I am a newbie to all of this but have been debating different build options for a small milling machine. One of the ideas I've been considering is using a milling/cross slide table for the z axis. There are a couple different options available. One would be a tilting table. This would allow me to tilt the head at different angles. The other option would be a basic cross slide. This would give me up and down movement as well as left and right. My thought process is that these tables can be found for relatively cheap and appear to be pretty stout and sturdy. I would like mount the T table to the column and then fabricate a way to mount the spindle to the base. Any thoughts or suggestions? I'm not worried about extreme accuracy. Budget is a big driving factor. Here are some links to a couple of the options I'm looking at.
You may want to lay out your needs for a Z axis.
How high is the lowest stationary part of the axis above the table. IE how tall of a workpiece do you need under the axis.
How far should the cutter extend below the lowest point from above.
Use those two figures to calculate the Z axis stroke and clearance.
X axis range is simply the range of that slide.
To add clearance you’ll have to hang the spindle far below the slide which makes it less rigid.
You are absolutely correct. I am picturing things in my head but I do think I need to consider different material dimensions and then put it all on paper. What I have "pictured" could be completely different than reality lol.
I do have some heavy steel tubing that I was considering using for the spindle shaft housing (not sure if that's the correct term). It's approx 1 5/8"od and 3/4id. I was thinking about using some sleeve bearings on the inside and then running the spindle shaft through it. I would think that would give me a significant amount of rigidity. Hopefully that makes sense!
Besides those factors do you see any other real issues with the idea? Another option that I was considering is one of the milling tables for a lathe. Mount the T table to the column and the spindle to the base. Below is a link to one option.
Using Milling Table For Z Axis?
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