12z Update And Status After A Year.

The ball screw kit is here. Coolidge, there are brackets for each end of the screws. A nice feature is the ball nut mounts already have fittings to hook them up to my oiling system, and the Y-axis mount has a brush to keep the larger junk out of the ball nut. :)

I will get started this weekend when the temps here get above 40.
 
Bill do you have one of these, it might be helpful to check that the mounting surfaces are parallel with each other. Even Y on your mill is fairly long front to rear, the longer the distance the more an error will magnify at the opposite end. Just thinking out loud. I had one of these for wood working, its pretty accurate.
 
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And here's the VFD control box Paul sent (I just asked for a schematic and recommend parts list...).
IMG_0623.jpg
 
Y-axis screw assembled, working on the X-axis ball nut mount.
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Oops... Houston we have a problem. The ball nut nose OD extends below the ball nut mount surface that interfaces with the saddle. I was not given instructions about having to mill/grind a clearance pocket for the ball nut nose, so I sent Paul an email for clarification.
IMG_0625.jpg

So I guess I've reached a stopping point until I hear back from Paul. Hopefully he isn't taking all of next week off...
 
Looks to me like you know what you have to do, start milling that slot!

The other choice would be to make a shim/spacer to lift the housing up, but I am guessing that if you do that you might not have enough clearance to the mill table?
 
Good question. I think tomorrow I will flip over the mill table and test mount the ball nut mount on the saddle and slide them together to see just how much 'headroom' I have. Thanks Tim.

If lacking the necessary headroom, I already have a 3/8" ball endmill identified... :)

(sure am glad I have a backup mill)
 
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