Mill alone is enough to do a CNC conversion of itself?

[yang_cnc]

I am moving slowly(reading, reading and reading), finally I am ready to order something, either a lathe or a mill.

My situation is:

1. I heard a lathe is easy to start
2. I also heard a mill will take care of 90% of tasks in a shop
3. I really want to cnc the mill, which probably is my ultimate goal.
4. I am hesitate from which one I should start

So my question is: if I only buy a x2 mill, can I rely on it to machine all possible parts to do a CNC conversion of itself? does any part need to be turned during this process?

Any suggestions, will be highly appreciated

[Bubba]

Unless you buy a kit for the exact machine you want to convert, you will need to turn the end of the ball screws to fit the bearings, pulleys/couples, threads for lock nuts etc.

I converted mine and had to use my lathe. Do you have anybody that will let you do the work or do it for you!

[hoss2006]

You can get the turned parts including ballscrews already finished with my complete kit (scroll down)
and make the rest of the conversion parts on the mill itself.
To machine the bearing pocket in the Z Axis Ballscrew Mount, you can use
a boring head, a rotary table or complete the X and Y axis CNC conversion, then use the mill with
Mach 3's Circular Pocket Wizard and lower the Z Axis by hand for each pass.
Each method has been used successfully by others.
Hoss

[Eurisko]

If you can afford to buy both, do it!

A cheap lathe is better than none. My HF 9x20 is a workhorse. Wish the spindle bore was larger (only about 3/4") , but it's capable of machining a 16mm ballscrew. Don't know if a 20mm would fit, though. It's also not as rigid as I'd like, but it gets the job done. Think I paid about $450 for it.

Choosing between a mill and a lathe is like trying to decide which is more important... your arm or your leg ?

[yang_cnc]

Bubba, Hoss:

thanks a lot for the info and help, now I have more ideas

looking at the picture of the leadscrew in Hoss' post, they are pretty long. I am thinking: even if I have a mini 7"x12" lathe from HF, it may not able to handle the turning, right? (I never operate a lathe though, maybe my question is totally off base, if so, please ignore it.)

I do not have any machinist friends, that is why I have to rely on this forum heavily to learn

thank u again

[yang_cnc]

Eurisko:

I admit you are right. I want both.

But currently I would like to buy only one due to budget constrain(considering accessories, bandsaw, grinder, computer(I get a free box from my compant though), eletronics, etc).

So I decide to take it easy, one step one time...

[Eurisko]

Bubba, Hoss:

... looking at the picture of the leadscrew in Hoss' post, they are pretty long. I am thinking: even if I have a mini 7"x12" lathe from HF, it may not able to handle the turning, right? ...

Yang,

The lathe spindle has a bore at the center which allows you to machine rods, bars or ballscrews which are longer than the lathe bed.

The ballscrew sticks out of the headstock. Only a few inches of the ballscrew stick out from the chuck face when it is machined.

[yang_cnc]

ahooo, that is nice to know......

[yang_cnc]

also, one more complex question for me(I believe it is simple for you fine machinists): I read some x2 conversion article, obviously, some holes need to be drilled on the mill.

My question is: how to drill those holes? do I have to use a drill press? it sounds too coarse if I only use a hand power drill, which is not reliable on making straight and accurate hole. But I do not have a drill press

or any other way to drill? is there local machine shop helping to do that for a small fee?

One more question, some x2 conversion(like that of Hoss) mentioned removing some materials from the base of mill, I assume they use grinder(long nose) do that, right? or any other way?

thank yoU!

[ViperTX]

Yang by using a drill guide block you can use a hand drill for most operations that you can't do on a mill or drill press.

Personally, you should buy a mill, a metal bandsaw, a metal lathe....all in that order.

Paul