Tell us abut your smithy...

[jester69]

Okay, I asked for this forum, so I ought to get something going. I realize 3 in 1's are the redheaded stepchild of the machine tool world, but its all i've got & will do more machining than what I had, a $50 HF drill press, heh.

I just bought mine, it is used but new to me. It is the AT300 from the late 80's when smithy was still in Oregon. Metric leadscrews & scales. Funny bright blue color.

I'd love to hear from anyone that has CNC converted a smithy, I haven't found any pictures or descriptions of how others have done it. Pictures would be gravy!

Also, if you had a smithy but got rid of it, you can tell us what you had.

Hope this gets things going.

take care,

Jester

[sbalder]

I have a Smithy 1220 (base model) that I used for a year and a half before converting to CNC. I fly R/C helicopters and have had an interest in machining my own components. I spent $2000 on the machine with bench and accessories. For someone who had never machined anything before, it's been a great machine, and I made some complex parts with good precision using it as a manual machine. The quality is somewhere between the machines that Harbour Freight sells and the more-expensive import machines on the floor at my local machine supply company. Smithy is local to me and provides good support and advice. For the price range and support I would recommend their machines over Grizzly, Enco, or Harbour Freight.

That's the good. The bad is that the slides and screws are so poor that they would not be a good fit for CNC conversion. I cheated and bought 2 Kuroda linear slides off of Ebay and unbolted the standard carriage and screws. These linear slides give me the precision and range needed for my heli parts. I added a ball screw to the Z-axis, but I get a poor surface finish when machining aluminum due to a lack of rigidity. I'm working to add linear bearings or something to strengthen it up. I've added an extension and a small precision linear slide to the column that allows me to mount a Dremel tool. This gives me a range of about 14"x16" for routing, and I can also cut vinyl decals. When time permits, I will build suitable tool holders so I can use the lathe in CNC. For now, it takes about 15 minutes to unbolt the slides and return the machine to original configuration.

The motors are 270oz (i think?) Nema 23 motors and the controls are Xylotex. I've also recent added a 486 Industrial PC that is dedicated solely to machine control. Coolant is a mist system I built. All told I have a little less than $1000 in the conversion, including pc and software. Software is TurboCAD for design, Deskam for CAM, CNC Simulator, and TurboCNC Dos for machine control.

This has been a great project and a new hobby unto itself. You can see pictures of my machine and projects at:

http://www.runryder.com/helicopter/gallery/2598/

[trilect]

I recently ordered a smithy 1220LTD. I hope I made a good choice, but I've never don't any decent machining before on a good machine so I'll be learning. I'll post pictures when I recieve my crate and set it up.

[MikeAber]

I have a Smithy Granite 1324 that I purchased new about 3 years ago. I find it to be just barely adequate for my needs as a lathe and I do not use the millhead at all since I purchased a gearhead bench mill two years ago. I originally purchased the machine to do gunsmith work and for that purpose the machine is adequate if you take light cuts. The technical support is very good. I have needed to repair the machine 4 times and the machine has served me well. If I could do this all over again I could and would purchase a square column gearhead mill and a benchtop 13 x 40 lathe for the same amount of money.

MikeAber

[goldenoak70]

Hello all, I just got my first Smithy, CB1220XL,Yesterday at a tool auction, Played with it, needs to be cleaned up & readjusted. Looks like it was used hard & put away wet! Need to get manual, Some one welded the Jacobs chuck to the mill shaft. Looks like it has all the gears, wrenches, Tail stock drill chuck. I'm hoping to be able to use it for making parts for a CNC Router I'm working on. Also on CNCZone. Also has a set of end mills. Any one know the age of it, I'll contact Smithy for a manual & parts list.

[cadsolidworks33]

My Dad got the granite 1324 about three to four years ago. The only problem we got from smithy is the relay switch burned out. the start and stop buttons. Smithy company was kind enought o replace it for free. We love it and also we can take the lathe drum off. So we could do milling alot easier. It's a great machine i've done 6" to .25", i just love it. Smithy customer service is a little jumpy over the phone but they give you the info that you need to get your correct toling.


Tim

[Airstorm]

Well, I've seen enough negative notes here to quickly drop in to say my 1324 machine is great... Does it leave me yearning for a Bridgeport, Um... Yeah, what doesn't? It could be tighter, but it works well in a small amount of space, & converts quickly.

I had the motor go bad which took a couple of tries to get diagnosed over the phone (& 1 needlessly smoked controller), but they were very good about it, & didn't charge me. I have since done a custom wiring job to move the electronics out of the gearbox, & into a ventilated box of it's own, added 24VDC control, & a protection scheme that makes sure it waits 3 seconds before reversing. Hopefully no more smoking motors!

I have just finished the electro-mechanical power drawbar system, & things are starting to shape up nicely. Oh, & the DRM I added 6 months ago has made all the difference in final products. After looking at lots of them, I paid $750 for 3 axes and would make recommendation if anyone is looking. Not the best install instructions, but then I have pictures! Or, at least I will try to have some soon.

So, for light duty machining... it's a good choice for those of us who have to make every inch of floor space count. I have a single car garage where the washer, dryer, Harley, & dirt bike all live... But I still have just enough room for the important things in life And no, I don't have to put a car in there, that would be a little tight.

[AirCavVietnam]

Hello to everone that may visit from time to time . I'm "Strickly" a weekend worrier with my Smithy Granite 1324 but as I fumble through what ever project I try the Smithy does manage to get r done . A frind has a Southbend and has played with my machine some and has found some features on it he really likes about it . the varible speed control is "sweet" but as with any tooling machine it has limitations and as long as one adjusts to them good thing can happen. or not -"Murphy"s law- the youger generation may have no knowledge of such . so best wishes to fellow Smithy owner out there.

[twind]

I recently bought a house that came with a Smithy CB-1220 XL Limited and everything you could want with it. I do not know how to use it and frankly do not have the time right now. If there is anyone who would give my smithy a good contact me at twind@aol.com for pictures and details

[cadsolidworks33]

Are you looking for someone to buy the machine?


Tim



FYI My switch blew out again. I got to order another switch from Smithy.

[Airstorm]

If anyone is interested in replacing the crappy electrical setup in their Smithy, I can probably give some direction. I have mine setup with a fair amount of complexity, but it's not too difficult just to replace the switch/relay with something a lot more reliable (not to mention safer).

[cadsolidworks33]

Originally Posted by Airstorm If anyone is interested in replacing the crappy electrical setup in their Smithy, I can probably give some direction. I have mine setup with a fair amount of complexity, but it's not too difficult just to replace the switch/relay with something a lot more reliable (not to mention safer).

Hi Airstorm,

I like to see a different version of the switch for powering up the Smithy machine. We just paid $65 dollars for a new one.



Tim