Well, here it is. Just a small project.

Total costs so far are $75, $40 for the Cross-sliding vice, and $35 for 1" steel tubing, 3-1/2 foot lead-screw and matching ball-screw.

I'll explain as I go as I HATE drawing what I'm making. I prefer to keep it in my head and make up dimensions as problems tend to arise along the way. :rolleyes:

Fun part, pictures. (Don't mind my horrid welding)

http://www.rigshowcase.com/img/45YVqa/4672
http://www.rigshowcase.com/img/45YVqa/4673
http://www.rigshowcase.com/img/45YVqa/4675

Thats obviously the frame, a very unsquare frame, as my friend holding the square while I was welding didn't take me seriously when I told him he was holding the square for a reason... (chair) All that was fixed soon after though, alot of grinding later.

http://www.rigshowcase.com/img/45YVqa/4751
http://www.rigshowcase.com/img/45YVqa/4750

The cross-sliding vice. Nothing special, just your everyday cross-sliding vice. Moves forward, moves back, left and right. wooo... (casino-rama commercial about excitement? Havn't seen it? :()

http://www.rigshowcase.com/img/45YVqa/4745
http://www.rigshowcase.com/img/45YVqa/4746

Where the motor face will go. I chose this piece for two reasons:

1. It gives me the option to move to a router, later on once money is available.
2. It was free.
3. It was free. :)

Needs to be cut down a little more since I'm going to be doing everything by hand, and not seeing might cause a problem. (CNC conversion later on, need LOTS more money.) The rounded area is the area where I'm going to setup a 5/8 20 pate for mounting the dremel face down. That piece will then be mounted sideways onto the large thick piece (shown earlier). If you think about it, it makes sense. If not, wait. I'll have some plans up eventually as I need some to get a pass.

No plans = no good for shop teacher. :rolleyes:

I'll see about some pictures tommorow after I've cut down the lead screw and mounted the ball screw. (MORE drilling and taping, aluminium to steel and brass makes Shawn a sad boy.)

More!

I've FINALLY figured out how I'm going to mount the Z-axis sliders, and it looks like its going to work out pretty well!
http://www.rigshowcase.com/img/45YVqa/4863

Going to drill and slap some bolts on there tommorrow along with puting a second piece on the outside.

An area shot, give you an idea of what it will be progressing to.'

http://www.rigshowcase.com/img/45YVqa/4864
http://www.rigshowcase.com/img/45YVqa/4862

Here's a few shots of some of the machines I get to work with everyday.

The Ex-Cell-O is my favorite machine to use, don't know why, just is. I always like finding something to do that involves it. :cool:

http://www.rigshowcase.com/img/45YVqa/4865
http://www.rigshowcase.com/img/45YVqa/4866
http://www.rigshowcase.com/img/45YVqa/4867

Theres a whole other room for the MIG welders (5), TIG welders (1), oxy-acetylene torches (5) a couple of presses, bending tools and metal racks.

I've done lots more since I took these pictures, so I'll go and get some tommorow. The Z-axis is stable, but I need to make a support for the lead screw. The mounting for the dremel is made and that huge plate of alu is gone now and being replaced with a little piece that the dremel is threaded into and welded onto the bottom (not yet on though...). I also made that mounting plate so its bolted down, but I can loosen the 3 bolts and it can angle. I believe that was called the C-Axis? I don't remember, read it around here a while ago...

Anyways, heres a rough do on what I have going.

http://rigshowcase.com/img/45YVqa/5021

Now its making sense, looks like ya got good plan there, measure twice, cut once!!!

Okay, well its all done now, although no final pictures yet. I'm going to throw it on the truck on Monday, unless I decide to build a table for it... (not sure yet)

Wieghs in around 50Lbs (40Lbs vice...) and it looks, feels, and is pretty sturdy now after I added two more support bars at the front. I'm just not liking the way the base is. Since the cross-sliding vice is so small your reaching pretty far in to get to the handles, which required me to raise the vice up so the handles don't hit the base supports! I guess I'm going to have to look for a full sized table... *sigh* - More money.

Heres a little picture of the front of the mounting for the dremel. Its held in by 2-pins and a 1/2" bolt in the center giving me a C-axis (or A? Correct me, I a smert person!!!11one).

http://www.rigshowcase.com/img/45YVqa/5043

When monday/tuesday'ish comes around I'll get some pictures, then tearing it up for a sanding and complete paint job. Don't know how much I'll get done though, two exams on Tuesday and another Wednesday.

Ugh... High school. :rolleyes:

I know that you guys are all laughing at this probably since its so low-end and EXTREMELY inaccurate, so CNC is probably out of the question for this, but with what I've learned so far (and not been able to implement due to funds) from these forums will be greatly beneficial for my next project, when the time comes.

How can that guy run a lathe with no arms?

I know! I had to look twice at that pic!

Motion blur, heh.

Okay, just for some clarifacation, those motors previously shown, are they two way motors? Or just single?

I have no idea of the proper terms, just forword and reverse for a simple power feed since there is quite a bit of movement on X and Y axis.

Errr, guess I didn't list them, heres a link. Yes, I have the motors in hand.

http://www.rigshowcase.com/img/45YVqa/4749

Okay, guess no power feed then...

Heres a look at the brutality that is $20 of metal thrown together with the addition of an $11 Dremel clone. :cheers:

I REALLY need new support bars, the setup I had started grinding on the one side screwing everything up. Now I have to drop it to the hieght I want, then manually level it. :rolleyes:

http://www.rigshowcase.com/img/45YVqa/5171

The way the foot rest is supporting it makes it look like everything is far off, it isn't...

http://www.rigshowcase.com/img/45YVqa/5172
http://www.rigshowcase.com/img/45YVqa/5173

Everything was almost good just bringing it home, but in the end I needed to put a tiny shim under the back end of the vice to level it with the dremel, but either way, I need a new table. That thing is a COMPLETE POS. Theres enough backlash to... to... ...Theres far too much. :rolleyes:

Your getting there !!! I think I would try to find either 1/4 steel or aluminum plate and stick it under the vice and make it big enough to cover your base, that way you got something to bolt the vice to and something that all chips will fall onto and make for easier clean up. And another thing I like about your design is it looks like ya got room to add a bigger table in the future. And If I was the shop teacher at your school I,d make a clean up day and clean shop head to toe, especially those machines that look like their getting abused. Otherwise keep up the good work Shawn !!

Your getting there !!! I think I would try to find either 1/4 steel or aluminum plate and stick it under the vice and make it big enough to cover your base, that way you got something to bolt the vice to and something that all chips will fall onto and make for easier clean up. And another thing I like about your design is it looks like ya got room to add a bigger table in the future. And If I was the shop teacher at your school I,d make a clean up day and clean shop head to toe, especially those machines that look like their getting abused. Otherwise keep up the good work Shawn !!

Thanks, and yes, every month he makes us clean everything. Those pictures were just taken a day or two before cleaning. :rolleyes:

Every month? No dude it needs to be at least every week , really every day at the end of class, but anyway take a look at some of these guys shops on this forum, becuz of thier cleaniness I started cleaning mine every day and ya know what it looks good, I can work faster without trippin over stuff thats layin around. Just my opinion, do you guys have a cnc machine in the class?

lookin real taliban there m8
that looks like it was fabricated in some cave over in tora bora.

if it actually works up to your expectations thats the living proof you got skillz
i wish i was that handy at that age m8 good luck too ya

I know, everyone is told to clean their machine after they're done, but the most anyone usually does is a keep sweep to get rid of a few chips (but onto the floor or the pan below, from there it doesn't move...) and put the bits & tools back.

IronDIGIT, No matter how much you insult my 75Lbs of metal held together by zip-ties, My Z-axis works, and yours doesn't. :)

The shim fixed everything, not like it has to be fine tuned, everything I do on this machine will all be by eye basically. Just drilling, cutting and whatever else on acrylics.

hmm is some1 getting a lil tensed??

i'm not trying too insult any1 kid and you better believe it

i was even complimenting you maybe in my own (strange)way but complimenting none the less

i mentioned tora bora and **** cuz most of the time people over here in the west aren't this creative with their resources au contraire to people living in tora bora that make ak47's out of old suzuki's and vice versa anyway you doin a nice job man as i said b4 :if it actually works up to your expectations thats the living proof you got skillz

by the way :my Z-axis works and yours doesn't??you should be acting like a 16yr old not like a 6yr old man :nono:

by the way :my Z-axis works and yours doesn't??you should be acting like a 16yr old not like a 6yr old man :nono:

Hense the smiley, I'm just playin' around. :cool:

No insult taken what-so-ever, since there wasn't really anything like that to begin with, haha.

thats allright m8

let us have some pics a something you made with it Shawn

can you believe it :i think this is going to be my muse for a long time i haven't been this inspired since the first time my tutor fired-up that 60's knee-mill and started turning them wheels reeeel slow

keep up the good work m8

Okay, well exams are done. Summer break is officially here so I have more time to work on it.

I started today with tearing apart that vice. Apparently whoever made this vice was not only too cheap to make it to proper fitting dimensions in the first place, but was cheap enough to put a 6-inch STICK MAGNET(!!!!!!!) into the slides to keep it semi- straight! WOW! They *attempted* to make a hole on the end of each one to put a bearing ball in, but fail at drilling also, look at the picture and you'll see what I mean. Oh yeah, and they only include a bearing ball for the Z-axis, since the X-axis is OBVIOUSLY of no use to anyone that would pay for one of these...

Besides that, I think its possible to get a proper fit on these two pieces. Either get a proper steel 6-inch shim (two) and tack them on to the base on each end. First though, I'm getting rid of that god forsaken vice ontop and putting on a table that I can clamp pieces onto instead of having a 6-inch limit on all materials.

For page 2, I've decided no more Cable/DSL killer images. Everything from here on will be a thumbnail/direct link to image.

X & Y leadscrew assembly.

http://www.rigshowcase.com/img/45YVqa/5211

Goodbye vice! Please, let the door magically manage to sack you on the way out! :)

http://www.rigshowcase.com/img/45YVqa/5221

Genius! 1 ball bearing, two ball bearing holders! The possibilities are endless!

http://www.rigshowcase.com/img/45YVqa/5220

A sad excuse for drilling...

http://www.rigshowcase.com/img/45YVqa/5219

X/Y-axis in place.

http://www.rigshowcase.com/img/45YVqa/5218
http://www.rigshowcase.com/img/45YVqa/5217

The base has potential, but the origin and original design blow.

http://www.rigshowcase.com/img/45YVqa/5216

Look at the brain power they have! A 5mm gap filled with a magnet! Yes! It is a magnet! I threw it at the frame!

http://www.rigshowcase.com/img/45YVqa/5215
http://www.rigshowcase.com/img/45YVqa/5214

Another great innovation, They thought it would be a great idea to have the ball screw just "floating" from a hole in the vice. That does give me some relief though, If I weld that firmly in place there will be ZERO backlash on the X-axis (or close). I'm not a freak, I only wear the gloves because of the grease and the fact we have no good cleaning soaps here, as oppossed to the shop. I forgot to take a picture of the top that pokes though the hole, but to say the least, it looks like someone heated up a large bar with that at the end, and snapped it off with a bench vice...

http://www.rigshowcase.com/img/45YVqa/5213
http://www.rigshowcase.com/img/45YVqa/5212

the magnet also fills a duty
its called a gib made out of a softer than the dovetail material too take up most of the wear

hey i never thauht that you could drill triangled holes any how-to's out already ?? lo

the magnet also fills a duty
its called a gib made out of a softer than the dovetail material too take up most of the wear

hey i never thauht that you could drill triangled holes any how-to's out already ?? lo

Yeah, but its practically useless when its in there and there is still a 1-2mm gap giving the vice LOTS of play... :(

I'm not a freak, I only wear the gloves because of the grease and the fact we have no good cleaning soaps here, as oppossed to the shop.

Gloves Good - Dermatitis Bad

Nice thread, love the ingenuity. :)
Improvise, adapt and overcome.

Well Shawn that is a cheap x=y vice and I don,t think they make any claims on it being a high precision tool. You,ll just have to make it work. I would still look for some 1/4 plate steel or aluminum for the base under the vice. I think it would improve your design and add more rigidness. Just my worthless opinion....

One idea I had was maybe put some fill in the inner curve of the vice with a mig welder, then measure and take it to the milling machine and flatten it out, possible? Or would I have to take it to a speciality shop to get that done?

Kind of like the way they replace teeth on large gears if you don't know what I mean...

Okay, as per this guide:

http://www.cartertools.com/millset2.html

What I'm looking for is called a "gib". As we speak I'm working something up. Two 190x10x5mm pieces of alu to keep the table in place. I'm going out to buy some new hard drives tommorow, and when I'm out I'll grab a tapping kit, some bolts, and drop by the local scrap yard and see if I can find anything that would work good for a table in the place of that vice.

I'll upload some pictures once they're done and in place.

yeh the shop is Atrocious but sometimes there isn't enought time in the calss to do a good cleanup and get stuff done so I understand... and that is the most ghetto CNC to date :) good job haha

Okay, well I dissasembled it and I'm thinking about just scraping this vice and getting one of these two:

http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?PMAKA=201-2536&PMPXNO=953096&PARTPG=INLMK3

http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?PMAKA=201-2826&PMPXNO=951820&PARTPG=INLMK3

Most likely the one with 5" & 8" travel, since this is supposed to be a budget project. :D

Right now its sitting out back with the second coat of primer on it, still havn't found a good paint to throw on it yet. Should I use some special paint? Or will normal rust coat go on fine?

the first link looks like a way better finish and i saw it used by some guy building a manual mill too here in the zone chekk out http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18992 ZIPSNIPE's project he could tell you more about it

i guess as long as you don't paint any slides you'll be fine only thing too keep in mind is many cooling-fluids and cutting oils seem too attack paint so make sure you get a paint that will not be damaged by these you could also just keep sanding and restoring the painting as it wears but ....

good lukk m8

Yeah Shawn I went with that table and if ya look on Ebay ya can get one shipped to ya for probably $120 total(30 to 40 dollar saving) but heres one that I think might work better for your project http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=2008
LittleMachineShop.com - X-Y Table Assembly

Its got an allen head axis lock for it, the table you linked ( and the one I have) has no ability to lock the axis's. The table is also huge, when I got it I was surprised at the wieght and size of it. That is one of my next projects to make a way to lock down the axis's for it. Again I still think you would benefit from putting some type of plate on the bottom, it will give you more ways to mount a table to your base ( just my worthless opinion)......... But keep that vice ya got becuz you can always use it for a drill press(drilling), I wish I had one for mine.

i sure dunno bout that LITTLE MACHINEshop crosstable
i got one of them they're sold here under the name black&red and they is REAL LITTLE
u can barely clamp anything onto it the T-clampset is way expensive and fragile and turning them TINY wheels makes life just miserable.If you're sure it is BIG ENOUGH it is a nicely machined piece of qualitymetal and farely precise i'ld never advice it for metalwork maybe Printboards or engraving if you can afford go for bigger you won't regret!!

succes!

Well, I'm still stuck with the fact that I only have 20 inches of X movement, and as much as I want with the Y movement.

I guess I'm going to go for the Heavy Duty table, $100USD + shipping + customs + conversion rates. (chair)

Better be worth it! :cheers: