Overview of our Shoptask Experience

[devinchi]

Well we have had our Eldorado in the shop since the 18th of Dec. Hopefully tomorrow we will be able to actually get some chips cut by it. (These will be the 1st chips!!)

We have had a string of little issues with the machine since we got it assembled here. Most of them were minimal, but the issue that I just solved is just DUMB. From the other forums about these machines I know I am not the only one with this problem.

The key inside the R8 spindle for the mill head is too big. This means that the sloppy collets that came with the machine fit in, but not a single other R8 collet would fit, either american made, or import. SO this means that i had to tear the WHOLE mill head apart, and remove the key, so I could remove .050" off it to make the collets fit. This is just crazy in my mind. It took me a full day to disassemble the head, fix the issue, and re-assemble it.


Although many say this machine is nothing short of great, I am so far less than impressed....... hell you can't even bring the head up to full height in some the gears, due to pulley interference!

[Rekd]

[Bloy2004]

Hi Devinchi,
I too have a key inside the mill spindle that is waiting to be shaved down. I picked up a nice set of r8 collets on eBay and finally got around to needing to use them. But, the keyways are too shallow for the deeper key in the spindle. Yah! That was crazy. I'm going to get a collet holder with inserts anyway so i'm not going to take it(the key) out until I have to.... That may be sooner if the collet holder keyway can't be deepened.
What's going on with that belt/pulley interference? I didn't notice any restrictions other than the crank hits the protective hood, but only when it is about as high as it goes?
I'm not saying much negatively because I know that for the price this shoptask is well worth it. I WILL say that some of the places they chose to cut costs on the machine were inappropriate....yet nothing that can't be rectified by the user.

[Bloy2004]

Another thought....
I don't know yet if there is a standard for keyway depth on R8 collets, but if so then shoptask would be wise to follow it. Maybe some extra communication with the china plant on quality control.
There is no need to have the key so deep as the collet is pretty much drawn tight and locked with only a sliver of a key.

[devinchi]

Here are 2 pics of the interference we have with the top plate of the quadra lift and the pulleys.

They are rather large pics, so I am not posting them directly.

http://fareast4x4.com/shop1.JPG
http://fareast4x4.com/shop2.JPG

This shows that we have interference with 2-3" of travel left in the head.....and this interferes in more gears than not. So we have all the travel advertised, but just not in all gears. And for some of the gears we whould have to take a SIZEABLE chunk out of the upper plate to have it clear.

[Bloy2004]

I see your problem.
I can only suggest to go with a shorter belt from the spindle pulley to the idler pulley. I have the Bridgemill model and so far it clears. This may be a problem here too though if I select a slower speed and the pulley centers change with the belt location. I will find out in the future when I need a slower speed and change the belt groove selection. Its how the pulley ratios are that may change the pulley centers.

[Bloy2004]

Devinchi...
Noticing your DRO... I sure want to add that to my machine for manual use. I was making a part with a bore and went too visual and made the bore too large. Fortunately it wasn't critcal as the mounting holes surrounding the bore still landed in solid metal.

[devinchi]

Ya, we got the Shoptask as a CNC, and just decided to step up and get EVERYTHING. So it has the CNC, Ballscrews, DRO, all the toys.

We finally got the machine up and firing on all cylinders. Some inexpensive wood proto's today. tomorrow...metal!

[BarnBurner]

I've never run a Shoptask, but when I looking into my first personal machine, I lucked out and got an original Emco M8; one of the last built in Austria. Now they are all farmed out to Taiwan, or the current lowest bidder.

The great thing about it is that the milling head bolts on the back of the lathe, in the middle. Looking at the Shoptask, with the milling head on the headstock, I couldn't see how much could be done except drilling holes in the chuck!

And the EMCO is all gear driven, no belts. The only bad (good) thing about it is that the screws (longitudinal feed, mill head height) are 16 TPI, so it is really precise but takes forever to raise the head.

Are there any advantages a Shoptask has over an EMCO?

[ESjaavik]

Originally Posted by BarnBurner I've never run a Shoptask, but when I looking into my first personal machine, I lucked out and got an original Emco M8; one of the last built in Austria. Now they are all farmed out to Taiwan, or the current lowest bidder.

I have not seen Emco in many years. Are you sure you don't confuse it with Enco? (I assume that was Enco's intention.) They are what you describe.

[BarnBurner]

They are still alive and well:

http://www.emco.at

They mostly do CNC now; they have a mill the size of the Taig that was something like $17,000! (http://www.desktopcnc.com/emco.htm)

'This Austrian based company has made machine tools since 1947, note this is not to be confused with the Far East company Enco. With interchangeable options the mill can mimic the control operations of Fanuc, Heidenhain, Siemens or EMCOtronic.'

Blue Ridge machinery handles the parts and accessories, but I don't think Emco makes the Mill/Drill anymore.

I have heard of the Enco, and that probably was intentional. I don't think they were nearly the quality of Emco. I couldn't find much at their site, the script that lists the products keeps crashing!

[Cruiser]

at a glance and not having the tri-power i want i'd first have to say it looks as the pullys have been mounted upside down and backwards ? is it a possibility ? it would make for a lot more room if large end was opposite