Hello everyone.
I'm very new into machining in general, but trying to get into it. For the past 2 or 3 months I've been reading up on the different components that go into a CNC system, and what my needs are. First off, I'm a student and I don't really want something too big to start on... I'm going to stick to machining mostly aluminum parts maybe 10"x6" at most for models I work with. Also price is pretty big, I'm trying to keep it under $2500. I'm not going to do any production machning by any strech, just small parts. I'm also looking for something preferrably under 125lbs, to make it easier to move around if I need to relocate it.

With all this in mind, I thought that a Taig 2019CR would best suit my needs. I'm planing on doing the CNC conversion myself, so this CNC 'ready' model should work well. I was looking at the xylotex 3 axis system kit would work well to move the mill around, with the 270 oz/in steppers and 5 amp PS. I'd use TurboCNC to execute the GCode of toolpaths. I'll make my own controller box to house all this in. Does this setup seem feasible, and not overly complicated?

I heard that at least a timed lubricating system should be used when cutting aluminum. I made a rough system in my head, with a small submersible pump, a tank, and a timer that can set the duty cycle of the pump, from 5 sec/min to on constantly, so it's pretty versitile. Does this sound ok? Would it mess up the steppers/spindle motor to have this cutting fluid flying arund? Of course I'd make a box probably out of Lexan to house the machine in.

Also, as far as other accessories go, I'm left in the dark. I think that the Taig Milling Machine Accessory Package Nick Carter offers (here) (http://www.cartertools.com/package.html)should cover any basic needs of tooling etc... should I look into some more endmills right away, or get a better feel with the system and then buy new mills?

I was reading on here about people getting the Grizzly X3, I looked into it very briefly, but it seems too bulky for my needs.

Most of all I think this setup would provide a good learning curve to start into larger production later on.

Are there any other parts I'm missing? Is this too complicated of a setup for a beginning CNC'er?

Thanks in advance, SgtCanada

double post

I'd look at mach 3 before turbo cnc. It has worked great for me and if you stay below the code limit it's free. I bought a license just because i use it every day. And it's great

I downloaded the trial version of Mach3 a few weeks ago, to get used to the interface then went to tcnc to try it out, although I'm definetly going to try both with the mill once I've bought it.

Just to add to my 1st post, I've never been around any type of milling machines, and only lathes for a few hours in my life, so I'm very new, although I know the basics in digital electronics and Cad/Cam. Are there any other accessories that I'll need (other than in that kit mentioned above from Carter), such as calipers etc?

I'm sure others will chime in on this, but dial indicators, calipers, parallels, end mills, machines squares lots of rough stock to play with :)

You might want to consider the Taig with the ER16 spindle as it uses commercially available ER16 collets that go up to 3/8 inch. Also you might consider one of the small import screwless vises like those sold by Enco ($44 or so) or The Little Machine Shop. A tooling plate with a lot of tapped holes will come in handy for holding work pieces and it provides a barrier between the cutter and mill table in case something doesn't go quite as planned. You can make a plate or buy one.

Oh, buy a few spare belts. I got one end of the belt in the wrong groove and that was the end of the belt. It didn't break, but it has a permanent set to it and doesn't run well.

I think you will like the Taig. I recently put steppers on a CNC ready Taig and found the process easy and quick.

I'd recommend going with the MACH3 software. It is a bargain, in my opinion and there is a lot of online support for MACH.

Good luck.

Chuck

Oh, one other thing. I bought handles for the mill leadscrews and now realize I'll never use them. You can easily move the mill around by jogging the steppers or by direct entering positions.

Chuck

Thanks for the information kuhncw. In Mach3, how do you enter direct postitons? I thought that if you click on the DRO and enter a number it dosn't move the steppers, it just sets an offset.

What kind of stock do you cut? and how (if needed) do you lubricate the tooling? What type of mills would you recommend to get started?

Will Mach3 work with the xylotex board?

You can enter direct positions in Mach3 on the MDI screen. The manual should cover this. This is different than entering a number into the DROs.

I am barely getting started and have only made some test cuts in aluminum plate. I used some WD40 for lube, but doubt is is very effective. I have not decided on a coolant system yet.

For end mills, you might start with some 3/8 down to 1/8 two and four flute high speed steel cutters. Unless you need smaller cutters, you might find them a little fragile while learning. What sort of parts will you be making?

I cannot comment on Mach3 and xylotex, but there is a xylotex discussion group on CNC Zone. I am using one of Bob Campbell's Mach3 control boxes with Gekos. This may be overkill for a Taig, but I wanted a control that can be used on a larger mill in the future.

Regards,

Chuck

I hate Mach3 and while we're at it, I hate those those little screwless vices too - they're a real PITA to set up :)

TurboCNC rocks - especially if you have worked as a computer programmer for any length of time - you have variables and a built G code G77 that will do slots/pockets easy as pie - Mach3 is windows based and will never be as stable as a DOS based program like TCNC - just my 2 cents. You'll notice that most of the other Windoze based programs use an external pulse box of some kind to ensure that steps are not lost. I won't even begin to mention the Picasso-like screen design.

I just sold my Taig - it was a good machine. Instead of the Xylotex, there is a person on EBay who sells Centent CN0142 controllers, these are like earlier versions of the Geckos (designed by the same guy, Mariss) and have higher amps/phase ratings - they sell for $40 to $50 each (you'll need one for each axis) - they usually only have one for sale in the auctions, but they have more in stock.You'll need a Parallel port breakout board (BOB) - use carolbrent on EBay sells them for about $12 work great.

As for other stuff, I would recommend one of the Quick Vises - http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=1276

I woudl recommend staying away from cheap end mills, I found M42 Cobalt mills worked quite well in the Taig - www.use-enco.com has a good selection, both the imported (Chinese) and the USA ones worked well.

I second the ER-16 recommendation, the old style Taig headstock is a no-no. If you really want to use big end mills, you can use a Beall collet chuck and ER collets - http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/10983 I did this and it worked well.

Other things - you can get along without a lot of things if you improvise. Flood cooling is nice - http://www.gunjigs.com/flood.html

Clamps are good too.

I would get a mill, get the power supply and controller, the ER-16 option, some cobalt end mills, a vise and clamping kit - then start making chips. As you get more into it, you'll have your own ideas about what to buy next.

I've heard that flood cooling can rust the machine, if not all of it is cleaned off... is this true? How are the shavings separated from the coolant? Does the coolant have to be replaced everytime after cutting?

I don't know if I want to get too complicated yet.... I'd really like something simple to start off with, like the xylotex 3 axis single board thingy. What about HobbyCNC boards? have any of you guys used them? Will TCNC work with the xylotex/hobbyCNC boards?

Thank for the input.

Ya know I used to think flood coolant is the way to go, but then I started working at this die and mold shop and they only use flood coolant mostly for high speed drilling into aluminum, production work mostly. As far as milling goes they use the spray mist coolant which is just an airline on the part, very lightly spraying a mist coolant. And the flood coolant they use eats paint like its nothing, thats what concerns me. If your not doing high speed production work I would skip the flood coolant. I see a lot of guys here doing it and I was going to add it to my set up but I,m in favor of the spraymist systems now myself. Cleaner , easier to build a enclosure.

What about the Grizzly x2? it looks similar in size and weight but is maybe a little more robust than the Taig, is it a better choice for a newcomer? What about ease of converting to CNC with it? Maybe the Taig would be easier because it comes as CNC-Ready... It's also a bunch cheaper than the Taig, at $500 compared to nearly $1000

Also why is the ER spindle option on the Taig a good idea?

Hello SgtCanada,

Take a look at what Taig has to say about the ER16 spindle and collets. The endmill holders that screw on to the regualr spindle add length which reduces your capacity in the Z direction. With collets, a portion of the milling cutter is up in the spindle which helps shorten things up and move the cutting edge closer to the spindle bearings.

http://www.taigtools.com/erspindle.html

The X2 mill is certainly an option. I don't have any experience with it but many people use them and there is a lot of information available on the web. Top RPM on the Grizzly X2 is 2500 rpm and the gears in the drive are pretty fragile. You can get rpm up to 4200 and eliminate the gear problems with a belt drive conversion kit for $120 or so. Check out www.littlemachineshop.com and others. From there you'd need some sort of stepper mounts, pulleys, connectors, etc, and maybe different lead screws.
Lots of information on the conversion is out there on the web. .

For $1000 or so, all the Taig needs are the steppers and it comes a belt drive spindle that tops out at 10000 rpm.

You'd have to add up what it would cost to CNC the X2 and decide from there. Either mill will do a lot of good work for you. Half the fun is figuring out which way to go.

Good luck and have fun.

Regards,

Chuck

I've got a Taig that I bought all setup from Supertech. Supertech has their own software and controller box. Works pretty good. I have some machining experience, so setup and all is pretty straight forward, just smaller. I have machined stainless steel with it(2D). Rigidity could be better, but if you're patient it will make what you need. The Supertech program doesn't require any G-code knowledge and can even export a program. The program I have has 3-D capability, I just haven't learned how to use it yet.

I have to say SgtCanada.. I think I am in almost the exact same situation you are in. Thank you for posting this thread. It's a great resource.