Most "ghetto" manual mill, EVER. *56K = Fatality*

[shawnmcgrail]

Well, here it is. Just a small project.

Total costs so far are $75, $40 for the Cross-sliding vice, and $35 for 1" steel tubing, 3-1/2 foot lead-screw and matching ball-screw.

I'll explain as I go as I HATE drawing what I'm making. I prefer to keep it in my head and make up dimensions as problems tend to arise along the way.

Fun part, pictures. (Don't mind my horrid welding)





Thats obviously the frame, a very unsquare frame, as my friend holding the square while I was welding didn't take me seriously when I told him he was holding the square for a reason... All that was fixed soon after though, alot of grinding later.




The cross-sliding vice. Nothing special, just your everyday cross-sliding vice. Moves forward, moves back, left and right. wooo... (casino-rama commercial about excitement? Havn't seen it? )




Where the motor face will go. I chose this piece for two reasons:

1. It gives me the option to move to a router, later on once money is available.
2. It was free.
3. It was free.

Needs to be cut down a little more since I'm going to be doing everything by hand, and not seeing might cause a problem. (CNC conversion later on, need LOTS more money.) The rounded area is the area where I'm going to setup a 5/8 20 pate for mounting the dremel face down. That piece will then be mounted sideways onto the large thick piece (shown earlier). If you think about it, it makes sense. If not, wait. I'll have some plans up eventually as I need some to get a pass.

No plans = no good for shop teacher.

I'll see about some pictures tommorow after I've cut down the lead screw and mounted the ball screw. (MORE drilling and taping, aluminium to steel and brass makes Shawn a sad boy.)

[shawnmcgrail]

More!

I've FINALLY figured out how I'm going to mount the Z-axis sliders, and it looks like its going to work out pretty well!


Going to drill and slap some bolts on there tommorrow along with puting a second piece on the outside.

An area shot, give you an idea of what it will be progressing to.'




Here's a few shots of some of the machines I get to work with everyday.

The Ex-Cell-O is my favorite machine to use, don't know why, just is. I always like finding something to do that involves it.





Theres a whole other room for the MIG welders (5), TIG welders (1), oxy-acetylene torches (5) a couple of presses, bending tools and metal racks.

I've done lots more since I took these pictures, so I'll go and get some tommorow. The Z-axis is stable, but I need to make a support for the lead screw. The mounting for the dremel is made and that huge plate of alu is gone now and being replaced with a little piece that the dremel is threaded into and welded onto the bottom (not yet on though...). I also made that mounting plate so its bolted down, but I can loosen the 3 bolts and it can angle. I believe that was called the C-Axis? I don't remember, read it around here a while ago...

Anyways, heres a rough do on what I have going.

[ZipSnipe]

Now its making sense, looks like ya got good plan there, measure twice, cut once!!!

[shawnmcgrail]

Okay, well its all done now, although no final pictures yet. I'm going to throw it on the truck on Monday, unless I decide to build a table for it... (not sure yet)

Wieghs in around 50Lbs (40Lbs vice...) and it looks, feels, and is pretty sturdy now after I added two more support bars at the front. I'm just not liking the way the base is. Since the cross-sliding vice is so small your reaching pretty far in to get to the handles, which required me to raise the vice up so the handles don't hit the base supports! I guess I'm going to have to look for a full sized table... *sigh* - More money.

Heres a little picture of the front of the mounting for the dremel. Its held in by 2-pins and a 1/2" bolt in the center giving me a C-axis (or A? Correct me, I a smert person!!!11one).



When monday/tuesday'ish comes around I'll get some pictures, then tearing it up for a sanding and complete paint job. Don't know how much I'll get done though, two exams on Tuesday and another Wednesday.

Ugh... High school.

I know that you guys are all laughing at this probably since its so low-end and EXTREMELY inaccurate, so CNC is probably out of the question for this, but with what I've learned so far (and not been able to implement due to funds) from these forums will be greatly beneficial for my next project, when the time comes.

[StealthDumpKits]

How can that guy run a lathe with no arms?

[ZipSnipe]

I know! I had to look twice at that pic!

[shawnmcgrail]

Motion blur, heh.

[shawnmcgrail]

Okay, just for some clarifacation, those motors previously shown, are they two way motors? Or just single?

I have no idea of the proper terms, just forword and reverse for a simple power feed since there is quite a bit of movement on X and Y axis.

Errr, guess I didn't list them, heres a link. Yes, I have the motors in hand.

[shawnmcgrail]

Okay, guess no power feed then...

Heres a look at the brutality that is $20 of metal thrown together with the addition of an $11 Dremel clone.

I REALLY need new support bars, the setup I had started grinding on the one side screwing everything up. Now I have to drop it to the hieght I want, then manually level it.



The way the foot rest is supporting it makes it look like everything is far off, it isn't...




Everything was almost good just bringing it home, but in the end I needed to put a tiny shim under the back end of the vice to level it with the dremel, but either way, I need a new table. That thing is a COMPLETE POS. Theres enough backlash to... to... ...Theres far too much.

[ZipSnipe]

Your getting there !!! I think I would try to find either 1/4 steel or aluminum plate and stick it under the vice and make it big enough to cover your base, that way you got something to bolt the vice to and something that all chips will fall onto and make for easier clean up. And another thing I like about your design is it looks like ya got room to add a bigger table in the future. And If I was the shop teacher at your school I,d make a clean up day and clean shop head to toe, especially those machines that look like their getting abused. Otherwise keep up the good work Shawn !!

[shawnmcgrail]

Originally Posted by ZipSnipe Your getting there !!! I think I would try to find either 1/4 steel or aluminum plate and stick it under the vice and make it big enough to cover your base, that way you got something to bolt the vice to and something that all chips will fall onto and make for easier clean up. And another thing I like about your design is it looks like ya got room to add a bigger table in the future. And If I was the shop teacher at your school I,d make a clean up day and clean shop head to toe, especially those machines that look like their getting abused. Otherwise keep up the good work Shawn !!

Thanks, and yes, every month he makes us clean everything. Those pictures were just taken a day or two before cleaning.

[ZipSnipe]

Every month? No dude it needs to be at least every week , really every day at the end of class, but anyway take a look at some of these guys shops on this forum, becuz of thier cleaniness I started cleaning mine every day and ya know what it looks good, I can work faster without trippin over stuff thats layin around. Just my opinion, do you guys have a cnc machine in the class?