I have made the decision to CNC it!

DMS,

As for the screws, yes CNCFusion indeed have the longer screws already set up for the longer axis in the X & Y directions. Which is what I am going to do and I don't believe that I will use the LoveJoy couplers either.

Just a thought, but you might want to buy a rotab rather than spend the money on the entire CNCFusion kit, excellent though it is.

Your mill together with a rotab (or maybe a boring bar, or even a hole saw), is quite capable of performing the necessary machining to make the parts for mounting the steppers.
Maybe a little simpler in design than the CNCFusion items, but just as functional and at a minimal cost in comparison.

Steve has been helping me greatly with my X1 conversion which is nearly finished and the design follows the 'KISS' principle, pics in a week or so.

M

P.S. I'm with you on the 'Lovejoys' :))
 
Yes Steve that would be great, picking the right boards and stuff is way out of my league. I can put the stuff together, but knowing what to get at the right price that will be compatable with the powersource and all is another story.

7HC,

I have considered that, right now, as for tooling, I am a lil on the low side, though I have been trying to scrounge here and there. If I had the dia that I would need for the fitting of the motors, I could go to the scrap yard to see what they have there. They have all kinds of alum plate there.. different sizes.

Something else that I have set into the planning stages down the line would be a quickchange tooling, not automated, though that would be nice. But either the Royal Easy Change or the Tormach quick change.. One thing is, the Tormach is less expensive on the wallet.

Doc
 
CNC is one thing I never saw myself getting into. I like the more personal contact with the work.

However ... After I woke up this morning, the thought occurred to me that some three-dimensional shapes, such as engraving "Honda" on a domed cover plate, can best be done by CNC. I have a mini-mill that I have recently been thinking of selling, just because the other two mills are seeing all the work.

Now, it's starting to make sense to CNC the mini, as a long-term project.

I hate you guys. :rofl:
 
Welcome to the club, though it might be a small one on this site, I like the family feeling I get here rather than the other site. Though that there may be a lot info on the other one. It sometimes goes way over my head!

Doc
 
Yes Steve that would be great, picking the right boards and stuff is way out of my league. I can put the stuff together, but knowing what to get at the right price that will be compatable with the powersource and all is another story.

7HC,

I have considered that, right now, as for tooling, I am a lil on the low side, though I have been trying to scrounge here and there. If I had the dia that I would need for the fitting of the motors, I could go to the scrap yard to see what they have there. They have all kinds of alum plate there.. different sizes.

Something else that I have set into the planning stages down the line would be a quickchange tooling, not automated, though that would be nice. But either the Royal Easy Change or the Tormach quick change.. One thing is, the Tormach is less expensive on the wallet.

Doc

Virtually all stepper motors used for CNC are the square end NEMA style. For your conversion you'll probably be using NEMA 23 0r NEMA 34, which is a standard relating to the dimensions of the front end.

For instance, go here: http://www.kelinginc.net/NEMA23Motor.html and click on 'specifications' for any of the motors and it will bring up a schematic of the dimensions.

As for quick change tooling, I quickly found out that most machining processes happen slowly, so unless you're going to run a production line I'd go for 'easy change' rather than 'quick change'. ;)


M
 
7HC,

Thanks for that link, I do appreciate that.. Question: For moving the Z axis, should a 23 or a 34 be used?

Doc
 
my opinion is,
you dont need 34's for this mill, i'm always for more power but it is not required. the only way i would suggest it is if you intend to take these parts and install them on a larger mill later, then you can save money in the long run.
steve
 
Well I was looking at the link that 7HC provided, I see that the 23's are the 425 oz models are usually the ones that most folks get, correct. Would the 570 oz be a better option or just stay with the 425's?
 
the 425 will be fine
the problem will be finding that in a kit ( the 34 with the right 23's )
if your mill head is a little heavy add a lift cylinder
but mgp in the x2 thread is having no problems
take my advice and spend the difference in cost on a uc100 controller
check out the vids in my lathe build to see the difference
http://www.hobby-machinist.com/showthread.php/8692-9x20-Lathe-CNC-conversion
post #34 also read about that breakout board. and my fix
steve
 
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