Hi Guys

What are the first and then I suppose more advanced mods that can be done to an X2? When I got my mini-lathe I found a few sites with some good mods and also plans for building tooling accessories for the lathe but I havn`t found anything similar for the mini-mill.

I only know of the belt drive conversion which has been done, and altering the gibs to reduce backlash and addition of DRO bars -which I have done.

I believe you can add a spring mechanism and permanent fixtures for the spindle locking pin but I haven`t seen any plans or pictures for this mod - it is certainly something I would like to try.

I suppose you could say I am looking for things to do for the sake of it, but it is a hobby and I`m enjoying it! :rainfro:

Mnbylcr2

CNC it :D

Increase Y travel (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GrizHFMinimill/photos/album/73074391/pic/list) - this one doesn't look too difficult, provided you have a spare mill to do the work on :)

Column brace (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GrizHFMinimill/photos/album/1983700256/pic/list)

There's a number of spindle lock mods including this one (http://www.hossmachine.info/projects.html#spindle%20lock) from Hoss.

But as Teyber12 said, CNC it. You know you want to...

Coolant (definitely a must have/do), power draw bar (not absolutely necessary but…:D), both can be either purchased or 100% DIY projects.

CNC!!! :violin:

http://lbspd.com/v-web/gallery/albums/album189/Modified_X2.jpg

X2's are made to CNC. I'm with the others, cnc it ASAP. Or buy the extra one I have....

You can upgrade the power supply and get more torque and speed out of the motor. Pretty easy to do and can be done cheap if you watch for a good deal on E-bay for the power supply board.

Dale P.

what are the specs?

If you want a simple mod that can make your setup alot more solid, try stiffening up the column/base. Use epoxy, epoxy-modified cement or just plain 'ol cement and fill the lower half of the column- gets you a lot more stability. For extra added measure, chuck the thick washer on the back of the column and replace it with a steel or aluminum plate- its shape makes it act like a spring. If you wanna go full-on ridiculous (like I did) you can rig up either an angle plate, a brace system or something similar to put the coup-de-grace to deflection in the column.

A belt drive (look at Sterling Steele or some of the others mentioned through the forums for the X2) is almost mandatory if you want to not go out of your mind while machining with it. If a belt drive isn't in you plans, if you don't want the temptation of taking a hammer to it WHEN (not if) you break a drive gear, I'd suggest replacing the plastic gears with metal ones- littlemachineshop sells 'em.

An air spring conversion kit is a good investment- it gets you a bit more Z travel. If you wanna upgrade even more, you could use a counterweight system.

DRO's are a good idea if you are going to keep it a manual machine.

If you want to do any 4th axis work, a rotary table or something similar is needed, and can be cheap if you hit ebay alot.

...and of course, CNCing it is always a good idea. If you like to mod your machine, you're likely to go that route in any event eventually...

-Farasien

Thanks for your replies so far - please keep them coming.

I already have the air spring conversion so I think my next one will be the belt drive kit - unfortunately doesn`t look to be available from a UK supplier - can anyone clarify this?

I have still not seen anyone mention or send a link to the spring loaded spindle locking pin?

I may consider the column support - I could do with some plans though! - I`m not an engineer by profession and therefore struggle replicating pictures without detail or ideally plans.

Please do link up - I am familiar with "search" (nuts) but you know what it`s like, most of you guys have been on here for longer than me and know what posts are best for the info.

....keep it coming. Chris

Chris,

I though you might like this.

Jeff...

Thanks for your replies so far - please keep them coming.

I already have the air spring conversion so I think my next one will be the belt drive kit - unfortunately doesn`t look to be available from a UK supplier - can anyone clarify this?
I got mine from LMS (http://www.littlemachineshop.com). Quick service, reasonable shipping rates.

I have still not seen anyone mention or send a link to the spring loaded spindle locking pin?
Check my last reply or go directly to Hoss (http://www.hossmachine.info) and borrow his design.

I may consider the column support - I could do with some plans though! - I`m not an engineer by profession and therefore struggle replicating pictures without detail or ideally plans.
Go the yahoo group I linked to and ask the person who posted the photo. They're a helpful bunch over there too. :)

Chris,

I though you might like this.

Jeff...

Wish I;d seen this one before I bought my belt drive kit!

For what it's worth, here are the mods/improvements I plan to make to my X2:


Belt drive - already done using LMS (http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=2560&category=) kit. Real reduction in noise which I'm sure my neighbours appreciate.
DRO and scales - I've got a Shumatech DRO kit to build and 3 scales from Shars (http://www.shars.com/product_categories/view/4060205/Horizontal_Electronic_Scales). Still to design and make some suitable mounts. Lots of ideas both here and in the Yahoo (Shumatech (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShumaTech/) and GrizzlyHFMiniMill (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GrizHFMinimill/)) groups.
Y travel extension - Previously mentioned the link to this one. If I do this then I'll certainly do 4.
Column support - a 15mm - 20mm steel plate to mount the mill on and a large angle bracket should do the trick. Not sure about the epoxy filling though.

CNC is on the list but I want to get some manual milling experience first - while I save money to buy the CNC bits.

I wouldn't bother buying the CNC parts... If you have a decent set of accurate calipers, your mill has a working DRO (or you really know how to do accurate machining without it) and know a few fundamentals, you cam make them for the cost of a few plates of aluminum and a weekend's worth of time. That is, if you aren't considering upgrading to ballscrews. In any case, go check out Hoss's site (www.hossmachine.info)- he has most of his plans for free on there and sells stock kits and plans for a whole bunch of other interesting mods.

The nice thing about learning how to manufacture stuff is you'll find, more and more, you don't have to buy much of anything anymore outside of raw materials and the occasional tool.

-Farasien

When the time comes to CNC, I hope to make the mounts my self. The bits I have to buy are the motors, controllers, ballscrews etc.

Chris,

I though you might like this.

Jeff...

BeltDrive1.pdf‎

I built my belt drive (http://www.hossmachine.info/projects_6.html#belt%20conversion) from that design from J. Rollett posted on the GrizHFminimill Yahoo Group.
I made a few changes to make fabrication easier.
Some of the pdf dimensions are not correct such as the motor mount holes.
I left out the provisions for mounting a Hall IC Sensor but would leave that in now to output RPM.
JR did a great job, it's as nice as LMS's.
Hoss

Here is the link for adding a new power supply to the 2X mill. Sorry I thought I added it to my last post. It's a pretty easy project to do and made a big difference to my machine.

Dale P.

http://www.harrisson.biz/controller/power.htm

Increase Y travel (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GrizHFMinimill/photos/album/73074391/pic/list) - this one doesn't look too difficult, provided you have a spare mill to do the work on :)

Column brace (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GrizHFMinimill/photos/album/1983700256/pic/list)

There's a number of spindle lock mods including this one (http://www.hossmachine.info/projects.html#spindle%20lock) from Hoss.

But as Teyber12 said, CNC it. You know you want to...

Here is a link (http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showpost.php?p=500483&postcount=5) to a post that I made on my Y axis extension and a drawing showing the measurements.

Alan