John, regarding deburring....I cannot believe you have never run across one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/General-482-Swivel-Deburring-Handle/dp/B00004T828]Amazon.com: General Tool 482 Swivel Head Deburring Tool with Metal Handle: Home Improvement
I bought a similar tool ~20 years ago, and am still on the original blades! It is an amazing little gadget, sort of like a paring knife for the metal shop. If you really don't have one, or have never considered one I would be happy to order one and send it to you as a gift....but I suspect you have one and simply prefer your SS ruler, lol. Just thought I would offer in the very unlikely event the little gadget has evaded your tool box, I find mine indispensable.
Fish
Yeah, that things been on my list for a full 7 years that I know
of. Enco is also a good place to get them...
But, I have this problem where I like to buy the better bolts for
my machines. The $14 a box, instead of the $6 a box....
Does it make a difference? I think so. I'd say someone would have had
to have been through many, many of them to see the point, though...
Sometimes cheap is good, and sometimes cheap ain't so hot.
Consistency costs a little bit of a premium. It also makes the machines
PITA-free 99.99% of the time....
So the deburring tool drifts to the bottom of the list. On a weekly basis.
The ruler I have has been working great for years and I don't
think the neat tool would work any better. ...but I haven't had the
opportunity for see for myself....yet.
It's still there on the list. But I like those better screws & bolts. Of course
2 seconds after installed, nobody will ever look at them again. But there
are times they do make things go a little smoother.
They sure do add up quickly!
John
These latest 3 MV2 machines are such Nice machines that
I thought I'd put up a link to a few Huge high-res pictures
for anyone interested....
(1.5 MB average)
There's where the detail can Really be seen....
I don't usually upload pictures this big, but these are an
exception.
http://www.microcarve.com/singapore/bigpix/index.php
They're all packaged up and I'm waiting on my wife to
make me some paperwork.
John
Hi John,
I recently found and read through all the posts in this thread you started after a friend showed me photos of a CNC mill he built in his garage. Not your design, but it it opened my eyes to what can be done by the hobbyist. I wanted to express my admiration your work and ask a quick question.
Looking at your machines I'm reminded of a quotation. “Technical skill is mastery of complexity while creativity is mastery of simplicity.” The elegant and functional design of your machines reflect both of these. I hope in the not to distant future to have the pleasure of using one.
As to my question, it is regarding a topic you covered a few months ago:
I haven't used a CNC, but I have made a few parts with manual lathes and mills and agree completely with your statement. So, would these desktop machines be amenable to installing handles and running manually as a learning experience? (I recall you have knobs on the back of you dual shaft steppers.)
Regards,
Victor
Hi Victor,
Thank you Very Very Much! That's Very kind of you!
Handles....
I've considered that a few times, and have even made a few
little crank type handles on a few machines.
But, I'd have to say that it gets boring so quickly that it's
almost not worth the trouble. The beauty (and utility) of the
types of cnc machines we use is that it does complex curves
and work in 3 different planes...and...all at the same time...
Effortlessly....
I installed some handles with the intention of planing some aluminum.
So that I could do whatever adjusting-on-the-fly that I felt I
might be missing otherwise.
The problem I noticed was that it's extremely far from the same
thing on an iron mill. Variance of speed made for a poor surface
finish. Then it was a slow and somewhat painful to do....very tiring.
And it's only practical to turn one handle at a time....a matter of
being able to physically reach it, mainly.
So, by just setting it up to remove material in very small passes,
I ended up just letting the machine handle the job...while I watched.
There are many times when the guys who use cnc'd iron mills set
them up so the motors can be dis-engaged for manual use, and in
those cases, the physical layout of where the handles are, makes
it sensible.
So...all in all, it'll work fine. But it'll get so boring and tiring so quickly
that (IMHO) it's a thing that little is gained from.
...........
I use the knobs on my machines...and wouldn't be without them...
because jogging the machines in very small increments has damaged
$$$ bits a couple times. Little sharp pointed carbide tips crack off easily.
Powered-up stepper motors "Lock" into position. So I just cut off
the applied power and use those knobs for extremely fine adjusting
of position. Then power the drivers back on and reset my X,Y...or
whatever I changed...in Mach3.
It's a Great question. I tried it but got little practical use from it.
Software has such stunningly amazing ability to handle control
to extremely fine levels of detail.
That, plus, software has to be learned anyway... --->
Thanks Again, Victor!
John
FWIW....
Here's a picture of the 3 machines all boxed up and ready to
go. (3 boxes on the bottom)
Packages are about 40 lbs. The boxes are 24 x 16 x 6.
They pack very well...just by good luck....
John
Here's some pictures of an old buffing machine head I used for
many years....
http://www.microcarve.com/zone16/buffhead/index.php
This thing used to run sometimes 18 hrs a day. It had several little
machines that attached directly to the shaft....a sander, a half-fast
lathe....(that worked!), a homemade jigsaw, and a few other things.
It had some of these that had various pulleys to transfer power to the
other things....
Caswell Inc. - Shaft Extenders
One ran a wire brush and one ran a buffing wheel.
Speeds were easy to get to and change with the automotive drive
belt. It had an old blower motor from and old AC unit underneath
that had another stepped pulley to make that really quick & easy.
It was made from mostly spare junk, but the pulleys were cast and
machined in place with alumilite....using old sharpened worn-out files
as lathe tools.
If it could've been measured, this thing was 100% reliable for many years
and surely went to the moon and back a few times.
It used some big wheel bearings from a mobile home. Retaining rings
for the bearings are visible. Those were also machined using the head
itself.
I'll install it again once I get some time. Best buffing head I ever
had. 5 speed!....
I made a lot of machines and parts from cast urethane....
John
You had me stumped for a second. I thought it was a water wheel powered, leather belt driven, CNC router head.....
CarveOne
CarveOne
http://www.carveonecncwoodcraft.com
My morning coffee hadn't fully engaged my brain functions when I first saw the picture John.
I visited an old grist mill in the Kannapolis, NC area three weekends ago. There were demonstrations of corn meal being ground. The old belt driven equipment is still on my mind. There was a meeting of people that collect old farm equipment and one guy who had built a 1910 steam tractor from casting kits that was driving it around the grounds. Seeing stuff like that sticks with me for a while.
CarveOne
CarveOne
http://www.carveonecncwoodcraft.com
I know what you mean....A friend of mine bought an old farm and there's
tons..(literally!)...of old machines and parts everywhere. A big old cane
grinder, all sorts of mills, lots of things I have no clue what they even
are. But, they're inspiring seeing how things used to be done.....
I think it was from when people ordered everything from Sears.
I'm pretty sure of it.
John
Alumilite works so well for pulleys that when I got my 9 x 20 lathe, the first
thing I did was get rid of the very thin drive belts. Converted it to variable
speed using a $20 treadmill motor and quick homemade pulleys.
I did get a decent $100 controller off ebay....Danfoss.
And the belt also from ebay. Those link belts are Great!
It's been 100x better every since. I think I snapped 3 of those narrow
belts within 2 days. 1 day after that...never another problem....
How does that relate to cnc? ....I couldn't imagine making a machine
without a lathe. Even a cheap one like this....
John
A bunch of brass couplings....and the lathe chuck backplate that I use
a lot. It's a thick slab of alumilite. Made on the fly without needing to machine
down an iron one...or order one!
100% reliable. Many-many leadscrews have been turned with no problems
at all...
John
I once had a reprint of a 1909 (I think) Sears catalog that showed the kits. $1,500 was a lot of money for a two story house in those days. $1,500 to $2,500 went a wee bit farther than it does today.
Btw, nice collection of brass couplers John. I use the red link belts on all my machinery once the original belt gets worn.
CarveOne
CarveOne
http://www.carveonecncwoodcraft.com
Thanks!...
$1500 2 story house....
Maybe time machines would be a better pursuit than cnc machines.
My first time with the link belts. I'm amazed at how problem free they are...
now that I think about it for the first time. They've run steady for 3
years now. No slipping at all on the urethane pulleys....
John