Heres some pics of my Harbor Freight X2 that I finished cncing recently.
Had successful tests running Mach 2 and some engraving software.
Now on to some improvements to the table travel, gonna see what I can get
out of it because 3.5 x 7 isn't enough.(Wish I would have splurged for the X3
instead, but oh well.)
Plan on making a remote pendant from a usb thrustmaster joystick.
Just bought a Dewalt laminant trimmer. Have one more bracket to make to
mount it on the head for better engraving.
Does anyone know if the X2 spindle can be turned on/off from Mach 2 using
M3/M5 thru the controller?
more stuff to come, Have autocad drawings for all the mounting brackets
that I made to mount the steppers and such if anyone wants them.
The DRO is one I made from a ShumaTech kit. http://www.shumatech.com/products/dro-350/index.htm
later Hoss

Very nice work there Hoss. Would be interested in the drawings for your conversion. Any chance of sending them in dxf format please. PM me and I will send my email address.

Nice work!, and to answer your question about the spindle, yes you can tun it off/on, you will need a bob to do it. I used a multifunction from cnc4pc, it is the only one I have expeience with but I love it!! no more standing waiting for the part to finish and then turning off the router, now I just load the gcode hit cycle start and walk away and do something else.

Here's an update. Got another 3/4 inches of travel on the Y with a modification
to the base. This gives me 4 7/8 x 8 1/4 travel for the X2.
Better. I'll live with it for now till I run across an old cross slide to adapt to it.
Maybe Little Machine Shop will get the X3 base for sale.Keep my eyes open.
Have Fun, Hoss

Hey Guys,
Thought I would upload the dxf drawings I made for the stepper motor
brackets and such. Hope they help you out.They are in inches.
I used ballscrews and nuts from http://www.homeshopcnc.com/page3.html
I got my thrust bearings and metal timing pulleys and belt from
https://sdp-si.com/eStore/
I made the drawings with Autocad but turbocad can open them too.
Enjoy, Daniel (Hoss) Kemp

A little more info for ya.
The thrust bearings for xyz I bought at mscdirect.com http://www1.mscdirect.com/cgi/nnsrhm

03380961 1.250X1.938X0.078 THRUST CAGE-NEEDLE ASSEMB
03381142 1.250X1.937X0.032 THRUST WASHER-NEEDLE-FLAT (2)
03380045 1.250X2.344X0.625 THRUST-BALL-BANDED MEDIUM
03548591 3/8 X 11/16 X 9/32 SET THRUST BALL BEARING (2 sets)

and the belt and metal timing pulleys I bought at Stock Drive Products and Sterling Instrument https://sdp-si.com/eStore/

A 6A 3-16DF03708 .200 (XL) Pitch, 16 Teeth, Aluminum Alloy Timing Pulley
A 6A 3-32DF03712 .200 (XL) Pitch, 32 Teeth, Aluminum Alloy Timing Pulley
A 6B 3-060037 .200" (XL) Pitch, 60 Teeth, 3/8" Wide, Urethane Belt

Later Hoss

Hoss, this looks like an excellent conversion! Please provide us with more information on the electronics such as the steppers, controller board etc. Thanks for the excellent information you have already provided.

Hey nancygal,
Here's some more info for you.
I used a FET-3/Dynamo kit($329) from stepperworld.com
http://www.stepperworld.com/FET3dynamo.htm
It has a 3 axis controller with 190 in/oz stepper motors and accessories.
I read on a post somewhere when I was researching it that these motors had enough torque to snap a 3/8 endmill so I figured that would do me just fine.
If I was starting now, I would upgrade to their 4 axis controller for $50 more.
Might come in handy for a rotary table or something but oh well.I'll post a couple pics of how I hooked them up. I used an old pc case to house it all. I hooked up the controller to the mill using pc DB9 serial cables(had to solder plugs to the motors and controller)so it's removable.I used S-Video cables to hook up the DRO to the scales. Get them at http://www.cablewholesale.com/
You only need 6 wires to hook the motors up(instructions are included) so you
could use MiniDin6 (PS/2) cables to hook them up for a tidier wire bundle on the mill.Again If I was doing it now,that would be easier to encase with a cable shroud to protect them. You can get the solderable DB9 connectors and cables at http://www.computercablestore.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=212
I got the scales for the DRO on Ebay from 800watt's store http://cgi.ebay.com/0-12-Y-AXIS-VERTICAL-DIGIMATIC-DIGITAL-SCALE-UNIT-NEW_W0QQitemZ140071347510QQihZ004QQcategoryZ41939QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
He has great prices but is pretty slow on shipping and bad at emailing you back. Might want to search Ebay for a different seller for the DIGIMATIC DIGITAL SCALE UNITS.
well, hope this helps.
Have Fun, Hoss
P.S. This all takes a little bit of work but that's the FUN part, and It only cost me about 1/3 the cost of a turnkey cnc X2 I've seen for sale.

Hoss;
Great job! I'm interested in your zaxis conversion and the rotating ball nut. I've been searching for such a design for my lathemaster. Tired of wearing out balls trying to move that 250 +lbs of mass.
Unfortunately, I tried opening your dxf files with bobcad 21 but will little success. Can you email me at bsouthnow @ aol.com, copies of your zaxis drawings. I would really appreciate it!!!
Very Best
Bill
:)

Hoss;
Never mind the email for the files. I found an old copy of Turbocad pro (pre bobcad) and re-installed it for the drawings. Thanks! Would it be possible to share some detail on how you constructed the z-axis with bearing numbers and so forth?
Thanks again.
Bill

Hey Bill,
The bearings for the Z axis are in the post#6 above that I got at mscdirect.com.
The location for the 2 big bearings can be seen in the cnc z axis mount.dfx above.You might need to use a shim (the same diameters as the lower thrust bearing)between the lower spacer and the thin thrust bearings to take up any backlash.The timing pulley is drilled and tapped to mount to the T shaped upper spacer that then slides down into the large thrust bearing.I'll work on a better expanded drawing for the parts used in cnc z axis mount.dxf.heres some pics of closeups of the Z axis from different angles.Hope it helps.
Later Hoss
P.S. here are jpgs of the drawings for anyone out there having trouble opening the dxfs.

Thanks Hoss. I missed that dwg yesterday when I was playing around with Turbocad. It makes the whole setup a bit clearer. I'm still going to have to "study" on it awhile (like that say here in SC) and let everything soak in. Thanks for all the info!
Bill
(wedge)

Hey Guys,
Heres an update for the Z Axis.
This pic should explain the assembly a bit better.
Have Fun Hoss

Looks nice! How long did it take?

Gray

Wow! This sure does help me see all the parts that go into a drive. I appreciate your sharing. I was wondering if you could so such a drawing for your Y-axis. I've heard of people adding thrust bearings (replacing the Y mount entirely) but I can't quite get my mind around it.

Also, I was still a bit slow in understanding the whole bearing preload notion until I found this document http://www.timken.com/products/bearings/techtips/PDFs/Vol6No3.pdf hope it helps others and adds to the treasure trove that this thread is.

Thanks again,
Jay

Here's an explanation for the Y Axis assembly as requested, check out the pic.
Happy to help.
keep an eye out, my control panel is coming together, will post pics when it's done.
To answer Henry's question, I started ordering parts last April and worked on it off and on for a few months. Had it up and running in July/August.Still coming up with stuff to do to it, like the control panel and the engraver mount.Once this is done I'll turn my attention to my 7x10 minilathe. Have some cool ideas to try on it including cnc.
Have fun, Hoss

Excellent, as they say a marked up photo is worth a thousand words.

Also, may I suggest a pulley conversion as your next project. It'll be my first one.

Jay

Hey Jay,
the pulley conversion is on my list.
Probably copy the one I've seen on littlemachineshop.com.
Also the spindle lock is in progress, but I have to locate it on the front because my high speed engraver is going on the right side.
The automatic toolchanger would be really cool but not something i'd
probably get much use out of,that's really for production jobs, but may try to make it or something similar if i get bored. My 7x10 lathe will come before that.
Noodling around with a couple conversion ideas for that. Then i could use it to make parts for the toolchanger easier.Yeah the first ballnut I loaded didn't go so well with little ball bearings bouncing all over the floor, but I found them all and got it right the second time.I left the cardboard tube in the nut and fed the ballscrew up from the bottom pushing the tube out the top.Much easier.
keeps me busy and out of trouble.
Later Hoss

P.S.
Here's a couple pics of some engravings I made with it.

Hoss... You made my day. I bought a X2 the other week and have been debating on how to go about CNCing it. Thanks a million!

Eric

Hey There,
Have some more info for you.
If you're looking for the 15/16-16 tap to thread the stop blocks
and pulley, I got mine at Wholesaletool.
http://www.wttool.com/product-exec/product_id/24817
If you're looking to protect your wiring, I found some plastic
split flex tubing at Lowes. They have 3/8 x 10 feet and 1/2 x 7 feet
packages in the electrical dept. for less than $3. Autoparts stores
carry the same kind of thing.
Here's some pics showing my engraving tutorial.
I've tried tons of different software to change an image into an engraving,
but none gave me what I wanted in one simple program.Please let me know If
you've found something that works nice and easy.This is what I've come
up with.Might seem like a lot of steps, but I can go from a pic to gcode
in about 10 min.Most of that is the tracing.
Thanks Hoss

Hey There,
Thought I would upload a .zip of the cad drawings as bitmaps
and the engraving tutorial in high resolution.
Looks alot better than what can be posted here with the size limits.
includes 17 images.
later Hoss

Hoss....Great job. Both on the conversion and the detailed explanation of the process. Yer tops, JRouche

Hey Fellas,
If you're looking to make some custom plastic covers for your steppers
or whatever, I found(with help from this forum) some sites that sell
thermoformable plastic. Heat it up, form it into the shape you want and it'll stay that way when it cools.
Found several different types that pretty much do the same thing.
I ordered from here, good size selection and pricing.
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=usplastic&category%5Fname=68&product%5Fid=12070
This is a site for Kydex, but have a $50 min. order or you get charged an extra $15 for a small order.
http://interstateplastics.reachlocal.net/materials/detail.aspx?ID=Kydex-Ca2009
This site has lots of plastic as well as many other stock, aluminum,brass,steel etc.
http://www.smallparts.com/?020
I'm going to order some Sintra PVC sheet from these folks too, lots of choices and good prices and no min. order. Get up to a 4' x 8' sheet if you want.
http://store.foamboardsource.com/sintra-pvc-foam--sintra-pvc-board--sintra-pvc-3mm.html
Later Hoss

Or, call your local sign shop and ask them :) Tell them what it's for and they may just give some to you since you won't be competing with them. You can make a DIY strip heater using an electric stove and come cardboard. Have a look at Step 4 here http://www.sciencetoymaker.org/prism/assembl.html

Like I said, I used a hairdryer to heat mine up, but you can use hot water too.

Look forward to some photos.

Jay

Here's an update. Got another 3/4 inches of travel on the Y with a modification
to the base. This gives me 4 7/8 x 8 1/4 travel for the X2.
Better. I'll live with it for now till I run across an old cross slide to adapt to it.
Maybe Little Machine Shop will get the X3 base for sale.Keep my eyes open.
Have Fun, Hoss
Hoss,
Most of what I've read about using ballscrews on the X2 say that one needs to mill the bottom of the table for the x-axis not to fit. Did you do this? Do you have a photo of the before and after?

Jay

Hey Jay,
You do have to remove a little material from under the saddle to give
clearance for the ballnut. I just used and angle grinder.
Here's a pictorial that hopefully explains it. I didn't take any pics of the before
and after, but was able to compile something close. Hope this helps.
Also have a high res .zip of the drawing and the ballnut stop blocks rev B.dxf
that shows changes I made to the X Axis block to give more clearance.
Later, Hoss

Hoss your the man.

Jay

Hey Gang,
Finished my High Speed Spindle Motor attachment.
Will use it mainly for engraving and grinding.
Used a Dewalt Laminate Trimmer Model #DW670 I bought at Lowes.
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=3702-70-DW670&lpage=none
It has a 1/4 in. collet ( I made an 1/8 collet for it) and 34,000 rpm.
Very nice quality item with no backlash in the spindle.
Has a machined housing that fits nicely in the mount that I made to hold
it perpendicular and true.
Below are pics of the drawings and finished parts.
The spindle is offset 3 in. from the X2 spindle on the X Axis as it's mounted here
but it's able to mount on either side or the front.
This should work well.
Later Hoss
P.S. As you can see I need to mount the Spindle Lock I made on the front yet,
that's next.

Hoss,
Your ideas are refreshing and you sharing so freely to the forum is very much appreciated. You sent me your plans earlier on and I will be copying your Z axis design on my X2 shortly.
Try this link here for some covers for your Z axis column.
http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_search.php?critFast=bellows

This is exactly what I have in mind. I did not read your post before I posted mine. You say you are not happy with the size? I am planing a buid for the model 47158, which is smaller. Should I splurge for a larger mill?

What are your plans for the speed control, this is were I get lost. Thanks for posting your motor mount designs they will come in handy.

How about your milling speed? How does she do with alluminum?


Great build and thanks for the information.


Nice,

Chris

Hey Chris,
I'm quite happy with the size of the X2, it will handle just about anything I plan
on making, It's just the X3 is bigger and bigger is better, usually. Spend as much as you can afford, that's what it really comes down to. Plus the X1 and X2 can be handled without to much exertion but the X3 at over 300 lbs. could be a bear. I'm working on a control panel to control the mill 'manually' thru Mach 3.
I have the speed control built in but it's manual right now, I'll figure out how to control it with g-code later. It will require rewiring to bypass the E-Stop and a Variable speed switch because If you interrupt power, the Variable speed switch needs cycled off then on again. I know the paperwork for the cnc controller talked about it,so I'll have to dig it up again. I'll post it when It's done.
The mill can handle aluminum pretty well as the following pics show, but it is for
light work. Can't go whole hog like at work, but this is at home.
Heres a hint at the control panel, Should be done this week.
Later Hoss

Hoss,

Your conversion is exactly what I am looking for! Do you have all this info in a zip file?

Thanks
Bill

Bill, did you read the thread? Look at post #21 and #26 (nuts)

Bill, did you read the thread? Look at post #21 and #26 (nuts)
Yes I did, twice, I did not know if he had added everything after that post, Hmmm, Mabey I should have looked. :eek:

Besides, it was late and I felt like this .... (chair)

Hey Gang,
Here's some more pics of my control panel for Mach 3.
I'll hook it up tomorrow and add my DRO on top.
I took 2 USB controllers, an aluminum case, a bunch of switches and
some wire and came up with this.
I'll use Keygrabber from Mach 3 to program the buttons.
I can control (4) 110 V accessories, i.e. the engraver, light, vacuum.
I have a duplicate X2 Speed Control switch from Littlemachineshop.com.
http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=1282&category=6
I added Jogging feedhold switches with LED's for taking long 'manual' cuts.
Still have about 10 buttons unused available for future plans.(maybe Mach 4?)
Next on the agenda, a surface grinding attachment. Stay tuned.
Later Hoss

Looks great, you don't to anything halfway do you :)

Hey Gang,
Have a little update for a few projects.
Welcome to all the extra visitors c/o WillO from hackaday.com.Thanks guy.
That's a really cool site more for the electronics side of things.
Will be getting my own website up and running soon thanks to Godaddy.
Will post a link when she's ready.
Here's some pics of the spindle lock I made. Had to mount it on the front
to make room for the attachments that go on the right side of the Mill.Changed the length of the pin so it doesn't protrude as much as in the first pic.The print shows the shortened pin.
Also some clamps to hold down a precision vise.
Plus a sneak peek at the surface grinding attachment.Waiting for my grinding wheels to show up from Wholesaletool.
Later Hoss

I've tried tons of different software to change an image into an engraving,
but none gave me what I wanted in one simple program.Please let me know If
you've found something that works nice and easy.

BobArt Pro-X does this quite well. There is a demo version builtin to BobCAD too. I ponied up and bought is as an addon on one of their slow sales days...

Short, you can open any supported image format and do posterization from 2 to 8 colors IIRC. You can vectorize in multiple formats too. It makes a vector toolpath out of an image, the rest is just a few clicks away.

That was a neat feature, one I thought I'd use, but it's the embossing feature of toolpaths that I've used the most.

--Perry

Looking for a cheap Flycutter?
You could make one like I did.
Here's my print.
I use a single Kennametal Carbide insert CNMG431 KC850.
Get them here.
http://www.jlindustrial.com/catalog/product.jsp?id=K85-03164K&origin=SEARCH:KEYWORD&backtosearchpage=Y
Or a lot cheaper on Ebay here.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Kennametal-Lot-of-15-NEW-TIN-Inserts-CNMG433-SPARAS_W0QQitemZ290082590727QQihZ019QQcategoryZ25258QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
I hold the insert with an allen head screw.
Later Hoss

Looking for a cheap Flycutter?
I use a single Kennametal Carbide insert KC850.
Get them here.
Later Hoss

Even though this is highly off topic, KC850 is the grade of the insert. That doesn't describe the geometry or size. It looks like you were using a CNMG insert, probably a 432 or 332, the most common sizes and radii.

--Perry

Hoss
Could you help me out with using keygrabber to program my game pad?

Thanks
Walt

Good job Hoss!!, can,t wait to see the grinding attachment in use. Keep us posted.

Hey Walt,
Here's a little tutorial to setup Keygrabber for ya.
Hope this helps.
later Hoss

A little more info for ya.
The thrust bearings for xyz I bought at mscdirect.com http://www1.mscdirect.com/cgi/nnsrhm

03380961 1.250X1.938X0.078 THRUST CAGE-NEEDLE ASSEMB
03381142 1.250X1.937X0.032 THRUST WASHER-NEEDLE-FLAT (2)
03380045 1.250X2.344X0.625 THRUST-BALL-BANDED MEDIUM
03548591 3/8 X 11/16 X 9/32 SET THRUST BALL BEARING (2 sets)

and the belt and metal timing pulleys I bought at Stock Drive Products and Sterling Instrument https://sdp-si.com/eStore/

A 6A 3-16DF03708 .200 (XL) Pitch, 16 Teeth, Aluminum Alloy Timing Pulley
A 6A 3-32DF03712 .200 (XL) Pitch, 32 Teeth, Aluminum Alloy Timing Pulley
A 6B 3-060037 .200" (XL) Pitch, 60 Teeth, 3/8" Wide, Urethane Belt

Later Hoss
Hoss, I'm considering following your plans and am working to understand them in depth. One thing that is eluding me is the use of all the parts above. Specifically you specify two (03381142 1.250X1.937X0.032 THRUST WASHER-NEEDLE-FLAT (2)) thrust washers. However in the z axis mount.bmp you only use 1 ("thrust bearing i.d. 1.25 o.d. 1.938 width .110). Where is the second washer used?

Secondly, I think it's safe to assume that you did not replace the bearing assembly on the X-axis. Other than that I think I have it :o

Finally, did you buy a 15/16 - 16 tap?

Jay

have you got and will you share any info you have on the proposed auto tool changer? after the in depth descripitions and the workmanship i have seen so far i feel your the man to go to. thanks in advance greg

Hey Jay,
In the original setup. I only used 1 needle flat between the thrust bearing and
the aluminum mounting plate, but added a second one on either side of the bearing to give the bearings a hardened surface on both sides to ride on. I
figured the bearings might wear into the lower flange since it 's not hardened steel. This cut down on the amount of shims I needed to just .005.
The shims just compensate for tolerances of the machined parts.The shaft of Flange C could be left a little long initially (.050 maybe) and faced to size when all the parts are put together instead of shimming. Like I always say, It's easier to remove material later than try to add to it.
You assumed right, the X axis bearings are stock.
I did get an import 15/16-16 tap at wholesale tool.
http://www.wttool.com/product-exec/product_id/24817
Later Hoss

Hey Greg,
If I come up with an auto tool changer, I will certainly show it off, but I haven't started anything yet. I downloaded a pdf from Little Machine Shop of the one they are selling for $1000.
http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=2937&category=879658189
Looks really cool, but way too much for me to spend on something I really wouldn't need unless I got into making production parts to sell.( like maybe a kit for an auto tool changer, Hey maybe someday)
later Hoss

Hey Gang,
Had a problem with the X2's circuit board so I was looking for a replacement.
Didn't want to spend $99 at Grizzly or $120 at Little Machine Shop.
http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=1211&category=6
I found a 130 VDC 8 AMP MOTOR CONTROLLER BOARD used in treadmills for $30 at http://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?UID=2007021310531501&item=11-2449&catname=electric
It works just as well as the original, even have to cycle the power switch(4.7k Potentiometer) back to zero when you hit the E-stop to get the motor to come back on just like the original. The schematic for the circuit board calls for a 5k Pot to vary the speed but the 4.7k on the mill works (just shuts off a little slower than before.) Use the E-Stop to be SAFE!
Here's some pics
later Hoss

Hoss,

Nice work, once again a very informative post by you! I always look forward to reading your post. It's an adventure, you never know what you get.

Bill

Thanks Bill,
It's great to get good feedback.
Here's a couple updates.
My Control panel is finished with my DRO attached.
The Surface Grinder attachment is nearly done.
Had to pirate a speed control from an old router for it.
The speed at the wheel was 10,680 RPM. Way too fast for the
4100 RPM 6 x 1/2 grinding wheels I have coming. The speed control
lowers it to 3600 RPM.
I checked the speed with a Digital Laser Photo Tachometer I found on Ebay.
Check out EZ-Outlet http://stores.ebay.com/EZ-OUTLET
Only $23, it's very accurate and Non-Contact.
My wheels should be here next week, I'll let you know how it cuts.
Also have a book coming about building an EDM (Electrical Discharge Machine)
Looks like a cool project to keep me busy an out of trouble.
Later Hoss

Hey Gang,
Had a problem with the X2's circuit board so I was looking for a replacement.
Didn't want to spend $99 at Grizzly or $120 at Little Machine Shop.
http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=1211&category=6
I found a 130 VDC 8 AMP MOTOR CONTROLLER BOARD used in treadmills for $30 at http://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?UID=2007021310531501&item=11-2449&catname=electric
It works just as well as the original, even have to cycle the power switch(4.7k Potentiometer) back to zero when you hit the E-stop to get the motor to come back on just like the original. The schematic for the circuit board calls for a 5k Pot to vary the speed but the 4.7k on the mill works (just shuts off a little slower than before.) Use the E-Stop to be SAFE!
Here's some pics
later Hoss
Hoss,

I just bought a new board from Grizzly....

Would you mind indicating which wire went where from the standard board to the new treadmill configuration. I tried to figure it out from the photos but I am totally lost.

I gotta say you do some amazing retrofits.

Dan.

Hey Dan,
Here's some info that should clear up the circuit board replacement.
The wiring diagram is the only one I could find that's close.
It's actually for the Harbor Freight 7x10 lathe 250Watt , but there isn't much
of a difference for the wiring other than the reversing switch for the motor.

Also guys, check out my webpage at http://www.hossmachine.com
It's a work in progress. I'll eventually have LOTS more info loaded there.
Later Hoss

Thanks, you da man!

Dan.

Here's a little update on the surface grinder attachment.
Up and running now. Slowing the RPM down to 3600 really cuts down
on the power but hey it only has to remove .001 or .002 a pass.
Have since found a Router Speed Control at Harbor Freight that would have been easier than pirating one from one of my old routers. oh well.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=43060
here's some pics
later Hoss
http://www.hossmachine.com/

ok, i'm gonna show my ignorance, but what would i use a surface grinder for?
why wouldnt i just mill what i want smooth?

you will never mill as smooth, flat, or accurate a surface as you can grind.

I agree with you dfurlano,
And you also aren't going to mill a hardened piece of steel or a very thin
one like this special washer I needed.
I will use the grinder for making or modifying
123 blocks, parallels, planer knives, angle plates, V-blocks etc.
Hope this helps.
Later Hoss

really?!?!?! i had no idea...learned something new today..

You being a smartass project5k?!?!?!
Hoss

Hoss,

Man were do you come up with these cool little projects, I love them!

One question if I may, were did you get the magnetic grinding plate? (I think thats what it's called)

Thanks Again
Bill

Hey Bill,
I got this 12 x 6 in. Magnetic Chuck at Harbor Freight for $99.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=33487
They Also have an 8 X 4 in. for $59.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=90504
Wholesale Tool has a midsized 5 X 10 in which would be the perfect size for
the X2 I think, but it's $139.
http://www.wttool.com/product-exec/product_id/20840/nm/Magnetic_Chuck
Later Hoss

Holly Mackerel !!!!!,

I didn't know HF has that item! Is it powerful, could you also do light machining with it with an end mill bit?

I have got to look at that item, I was just there for their sidewalk sale yesterday! Boy, I could just kick myself in the .....(nuts)

Bill

Very cool grinding attachment Hoss, hmm never thought about using an angle grinder. I though about adapting your idea and putting one on a vertical column on my 9x20 lathe,. The saddle moves back and forth quickly like a real surface grinder does.

Hoss,

Do you control the spindle via the software our did you leave it manual?

If you did convert the speed control can you let me know how you did so?

Thanks

Dan

PS like your website can't wait till you get some lathe info up!

Hey dan,
Nope the speed control is still manual.
The replacement board I installed still has to have the motor start with the
control switch very low or off to begin.I could have Mach 3 turn it off without too much trouble wiring it up, but to get it to turn it on will require a seperate circuit control for that.When I get around to it I'll probably get this board from Homann Designs.
http://homanndesigns.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=2
Later Hoss

I'm new to ballscrews/ball nuts, but aren't those non-preloaded ball nuts?
I'm getting ready to order parts for mine.

update: I finally found a picture of a preloaded nut purchased from homeshopcnc, so I'll assume that they are. I was confused because I'd seen some that are made from two ball nuts.

Hey Will,
I did buy Non-preloaded ballnuts from Homeshopcnc.com.http://www.homeshopcnc.com/page3.html
It's a lot easier to machine the ends of the ballscrews without the nuts in the way. They ship the ballnuts with a cardboard tube inside held with tape to keep the ball bearings from falling out. They are already inside the nut.
When it's time to load the nut, Remove the tape,(careful the cardboard doesn't slide out) The machined end of the ballscrew will fit nicely inside the cardboard tube, Slowly feed the ballscrew into the nut keeping tension on the cardboard tube against the ballscrew with your finger.As you screw the screw through the nut, it will push out the cardboard keeping the bearings right where they're supposed to be. If you do let bearings fall out(I did once) unscrew the ballscrew till the end starts to expose the bearings inside. I used a small screwdriver or punch to push a bearing back into the tubing with the rest of the bearings. It's a PAIN so be careful loading the nut the first time so you don't have to do this. One missing bearing can make the nut jam on the ballscrew.
Bigger mills like the X3 can use two ball nuts per screw for slightly better accuracy, but there isn't room on the X2. One nut is more than adequate for accuracy, 2 is just overkill.
Later Hoss

Hey Will,
here's a closeup of the Z Axis breakdown.
Later Hoss
http://www.hossmachine.com

Hey gang,
Here's a color coded breakdown of the Z Axis assembly.
Hope it makes it clearer.
later Hoss
http://www.hossmachine.com

hi hoss

how was the magnetic chuck..

dhiruj

Hey dhiruj,
It's a good strong chuck but I should have saved a few bucks
and got the smaller 8x4in. chuck. Would be a better fit for the X2.
Later Hoss
http://www.hossmachine.com

I visited your website Hoss. Very nice.
I just purchased an x2 from Grizzly. Your mods are great. Will be converting my machine in the not too distant future to cnc. So I'll be visiting your site with regularity. :)
Here's a toast to you and all your good work. http://www.bocfans.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/toastingbeer.gif

Hey Gang,
Here's a little surface grinder attachment update.
Using an old angle grinder came back to bite me, the bearings in it were in
bad shape. The original was metric, so I made a new drive shaft to accept a larger heavier duty 'English' bearing, and it was cheaper too. I changed the threads on the shaft to 1/2-13 too so it will fit a bigger range of wheels.
Used the 'Surfacing with Tool down in X ' wizard in Mach 3 to take a back and forth pass across a piece of stock at .0005 a pass. Works pretty nice and hands free to boot.
Next project is a lathe attachment for the mill. Using parts from a 7x10 lathe
with custom parts to give about 10-12in. between the centers. Will use a small variable speed motor for turning with CNC using the Mills X and Z Axis and a stepper for 4th axis control for gear making, etc. Should be able to make some cool stuff.
Later Hoss
http://www.hossmachine.com

Have a couple videos of my mill in action posted on my website.
http://www.hossmachine.com
Right click and Save As the follwing links.
Milling the Engraver Bracket and Control Panel about 14 Megs
http://www.hossmachine.com/downloads/hoss%20x2cnc%201%2014m.wmv
The Surface Grinder Initial Test about 19 Megs.
http://www.hossmachine.com/downloads/hoss%20surface%20grinder%2019m.wmv

Hi Hoss,

I would be interested to see the surface finish you achieved with the surface grinding attachment.

Regards
Phil

Hey Gang,
Here's a little surface grinder attachment update.
Using an old angle grinder came back to bite me, the bearings in it were in
bad shape. The original was metric, so I made a new drive shaft to accept a larger heavier duty 'English' bearing, and it was cheaper too. I changed the threads on the shaft to 1/2-13 too so it will fit a bigger range of wheels.
Used the 'Surfacing with Tool down in X ' wizard in Mach 3 to take a back and forth pass across a piece of stock at .0005 a pass. Works pretty nice and hands free to boot.
Next project is a lathe attachment for the mill. Using parts from a 7x10 lathe
with custom parts to give about 10-12in. between the centers. Will use a small variable speed motor for turning with CNC using the Mills X and Z Axis and a stepper for 4th axis control for gear making, etc. Should be able to make some cool stuff.
Later Hoss
http://www.hossmachine.com

Hey Phil,
After dressing the wheel with a diamond tipped dresser,
I got a better finish on this washer.
It will do me.
Hoss

Hi Hoss,

Thanks for the photo,

For an angle grinder set-up it looks pretty reasonable to me, did you change the bearing arrangment at all, other than switching to imperial.

I was expecting that bearing qualty and setup would be critical for surface finish and didn't expect an angle grinder to have the precision necessary.

Regards
Phil

Hey Phil,
After dressing the wheel with a diamond tipped dresser,
I got a better finish on this washer.
It will do me.
Hoss

Hey Phil,
Didn't make any changes other than the replacement bearing and shaft.
I'm sure using a quality made angle grinder would be the way to go. I used
an old one I already had to experiment with and thus had to make the
modifications. You get what you pay for I guess.
Hoss

Here's a preliminary report on the X2 lathe attachment I'm working on.
I'm making big changes to my Harbor Freight 7x10 lathe, so I'm using
the leftover parts to build this. I'll have the same DC variable speed reversing motor for turning, plus I'll be using a stepper motor for 4th axis milling.
I'm making the aluminum tailstock from scratch as well as the headstock. Trying
to save some weight. The mill can handle my 22lb. magnetic chuck no problem,
so that's the weight I want to keep this under.
I'll have a complete overview on my website when It's finished.
http://www.hossmachine.com
Plan to use Bob Adams' Cad2lathe program with Mach 3 Turn to get it up and running. Check it out here.
http://www.cad2gcode.com/index.html
here's a few pics
later hoss

It's mechanically the same as Hoss's, with a few changes.
The biggest is my Z-ballscrew mount. --by the way, the dimension on that piece was way too big for my mill. I had to cut it down quite a bit, and removed all the manual Z hardware to get it to clear nicely.

http://biobug.org/machine-shop/mill/mill-progress/z-ballscrew-mount.jpg
I redid the mount on the Z, since I don't have a tailstock chuck for my lathe yet. (I experimented with the 1/2" piece that I bought, but ended up having to toss it.) I couldn't accurately center drill and thread the end of the ballscrew, so I turned the end down to .5, milled a flat into the edge and cut a .5 hole in a piece of 3/8 aluminum. Then I used a 1/4" set screw to hold it. It probably won't handle alot of abuse, but I expect it to hold until the chuck for my tailstock shows up. It's pretty solid for now, so it may surprise me and last longer.

I put up more notes on the mechanical build here: http://biobug.org/machine-shop/mill/mechanical.php

I used EAS microstep controllers for 1600 steps/inch on the X/Y and 3200 (for now) on the Z. --I haven't played with anything buy 8 microsteps yet.
More on the controller can be found here: http://biobug.org/machine-shop/mill/controller.php
I'm using EMC linux to run the machine and trying out various CAM packages along the way.

Once the X and Y were done, I ran Z myself and got some cam practice in. The biggest lesson: verify dimensions on the drawings! I used Hoss's, and ran into a few places that needed tweaking.

Lastly, I put together a bill of materials as I went along. I haven't gotten around to adding all the screw in yet. http://biobug.org/machine-shop/mill/bom-conversion

Im a Bad Bad Boy.
The print I posted for the Z Axis ballscrew base mount was the original one I made when I was in the planning stages.
I made changes to it when I went to install it last year, but forgot to include it.
Here is the new print and a closeup pic that shows how it gives clearance for the Z Axis rack. You could omit the notch in the base and remove the rack as Willo did, I plan to make use of the rack with a counterweight and pulley setup soon so that I can remove the stock spring and gain more Z Axis travel.
Later Hoss
http://www.hossmachine.com

I ordered a couple of timing pulleys from Stock Drive Products for
my lathe attachment. The next day I found a cool FREE dxf to G-code
program called CamBam. One of the tutorials for it is " 2.5D Profile
Using a 2.5D profile to generate a 20 tooth HTD5 timing pulley".
http://www.brusselsprout.org/CAMBAM/tutorials/
They suggest getting a timing pulley dxf from guess who, Stock Drive.
https://sdp-si.com/eStore/
I never noticed before but when you click on the item you're interested in
and the description window pops up, at the bottom is a link to download
the dxf. I open it with my cad program, remove all the extra views and save
the pulley profile. I load that into CamBam and create the toolpath.
Now I can make my own timing pulleys with my mill. Wish I would have found
CamBam a day earlier, would have saved me a few bucks. Oh well.
I made a few pulley blanks on the lathe so now I have to try out the g-code.
Have to modify a .0625 endmill to get a little more depth of cut from it.
here's the blanks.
Later Hoss
http://www.hossmachine.com

Since I used my setscrew trick, I didn't trust the material to be strong enough to include a notch on the z ballscrew mount. Seems ok so far, but I'm still waiting for the motor.

Hoss, you might want to reconsider your motor cables. I considered using cat5 since I have a ton of it, but once I checked the power specs, I opted for some 12 gauge speaker wire. The wire inside those serial cables you used is pretty thin. You're probably dropping some voltage in them, but maybe you've got plenty to spare. Just a thought. I know the leads on steppers are pretty thin, but for very short runs it's usually ok to use small wire like that.

Hey Will,
The serial cable wire was a concern when I put it together, it is really thin.
I was worried about the motors drawing too much current and fusing them all together someday. So far I haven't even got the motors or cables warm to the touch on some long engraving runs, even the Z axis was Ok when I forced a 1/2 in. drill bit thru tool steel. Must owe stepperworld.com thanks for a good design.
The serial cable was convenient and cheap, and made a neat and tidy installation. I'm looking to replace the 190 oz/in Z motor with a 300 oz/in here
shortly (to make drilling easier next time). I might have to start worrying again about the cable till it proves it can handle the load and puts me at ease. So far it hasn't been an issue at all. I wouldn't recommend the serial cables for really
big motors (500oz/in) but they'd be overkill for the X2 anyway.
thanks Hoss

Hey All,
My X2 lathe is coming along.
Have the DC motor hooked up, now I have to add the electronics
to get it moving.
Then I need to make the mount for the tool post
so I can try it out.
The stepper motor and the tailstock will follow.
Later Hoss
http://www.hossmachine.com
Here's some pics
P.S. Jeff Gordon is the Man!

that's pretty cool!!! so this is gonna mount right on the x2 table? where is the toolpost gonna go? all u would need to do now would be to put an encoder on the pindle and now u have a nice 4th axis!!

im planning on cncing my x2 and want to use your z-axis design. i have modeled most of the x and y in cad and will post it soon in a new thread

Hey skmetal7,
I'm in the middle of drawing up the print for the mount for the toolpost right now. It will bolt underneath the X2 spindle onto the the bracket I already have affixed for mounting my other attachments (engraver,surface grinder).
I'll use the X2 Z axis for the facing plane and the X axis for the turning plane.
When I add the stepper motor to this attachment,I'll have my 4th axis.
A single servo motor would have been better for both turning and 4th axis
but they're pricy and I already have these 2 motors. Free is better. So far
I've only spent $30.
more to come Hoss

The X2 lathe attachment prototype is ready to try out.
I got the electronics hooked up to run the motor, pirated more parts from
my Harbor Freight Mini-lathe. Plan to use an AC motor for it anyway so it
won't miss these parts.
I checked the RPM with my tach and it runs from 550 - 3100 RPM.
Started on the tailstock, it'll have an M-2 taper and about 2 in. travel.
Really just to support a long piece of stock with the live center.
Finished the toolpost mount that will attach to the X2's spindle.
Still have to order the 4th Axis components(stepper and controller) so it's
just turning for now.
Heading down to try it out and put Bob Adams Cad2lathe (http://members.tripod.com/STcnc/id22.html) software
to use.
later Hoss
more pics available at http://www.hossmachine.com

It Works!
The first test of my X2 lathe attachment went well.
I used Mach 3 Turn to try it out. Had to reconfigure the X and Z axis to match
what the program needed and remap the keyboard and my control panel so it jogged correctly.
Made a few simple test pieces shown here.
Need to make the new timing pulley for the motor since the stock one doesn't
match the XL pitch I need. Close but not quite. Will need to make a shroud for the motor and belt too. I'll post a couple little videos soon.
4th axis is next, will have to wait for payday.
Later Hoss
http://www.hossmachine.com

Now that is cool!

Great work Hoss - keep them coming.

Here's a couple videos of the first tests of my X2 lathe attachment.
Right click and Save As to download.
OD Radius test (http://www.hossmachine.com/downloads/x2%20lathe%20od%20radius%20test%20small.wmv) - 10 megs 1:25
ID Radius test (http://www.hossmachine.com/downloads/x2%20lathe%20id%20radius%20test%20small.wmv) - 25 megs 3:32
Have to play with some bigger stock tomorrow.
later Hoss

Hoss,

I think you are building the Swiss Army Machining Tool. Nice job.

A small suggestion is when you name your files that you use an underscore (_) instead of spaces. This will eliminate all of the 20 and % signs that are being displayed in the link.

F.Y.I. the links didn't work for me.

Smitty

yep dont work for me either

Looks like the servers down for maintenance or something, I can't get onto my site at all right now, try again later Hoss

It seems to be back up and running now, maintenance over.
hoss

Hi Hoss,
Just found this thread today, great work.
I have a few questions.
Re your control panel:
When you open the original usb controllers, is it fairly obvious where to wire in your own buttons?
Do you use two usb connectors to plug into the computer?
Does your joystick reliably turn off when you release it?

Re Surface grinder:
Have you used it? Are you happy with the finish?
I ask because it seams that the angle grinders I have are rather sloppy in the gears and I wonder about the bearings.
What brand is the grinder you're using?

Re DRO system:
How much do you think the whole thing cost?
Do you know if it would hold up in a wet enviroment?

Thanks in advance, and again nice work, you can be proud.

Ozzie

Hey Ozzie,

Re your control panel:
When you open the original usb controllers, is it fairly obvious where to wire in your own buttons?
Yes there are microswitches on the circuit board that I just soldered wires to.
Do you use two usb connectors to plug into the computer?
Yes, 2 separate usb connectors.
Does your joystick reliably turn off when you release it?
Calibrate the controller in 'Game Controllers' in windows control panel when you install it and it will work fine.

Re Surface grinder:
Have you used it? Are you happy with the finish?
It's OK so far, haven't ground anything critical yet.
I ask because it seams that the angle grinders I have are rather sloppy in the gears and I wonder about the bearings.
What brand is the grinder you're using?
It's a cheap Chicago Tool import which is why I replaced the bearings with heavy duty ones so it doesn't have any slop now.

Re DRO system:
How much do you think the whole thing cost?
About $150 with the scales and cables.
Do you know if it would hold up in a wet enviroment?
I coated the wire connections on the scale with liquid electrical tape and
covered the cables with split flex tubing. It's good for general coolant use
but probably not for immersion in coolant.
[/QUOTE]
later Hoss

Thanks Hoss,
I use a controller much like the one in your right picture as a pendant in Mach 3. I have to really watch it though because the joystick has a tendency to stick. I took it apart but it's not obvious what's making it stick; looks smooth in there.

Does your DRO ever show any variation with what Mach3 is showing.

I wasn't thinking about connections, I'm concerned about the internal circuits. With my digital calipers, getting then even slightly wet screws them up until I remove the batterry and let them sit to dry for a couple days.

Ozzie

Hey Ozzie,
The only time the DRO shows a variation with Mach 3 is when the stepper
bogs down and loses steps like when I force the Z to drill a .5 in drill bit in steel.
The DRO shows what it actually moved. I hope a new bigger Z stepper will fix that.
The digital calipers or scales would have to be encased with silicone RTV to keep them completely dry, I might try that too. Then I would consider a
coolant system.
Hoss

Sell those steppers on Ebay and go with servos. Believe me you will be soooooo happy. With servos, it's nearly impossible to lose steps. It might even be possible to feed your DRO signals to Geckos rather than using the usual rotary encoders. That would be a hot setup.

Ozzie

yeah servos would be sweeeeet.
Maybe someday.
Hoss

Got my eye on this from Keling for my Z Axis.

NEMA 23 BIPOLAR STEPPER MOTOR 425 oz-in, 1/4” Diameter shaft with a flat

KL23H286-20-8B (Dual Shaft) Specification Price: $54 (http://www.kelinginc.net/SMotorstock.html)
Hoss

Made a couple test pieces with the Lathe attachment.
The fancy one is from Cad2Lathe (http://members.tripod.com/STcnc/id22.html).
Hoss

I really love your lathe setup - I had planned to do exactly the same thing on my new machine, but I hadn't a clue if it'd work at all! Thanks for pioneering it for us all :)

Yeah, I was looking for a little Sherline or Taig lathe headstock but couldn't find any cheap on Ebay. Little Machine Shop sells the 7x10 headstock (http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=2299&category=1023914534) for $100. Still would need the Motor (http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=1311&category=5)$120 and electronics (http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=2040&category=5)
$110.
You can almost buy the whole lathe for the same price.
Glad I was planning on overhauling the one I had and had the spare parts.
Hoss

Yep, I bought that headstock and a cross-slide. I am planning to use a servo motor to drive it so that I can have a go at screw cutting.

For me, it's more a question of space than cost of the lathe bits, but I couldn't have afforded to CNC both a lathe and my new mill, so, like you, I was planning to share the CNC'ed X and Z of my mill with the lathe head :)

Here's the first test video of the lathe attachment.
I manually cut the part by jogging the axis'.
It's small, 3.6 Megs 1:27.
Hoss
http://www.hossmachine.com

Watch the Videos here on Youtube.com (http://www.youtube.com/hossmachine).
Hoss
http://www.hossmachine.com

Made a bracket to support the rear of the column just like skmetal7 did.
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36403
Really noticed a difference in the stiffness of the column afterwards.
Once I saw his bracket, it was a must do. All the weight of the head is supported by the column bolted to the cast iron angle bracket but only on one side. This fixes that problem.
Nearly finished with the counter balance. Found I still had a timing chain and sprocket from an old motorcycle engine in box from 16 years ago, and my ex
called me a packrat. See I new it would come in handy someday.
Still have to finish welding up a bunch of rebar pieces for the weight, couldn't
bring myself to waste perfectly good stock on it.
Should be operational soon.
Later Hoss

that looks really good. i have put a counter balance on my mill to, but mine hangs from the celing. i use a ~15lb paint can full of large bolts, haha. the only thing i could find. its a 2:1 pulley arrangement so instead of 30 lbs of counter weight i only need 15. this works better than the gas shock because they have a damper when they extend and it would slow down the stepper when raising the head, and it would be in the way of the z axis stepper mount.

oh and i think u should seriously look into getting a belt drive kit for your mill, it is soooooooo much better that thoes gears!! http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=2560&category=1687114045

Found a great Links page for just about everything related to converting a mill to cnc.
Check it out.
http://www.computersculpture.com/Pages/Index_Links.html
Later Hoss

Looking to upgrade my motors and was wondering what size ballast resistors to get.
Found this calculator to make it easy to figure out.
Get the Stepper Resistor Calculator at Eftech (http://www.eftechusa.com/downloads.htm).
Later Hoss

Hoss,

I got the parts you made for me, thank you.


Quick question, on your X and Y axis you are using pretty standard Ball Screws and nuts. What kind of back lash are you getting from your set up?

Thanks

Smitty

yeah i was wondering the same what kind of precision, repetability of the axis in its full travel

about .001 -.002 backlash on the x and y in 4.0 in. travel
rip danielle

I've been asked about controlling the spindle on/off through mach 3 before and
I found this board that looks like it will do the job pretty easily.
CNC PLASMA ROUTER RELAY CONTROL4 STEPPER MOTOR SYSTEMS
at http://stores.ebay.com/HUBBARD-CNC-INC
It still won't solve the problem of having to reset the speed control back to zero before it comes back on again but it will certainly turn it on then off after a first run. Shouldn't be much of a hassle anyway unless you have a tool changer, ha.
later Hoss

I've been asked about controlling the spindle on/off through mach 3 before and
I found this board that looks like it will do the job pretty easily.
CNC PLASMA ROUTER RELAY CONTROL4 STEPPER MOTOR SYSTEMS
at http://stores.ebay.com/HUBBARD-CNC-INC
It still won't solve the problem of having to reset the speed control back to zero before it comes back on again but it will certainly turn it on then off after a first run. Shouldn't be much of a hassle anyway unless you have a tool changer, ha.
later Hoss


You have so many cool addons on your mill Hoss, I can't believe you don't want a toolchanger!

I picked up a 2kW DC motor controller on eBay a while back - I plan to get motor speed and start/stop under computer control. I have a couple of High-Tech Systems quick-changers that I plan to turn in to an ATC, but even doing tool changes by hand, I find it rather frustrating to have to reset the speed knob to zero, and then try to guess what to set it to for the next tool. Having found the correct RPM for chatter free use of each of my tools by trial and error, I want to be able to just file that away in my CAM software and have the computer remember it every time I install that tool.

Cheers.

Have you seen this guys plans for a tool changer?
Looks pretty nice and should fit an X2.
http://home.insightbb.com/~joevicar3/Automatic_Tool_Changer_Plans.htm
You could keep an eye on this site from campbell design (http://www.campbelldesigns.com/mach-spindle-speed-control.php).
They have a new spindle speed board for Mach2/3 in the works.
In the process of updating my steppers and controller right now so the mill is down. Want more torque and speed along with 4th axis control.
Hoss

you can buy relays that will turn the motor on or off through mach. you just have to get one that ir rated at the amp &volts you need or higher &wire it to one of the out put pins that will put out 5 volts when activated. i have bought them on ebay for as low as $11.50 for 4. just type in solid state relays. i have one on my taig now. works great! greg

i i just saw 2 soldstate relays on ebay the were @ $9.99 with no bid & 2 days 5 hrs to go, item # 300110632774. hope this helps you. greg

If only it were that easy.
The X2 electronics that control the motor have safeguards built in that won't
allow the motor to be turned on at higher speeds.
Just like the treadmill controller I replaced my bad board with, "A motor controlled by this board must start at or near zero speed and then the potentiometer can be turned up for higher motor speed, the board will not allow the motor to be switched on at high speed."
If power is cut, i.e. with a relay, the pot has to be turned off then back on to
get the motor back up and running.
I'm not gonna worry about it, it's easy enough to turn the knob without
having the program do it for me.
If i was doing some very long runs and wanted the program to turn the motor off when it was finished so I could walk away, a simple relay would do the job.
Hoss

Time for an upgrade.
Ordered a 4-Axis Bipolar Stepper Driver Board (http://www.xylotex.com/4axBoard.htm) from Xylotex today.
Along with a new BIPOLAR STEPPER MOTOR (http://www.kelinginc.net/SMotorstock.html) 495 oz-in, 3/8” Diameter shaft with a flat KL23H2100-30-4B (Dual Shaft) from Keling Inc.
Out comes the Stepperworld 3-axis unipolar driver (http://www.stepperworld.com/fet3.htm).
The bipolar driver will give me 278 oz/in from my old motors instead of 195 oz/in with
the unipolar driver.
That should give enough torque for the X and Y Axis' and for my 4th Axis.
Replacing the Z Axis with the 495. Should drill through steel easier than before.
Will jump up to 24 Volts too but not right away, want to see what I get for speed using 12 Volts first.
If I'm happy, I'll save my $50.00.
May have to change the Z Axis pulleys to 1:1 to increase the travel speed,
the 495 is real torguey I guess but not fast.
Ordered from Keling at 12 pm and got an email at 3pm saying it shipped already.Cool.
later Hoss

Hi Hoss
To give you an indication I have the Xylotex board with one of their 24 volt supplies and run 495 oz motors on all three axes of my X2. I have the Homeshop nook ballscrews and get 47 IMP (1200mm/min metric conversion) on X and Y and these are direct coupled to the ballscrew. Z has a 2:1 reduction and I get half the speed.

My observation is the 495oz motors are good for about 300RPM and then they drop off failry quick. I'm not sure if it is a drop in torque or they suffer from mid band resonance. Mind you in their working range they have heaps of grunt and easily drive the X2 head.

Your conversion will give me a good comparison to my machine.

Thanks for posting all your additions and modifiactions as I enjoy reading your adventures and it has opened my mind to what can be done with a CNC'd mill.

Thanks Rod,
Sounds like I made the right choices.
The old unipolar 195 was just not getting the job done.
I will save the old board for a lathe conversion or maybe a cnc router.
I need to finish up the counter balance this weekend.
Bought some Bondo to pretty it up. Will post some pics when I get it done.
Later Hoss

Whatever else you do, 24v is really the way to go, you won't believe the difference. Well worth the money. You can also get 24v supplies for a lot less than $50 too if you look to Ebay.

Thanks steppermonkey,
I bit the bullet and ordered a 24V 4.5 Amp power supply on Ebay for $28 w/shipping.
As long as I have it all torn apart I might as well get it the way I want it now.
Did find some nice power supplies at Circuit Specialists (http://www.circuitspecialists.com/level.itml/icOid/8614) for $28-40 if anyone is looking for new ones.
They have a 36V 4.2A for $40.75.
Later Hoss

The counter balance is ready to go.
Made it pretty with some Bondo and paint.
Can raise and lower the head with one finger now so the
new 495 oz/in Z motor should have no trouble.
Get a few more inches of travel now too.
I did waste a little bit of good stock on it, got tired of cutting up rebar.
Finally got around to wiring up the bandsaw blade welder (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=3663) from Harbor Freight.
Now I can fix a bunch of broken blades, sometime.
Never do today what can be put off till a week from thursday.
Later Hoss
http://www.hossmachine.com

Have my new controller wired up and the bench test went perfect.
Now that's more like it!
Power Baby!
The Xylotex 4 Axis Board (http://www.xylotex.com/4axBoard.htm) was pretty simple to hook up especially since I now
only have 4 wires from the motors (Bipolar) to deal with.
24 Volts really gets them moving too.
I played around with the motor tuning in Mach 3 to see how fast they could go.
The old Stepperworld Unipolar driver wouldn't work at speeds above 20 ipm.
The Xylotex worked at 70 ipm. Had almost no torque at that speed but it did
get them a whippin.
Probably set it at 50 ipm for rapids when it's on the mill but we'll see what it can take tomorrow.
Later Hoss
http://www.hossmachine.com

How much does that counter balance weigh? Looks like quite a bit of rebar in there.

hey dropride,
about 38 lbs. if my scale is any good.
went by what little machine shop says the head assembly (http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=1663&category=-269978449) weighs.
added a couple of nuts on the back to bolt more weight on if necessary to
compensate for some of my attachments (http://www.hossmachine.com/projects.html#engraver).

Guess i should have checked out your site first, just saw the weight on there. Answered my next question on how it was attached to the angle iron as well, lots of great info.:)

Got the X Axis travel up to 11 inches.
That's with exposing the gibs a little on the one end but there is plenty left for support.
Glad I left the ballscrew a little long on this axis.
I'd only expose it if I really had to.
The new Xylotex (http://www.xylotex.com/4axBoard.htm) drive gives my old motors new life with plenty O'power.
I have the gibs snugged up real tight to eliminate chatter and the motors power right on thru now.
The old stepperworld driver only gave me 8 1/4 X travel before they stalled.
And that was with gibs a lot looser and less accurate.
My goal is to get the work area up to letter paper size. 8 1/2 x 11.
I have half of it now.
Time to take some measurements and make some Y Axis and head extensions. Need another 4 inches.
Need a dovetail bit too.
I'll post a new video to Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/hossmachine) showing the new speed and travel shortly.
Later Hoss

Tried a few things today and 14 inches of X travel is possible with the stock table. I need a new longer ballscrew when they get back in stock at
Homeshopcnc (http://www.homeshopcnc.com/index.html).
Found something interesting that could give about 20 inches of X travel for about $60. Let you know if it works.

they are cheaper here http://www.roton.com/Mating_Components.aspx?family=7059321

Interested to see how far you can go with this machine.

Thanks skmetal7, I bookmarked that site, that'll save a few bucks for me.
Dropride, I'm gonna push it till it pushes back.
Extending a couple inches past the end of the saddle on each side squeezes
as much out of the travel as it can. The table still felt sturdy with the gibs extra tight, but I would only venture that far if I had to or for engraving.
I'm noodling on something that will give a solid 16 inches and 20 if I push it.

On the subject of speed control and power on/off; I don’t know if you guys have seen or heard of this http://www.cnc4pc.com/C18-Pot_Driven_Speed_Control_Board.htm . I don’t know if it will work for your application but if it did you could turn the speed down to zero before turning the power on via software.

John

Can't wait to see that.I may have to set up my mill for cnc if i don't get that other table soon, and could use all the travel i can get.

.... Extending a couple inches past the end of the saddle on each side squeezes
as much out of the travel as it can. The table still felt sturdy with the gibs extra tight, but I would only venture that far if I had to or for engraving.
I'm noodling on something that will give a solid 16 inches and 20 if I push it.
It'll be interesting when you put a dial indicator on the axis at the travel extremes and see what your deflection (flex) is?
Like how much force it takes to move the indicator a few thou.

Whatever, I hope is will still useable for you.
Good luck,
Pres

Good point Pres,
I'll check it out to see what's acceptable with this table
before I spend any money.
Hoss

Have the Z axis getting 9.8 inches of travel.
Found that the ballscrew was binding near the top because the mount was bolted
to an apparently unsquare casting, go figure.
Added a shim on one side and now it goes all the way up to the bearings.
I suppose if i added a thicker spacer under my z axis mount, i could get another inch. maybe later.
And I suppose if i removed the z axis stop i could get another inch of lower travel, that would be about 12 inches total. maybe later. Besides, the endmill is already touching the table so what's the point.
One more thing, here's a kick in the old fun bags. The new Xylotex board and power supply gives the old z motor enough power that i didn't need to make the counter balance afterall.
i saw that the chain went slack and checked the speed of the motor without any help from the weight, no difference. i 'll leave it be, imagine it at least makes life easier for the motor.Should have done the xylotex first but oh well, this is all a learning experience.
How does 12 inches of y travel and 16-20 inches of X travel sound.
I've done some research and measuring and will get it rolling in a couple of weeks. Have stuff to order but this paycheck is already spent, freakin mortgage.
Later Hoss
http://www.hossmachine.com

Did a couple of deflection tests with the X Axis extended beyond the end of the Saddle.
I can get 11.5 inches of travel now if i push it.
At the point below the tool, the deflection is only .002 with a 30lb 5c collet fixture placed at the far end. Don't think I'd mill anything in a situation like this anyhow.
The deflection at the far end with it fully extended as far as I dare is .004
with me pulling down as hard as I could.
Not too shabby for this little mill I think. Good enough for me.
It's not as solid as a full size bridgeport of course, but the X2 is only 150 lbs. not 2500.

Like my fancy power drawbar? HAHA:)
Copying this version somewhat.
http://home.insightbb.com/~joevicar3/cheap_drawbar.htm
This is the next hurdle to making an automatic tool changer I've been noodling on.
The extra x travel was the first hurdle.
Onward.

Do you have have a wiring diagram for your control box?

dropride,
I have a diagram on my site here.
http://www.hossmachine.com/projects_3.html#circuit%20board
the wiring diagram for the replacement board (http://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?UID=2007021310531501&item=11-2449&catname=electric) was pretty simple.
I have a pic here. hope it helps.
Hoss

P.S.
got an early birthday present.
the parts are ordered (except Nook ballscrew) for my
12in. Y and 20in. X Axis' travel upgrades.
that will get the job done.
yeehaw

Sorry meant the control panel. Can't wait to see the travel upgrade.Had to cancel my cncbridges table to fix the tranny in my truck and am going to convert my machine soon with the pile of aluminum i've been collecting.

oh, I never made made a wiring diagram for the control panel.
I just soldered the panel switches to patch into or replace the joystick switches.
I made some notes as I went as to where the joystick switch wires were attached to the circuit boards, then soldered the new switches to those points.
They don't have to be in any particular order as Keygrabber in Mach 3 will program the button to whatever you decide to have it replace on the keyboard.

O.k. thanks

Hey Hoss -
I too love that control panel. And, I get the joystick/key grabber mods, but can you explain how you switched the 110v circuits? Did you go through Mach3 or did you wire that all internally to the panel?

nomodoh, the 110 ac switches are just manual.
I have 110 coming in and (4) 110 going out.
Could have used a couple more switches.
use them for the vac, controller, engraver, lathe etc.
If you get the ac outlets, look for new ones that have a little tab on the side that can be broken off to give you 2 separate circuits in one unit.

Looking good Hoss! :)

I'd quite like to add a bracket for a high-speed spindle to my X-2 mill-head - do you think the 3 bolts that hold the bearing covers on the bottom of the head would be suitable, and if so, do you know their PCD?

Othewise, do you have any tips for mounting a second spindle an accurately known distance away from the axis of the first?

Cheers.

digits,
I don't know the bolt circle of the bearing mount.
It looks like it would be strong enough though I don't know how long the screws are. Could always drill and tap deeper.
This guy (http://www.hossmachine.com/projects.html#engraver) has free prints for mounting a second high speed spindle.
Little Machine Shop has a kit (http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=2892&category=879658189) for installing one too that appears to mount to the bearing holes.

digits,
I don't know the bolt circle of the bearing mount.
It looks like it would be strong enough though I don't know how long the screws are. Could always drill and tap deeper.
This guy (http://www.hossmachine.com/projects.html#engraver) has free prints for mounting a second high speed spindle.
Little Machine Shop has a kit (http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=2892&category=879658189) for installing one too that appears to mount to the bearing holes.

Cheers hoss :)

Per my mill bolt circle dia. is 2.764"

Pat

Here's a preliminary report on the X2 lathe attachment I'm working on.
I'm making big changes to my Harbor Freight 7x10 lathe, so I'm using
the leftover parts to build this. I'll have the same DC variable speed reversing motor for turning, plus I'll be using a stepper motor for 4th axis milling.
I'm making the aluminum tailstock from scratch as well as the headstock. Trying
to save some weight. The mill can handle my 22lb. magnetic chuck no problem,
so that's the weight I want to keep this under.
I'll have a complete overview on my website when It's finished.
http://www.hossmachine.com
Plan to use Bob Adams' Cad2lathe program with Mach 3 Turn to get it up and running. Check it out here.
http://www.cad2gcode.com/index.html
here's a few pics
later hoss

Hi hoss - how did you make your lathe head stock? Did you have another lathe to do the boring, or was it all done on your mill?

Per my mill bolt circle dia. is 2.764"

Pat

Cheers Pat - in metric, I think that is about 70.20mm, so I'm guessing as all the screw holes are metric, the PCD probably is 70mm.

Hi Digits,

Yup you're probably right. The dimension I gave worked for my adapter but I'd guess that a bit of +/- slop would work as well too.

Pat

I was curious how the surface grinder works.

In regards,
How do you account for wheel being out of square and eventual wear? I've always wondered about that.

Hope you don't mine the slightly off topic question.

Lots of nice add ons, keep up the good work. = )

Digits, I did cut the lathe head on another lathe.
you can get the original cast iron version at LMS (http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=1299&category=5).

Deviant, I've only used the surface grinder once so far. i just wanted a way to resharpen my planer knives accurately. I square the wheel with a diamond dresser mounted in a small block of steel pointing up ( like a candle in a cupcake). I use the mag table to hold it and run the grinder back and forth (Y Axis) a little at a time (feed down on Z)to true it up.

you can buy relays that will turn the motor on or off through mach. you just have to get one that ir rated at the amp &volts you need or higher &wire it to one of the out put pins that will put out 5 volts when activated. i have bought them on ebay for as low as $11.50 for 4. just type in solid state relays. i have one on my taig now. works great! greg

If only it were that easy.
The X2 electronics that control the motor have safeguards built in that won't
allow the motor to be turned on at higher speeds.
Just like the treadmill controller I replaced my bad board with, "A motor controlled by this board must start at or near zero speed and then the potentiometer can be turned up for higher motor speed, the board will not allow the motor to be switched on at high speed."
If power is cut, i.e. with a relay, the pot has to be turned off then back on to
get the motor back up and running.

Hoss


Greg you should have hit me with a hammer.
It finally dawned on me how that would work.

if I hook the relay up to the wires coming from the circuit board to the motor
and interrupt the power there instead of interrupting power to the circuit board it WILL work by gosh.
I still have to turn the motor on with the pot and set the RPM initially, but after that the relay (controlled by Mach 3) can turn the motor on and off the rest of the day. A lot cheaper than buying a breakout board for $100 or so.
I was gonna have to come up with something for the Automatic Tool Changer I'm starting on. It HAS to turn the motor on/off to change tools. I'll have to do a little checking to see if/how mach 3 can control the speed but that isn't as necessary ( but would be nice) for running the ATC.
I did a little experiment with a wall switch just to see if the relay idea would work
and it did. The motor came on at the speed I left the pot set at each time.
that's another hurdle taken care of.

P.S. got my 4th Axis finished for the lathe attachment.
Now I just have to figure out how to program the freakin thing.

that's flipping sweet! have fun trying to program it! i would think oneCNC with the 4th axis option for programming tool paths would work but i'm sure that's wayyyyyyyyyy out of your budget! lol.

i would be concerned with the current draw from the motor when u have the pot set at a certain speed and u turn it on, it could overload the speed control. have u seen http://www.cnc4pc.com/Store/osc/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=58
its a controller that u connect to the existing speed controller in your mill, just connect it to where the pot would go and u have a spindle thats controllable by MACH. although i think it takes up an axis.

skmetal7, well thats the ticket.
That board should kill 2 birds.
vary the rpm and take the rpm to zero for the tool change, awesome.
And it's in my cheap a*s price range.
I hate to ask what the oneCNC goes for. Didn't see a price on their site.
i guess if you have to ask you cant afford it.
Thanks

i think i heard it was $3k, lol! and BobCAD-CAM is a little cheaper, they have an upgrade version for $495 (a hobby version) but i dont know if u can install that without the complete package($1000). http://www.bobcad.com/index.php?select_page=pricingfull4

Hi hoss - I actually have both a lathe and X-2 mill head from LMS - I really like the look of your solid aluminium one though - perhaps I'll build the lathe and have it make parts for its own upgrade!

I like the look of your lathe/4-th axis setup hoss - I'm trying to work out a way to do it with one motor, but I might just try your elegantly simple solution first! After all, I reckon it's being able to switch from milling to turning without touching the work piece that's the useful/clever bit!

Do you get enough torque on the stepper setup to hold the work still against the mill cutting force? If so, what's your belt reduction factor, and how beefy is that huge stepper? I currently have my 4-th axis on a rotary table, but a lathe head would be more flexible as it could do high speed.

As for 4th axis CAM, I'm currently using MeshCAM - not done any 4-axis stuff yet, but I am planning to make a spindle gear with it, so I'll let you know well it works.

Cheers.

digits,
I used 2 separate motors for one reason, they were free!
Well I paid for them a while back but they were just sitting around.
I have to try some software to get it going to see how well it holds.
I want to make some wrench flats and see if it wiggles any. It's a 495 oz/in motor so it's as good as a nema 23's gonna get.
I have a 15 tooth on the motor and 27 on the spindle.
Wanted 1 step of the 200 steps/rev motor to equal 1 degree rotation of the spindle. thought it might make programming easier, who knows.

digits,
I used 2 separate motors for one reason, they were free!
Well I paid for them a while back but they were just sitting around.
I have to try some software to get it going to see how well it holds.
I want to make some wrench flats and see if it wiggles any. It's a 495 oz/in motor so it's as good as a nema 23's gonna get.
I have a 15 tooth on the motor and 27 on the spindle.
Wanted 1 step of the 200 steps/rev motor to equal 1 degree rotation of the spindle. thought it might make programming easier, who knows.

If you have Mach 3, you could just add it as a rotary axis A, and then just send it to an arbitay angle with a G0 Axxx where xxx is the desired position - but I assume you already know that? If you know the steps per rev of the motor and the gear-ratio of your pulley, you can just add it in Mach 3 as a steps per rev, much like the steps per inch you have for your linear axes - it really is that simple!

If you want to check it it will hold, you could just try mounting some stock, milling some of it off, roating it 90 degrees with a G0 A90 and then milling some more off - if the two sides are perpendicular then the 4-th axis is working - I'd imagine if it's out by a constant factor, the steps per rev are wrong, and if it's out by varying amounts along the cut, it's not holding - but I could be wrong. Have fun!

Digits,
I tried using the G0 A90 in Mach 3 to rotate the 4th axis but I must be missing something somewhere,
it rotated and rotated like it was moving 90 inches.
I made sure the 'A-Axis is angular box was checked under Angular Properties but still nogo.
I got it working though.
I set the motor tuning up so the motor spun 1 rev per inch.
the stepper is a 1.8 deg/rev, 200 steps/rev at 1/8 microstepping.
set the A Axis motor to 2880 'steps per' at velocity of 40.
200 steps x 8 = 1600 x 1.8 = 2880 steps/rev.
Now when I program it, .25 in = 90 degrees, .5 = 180, .75 = 270 etc.
I made a little program to mill some wrench flats and the stepper held it great.
cut aluminum .050 deep at 25ipm and it didn't wiggle at all.
made a couple more programs to cut 6 and 8 flats.
wrote a program to mill a 16 tooth timing pulley. just took .015 at 10ipm per pass with .078 endmill.
Looked pretty good. no more buying them for me. used a 90 degree csink to break the edges.
I'll have videos up at Youtube here shortly.
http://www.youtube.com/hossmachine
I can program this way but would like to hear what I missed to use the G0 A90 etc. in Mach 3.
Hoss

Digits,
I tried using the G0 A90 in Mach 3 to rotate the 4th axis but I must be missing something somewhere,
it rotated and rotated like it was moving 90 inches.
I made sure the 'A-Axis is angular box was checked under Angular Properties but still nogo.
I got it working though.
I set the motor tuning up so the motor spun 1 rev per inch.
the stepper is a 1.8 deg/rev, 200 steps/rev at 1/8 microstepping.
set the A Axis motor to 2880 'steps per' at velocity of 40.
200 steps x 8 = 1600 x 1.8 = 2880 steps/rev.
Now when I program it, .25 in = 90 degrees, .5 = 180, .75 = 270 etc.
I made a little program to mill some wrench flats and the stepper held it great.
cut aluminum .050 deep at 25ipm and it didn't wiggle at all.
made a couple more programs to cut 6 and 8 flats.
wrote a program to mill a 16 tooth timing pulley. just took .015 at 10ipm per pass with .078 endmill.
Looked pretty good. no more buying them for me. used a 90 degree csink to break the edges.
I'll have videos up at Youtube here shortly.
http://www.youtube.com/hossmachine
I can program this way but would like to hear what I missed to use the G0 A90 etc. in Mach 3.
Hoss

Wow - love the pulleys hoss - I spent ages today indicating my 3-jaw chuck on my rotary table so that I can cut some timing pulleys tomorrow :)

As for your A-axis setup in Mach 3 -

Your stepper is 1.8 degrees per step - therefore it is 360/1.8 = 200 steps per revolution on a 1:1 geared rotary axis. You have 1/8th micro stepping, so you actually have 200/(1/8) = 1600 steps per revolution assuming 1:1 gearing. Factor in whatever your pulley sizes are, and that should give you the steps per revolution for your setup.

My rotary table has a 90:1 worm ratio - and my steppers are 1600 steps per revolution, so I get 90 x 1600 = 144,000 steps per revolution of the rotary table. Mach 3 seems to take steps per degree so I have 144,000/360 = 400 entered in the steps per box - seems to work fine :)

somebody get me a napkin.. i'm drooling all over my keyboard...

i cant wait till i can do that kinda stuff...

hey Hoss.... i gotta ask, when you say you wrote a little program, what exactly are you saying?

Hey project5k,
this is what I wrote for the timing pulley to see if it worked.

G0 Z-.015
G01 X.5 F10
G0 A.0625
G01 X0 F10
G0 A.125
G01 X.5 F10
G0 A.1875
G01 X0 F10
G0 A.25
G01 X.5 F10
G0 A.3125
G01 X0 F10
G0 A.375
G01 X.5 F10
G0 A.4375
G01 X0 F10
G0 A.50
G01 X.5 F10
G0 A.5625
G01 X0 F10
G0 A.625
G01 X.5 F10
G0 A.6875
G01 X0 F10
G0 A.75
G01 X.5 F10
G0 A.8125
G01 X0 F10
G0 A.875
G01 X.5 F10
G0 A.9375
G01 X0 F10
G0 A1.

I just positioned the endmill where i wanted it to start and pushed Go.
it made one cycle around the pulley.
i rewound the program, re zeroed mach 3 and hit go again for another pass.
For a finished program i'd set the z depth to say -.075 and use Z inhibit for multiple passes down to it.
Add all the cancel comp etc codes on the first line too to be safe.
I'm learning to write the code instead of relying on CAM too much for simple stuff.
But a nice CAM program is a must for most jobs.
Get grief from the guys at work that run CNC, they do it all with Notepad.
Hoss

Thought of a way to get the 4th axis to cut threads and tried it out this morning.
Seemed to work just fine.
Wrote another little program to cut 1 in of threads at 5 tpi.
Used a 1/8 endmill so it made square looking threads.
Wonder if I could find an endmill with a 60 deg tip?
Made another program to cut 16 tpi but used the lathe attachment tool holder.
it worked but left them a little rough. A sharper tool would work better than the carbide bit I bet.
I'll play around some more later, the parts for the table expansions are coming tues.
I should get a maid so that I could spend more than a few hours on Sat and Sun playing around with the mill. I hate housework.
this is the 5tpi test program

G0 X0 Y0
G01 Z-.01 F25
G01 X-1.0 A5.0
G0 Z0
X0 Y0
G01 Z-.02 F25
G01 X-1.0 A10.0
G0 Z0
X0 Y0
G01 Z-.03 F25
G01 X-1.0 A15.0
G0 Z0
X0 Y0
G01 Z-.04 F25
G01 X-1.0 A20.0
G0 Z0
X0 Y0
G01 Z-.05 F25
G01 X-1.0 A25.0
G0 Z0
X0 Y0
G01 Z-.06 F25
G01 X-1.0 A30.0
G0 Z0
X0 Y0
G01 Z-.07 F25
G01 X-1.0 A35.0
G0 Z0
X0 Y0
G01 Z-.08 F25
G01 X-1.0 A40.0
G0 Z0
X0 Y0
M30
I'll have more videos of the thread cutting at Youtube shortly.
http://www.youtube.com/hossmachine
Later hoss

ok, so let me understand, when you did the 16tpi, you used a basically stationary lathe bit mounted on the head of the mill, and had a stepper motor turning the part through the lathe chuck deal that you made, so that it would know exactly where the part was in its rotation as it cut... ok, so how fast was the part turning when it was cutting? i can just see the part spinning and the head moving to the left as it spins, well i guess the table was really moving to the right, but its all relative...

I'm really not trying to be an a$$, i'm just so inexperienced, i'm trying to make sure i have my fat little head wrapped around the process... cause i just know that this is something that i'm gonna wanna do, so the more i learn now, before my mill is ready, the better off i'll be when i go to set it up, and try this stuff...

project5k,
I'd have to use my tach on lathe to see the RPM but it's really low,
maybe 25 rpm. I have the motor tuned to 40 ipm for rapids in mach 3
but it would probably go faster than that, we'll see. the faster it goes the better. Lets see 25 ipm and I have the A Axis set so 1.0 in = 1 rev so 25 rpm.
could go 40 rpm. More playing is necessary.
that picture makes it look like it's going fast but it's a new camera
i'll have to check the shutter speed.
hoss

it worked but left them a little rough. A sharper tool would work better than the carbide bit I bet.

Wonder if a tailstock would help also?


I should get a maid so that I could spend more than a few hours on Sat and Sun playing around with the mill. I hate housework.


Make me some ballscrew mounts and I'll do the housework. Even the windows! Hmm, on second thought gas is expensive these days.

Great videos, keep'em coming.

I really love the pics of your screwcutting - very nice :)

I used my rotary table in anger today - one thing you might find useful is relative coordinates, which I believe can be switched on with a G91 and off with a G90. I had a shed load of z-moves and rotates to do, so I just cut and pasted the same A and Z moves into my script once I'd turned on the relative coords:

G91

G1 Z-0.5 F10
G1 A370 F600

G1 Z-0.5 F10
G1 A370 F600

...

G1 Z-0.5 F10
G1 A370 F600

G90

I chose 370 degrees so that the plunge point moved around the circumference of my bore.

What I can't seem to do correctly is a combined A-axis and Z-axis move - I want to drop by 0.5mm per-revolution, with an angular velocity of 600mm/min, but G1 Z-0.5 A370 F600 seems to send the A-axis into silly speeds, - does it try to move the Z at 600mm/min, and so then has to speed the A up accordingly?

What I can't seem to do correctly is a combined A-axis and Z-axis move - I want to drop by 0.5mm per-revolution, with an angular velocity of 600mm/min, but G1 Z-0.5 A370 F600 seems to send the A-axis into silly speeds, - does it try to move the Z at 600mm/min, and so then has to speed the A up accordingly?

Yes the F600 will make the Z on the same line move at that rate.
This code stuff is still new to me so I can't be a big help though, but you might
have to cut the feed down to something both axis can handle together.

Wonder if a tailstock would help also?




i'll finish it someday, stuck till I do.
These aren't good threads because i didn't compensate for the angle of the thread when i fed in each pass. i just went straight in instead of at 29.5 deg
like on a lathe.
I thought about that at work and figure i'd have to move the x-.0028 with each
z-.005 cut.
I'll play around with a threading cycle first. maybe the thread milling wizard might work. we'll see.
The 4th Axis is going to take alot of playing around with but it looks like it gonna be a lot of fun.

Yes the F600 will make the Z on the same line move at that rate.
This code stuff is still new to me so I can't be a big help though, but you might
have to cut the feed down to something both axis can handle together.
The controller has no knowledge of "feedrate" on a rotary axis.
Whenever a rotary movement is the biggest axis move you must manually calculate the feedrate.
A mill controller only "understands" linear moves in computing feedrate.
Pres
p.s. this is an age-old problem for mills with rotary axes.

Hey Hoss,

I'm totally addicted to this thread! I check it daily. That's never happened before. I did have a question about the 4th axis/lathe attachment you have created. What it the apparatus mounted to? Is it a flat piece of aluminum that replaces the x-y table? Is it mounted to the x-y table itself? Also, is the spindle that you used for the 4th axis/lathe movement stock or did you machine it yourself? I love the progress you are making, keep up the great work.

Steve

Have a look at post 90 (http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showpost.php?p=291395&postcount=90) Pictures 1 and 2 should answer your question.

Haha, it did. I'm an idiot.:)

Steve

Thanks guys for the kudos,
Went down and played some more today.
Tried some OD engraving with the 4th Axis.
Took a little tweaking with the motor tuning to get it to cut the
correct height but think i have it down now.
The example below is supposed to have 1/2 tall letters, and it does now.
I had my A Axis motor set at 2880 steps per rev which gave it 1 rev at the chuck or 1.0 in travel. 1/2 = 180 deg, 1/4 = 90 deg etc.
After some trial and error with a wood dowel, the 1/2 in letters were taking up 180 degrees of the stock.
To get it actually 1/2 tall I take the circumference of the part and divided that into 2880 to give me the new steps per rev for the motor tuning.
For the part below .92 dia x 3.14 = 2.888. Divided 2880 by 2.888 = 997.2 for the motor tuning.
Seems to work OK for my set up.
I use Deskengrave (http://deskam.com/deskengrave.html) to make the gcode. It's free.
To trick the mill to use it for the A Axis, I opened the file with notepad, used "replace" to replace all the Y's with A's and saved the changes.
now it rotates the A axis for the vertical lines instead of the Y axis. tada.
probably an easier way out there and i'll look for it eventually.
just havin fun playin and learnin now.
Hoss
The video will be up soon at youtube (http://www.youtube.com/hossmachine).

Hey Hoss, any update on the extended x&y you were working on?

dropride,
the main parts i needed are expected today from UPS.
I still have to order some longer ballscrew on payday.
Be a couple weeks before it gets rolling.
Found another cheap source for the ballscrew at Reid Supply (https://reidecom.reidtool.com/xephr/edit/ITEM_GROUP_DETAIL?query=*ITEM_NO=TBS-20&query=*GROUP_ID=134368).

Too cool. Love the 4th axis.

It's definitely on my list of things to do when I get my conversion kit for x3.

Should I let the cat out of the bag, I guess so.
Here's a couple pics showing 20 inches of X-Axis travel. Does something look familiar?
Still a ways to go.
Have to fit the ballscrew, remount the motor and make a tooling plate.
Then on to the Y-Axis.
heehee.
Hoss
http://www.hossmachine.com

Should I let the cat out of the bag, I guess so.
Here's a couple pics showing 20 inches of X-Axis travel. Does something look familiar?
Still a ways to go.
Have to fit the ballscrew, remount the motor and make a tooling plate.
Then on to the Y-Axis.
heehee.
Hoss
http://www.hossmachine.com

did you use a z axis for the x axis

aye, that I did. Arrgh.
Sorry, watchin pirates of the Caribbean.
16 inches of solid travel, 20 pushing it.

aye, that I did. Arrgh.
Sorry, watchin pirates of the Caribbean.
16 inches of solid travel, 20 pushing it.

i can bet you that you have just made LMS sell a few z collumn.
wich one are you watching?

ataxy,