shoptask 3/1 lathe/mill assembly and mods

[Bloy2004]

Here is the place for assembly of the new Shoptask Bridgmill that arrived shortly.


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[Bloy2004]

Here I am bringing the last item down to the basement.

[balsaman]

Looks sturdy, and nice clean basement.



Eric

[Bloy2004]

Yes.....have been working at it after it flooded with 16 inches of sewer backup this last spring. As for the woodworking, A good habit to get into is to always allow time to vacuum, sweep, or whatever after every job.
By the way, I got the camtronics CNC gecko power supply assembled already and the servo motors are waiting to be installed once the 3 in 1 kit is assembled.
I plan to build a router table using this machine.

[Bloy2004]

For those who like photos....who doesn't?

[Bloy2004]

another pic.

[cncadmin]

Sweet, great area for a machine!

[motomitch1]

nice lookin machine

[Bloy2004]

Thanks all for your comments! Now I have to live up to 'em.
I'll add more pics as assembly and modifications progress.
John

[Bloy2004]

here's a pick just after unloading and removal of crate.
It's not really a kit but to get it in the basement easily, I disassembled it and brought the lighter components down.
Right now I am in the process of repainting the parts a darker color. Geee! If you paint, even with a sixpack of spray bombs, have a way to draw out the overspray or everything gets a dusting. The cardboard barriers I set up weren't adequate.....and my toes turned blue.

[Bloy2004]

Here's some repainted parts. Some have been stripped and others just rubbed with scotch pad(roughed up) and overcoated.
used Rustoleum "Hammered" which seems to be very durable.....when it finally dries.
...can't wait 'til I'll be mounting the servo motors.

[Bloy2004]

I've been tweaking things as they are put together. The yellow Arm on the right is the mill head support to remove vertical deflection. I will modify this to also minimize fore and aft movement ....maybe rebuild it entirely and turn the spider(not shown here) 90 degrees to the end. Clearances will determine feasibility.

[Bloy2004]

Here's a little problem. Dan from camtronics sent the servo mounting plates. I test fitted this one and found that the counter bore for the motor mount flange is a bit too small for the collar of the motor. If the plate is flipped it fits flush, but of course then the counter bore is on the inside. I know Dan's been real busy so I can underestand this slipping by him. I'll see if he has another one with the correct bore diameter and on the right side of the plate. No big deal as there are many things to do before this machine will be running.

[Bloy2004]

Here's a shot of the undercarriage and a peek at the ball screw nut behind its mount.

[anoel]

Hey, wait a minute. Don't you have a Shoptask machine? Open the bore on the Servo plate with the lathe...

Sorry, not trying to be a smarty pants but that was just screaming to be said...

[Bloy2004]

Ya, I thought of just "fixing" it after the machine is up and running, but I would be embarrassed to send out an item like this to a customer. Things I didn't mention were:
1. The plate is already marginal thickness for rigidity, so trimming off the top edge will structurally weaken it further, although I may add standoffs to the unsupported corners.
2. the plate is not square. The top edge is a good .25in shorter than the bottom edge. This dosen't affect performance and will not be seen often, but it bothers me. This plate came with the servos and I would kinda like the part to be somewhat accurate.
3. I don't have access to aluminum(yet) in this small town and would have to order materials.

As long as I can remember(which is getting shorter) very few items shipped to me are as prescribed. Most all need some sort of alteration, mending, missing replacement parts, etc. This was supposed to be a simple square plate. I'm guessing that it was bored out with a cnc machine that didn't make a perfect circle, judging from the mill marks.

Where is our pride in craftsmanship?

[anoel]

Yeah I feel your pain... Stuff like that I totally expect to have to futz around with after I get it anymore. But I'd have expected the Square to be... well, "square". But for that very reason is why I've gotten into the DIY mindset. I Hate buying things that I can make myself.

But you did pay for the mounts. So You should probably ask Camtronics to correct the problem...

I'd be tempted to make my own with the shop task after it was running in manual mode just to have an excuse to use the machine for the first time. (At least you get it made to your own satisfaction. No disappointment)

A couple of hours and some 1/4" thick Aluminum. Not too bad.

(I'm jealous of the shoptask BTW.... )

[Bloy2004]

Thanks Anoel,
The lathe wasn't without its issues. Right now(well, right now I'm typing) the x axis lead screw cover is undergoing reshaping so both the carriage and tail stock can slide freely to their full distances without scraping and dragging on the cover/guard.

[Klox]

Bloy,
I like the way how the stand of the machine is designed. Why did you do a color change?........just curious!
I like your place it looks well organised and CLEAN!

Klox

[Bloy2004]

Hi Klox,
Sorry I wasn't here to quickly answer you. My computer was probably online, but I was down taking play out of the mill feed and planning the new fifth collumn support.
Although I liked the original yellow, I changed the color based on a few factors.
1. While taking the machine apart I noticed many components were painted assembled. Breaking the painted joints left uneven lines and many times contrasting chips....too many to touch up.
2. Some oiler caps were painted over and removal of paint was easiest just to put the whole part in paint remover.
3. A darker color, in this case my wifes favorite, will not show the soiling so blatantly once the machine is put to use. If I know myself, I will leave a project pending to do another(especially for work-i'm a woodworker) and I won't be wiping down the machine after each use. Chips, however, will be removed.
4. Just to give it a personal feel. It's the first metal lathe/mill I've had other than a used Craftsman 7 incher modified with a cam lever to apply pressure to the worn out split nut.

I expected this when saving for, researching and ordering the shoptask as it is one way they keep the price down. To get a machine with individually masked and painted components would cost dearly.
John M