005" is not a lot when you look at the amount of material taken out, very impressed with the final result.

I have been trying to decide what the actual base of my router will be and did not really want to make a T slotted table as I thought/knew it would end up like a banana.
It seems from your experience that this is not the case. I was always looking at plate but still deciding on tapped holes to hold down top MDF board but your table looks like the go

Can you tell me what grade the plate is?

Cheers M

Hey Wigit,
.005" thats nothing!!! Ahh its actually a lot as I am a machinist by trade, but I mean .005" is not a lot when you look at the amount of material taken out, very impressed with the final result.

I have been trying to decide what the actual base of my router will be and did not really want to make a T slotted table as I thought/knew it would end up like a banana.
It seems from your experience that this is not the case. I was always looking at plate but still deciding on tapped holes to hold down top MDF board but your table looks like the go

Can you tell me what grade the plate is?

Cheers M

Thanks!
The plates are made from blanchard ground cast aluminum, 2024 MIC-6 Cuts really nice, doesn't warp, scratches really easily (important for new sales)

Not too bad for an old-fart in the garage eah! :p
I made 4pc 24x12 today! Got more chips now!

Eric

All your parts look great Eric.

yeah mic 6 is really nice stuff if strength is not you primary concern because it is pretty soft. It is cast and cooled in such a way that most of the internal stresses are relieved, I'm pretty sure you are supposed to be able to machine 90% of the thickness off without warping due to internal stresses. Not too sure about mic 6 being 2024 though. nice looking products you've got.

If Im not mistaken, MIC-6 is a tradename from Alcoa Aluminum!
http://www.alcoa.com/industrial/en/products/product.asp?country_id=999&market_id=32&market_cat_id=534&prod_id=619
- - - - - - -

Here is a little fixture I made to drill the holes in the Delrin Acme nuts!
All i need to do was slide the block in the vise till it hit the stop, set zero in the middle of the block, move over .5625 and drill 3/16" holes!
Screw on another nut, then drill all four holes again!
Easier to use than setting up the collet index fixture! :)

Eric

Thats a neat drill jig you made. How exactly does it work? are you just centering, then zeroing you dro and drilling the four holes? I've got to get a DRO for my mill.

Thats a neat drill jig you made. How exactly does it work? are you just centering, then zeroing you dro and drilling the four holes? I've got to get a DRO for my mill.

I use a dial indicator to set the center of the spindle to the center of the screw, then I move the table once to a distance of .5625 to drill the holes.
Then I open the vise, rotate the fixture, drill the next hole!
The Acme screw is made to be in the center of the square block, so the distance to all 4 holes is cymetrical from center. This can be done with or without a DRO!

Eric-

Nice work. I'm looking for a minimal mess cutting lube/coolant system and I noticed the feed lines to a lube on your mill, can you tell me what you're using on your mill and how well it works and if you would recommend it?

Thanks,

Paul T.

Would you ship to Canada, your ebay site only says US? I'd love to have 2 of those nuts.

Para

Eric-

Nice work. I'm looking for a minimal mess cutting lube/coolant system and I noticed the feed lines to a lube on your mill, can you tell me what you're using on your mill and how well it works and if you would recommend it?

Thanks,

Paul T.

I got the tankless "KoolMist" unit m# 891-5987 from enco.com
http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRAR?PMSECT=0002003608
(requires an air compressor)
Also got a gallon of their coolent mix, It works really well when mixing 2-shotglasses to 1-gallon of water. Too much hurts my nose, too little rusts the machinery!

I hang the jug on the back of the machine, mounted the on/off valve to the ram for easy access, ran the knozzle down close to the cutter. Knozzle is adjustable, more air less liquid / more liquid less air...
When cutting plexiglas, it gives an almost polished finish!

Eric

Would you ship to Canada, your ebay site only says US? I'd love to have 2 of those nuts.

Para


Yes, I'll ship to CANADA!

Send me a privaste msg with contact info.
Skip eBay, Good deals for "Zoned" customers!

Eric