Hey guys just wanted to start my manual milling project. I started of with a x+y table and some 2x2 and 2x3 steel tubing 1/8" wall thickness. Heres some pics http://img367.imageshack.us/img367/6002/10007552kb.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img354.imageshack.us/img354/8403/10007560xp.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img354.imageshack.us/img354/8325/10007579bu.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/7038/10007583os.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Just a little more drilling and grinding and I,ll have the base and column done. Now I,m searching for the dovetail ways. I,m also thinking of going with square ones but prefer dovetail. For the spindle assembly I plan on purchasing a mini mill head assembly. More to come......

Hey guys let me ask you this I found a THK ball screw that resides in a 1 X 2 1/2 x 20 steel case with a big aluminum bracket mounted to it. It looks like it was the z axis to a gantry mill. Similar to this that I found on EBAY

http://cgi.ebay.com/THK-Integral-Vertical-Slide-Rail-with-Accessories_W0QQitemZ7605535873QQcategoryZ55826QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
eBay: THK Integral Vertical Slide Rail with Accessories (item 7605535873 end time Apr-06-06 13:03:04 PDT)

Could I use this on my manual mill

Aaaah nothing like spending a beautuful Saturday afternoon fine tuning and redesigning my mill project. OK really I just spent all day re drilling and fixing all my goof ups. Ok if you see in the pics above that is not what it looks like now. I got the base and the column(also cut down a little shorter) perfectly square today( took nearly all day of just very minute movements until I got it right), I also extended the base so that I could get the full movement on my table. I also sat down and redrew the head mount(mini mill spindle head), so I think Its gonna go like this, to the column I,ll be attaching a 1x4x12 slab of iron plate then the Gilman Z axis slide will mount to this plate( I had to use 1" thick plate so that the z axis handle has plenty of room to turn) On the z axis is a 1/2 x 4 x 8 plate mounted to it , which in turn will have a 1x 3 1/2 x 4 5/16 plate,then on each side of this plate will be 1/4 x 3 5/8 x 4 5/16 plates attched to it and over to another 1 x 3 1/2 x 4 1/4 plate which is then mounted to the mini mill head. And for those who are seeking to build their own mill in hopes of saving money, FORGET ABOUT IT, CAN,T BE DONE!!!! Of course I could have really cut corners on this project and went with a skimpy ac motor, I could have really hunted down my metal for little cheaper than what I already paid, however after seeing some of these machines these MASTERS have built on this site, I said to myself " why not build one and make it look as professional and high quality as I can" So unfortunetly due to my pain in the ass oops I mean my wife taking my cam on her visit to her parents in the Philippines, I am unable to show you the current state of the project, but heres what I have so far

(1) Base and column squared with only 8 more drill holes to go( for the zaxis mount)
(2) x & y table from Grizzley( the big one)
(3) Z axis slide(Gilman) only 4 1/2" of vertical movement( my plan is when I,m finished with getting it all together and working, is to make a rack and pinion coarse slide and use the Gilman for fine feed as it has very fine thread also to make bevel gears so I can mount the Z axis handle horizontal to the right instead of the current vertical position)
(4) 1 1/2hp DC Motor Pacific Scientific has been paid for and is HOPEFULLY being delivered
(5) Reliance DC controller with reverse also paid for and HOPEFULLY delivered

And on Monday hopefully I can get the metal I need for mounting the head here locally if not I might have to drive to Orlando(1 hour away) and thats about it, thanx for reading all of this any suggestion please say so ALL are welcomed and yes I know I could have bought a mini mill but hopefully when I,m done with mine it will BLOW the mini mill away...... Plus it was MADE IN AMERICA !!!!!!!

Well making some progress after a week of drilling and cutting. http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/7396/10009519nf.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Well I still got to make a mounting plates for the motor, I also goofed on my spindle center to table center but I figured out what i have to do is remove the 1" mounting bars behind the z axis slide ( the bars are there so you can turn the handle with out rapping your knuckles) I,ll eventually make a 90 degree turn for the handle and then everything will be centered and straight. http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/1339/10009495ej.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

And here,s the controller http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/3282/10009526xk.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Now I,m just waiting on the motor, should arrive on the 3rd.

Pretty cool

So, how long till you retro-fit it?

looks nice, heres the real questions, how does it perform?
how much did it cost?

I was skeptical at first, but it looks like it turned out good.

Jon

I,ll covert to cnc down the road when I get a new shop (3-4 months)that has power(right now I,m using a generator becuz I have a glass shop don,t really need much power to cut glass, SUCKS). I won,t know how it performs until I get the motor on and fired up. I will tell ya squaring the thing up took me the longest time and many many attempts, but its pretty damn square. 12"x,6"y 4 1/2" in the z( very fine thread for the z axis ) Cost I could of bought a x2 mini mill cheaper, but after seeing the x2 at Harbor Fright last week I was not impressed at all. Here,s a breakdown on cost

Metal for base,column and mounting plates $70.00

x y table $139.00

Mini mill head $89.00

1 1/2 hp dc motor $102.00

dc controller $79.00

Belt, pulleys $16.00

Paint, allen head screws and bolts $26.00

Broken drill bits and tap $14.00

Sub Total $535.00

Total hours into project 40 hrs

Would I do it again? Nope.....But it has been hard work and learning experience and somewhat relaxing.

Nice job! I like your ideas. I've already of on my to order list about $600 worth of parts and materials. THK is good stuff. They have some great info online, and available if you can call their, or find a local distributor.

I am already looking at a used mill table about 10x60 approx. which is blemish free and appears to be straight. This came off a similar sized machine that would normally have a 40 taper spindle. $275 and it's mine.

Anyhow have fun with your machine! Make some chips for us to see. :-)

Ok more progress..Motor is mounted http://img474.imageshack.us/img474/5817/10009584db.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Another shot http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/4879/10009575xc.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

A close up of the motor and belt http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/6056/10009594ll.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

One of the tools I,ve used to make the mill http://img347.imageshack.us/img347/430/10009532jw.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

And another http://img400.imageshack.us/img400/9501/10009547mv.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Oh yeah and can,t forget these http://img400.imageshack.us/img400/8049/10009564fm.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Well hopefully tomorrow I should have the controller mounted, wired and ready to fire up!!!!

What are you useing for a spindle?
Thanks

what kind of a blade are yo cutting steel with? (or is it AL)

R8 mini mill head, its beefed up by two 1/4 inch side plates on each side and when I painted I filled in with polyurethane filler( to make it look like one solid biatch)

Where did you buy the R8 mini mill head?

Little Machine shop http://www.littlemachineshop.com/
LittleMachineShop.com - tooling, parts, and accessories for bench top machinists For cutting the steel and abrasive cut off blade, the one on the chopsaw is an Hitachi carbide tip blade(cuts thru aluminum like butter, finish very smoooth) When I was cutting the steel (took me probably about 10 hours) I went between the chop saw and a sawzall, yeah I wish I had a bandsaw, probably cuold of reduced the cutting time by 2/3. This is why I say I probably wouldn,t do it again unless I had the right equiptment for cutting steel, tried to find chunks of iron but no where locally had it.

Controller mounted and she,s been fired up and she,s ready to go http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/7012/10009637cu.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Another shot http://img437.imageshack.us/img437/662/10009612ia.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


Now I just need some collets and tooling and I can make more stuff for the mill....

Could post a close up of the R8 mini mill head?
Thanks

Yeah you,ll have to wait until tomorrow, the head is roughly about 2/3 of what you already see, I added 2 @ 4 5/16 X 9 1/8 X 1/4 thick plates on the sides, they mount into a 1x3 1/2 x 4 blocks that the mill head is screwed into. The head is one thing getting the z axis is another, if you keep searching ebay you,ll find something you can use, you could go with the linear stuff (like they use for the cnc machines) but I hear that its only good for light duty, I had planned to mill steel and aluminum so I hunted down a good sturdy z axis slide. Let me know if ya need any info...

Try this pic http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=18689&stc=1
100_0961.JPG

The Pic. is to dark. I'm interseted in the top of the mill head, and how did you attach the spindle pully?

Yeah that was what one of my main concerns until I got the mill head in my hands, then I figured it out with some online help from these guys. The pulley I bored out (actually over bored by a couple of hairs)to fit on the spindle which is about 1 1/8 " diam. On top of the spindle head originally there sat a sleeve with a slot (this for the spindle lock so when your changing collets it won't move) and a spanner nut which held it down, I removed these and just set the pulley on top, it has a set screw to hold it down, right behind the spindle on top is a smaller shaft that that use to hold a plastic gear(this is the original drive on the mini mill), anyway on this shaft is a small groove which is deep enough that a small rod can be pressed against it and it will be my spindle lock, also on the head there was a lever for changing the hi / lo gear (mini mill), this also is not needed and was removed. I probably spent 3 weeks trying to picture the mill head and how to do the pulley setup and loosen the drawbar(a threaded 7/16 20 which I don,t have yet) but once the mill was in my hands I was like oh, this part will be easy. Tomorrow I,ll take a couple of pics with the pulley off and how it goes on....

I was thinking on useing the Mini Mill R8 Spindle Conversion Kit and bearings from Little Machine shop and milling my own holder. Will have to wait for your Pics.
It would br nice to have the Spindle Kit in hand, I could order it and send it back if I don't like it.

Yeah if ya have access to a milling machine that wouldn't be too hard to do, ya know if ya look at miljnor's mill he built, I think he built his head. I would have liked to have done that. My next one I will.....oh yeah I said I would never build another one.......uummm.

Do you have the post for miljnor's mill ?

fOUND IT http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?p=161401#post161401
CNCzone.com-The Ultimate Machinist Community - Cheap overpriced MILL build log

Ok Woodie here,s some close ups, a touch fuzzy http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=18735&stc=1
100_0967.jpg http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=18736&stc=1
100_0968.jpg
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=18737&stc=1
100_0969.jpg
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=18738&stc=1
100_0970.jpg

Thanks for the Pics. Where do you get the pulley?
I think thats the way to go, (less work)!

From here http://www.mcmaster.com/
McMaster-Carr

I also could of gotten a pulley with close to the correct bore from http://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?UID=2006031417565040&catname=electric&item=11-2449
Surplus Center Item Detail

but McMaster had the correct belt size and I figured I would just get the pulleys and the belt from one place and break my lathe in since I hadn,t used it since I bought it.

Your not using the spanner nut on top? Thats not a good idea, becides the press fit between the spindle and the bearings and the bearings and the housing, thats the only thng holding them all together.
You might consider shaving a little off of the bottom of the pully and making room for the spanner nut. over time, or even suddenly, chatter and various other things can cause it to slip.

Jon

oops, I thought the flange around the spindle that has the 3 allen heads in it was holding the bearings and spindle down and that the spanner nut was just for the spindle stop sleeve?

The surpluscenter item comes up an 115 VAC TO 130 VDC MOTOR CONTROLLER BOARD.

Yeah I know thats the link I have saved in my favorites, just type pulley in thier search engine and it will pull up hundreds of pulleys.

you mean the little plastic thing;)

even if that held the bearings in the housing, its not holding the spindle on the bearings.

Jon

No this http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=18749&stc=1
100_0970.jpg

Theres a metal flange, with three allen heads that is on the bottom and on the top of the head, I also checked the exploded view of the spindle assembly and as far as I can tell it looks as if these two flanges hold everything together, I,m pretty sure that the spanner nuts duty was to hold that spindle lockdown sleeve. Its a little hard to see in this pic because its painted over.

On my mill, they are plastic, I think they are there as more or less dust covers.

Jon

I started another post and hopefully we,ll get a few x2 owners to verify your claim, if you are right then I,ll definetly re-do the pulley set up! But my suspicion is that they are more than dust covers, if ya look at the exploded view of the spindle assembly http://images.grizzly.com/grizzlycom/partslists/g8689_pl.pdf
g8689_pl.pdf (application/pdf Object)

You can see that the bearing are almost as big as these flanges and also why would there just be the one spanner nut holding the whole assembly? Besides the press fit.

You can see that the bearing are almost as big as these flanges and also why would there just be the one spanner nut holding the whole assembly? Besides the press fit.
because thats all thats really needed. I took my spindle out, I could have left the dust covers in place, execpt the bottom bearing would have broken it, I just removed the spanner and spacer and took a couple wacks at it and the spindle came right out of the bearings. bottom bearing came with it though.

Jon

Dammit your right after looking at just the spindle itself I can see what your talking about. THANX JFettig you have probably prevented a disaster. I,ll no doubt have to fab the pulley as the one I bought does,nt have enough wall left to cut down. Yeah I buy 2 pulleys supposely the same size 2 1/2 " diameter except one is really 2 3/8 and then to make it worst where the belt goes they made the groove deep so when I bored it out I could only go so far.Oh well I wanted to do more stuff on my lathe anyway.

it looks that if you cut off the extra thats on there, it can drop the pulley down 1/4" aproximately and might have enough room for the nut on it.
I'm referencing this pic:
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=18735
you should be able to chuck it up and part it off and move your motor down too to align with it too.

Jon

Nope won,t happen thats what I was saying earlier, I forgot the name of the pulley manufacturer but they made the groove on the belt too deep so when I bored it out I couldn,t keep the same diameter bore all the way thru I had to stop half way and bore a smaller diameter where the belt groove is. So when you put the pulley on thats about as far down as it goes. I already figured I,ll just make a pulley and make it so that it acts as a washer around the spindle allowing both the spanner nut and the locking sleeve to be put back on.

What is the section size of V- belt are you useing? Why not go to a smaller section V- Belt (O)?

Well, if your going to make your own pulley, I think i have the cross section I used somewhere, otherwize you could just grab another set of pullies.

When I did mine the third time, I used a timing belt, first time I used 1 3/8 belt and that worked well too. the dual 1/2" belts I used on the bigger motor was not really a good choice.

Jon

Jon,
Where did you get your timing pullys, Part no.?
Thanks

sdpsi.com I think it is, and no I dont have part numbers, I had to bore my pullies.

Jon

Ok a little update. The pulley has been fabricated for the spindle, belt guard out of lexan and I also made a custom spanner wrench. http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=19056&stc=1
100_0975.jpg
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=19057&stc=1
100_0978.jpg

Now the next project is the spindle lock and I,ve decided to make a big change in the base and column as some have mentioned rigidity is priority. I,ve decided to replace the two 6" x 6" x 1/2"L-brackets with two larger 8"x 26"x 1/2" brackets, I feel this will beef it up quite a bit from the spindle head down to the base. Once this is done then I,ll fill the base and column with grout , packed and vibrated solid to further beef it and for dampening.

I,ll fill the base and column with grout , packed and vibrated solid to further beef it and for dampening.
Grout???

Are you talking about the stuff you cram in the cracks between ceramic tile, stone and the like, or something else???


Pleez edumacate me,

HayTay

Yep, that stuff, its cheap and easily available ( Home Depot) I also heard that you can use cement called hydraulic cement, but I don,t know where to get that stuff.

Nice project ZipSnipe,

But why Grout ???

The idea stands out in my mind that after a while of use it will slowly turn into powder and become nothing more than sand filling. Is there something else you can use?

Maybe it's just me, but I realy like your project and would hate to see it not work out for you. Maybe someone else in this forum knows of something.

Looks Good so far, except the Grout Filling.

tobyaxis

Yeah I thought about that too, I,m still going to look for something better like some of this fiberglass reinforced cement I heard. I just started looking at the big mills and realized man if I want my machine to cut steel it needs beef and filling in the hollow tubes of the base and column should help some. Also I,ll put a layer or two of polyurethane on the ends so if it does turn to dust it will stay inside. ( Hopefully)

ZipSnipe,

Sounds good. Nothing comes to my mind, and have been asking around for you.

tobyaxis

What about ball bearings or BBs, then an epoxy resin to encapsulate them? If I'm off base on your application I appologize - jumped in here at the end - but grout I think could be a problem.
:cheers: Jim

Ya might be on to somethin there!!! Never thought of bb's, but I think the grout might be denser and has been recommended by other machinists on other sites and including this one.

What is the Bore of the spindle pully?
Thanks

Roughly about an 1 1/8" but I,m turning another pulley as I discovered that I didn,t get the first pulley perfectly round (even through when ya look at its round, doh !). I,ve discovered my 3 jaw chuck on my lathe is out of whack and thus I,m am painstakingly turning another pulley.

What I would use is cone crusher epoxy. I help a friend of mine replace a liner on his cone crusher, and he used this epoxy to fill all the voids behind the liner. This keeps the liner from breaking up during the crushing process. This stuff is amazing, once dried it was almost as hard as the steel. Super easy to use, mix the two parts in supplied bucket and whip for a few minutes with a drill. Pour in the void and let cure for a day. Just a warning you need to have every pin hole plugged because this stuff will find them, also it will heat up to around 150 degrees while curing. Throw some scrap steel in there to increase the density and you should be all set.

I did a quick search for the stuff (It called backing material on this page)

http://www.loctite.com/int_henkel/loctite_us/binarydata/pdf/lt3387_CrusherRepair.pdf

Jeremy

Yeah I plan to do that or something similar. Right now its pulley time, should have it done tomorrow. I,m also been debating on attempting to cut the 1/2 x 8 x 28 steel plate that I want to replace my 6x6x 1/2 steel L brackets with or if I want to have a machine shop do it for me( I figured $80). Lowe,s has just started carrying this Lenox carbide steel cutting blade ($60) but it claims to cut steel fast but its only 7 1/2 diameter and they don,t carry a 10" which is what my chop saw is. I guess I could put on there and also put it on the tablesaw I have. Still debating..

lookin smooth

wanted to ask bout the ballscrew :did you use it for your Z-axis ??
what is it behaving like?

good lukk m8 i'll be peaking

Thats a Gilman single axis slide, very fine and precise. The only problem I have on all axis's is locking the axis down. But I,ll conjure something up for that. I,ve seen other single axis slides on ebay so just type in slide and then search anything in the industrial querry..

Well today I broke down and decided I would let a local machine shop cut my side plates I want for my mill. The problem is last week I sent faxed drawing of what i wanted to several machine shops only one returned a cost($380.00) the plates will replace the 6"x6"x 1/2 thick steel brackets that I,m using now. (The plates will measure 31 1/2" x 8 x 1/2', that way the whole column gets beefed up.) Anyway after the first quote came back I decided ($380) was too much and I started building a jig to help me cut 1/2 steel long lengths (31 1/2"), my investment for this jig was going to run around $130 plus however long it took me to cut the metal. Then this past monday(after I built the jig) I get another price back from another machine shop $180 and I was like damn thats pretty good right on target on what I wanted to spend, so even through I already built the jig(only $25 invested and several hours of time, I hadn't bought the steel or the $60 cutting blade yet) I decided it would be easier to let this machine shop do it. Plus I got to check out some Bridgeports in real life. They had 3 in a row, 2 mid sized lathes probably 14 " and one cnc lathe. The owner seemed pretty kool and down to earth and I,ll probably do more business there( after I get my plates)

Well a little more has been done, added the spindle lock. ( used the mill to mill out some aluminum) http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=19789&stc=1
100_0981.jpg

And today looked what I picked up for $10 at a Thrift Store http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=19790&stc=1
100_0982.jpg
That handle will replace my z axis handle and I picked up some pillow blocks for making the right angle for the z axis, all I have to do now is order miter gears from MSC. Also I,m waiting on a local machine shop to get done with my side plates for the mill, these will replace the 6X6X 1/2 steel L brackets with a full length plates that run up the column. More to come...

The side plates came in today http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=20076&stc=1
Side plates.JPG http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=20077&stc=1
Side plates2.JPG

Now just got to drill holes and tear the mill down and slap 'em on.

Well here is what I,ll be doing this weekend (after the wifes B-day). I already drilled the holes in the plates in the above post. They will go at the bottom of the mill and up the column. The z-axis handle is coming off and mitered gear going on and I,ll have to play around with bracket ideas and the right angle for the handle( it has to be clear of the controller box) http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=20116&stc=1
Mill(stripped to base and column, circle on bracket and z axis handle).JPG

Was it not rigid enough?

Well even before I turned it on , one of the other members here mention something about he didn,t think it would be rigid enough. And after looking at it I could see that there is room for flexing in the column. I,ve also used it to drill and mill the plates and there was some considerable chatter. So once the plates are on and the handle on the z-axis is made into an right angle ( this will allow the removal of 1" thick bars that are behind the z-axis) I think this will improve rigidness , I also will fill the hollow parts with a cement type mixture. My only bummer is I planned to have it finished this weekend but I forgot to get down to the only place in town(that is closed on weekends) that has the clamping bolts and cap nuts that I want.

Well the plates are painted, the mill is tore down and is in the process of being painstakingly put back together. Hers a pic of the plates that I added to the column http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=20267&stc=1
column&sideplates.JPG

More to come.....

Well I would like to say that I,m finished but I know I want to do more. Heres the results so far. http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=20443&stc=1
Mill front.JPG
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=20444&stc=1
Mill leftside.JPG
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=20445&stc=1
Mill rightside.JPG
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=20446&stc=1
right angle handle.JPG

The right angle handle was a challenge and lots of hard work went to get it almost complete, I still need to get some 1/4 aluminum plate to replace the 1/4 nut spacers I,m temporarily using. And the side plates I added make a huge difference in rigidness and I,m able to make deeper cuts. But I see two areas that I could improve (1) replace the 1/4 side plates on the mill head with 1/2 (2) replace the 2x3x1/8 column with 2x3x 1/4
I also need to make axis locks, I already figured the z axis lock but x & y might be a little more of a challenge.

Very well !! ... nice job you do !!

You draw all the pieces in a CAD with dimentions? ... hehhe ... could you please and share to us ?

Are you satisfied with the result?

Sorry no cad, it was " design as build" and some drawing on graph notebook. I,m satisfied with what I,ve done so far. I have currently taken all back apart and reassembling with top precision in mind. I,m also going to use 1/2 steel plate under the mill as a flat base for the mill to bolt down. I noticed when I bolted it to my wooden bench the mill got tweaked a little. Tomorrow i should have it put back together and fine tuned to within .001. Then all the little add ons I will be able to use the mill to make. I,ve really enjoyed making this mill, its been alot of sweat and hardwork. But in the end its been worth it. Total cost to date $726.61. I know a couple of hundred more and I could of bought an X3 but I really needed the learning expierence. Plus when ever I save a large amount of money the government or mortgage man takes it from me.

Sorry no cad, it was " design as build" and some drawing on graph notebook. I,m satisfied with what I,ve done so far. I have currently taken all back apart and reassembling with top precision in mind. I,m also going to use 1/2 steel plate under the mill as a flat base for the mill to bolt down. I noticed when I bolted it to my wooden bench the mill got tweaked a little. Tomorrow i should have it put back together and fine tuned to within .001. Then all the little add ons I will be able to use the mill to make. I,ve really enjoyed making this mill, its been alot of sweat and hardwork. But in the end its been worth it. Total cost to date $726.61. I know a couple of hundred more and I could of bought an X3 but I really needed the learning expierence. Plus when ever I save a large amount of money the government or mortgage man takes it from me.

Mini mill head $89.00
dc controller $79.00
x y table $139.00
BUILD YOUR OWN CNC: ...NO PRICE ... :D

Well theres other costs too, metal,pulleys ,bolts,$180 I paid to a machine shop to fab the side plates. I mean if I really wanted to have done it cheaper then I,m pretty sure I would not be as happy with a cheaper built one than the one that I,ve built.

Hi zip,
first of all i would also like to say you have done a nice job!

a small question secondly, is that spindle a morse taper spindle? in one of your photos you have a rack next to your machine that looks like its full of morse tapers. am i wrong?


I also need to make axis locks, I already figured the z axis lock but x & y might be a little more of a challenge.


axis locks for x and y should be already on the cross table (atleast i think thats what you mean) they should only need an allen key or square drive to lock the table.

also, what projects do you have lined up to make with this beast?

regards,

rhino.

Its actually a mini mill head with R8 spindle. The table has three allen head adjustments for the gibs but I wanna do something else. So far my only project in mind is to keep improving this mill and decide if I want to cnc it or make another mill for cnc. I also want to make a machinist tool box out of stainless and aluminum.

Any work for show us with your baby machine?

Yeah, all i,ve done so far is some test cuts and I made this square plate(with .001) I think I could gotten a better finish with a better mill vise(all I have are clamps and a cheap drill press vise) http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=21111&stc=1
Square steel1.JPG
But now that I got it all squared up and know that it cuts square I,m going to redo my slapped together mill head assembly, replacing the 1/4 sideplates with 1/2. Right now as it stands I thought originally when I put it together that I had the head on the z-axis square but I,ve later discovered that it is not and the only way to fix it is by making the new plates. And I,ll be bringing the center of the spindle back in towards the column by as much as an 1 1/4" ( I really goofed on that one, being in rush). After I,m done with that I,m debating cnc conversion or building another from scratch for the cnc machine.

Nice construction! What motor did you use for your spindle?

Chris.

1.5 hp but with the controller it really is only outputting 1hp. The main thing I need to do next is replace the plates(with 1/2) on the side of the head and make stops for the z and y axis. Right now I,m using it to make a milling vice which in turn will hold the plates for the sides.

Very very nice work !! YOU ARE THE MAN !!

Yeah, Zipsnipe, very nice work. I looked at Miljnor's and a couple others here and yours seems to hold out among the top 3 in my opininon.

Comparable to Stevie's Lathe.

Greg

Thanx Villas, Greg. Yeah I like Miljnors mill too, his and others were what got me going however there was someone who made a cnc mill that I liked and now after searching thru countless forum logs and pics I can,t find it. It basically uses the same side plate design(which I copied). The next major thing is to get the axis locks goin. As I was making the mill vise the z axis slid down a hair and the x axis would move on me.

Well heres another update. The mill has been disassembled and the new mill head mounting plates are complete and ready to go on the head. Heres what the old set up looked like http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=25316&stc=1&d=1162928875
old millhead pieces.JPG
And heres the new http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=25317&stc=1&d=1162928875
new mill head pieces.JPG

As you can see I,ve reduced the number of pieces down to four. The reason I used so many pieces to begin with was becuz that was all I could find at the local salvage yard. But later I found a new and better metal source. And being that I work at a die and mold place I have access to a beautiful Bridgeport. Well as soon as it gets put back together I,ll post some more pics.

Well the new head assembly is complete except for paint

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=25562&stc=1&d=1163377864
NewImpovedMillheadLeft.JPG
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=25563&stc=1&d=1163377864
NewImpovedMillheadright.JPG

More to come...

Looking very nice indeed - you must be thrilled :)

Is that R8 mini-mill head with your re-enforcements up to cutting much steel? I was considering one myself, but I couldn't tell whether the X2's weedy cutting power was down to lack of motor power and frame stiffness or actually down to the fragility of its head - what do you think?

Cheers.

X2 head works well and should definetly be an improvement over my earlier contraption. I think the x2 is rigid enough for its size. I think adding plates to the sides beefs it up and if ya can fill the column with cement, should see some improvement. I think people expect too much out of something so small. The machines I work with at work are way huge and take metal off in small amounts but repeticious times. Just got to add stops for the axis', fabricate a powerfeed and buy a dro setup and the manual mill will be complete.

X2 head works well and should definetly be an improvement over my earlier contraption. I think the x2 is rigid enough for its size. I think adding plates to the sides beefs it up and if ya can fill the column with cement, should see some improvement. I think people expect too much out of something so small. The machines I work with at work are way huge and take metal off in small amounts but repeticious times. Just got to add stops for the axis', fabricate a powerfeed and buy a dro setup and the manual mill will be complete.

Thanks - sounds like you are very happy with the X2 head - I was just trying to work out whether the reason the X3 is speced at being able to use 1" mills vs 1/2" for the X2 was a motor power or spindle strength issue...

Could you please tell me roughly what the physical dimensions of the X2 spindle box are?

Cheers.

Roughly the head is about 3 5/8'wide by 4 1/8 tall by about 6' long. When the paint dries I,ll get ya the exact specs.

Roughly the head is about 3 5/8'wide by 4 1/8 tall by about 6' long. When the paint dries I,ll get ya the exact specs.

Thanks - assuming you mean inches, not feet, that's more than accurate enough for my needs :)

:cheers:

Oops