Are those ballnuts non-preloaded?
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.
I just finished my build based on Hoss's work...
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.
[IMG]http://biobug.org/machine-shop/mill/mill-progress/z-ballscrew-mount.jpg[/IMG]
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: [url]http://biobug.org/machine-shop/mill/mechanical.php[/url]
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: [url]http://biobug.org/machine-shop/mill/controller.php[/url]
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. [url]http://biobug.org/machine-shop/mill/bom-conversion[/url]