Just heard my machine is on its way - probably thundering a cross the US in one of your massive truck/trailers as I write! So I better get my A into G with a stand.

I have decided to make a steel bench - the freight cost to New Zealand was the main factor. Also I have limited space and want a bench with heavy castors so that I can park the machine in a corner - see JPEGS. i would buy a stand if i lived in the US - but sadly (being winter here) I don't.

Anyway no point in making a bench if it costs too much! So I went to the scrap yard and scrounged some steel. And then scrounged some ply cover sheets - so far the cost is about $100 NZ.

I hope to post some pics of the finished article - thanks again to those who helped me in recent threads. Keen

Looks like an excellent start to me.

Don't forget to build in a good system for chip removal.

Regards
Phil

Just heard my machine is on its way - probably thundering a cross the US in one of your massive truck/trailers as I write! So I better get my A into G with a stand.

I have decided to make a steel bench - the freight cost to New Zealand was the main factor. Also I have limited space and want a bench with heavy castors so that I can park the machine in a corner - see JPEGS. i would buy a stand if i lived in the US - but sadly (being winter here) I don't.

Anyway no point in making a bench if it costs too much! So I went to the scrap yard and scrounged some steel. And then scrounged some ply cover sheets - so far the cost is about $100 NZ.

I hope to post some pics of the finished article - thanks again to those who helped me in recent threads. Keen

Don't forget to build in a good system for chip removal.


A method I have used in the past is to bolt a 4" ABS toilet flange to the underside.
This creates a flush surface for cleaning the pan and also allows coolant to be drained.
A short length of 4" ABS can extend it down to a container etc.
Al.

....bolt a 4" ABS toilet flange to the underside..
Al.

Called a closet flange. Why? I don't really know......

I picked up a piece of sheet metal for the top surface - and am thinking about
coolant drainage and swarf removal. Was thinking about bolting a flanged collecter underneath - thanks for the confirmation. Also, its hard to see but the delux stand looks like it has holes each side of the machine about 4" x 8" that not only drain the coolant - but act as a shute for swarf extraction?

If I am wrong about that would it be a good idea? and one side or both? I welcome your thoughts - and thanks for your time.

Studying the web info more.........it looks like the delux stand has a little 'chip basket about 3" x 6' that drops into a sealed below surface recepter? is this taken out for bulk 'swarf removal' or just filter cleaning? How does the drawer underneath operate - is it just a filter - or is it a swarf removal aid? - sorry to ask so much.

Called a closet flange. Why? I don't really know......

'A closet flange by any other name would smell as sweet' :rolleyes:
( with appologies to W.S.)

and one side or both? I welcome your thoughts - .

Just underneath with a rubber or silicone seal.
Al.

Hi Al - Sorry to be a pain - but i don't quite follow - could you elaborate.

thanks

I have a spare here, it is just a simple flange that is mounted under a 4.5" hole takes 4" ABS, bolt it through from the top, if you use round head coach bolts it makes for non-snag attachment.
Al.

Thanks for that Al - and for going to the trouble of the photos! Most appreciated.

Did you mean I should install a wire mesh filters on or in that fitting - so that only coolant and fines get through - or would you allow the coolant and the swarf (metal chips etc) to go down into a tray or settling tank. - making it a convenient place to sweep or brush excess swarf?

Did you mean I should install a wire mesh filters on or in that fitting - so that only coolant and fines get through - or would you allow the coolant and the swarf (metal chips etc) to go down into a tray or settling tank. - making it a convenient place to sweep or brush excess swarf?

Do what you find best, I usually do both, catch the swarf and I drain the coolant off, don't put a mesh filter on it, you will be continually unclogging it.
Al.

Yeh - I have that problem on my manual machines. I found a steel flange shaped like your part in my junk box - but the hole is only about 1 1/2' dia - what do you think? Thanks again

Called a closet flange. Why? I don't really know......


Well, they are used in water closets. Some call them stalls, but going through this right now in designing a new factory. Professional Engineer keeps refering to the code and "water closets". International Building Code list them as "Water Closets" in table 2902.1 under plumbing systems.

So, are they called a closet flange due to the fact that they are installed in a water closet, or is a water closet called that because the toilet hooks up through a "closet flange"

Guess the next question should be "Why are they called water closets?"

Give me a call if you need any other useless information or want to waste a couple minutes of your life that you will never get back....... Sorry.

Brian

Hi Keen, when I assembled my Colchester Bantam after arriving in OZ in the early 80's, I made a split tray system for swarf catching.
There is a tray, bent up from Galvanised iron sheet, under the headstock and tailstock, where the lathe is attached to the stand, which open onto a lower sliding tray under the middle of the lathe.
This allows me to brush the swarf from left and right trays into the middle lower, tray which can be slid out and tipped into a rubbish bin.
There is a coolant drain in the one corner that drains back to a container.
I recently, (two days ago) bought a used Hafco AL 150 lathe on Ebay for a mate of mine, and that has a flat tray with 50mm raised edges, that just goes from end to end and allows swarf to be brushed out from under the lathe and into a bucket etc.
As there's no coolant it's not a problem, but if there was coolant being pumped in some volume, then I would expect to have some supplementary vertical shielding to direct the coolant into the tray, which would have to be inclined backwards by a degree or two to get the coolant to the back and drain to a corner.
The problem with coolant in quantity means that you will also need a chuck guard otherwise you soon get a spray pattern down your left arm and up the wall.
The majority of the time, unless you are into production and need a copius coolant supply, a simple drip feed will do the job, as most of your time is spent in setting up and measuring, so a large fluid system is not necessary.
The back shield is a very necessary feature on all lathes as you will get metal chips every where otherwise.
The attached photo was taken when I moved the work shop around, to get a milling machine into position, so everything just got piled up round it, but you can see the split system for the swarf trays.
Ian.

Good idea Ian - thanks

Stand (without splashgaurds) ready to carry the PCNC

Safely on board

Hi Keen, Pretty neat set-up. Hope you've given serious thought to clean up and swarf removal.

The fine stuff like brass and fine ally chips seem to stick to everything and when the coolant evaporates and leaves a film of oil on the surfaces it's a real pain to touch anything, and if you dare to work on cast iron you'll really know what a messy gooey material it is.

I take it that you're going to have an enclosure round the "works" to reduce the chip spray?

I recently bought a turret mill, something similar to a Bridgeport, and the previous owner cut a lot of alluminium.
There is ally swarf in every orifice, from the sump in the base to the interior of the knee casting.

Given that the various entry points are upside down, the operator managed to get the swarf to go through a 75mm hole behind the head casting, and up into the ram casting and down the body cavity to half fill the sump in the base.
I removed 2 bucketfulls of ally swarf from the sump, along with a thick black gummy sludge, which probably originated from the one shot lube system.

Now I know why most machinery is painted that battleship grey.
As a matter of interest, what is the box of tricks to the right of the mill for?
I could not imagine a worst place to have electrics, even if it's well sealed, it's still going to collect a lot of overspray and dirt, too close to the action for my liking.

If I had a set-up like this I'd move that box away from the machine completely.
I realise that the machine probably came ready wired with the box attached to make it compact and stand alone, but after a while the bl##dy box will just get so covered in oily residue that it would be a pain to keep wiping it down.

From your previous post you say you want to move the set-up around on casters, but as the centre of gravity is pretty high, and the footprint is small, I'd feel a bit uncomfortable doing this.
Ian.

If I had a set-up like this I'd move that box away from the machine completely.

For what it's worth, Ian, I asked Greg Jackson at Tormach and he said the machines are trammed with the (not inconsiderable, it looks like) weight of the electronics cabinet hung off the column. So removing the box might necessitate retramming the mill.

Best regards,

Randy

Hi Randy, I would hate to think that the column was so light that the weight of the box would affect it.

However, the manufacturers would be the best judge, and suppliers are only salesmen at the best of time, but I would lay a pound to a pinch of poo that the weight of the box is only a gravitational factor, and if this is the case then we're talking about a balance effect that would act like a pendulum if any force were to be applied to the side, which cuts out any machining as it's a total side force anyway.

For the reasons I said, if I had one of these machines I'd get that box out of the way and reset the vertical column if necessary, just my preference.
I don't like a lot of garbage hanging on machines, especially switch boxes, which collect oily swarf in the gaps, a bit different when the electrics are built into the machine body.

I know you can't touch the machine parts without invalidating the warranty, so its just a bit of observation on my part, and ten to one there are so many wires coming out of it you'd have to be an electronic whiz to sort it out, if you wanted to move it anyway.

It would have been a different matter if the cables were socketed into the box, with a bit of spare cabling to allow moving the box to a wall if required.
Ian.

For the reasons I said, if I had one of these machines I'd get that box out of the way and reset the vertical column if necessary, just my preference.

I do hear you, Ian. On my little Sherline mill, I went to fairly extreme measures to balance the head on the column. ( http://www.prototrains.com/mill/mill.html ) All things being equal, I'd prefer to have the electronics cabinet free-standing.

Mike Henry on this forum totally disassembled his Tormach to get it in his basement, so he is probably the best authority outside the company itself on how many cables are involved. And my machine was out of warranty last spring...

Blast! Now you've got me thinking (and that's always dangerous!) I need to stay focused on what I want to do *with* the Tormach. Swamp, alligators, draining, I'm sure you know the story... :D

Best regards,

Randy

Oh by the way Keen, I seem to remember this is your thread about your machine. :D It is looking pretty darn good. Good job on the base!

Didn't your Tormach come with a sheet-metal cover over the X-axis limit switches, or have you just removed it while moving the machine? If it was installed, is it painted or stainless steel? If the latter, I'd appreciate a picture when you have it installed.

Best regards,

Randy

Hi guys - I am making the monitor arms etc etc at present. Got a 2nd hand XP computer but a new LCD monitor. Hope to post a pic when it is all back together. Cheers.

I know you can't touch the machine parts without invalidating the warranty, so its just a bit of observation on my part, and ten to one there are so many wires coming out of it you'd have to be an electronic whiz to sort it out, if you wanted to move it anyway.


Sorting out the wires is actually pretty easy since they pretty much all have heat-shrunk numbers on them. The biggest problem in relocating the control cabinet (aside from possible alignment issues) would be the need to make longer cables for the steppers, limit switches and spindle motor and figuring a way to protect the outer insulation.

FWIW, the control cabinet weighs about 115 lbs.

Mike

115 lbs.......you wouldn't want to have that fall on you.lol.
I can see how it would effect the head set-up.
I'd still want to get that beasty out of harms way.

The Bridgeport I had, has the electrics box down at the right hand side on the column, and even out of the way it collects all the swarf coming off of the table.
After a while the surfaces have a thick brown gummy build up that sticks to the paint and really wants cleaning with detergent and hot water.
My present mill, an Ajax, has all the electrics built into the back of the column with a thick cast iron panel to seal it in.

That's a nice looking mill, love the colour, even if it's a bit light and will show up the dirt.
Being a bought in machine as opposed to home brewed, it would be interesting to have your views on the particulars of the design, such as dovetail slides, square slides or linear bearings, and what effect will the weight of the head have on Z axis travel without counterbalancing.
What are the screws moving the slides made from, ball screws, Acme/bronze nuts or other?
What are you planning on doing on it?
Ian.

Hi Ian - thanks for your interest. The slides are dovetail - its a cost thing. Re other construction questions - you can get lots of technical info from the Tormach site inc exploded views.The screws are ground ball screws.
I am a self employed toolmaker - so will have lots of work for my PCNC.

Use a PVC flange. ABS has stitty chemical resistance to oils.

Jim

Heres a pic showing the computer and storage layout