Hi Guys,

I'm looking to buy a CNC mill. I'm new to CNC but have been running manual machines for several years.

I'm looking for something that is small enough to put in my living room. I still am in that school stage of my life and have to move once every year or two so I'd like to take that into account. I will be doing prototyping, possibly small run production, and some hobby stuff mostly in 6061 aluminum (but it'd be nice to be able to cut steel) with the mill. I'd also like to be able to do 3d contouring.

I'd also like to venture into making cylindrical parts like this:
YouTube - MILL2LATHE converts your CNC mill to a CNC lathe!

So far I've looked at the syil x4, tormach PCNC, and the industrial hobbies turnkey. The turnkey and even the PCNC are steep for my budget but I'd rather spend a bit more and have a nice machine than cheap out and end up with a paper weight.

Is there a site that will tell me everything I need to know about these machines / CNC in general?

What machine do you guys recommend? Others than mentioned are welcome.

Thanks,
Adam

I don't know about you, but the IH and Tormach are both over 1000 lbs. and not that small. Not something that is easy to move or get through front doors. If I were a landlord, I'd be a little concerned with something like these sitting in the livingroom of a place I'm renting out. You know you needs and what it possible but this is my two cents worth.

As for a site for more information, you're on it. You just have to research everything. Everyone has their own thoughts on what they want to do, need to do, and can do. As you express an interest in turning as well as milling, perhaps a combination mill/lathe is in order. However, I don't know of any turn key packages for such things.

Good luck in your search.

Get a Taig. You can carry it by yourself to move it when company comes over, and when you have space for something bigger you can get most of your money back if you take care of it. In the meantime it is a very serious machine within its limits. No way I'd want anything larger than that in my living room and I am a messy single guy. Also be sure to get a tarp or big rubber mat because you'll be spraying oil and chips all over the place.

stay away from shoptask tri-power.

Thorpydo - i run a TAIG CNC out of my very-compact NYC apartment Bedroom. check out my blog with dozens of videos & pictures - www.nyccnc.com.

I agree with rfrenzl - the IH & Tormach are GREAT machines, but you need equipment to move them and a stable-floor to use them.

My concern with the Taig is that it's just too small for some of the projects I want to do. It looks like it takes ER 16 collets and the max diameter is 3/8". I'd like to use R8 collets if possible.

Years ago I had a manual mini lathe. It was a great machine to learn on but I always wished I had something a bit bigger. I don't want to make the same mistake here. Perhaps there is something between the taig and tormach?

The x2 looks a tad bigger than the taig and uses r8 collets. I also believe harbor freight makes a version which means I could probably save on shipping as they have a distributer in my city. How are these machines?

You're absolutely correct - the X2 is between a TAIG and a Tormach. There are dozens of threads - many with "strong" opinions - on TAIG vs. X2 or X3. The GENERAL consensus is that the TAIG is less rigid, higher RPM, and more "accurate". The X3 has slower RPM's, can be more sloppy re: accuracy (NOTE: many folks have made great improvements (e.g. Hoss) and have phenomenal X3's) and is actually a lot heavier. I don't have the specs in front of me, but I know that I can easily lift my TAIG. I think the X3's weigh quite a bit more...

Hoss has a modified X2 mill, The X3 is a bit larger. In this photo, the X2 Mill is on the left. That is a Super X3 on the right.

(Man I'm glad it isn't quite that chaotic in my shop now. :) )

Please correct my ignorance as I share my thinking.

I'm really scared to go with something as small as the x2. I already see projects out of scope, limited by the machine size. Although it does have transportability and cost on its side, I think I need something bigger.

The x3 and x4 look to be the same machine at least size wise. This is getting to more of what I want but I'm having a hard time justifying sticking with a machine like this instead of going one more step up. At 500 lbs, I'm probably going to need a shop crane anyway. 500 lbs vs 1000 lbs suddenly isn't such a big deal. It's going to be a hassle either way and the same type of hassle at that. With the x4 at about $5000 and the tormach at $6800, I feel like I'm getting alot more machine for a little more cash. I'm already dropping a bunch of money and I want to be happy with what I get.

Ontop of that, I have a jaded opinion as it stands with the x4. I read one in depth, terrible review on the machine and now feel that I will inherit all those problems with the purchase.

So. . am I totally off base? Can someone please chime in that has experience with either the x3/x4 or tormach?

Thanks!

As you can see, I bought the X3 which is the same size as the Syil X3 and X4 mills. There are marked improvements over the X3 in the X4 series.

But if I had the money and did it all over again. I would go Tormach all the way. Without hesitation.

I added the CNC fusion kit to my system and had many tasks to get the machine to run right. While I only do this as a hobby, I would have been down and out for a long while if it was needed to make money.

Here is a post that completely covers the move of a tormach into a basement. Maybe this could help your decisions.

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28312

I have a Tormach (for 2 years now) and can say only good things about it. but in my living room doing small production runs, I don't think so.(chair) You should maybe look at the smaller machines from smithycnc. Probably not as good a value as the Tormach but possibly more suited to your living room!!!!!!!!!!!!

Phil:)


Please correct my ignorance as I share my thinking.

I'm really scared to go with something as small as the x2. I already see projects out of scope, limited by the machine size. Although it does have transportability and cost on its side, I think I need something bigger.

The x3 and x4 look to be the same machine at least size wise. This is getting to more of what I want but I'm having a hard time justifying sticking with a machine like this instead of going one more step up. At 500 lbs, I'm probably going to need a shop crane anyway. 500 lbs vs 1000 lbs suddenly isn't such a big deal. It's going to be a hassle either way and the same type of hassle at that. With the x4 at about $5000 and the tormach at $6800, I feel like I'm getting alot more machine for a little more cash. I'm already dropping a bunch of money and I want to be happy with what I get.

Ontop of that, I have a jaded opinion as it stands with the x4. I read one in depth, terrible review on the machine and now feel that I will inherit all those problems with the purchase.

So. . am I totally off base? Can someone please chime in that has experience with either the x3/x4 or tormach?

Thanks!

Does your living room have a garage door and cement slab floor? If not then the X3 is the biggest thing you have any business considering. Plus if you're going to have to move every year or so it is going to become a significant issue. I think NYCCNC is a bit eccentric but an X3 in a living room is just crazy. I was doing some tests with my X2 last night. 0.200DOC half-width with a 1/4" endmill at 4k RPM in 6061. It sprayed chips everywhere within three feet! And that's before we get into coolant.

Also when you either get sick of this hobby or need to move somewhere you can't easily manage a piece of large industrial machinery, a Taig can be eBayed and shipped wonderfully easily and you will probably get back 2/3 or more of your investment quickly. A machine that can't be shipped by UPS will be a lot harder to unload.

Good luck with this one I stongly believe that the smallest machine you can cut metal (steel) with in that size is an x3 or maybe x2. That is as small as you can do what you are looking to do. I would lean on the x3 but dont use a laptop to run it. I have herd of alot of problems with running them on laptops.

As they say. . . go big or go home. I think you guys have convinced me to either go "home" with a x2 or wait a few years and get something bigger.

If I were to get something like an x2 or taig, wheres the best place to buy used? I see a classified section here. Anything I should know when buying, new or used?

Thanks again,
Adam

Buying anything larger than a Taig used gets complicated because you can expect to spend $150 or more on shipping. If you are shopping on eBay make sure to verify the shipping costs before you bid.

These small mills do not appear on eBay all that often and when they do they usually go for an awful lot of their new price--75% is not uncommon. I got my X2 off eBay in barely-used condition for $400 because it was listed as "local pickup only" and I got lucky and it was located on the way to a trip I was going to be making anyway so gas cost was a non-issue. I browsed eBay, and the Boston, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island Craigslist sites for months before I bought my X1 new because I never saw them go for close to a decent price online. I listed my X1 for 80% of new on Craigslist and got a dozen firm offers in about 12 hours.

My suggestion would be to set up RSS search feeds for your local Craigslist if it gets any traffic and to set up saved searches on eBay. If you do see something listed on eBay, bid at least 75-80% of the new price unless it is a fixer-upper in which case you might try for a lowball. However unlike consumer items the kind of guys who buy these toys do not seem to be afraid of a few repairs so you don't usually see much of a deal. I saw an X1 listed with a fuzzy picture and sold "does not run sold as-is" go for $200. This is a machine you can get new from HF delivered to your door for $330! If you feel bad bidding high just remember you will probably be able to sell high too. A machine with a few dozen or hundred hours on it is not really worse than a new one and may well be better in some ways if it's been taken care of. If you see rust or the pictures are bad then avoid anything but a lowball.

Also if you are going to play eBay you should look at using a bid sniping tool like JBidwatcher or a sniping service. For popular stuff eBay is a war zone and you need to armor up if you want to get a deal. My advice if you have the money just buy new, start milling, and don't look back!

Check out KDN Tool. Turnkey CNC. Mine's based on the X2 but fine tuned at KDN. FOR $1,700.00 !
www.kdntool.com

Once I did my X3 conversion it is very accurate. There's a thread in here titled something like "A few cnc questions" where I detailed out what I spent to do the conversion. Turnkey it isn't but I just posted the plans last night http://www.distinctperspectives.com/X3/X3_CNC_CONVERSION.PDF and nearly everything can be made on the manual mill. It may be at the top end of easily movable but if you're only concern is moving from one location to another once a year, remove the column/head from the base/table and those two pieces are easily movable without needing heavy equipment.

Just my .02

I'd have to agree that an X3 would be near the top for a "portable" milling machine. I purchased a base X3 at Christmas and put on the CNC Fusion Deluxe Kit. I already had the software and other electronics so it was an easy conversion. It is accurate and fast (55ipm rapids), and can carve a 4"x8"x4" block of aluminum without too much difficulty.

My cost was about $2000 for the mill and CNC kit, another $200-$350 for all of the electronics. It only took a couple of evenings to build out. It is in my basement so I took the column/head off, the table into two parts, and the base like described below. I was able to get it into my basement shop with only a little help from the wife. Getting it on the stand was a bit harder but two people can manage. I used a hoist. I also purchased a mobile base from Grizzly to set the stand on. This allows me to move the thing without any help. If you put this on carpet, I'm not so sure how easy it will roll or even if the landlord will approve. That one is up to you to deal with.

There used to be an outfit in Australia that sold a complete CNC conversion kit including motors, drivers, computer, wiring, etc. for about $1800. Last I communicated with him, he was just getting out of the hospital so I don't know if he is still in business or not. I liked his kit as it used belts instead of direct drive which are quiet and compact as the motors are tucked back towards the base. The belts could introduce extra play in the system but checking the calibrations once in a while should allow you to enter backlash values to eliminate it. On other CNC machines I've built, the belts seem to work well and I did not have much issue with accuracy.

For about $3000, you can have a pretty good CNC mill with some tooling to boot. You only have to put it together and that is not too hard with a little knowledge and an understanding of stepper motors.

Good luck.

I went with an X2. It weighs about 150 pounds assembled. Undo the big nut on the back and you have two pieces you can carry up and down stairs, put in a car trunk, etc. without help.

This is my first CNC machine. I expect more than a few "oops" moments while learning the programming ropes. If I do something catastrophically stupid, I can order replacement parts and have it back in operation in short order.

I bought the CNCFusion 3-axis kit with ballscrews, and the Xylotex 4-axis stepper kit. I still don't have it all functional - I've been making some modifications and additions that I want to finish before I start using the machine.

At the time I bought the X2 and bits I didn't know about the Syil, http://www.syilamerica.com/product_X2.asp which is already set up pretty much the same. It costs a bit more than putting one together from bits, but you don't have to "adjust" things with the angle grinder to get clearance for the ballnuts, etc. Might be worth a look if you just want to plug it in and go.

I made a list of the parts I can make with the X2. I'll make those, and when I'm confident of my proficiency, I'll probably convert my 1943 Gorton 9J over to CNC and keep the X2 going making small stuff.

Thanks for all the help guys. I appreciate it.

I've been looking at these smithy machines. The 516 (X1) and 622 (X3) both look appealing.

The 516 looks like a great fit. 110 lbs, decent sized work cube (9.45" x 4.3" x 9.45"), $3400. The only downside that I see at this point is the MT2 spindle as I currently have some tooling for R8. I'm unfamiliar with MT2 collets. I assume they have a drawbar and function just like a R8 collet would. Will I have problems trying to hold a 1 inch diameter endmill?

The 622 is a bit heavier but still manageable at 375 lbs. its got a little bit bigger work cube (11" x 5.25" x 10") and is $1300 more at $4700. Its got an R8 spindle which solves that issue.

Does anyone have experience with these machines?
Are there any other machines avaible built off the X1 or X3?
Does anyone live in the San Diego area with a benchtop mill that wouldn't mind letting me come by and check it out?

Thanks!

MT2 collets stop at 1/2" as they are around 3/4" diameter at the base. I don't know if you could get an endmill holder that large but I wouldn't want one myself. Seems awfully large for anything except high-rate manual metal removal on a knee mill or something much larger. For finishing you can use a fly cutter and get very good results.

One of the beauties of CNC on a small machine is that you can program it to take lots of light cuts and with light cuts these machines will do anything you can fit under the spindle. You'd die of boredom doing it by hand but with the computer turning the wheels it's not half bad. Right now my go-to tool is an OSG 1/4" 3-flute, fine-thread cobalt rougher. It's a pretty specific tool and costs about $20 or as much as a whole set of generic imports. The fine-thread roughers are made for machining harder materials on big machines however I have found it is a great fit for softer materials on our mushy little benchtop tools. 0.100" DOC roughing cuts are very doable on my X1 and at .030 or less it leaves a very nice surface finish.

The KX1 is a very attractive machine but there has been very little about it so far online. The only real review I've seen was from an early model sent to a UK guy who helped write the manual, who posted on the Home Shop Machinist board. He got some very good results making a 3" model locomotive wheel out of 303 stainless, which is tough stuff. My best guess is that $3500 is a tricky pricepoint for the CNCZone crowd which is comprised of cheap @#$!#@ like me and guys who have the space and money for much larger toys, I mean tools like a Tormach or IH. The KX1 might suffer a bit as it's X1 based though it has a whole different Z axis which is the only real weak point in the X1, IMHO. The table ways are reasonably meaty. So I think it needs to be looked at as an X1 in principle more than in practice. However this all would probably hurt the resale value if you want to consider that.

At the KX1 price you are in the realm where a DIY X3 conversion becomes feasible and that is an option worth weighing. As a student there are benefits that come from learning how the hot dog gets made so to speak. If you are making parts for real money though, I'd buy turnkey and not look back.

You will have problems with a 1" endmill in a MT2 collet as well as an R8. Max MT2 is 1/2" max R8 is 3/4".

Phil

Will I have problems trying to hold a 1 inch diameter endmill?

Thanks!

You can get a 1" collet for R8 but you don't want it - it's worthless. The tool isn't held within the body, there are 3 ears that extend beyond the normal collet body and they are thin (at least on the one I bought - maybe a Lyndex at $50 would beefier). I din't know if I kept it or threw it away it was so sloppy (originally purchased to hold a facemill I scored on fleebay).

I've connected with someone selling a X3 that he converted to CNC. I wanted to get your thoughts on the deal as I would be buying something that I have never seen in person before and don't know a whole lot about. Though, it sounds like a good deal to me.

Here is his description:
I snapped off a few pics of what I have. Basically, a whole slew of Garr, SGS, and Niagara carbide endmills, drills, corner rounders, ball mills, threadforming tap, 2' flycutter with removable inserts. I have two sets of cheap , but effective, HSS chinese endmills 2 and 4 flute (I broke 2 from cutting 17-4 ph ss). A chinese, but accurate/precise, digital caliper. A set of standoffs, collets (from 1/8" to huge), and a nice Grizzly vice (this thing was a deal for the quality, though it is not a Kurt). The manual mill wheels and leadscrews (basically garbage). A set of small files for knocking off those sharp edges. The coolant, pump, and nozzle with magnetic base (they might not let me ship the coolant with it). An R-8 collet, which came with it. And 10 sheets of 1/8' x 12' x 12' 6061-t6 aluminum. I also have the computer with autocad 2000, lazycam, and mach3. The electronics(power board, bob, drivers, and transformer) are all top notch (Gekko 203v drives, Keling steppers). You wont find this stuff in a syil. The machine has cnc fusions mounting kit along with their ball screws. I also have a strut for the head of the mill. Sometimes, when you turn off the electronics, the head will start to slowly creep down. Sometimes it does it sometimes it doesnt. I just hold it up until the drivers are fully powered off and it will stay in place. But I bought the strut just for that reason and never installed it (im lazy). If you have any questions, let me know.

He sent me a bunch of pictures as well and everything seems to check out. He's asking $3500.

So my concerns at this point are (in no particular order):
1. We are the full countries distance apart so I wont be able to check it out in person.
2. I have lost trust in people over the last year or so. I've had my car, laptop, bike, xbox360... all stolen. $3500 is quite a bit of money to throw around. So far, he sounds upfront and honest but I want to make sure everything goes as expected. How do people normally go through with a transaction like this and do you ever here of people getting ripped off?
3. He thought that it would cost between $70-$120 to "ship through forward air at the airport" I haven't ever used this service but I don't have a problem picking the mill up at the airport. I've got a truck. That price sounds a little too good to be true.
4. Being fairly naive, I don't know how important the electronics are. To me that is one of the main selling points (that, the extra tooling, a completely setup rig). An alternative would be to buy the grizzly seig x3 for 950 and the syil conversion for 2200... brings me to $3150. Tack on tax and all the other goodies and I'd be up to 4 or 5 grand in no time.

Thanks again guys. I'm impressed with the level of maturity and helpfulness. That is simply not the case at a few of the other boards that I browse.

That's a tough recommendation to comment on - tooling aside (which doesn't sound all that spectacular but it is a start) I don't know which CNCFusion kit he used (early ones were without angular contact bearings, different screw styles used, etc.). Shipping - all I know is that Grizzly sent my mill via UPS and they showed up with it in 2 days for ~$95.

That said I'll share a post regarding my own X3 conversion I did - X3 Cost Post (http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showpost.php?p=464930&postcount=69)

My .02 YMMV

I'm impressed with the level of maturity and helpfulness. That is simply not the case at a few of the other boards that I browse.

Eh, just give it time, this place will disappoint you eventually (nuts)

As to the big question, I think it's probably a bad deal.

The price he's asking strikes me as top-dollar for a used kit. The PC, software, chinese endmills are worth less than it will cost to ship them to you.

The rest of it I'd value at $2000 sight-unseen (pictures don't count) assuming you could guarantee receipt of goods for payment. If he's desperate for cash, he might take 2000 or so, but once he gets it he won't be in any rush to pack things well or ship them. Without some kind of meaningful guarantees that include escrow, I wouldn't want to be on the paying side of that deal.

A local buyer can, would, and should pay more since that takes most of the variables out. What I'd do is tell him very sorrowfully that while you think it's a very reasonable offer, you just don't think there's any way you can do it as a long-distance buyer, and let him offer how far he's willing to go.

I've been doing some research into buying a X3 and converting it to CNC myself. In doing so I'll learn more about the machine and my way around it but I'll be further away from making chips. That's okay with me at this point; Although its exciting, I'm in no rush.

So here's my notes that I've been taking down so far. I'm still learning about these components and in no way is my list complete. I'm just done for tonight and figured I'd post it.

Notes:
Useful links:
http://www.distinctperspectives.com/X3/

Mill:

G0619 at $1300
G0463 at $950
Which one is the x3? They look similiar in size
Grizzly has a year warentee and better service.
HF is more expensive and the warentee is only 90 days but I can pick up locally.

Hardware:

CNC fusion Small-Mill Deluxe CNC kit PREMIUM BALLSCREWS at $950
CNC fusion Small-Mill CNC kit #4 - X-Y-Z with BALLSCREWS at $570
Only difference is quality of ballscrews?
http://www.cncfusion.com/smallmill1.html

Steppers:

NEMA23 330oz/in steppers for x and y
NEMA34 600oz/in stepper for z


Gecko makes motor control hardware:

G540 drives 4 stepper motors and includes a built in breakout board but doesn't run Z stepper well
G201, G202, G203V ... all look the same. Is the only difference the fuses built in?
And I need one motor drive per stepper motor.
http://www.geckodrive.com/products.aspx?n=444745


Break Out Board:

C10 Bidirectional Breakout Board
C11 Multifunction CNC Board
C11G Multifunction CNC Board
Again, whats the difference?
How do I attach a MPG to the board and how do I specify which axis?
I assume it is not required and the machine can be jogged via the computer.

http://www.kelinginc.net/BreakoutBoards.html

Powersupply:

I think I'd like to buy one instead of buying components... Unless its fairly straight forward. Need more research

Coolant:
fog buster seems to be a popular brand. 1/2 gallon and 1 gallon available. Didn't see price on site.

Coolant:
fog buster seems to be a popular brand. 1/2 gallon and 1 gallon available. Didn't see price on site.


I've been running a dual head fogbuster for about a year now. I love it. Not messy, doesn't require a swarf filtration system, and only requires a compressor to run. It isn't cheap though, price is about $400 USD, but worth every penny. Go with the tri or quad head system though. I have two heads and am constantly having the shift them around for the optimum coolant delivery angle. I've got pics of it on my thread if you want to check it out.X3 with CNC fusion kit (http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53421&page=10)

I'm planning on ordering either a X3 or super X3 next week.

I've looked at both and at this point I don't really see the justification in buying the super X3.

To my understanding, the things that the super does over the standard are:

1. Tilting head. I could see this being useful occasionally but it also means it is something else that can come out of adjustment and need tramming.

2. Z digital readout for quill. Useful for a manual machine but it doesn't mean anything to me if I'm going to CNC it anyway.

3. Tapping feature. I don't know how this works and have never used a mill with something like this before so I don't really know what to think about it. Can someone please explain?

4. 1HP motor over .75HP motor and buttons to adjust spindle RPM.

Shipped price from grizzly is $1400 vs $1050 and its 60 lbs heavier.

Now there might be other more subtle nuances about the machine. Why did you guys choose your x3 or super x3?

Hey Thorpydo,

If you're anywhere near Madison, Wisconsin, Ebay item No. 150281218279 might be of interest to you - it's an incomplete Super X3.

Or it might be no use - just throwing it in...

Jason

Thanks for the link but that's just about the other side of the country for me.

I placed an order for grizzly's X3 and bought the deluxe CNC fusion kit, gas spring, and helical couplings. My wallets hurting and I'm eager for this stuff to arrive :)

Next up is probably an order through keling unless you guys can point me in a better direction.

I'm planning on buying 3 gecko 203V's, nema 23's and 34, and the C11G BOB but I don't know what I need for a power supply. I'd like something that I can eventually use for a 4th axis but other than that, I'm shooting in the dark. Can you guys make a recommendation?

Thanks,
Adam

Ok, I've been looking at this power supply:

KL- 6515 Specification: $189/pcs
Unregulated Power Supply 1000W, 65VDC/15A , Input:
120VAC or 230VAC,
There are 2 regulated outputs 5Vdc and 12Vdc at 1A.
Note: The transformer is CE certified

I'll be running 120VAC. I really don't know how much current or voltage I will need to run a system like this. I know I will need the 5Vdc. The 12Vdc I thought would be nice in case I add to the system later.

Thoughts? Comments? "Nooo! don't get that one"s?

Thanks All

That should work nicely - I'm running (2) 330oz Nema23 steppers and a 600oz Nema34 on 53VDC with a 15A max capacity and it's never come close to hitting that draw. My supply is also an unregulated (linear) powersupply that I assembled myself.

Hey guys,

My machine arrived this weekend!

We used a dolly to move it in and about the first thing I did was set it down on the linoleum kitchen floor (An uh oh!). Quickly realized the floor wasn't as solid as it appears; It sort of sinks in. I got it onto some plywood to distribute the weight and only managed to screw up the floor slightly.

I spent most of the day Saturday building a stand for the machine and then disassembling the mill and moving it onto the freshly built stand. It's in pieces now awaiting the fusion kit.

Sunday I designed and bought most of the parts for my flood coolant system from lowes. I think it's going to be pretty cool. Haven't started construction.

Thanks again guys and thank you for steering me clear of the Tormach or IH machines. This thing is plenty heavy and should be big enough.

I'll take pictures tonight.

Adam

Hey Thorpydo, I have a C11 Multifunction CNC Board with maybe 3 hours of use on it. If you interested, let me know. Not using it anymore.



-Jason

Thanks, PMed you.

Here's what I was thinking for the filter:

The outer pipe is 4in dia and the inside is 2in dia. Between the two pipes I would pack steel wool. A hose would be fitted to one of the end caps and would bring used coolant from the machine. The coolant seeps through the steel wool, out to the tub and the metal shavings collect inside the yellow tube. To clean simply take off the end caps and push the chips out.

I bought a pond pump to sit in the tub and to push the cleaned fluid back up to the machine.

Pictures will follow tonight of the parts I bought from lowes and the table I built this weekend.

http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/9977/filterda0.jpg

And btw, how are you guys posting pictures. Mine come out differently.

Not sure I fully understand the circuit but when your mill is busy you might be cleaning this filter every few minutes.

Just something to think about
Phil:)

Thanks, PMed you.

Here's what I was thinking for the filter:

The outer pipe is 4in dia and the inside is 2in dia. Between the two pipes I would pack steel wool. A hose would be fitted to one of the end caps and would bring used coolant from the machine. The coolant seeps through the steel wool, out to the tub and the metal shavings collect inside the yellow tube. To clean simply take off the end caps and push the chips out.

I bought a pond pump to sit in the tub and to push the cleaned fluid back up to the machine.

Pictures will follow tonight of the parts I bought from lowes and the table I built this weekend.

http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/9977/filterda0.jpg

And btw, how are you guys posting pictures. Mine come out differently.

Thorp- I will post pictures, but I believe I have the cleanest and best filtration system out there. My system is amazing, I will post it for you. You will not have any problems with chips in the tank, 100% Guaranteed!


-Jason

So I'm sitting here ready to build my enclosure but I'm unsure of my dimensions. Going off the manual and some figures that Micheal from CNC fusion gave me, I believe that the machine takes up a cube of 42.8" x 30.3" x 33.5". I was planning on making the enclosure 45.8" 33.3" 35.5".

I have the X3, CNCfusion deluxe kit and nema23's for x and y axis. I would rebuild the machine and verify the size myself but the deluxe kit still hasn't shipped.

So, before I build this thing, can someone please chime in with there enclosure.

Thanks!
Adam

Thorpydo - take a look at my blog post on my TAIG enclosure - http://www.nyccnc.com/Herbie/HERBIES_BLOG/Entries/2008/4/9_Video_with_more_enclosure_details!.html

I've seen your enclosure and website before. Looks great!

How much did the enclosure end up costing you, with and without the polycarbonate? I'm looking into the 8020 stuff, a catalogue should be arriving in the mail soon.

I found 2 sheets, 8' x 4' 1/4" of plexiglass for $20 on craigslist. I couldn't pass it up for that price. How well do guys think it will hold up?

I don't have the specific cost breakouts anymore between 80/20 and polycarb. I had to have someone else order & assemble this because I was unable to take on the project in my NYC apartment (at the time, I didn't have enough other tools to tackle it...). So, cost for materials (80/20, polycarb) + misc (fasteners, etc) and shipping (expensive because I had to ship it twice!) was over $1,300. You could save a bit of money with the 80/20 knock off, less shipping, etc...

Wow 1,300!!!!

My enclosure cost me...maybe 30.00 :P

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a96/SpeedsCustom/th_3years047-1.jpg (http://s9.photobucket.com/albums/a96/SpeedsCustom/?action=view&current=3years047-1.flv)
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a96/SpeedsCustom/3years049.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a96/SpeedsCustom/3years003.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a96/SpeedsCustom/Taig052.jpg