X3 Tool change... Ugh!

[AirHog]

Just received my new X3 and have been working with it for the past few days. Quite a different beast than the old X2. Although nicer in some aspects theres a few things that just kill the all around speed that having a bigger machine should provide.

Tool changing,... What is going on here Maybe I'm a bit spoiled by my X2 with a modified spindle lock, but what were they thinking with the spanner wrench/draw bar combo? Obviously I'll have to come up with something for this, some of my cutters/attachment don't even allow access to the holes in the spindle. Has anyone done a nice spindle lock mod?

Z axis,... Now if it wasn't already difficult to change out a tool/collet, before i can do the juggling act i have to crank the Z axis hand wheel oh lets say... 50 times!? .050 per rev on the Z seems a bit extreme especially when you (seig) take out the gas strut. I noticed on an older gas strut model the gears connecting the Z hand wheel to the screw are different, do all the X3's have resolution of .0005 on the Z?

I'm going to have to make up a power feed for the Z just to keep this thing usable. I can see how this machine would lend itself well to CNC, however for manual milling it's a bit of time consuming effort.

[tauntdesigns]

Hey Airhog,

I heard of others using a spanner wrench on the splines just below the drawbar nut. Still have to use 2 wrenches. Bummer

There's a solid little design I found on another forum that poster added for everyone to use.
I copied these awhile back.... I guess it's alright to post them here, if not let me know and I'll remove them.

Here's the posters' description that goes with them.
It is comprised of a turned down piece of 5/8" brass rod, a spring, and an E clip. I drilled a .312" hole in the front of the spindle drive gear housing, and turned the lock shank down to .310". I tapered the locking end to engage the drive gear, and ground it to adequately clear the rotating gear when retracted. A short spring keeps the spindle lock retracted, and the E clip holds everything together. Depressing the lock a quarter inch securely locks the spindle shaft for tool changes, and it retracts automatically when released. I suppose there is the chance that the lock could be accidentally depressed when the mill is running, so that's why it is made of brass.

[DICKEYBIRD]

I used the silly pin-spanner exactly once. A quick rummage through my toolbox produced a 23 mm, 12 point box-end wrench that fits the spindle splines perfectly.

I cut it down to clear the column in case I forgot & left it attached when the power is turned on. Works great for hand tapping too. Don't forget to keep the drawbar threads and tapered surface well lubricated.

[tmarks11]

Maybe you could adapt LMS' power drawbar system (it was designed for an X2) and the tormach tooling system to your X3:

http://www.littlemachineshop.com/pro...ProductID=2936
http://www.tormach.com/Product_TTS.html

[AirHog]

Thanks for the posts, That first idea is exactly what i had in mind, and is what i did to my X2. I'll probably just tweak it a bit for my specific needs. Now all i have to do is deal with the Z axis.

I have a few motors kicking around, i think I'll give the power feed on the Z a shot, i could probably get away with a few less turns doing it manually if i extended the quill a bit more, but i really upgraded to the X3 for the added rigidity as well as the other obvious reasons. So i'm not to keen on taking two steps forward, one back.

[DREAMCUTTER]

An elegant and very effective solution to replace the spindle lock wrench for X3 and RX45 for efficient tool changing is to use a previously near useless tool called a Bionic Wrench" from loggerhead tools.
The Bionic Wrench is one of those gifts for the guy who has every tool... and usually gathers dust as a cool, but is impractical for common use due to its over engineered design.
However the 360 degree spanner gives perfect grip on the upper spindle, and will release when the handle is let go, and will not fly off in operation. Its a perfect SAFE chuck key in combination with a socket wrench for the drawbar.

Peter
dreamcutter.com

[Starleper1]

Maybe you need one of these..

[Kingjamez]

No fair, picture with no details! Where can we find more info on that HF impact wrench drawbar tightener?

[cornbinder23]

Details can be found here PM25MV

JTCUSTOMS