Nothing new, but just a reflection on the RF mill.

[Janderso]

Here is an example of what "sub $600" gets you in my area. The seller started out at $2000.

Rusted RF30 ACRA clone

I don’t see any machine. I don’t do Facebook, is that why?

 

[Janderso]

not missing much..............
View attachment 382000

Some healthy girls.
Hey, this is a family show.

 

[C-Bag]

The basic design of the RF30 is hard to beat for the hobbyist who wants something bigger than a mini mill but doesn’t have the room or need for the Bridgeport class. It’s why even with the RF45 and smaller knee mills available they still offer the 30 and it’s clones. It’s not perfect but it’s not as bad as it’s detractors would have you believe.

While its great it hasn’t been discontinued and parts are still available folks continue to try and refer to new prices to set a sale price. In our area I see RF30 clones starting at $1800-$2000. Those mostly sit while the more reasonable $800-$1200 disappear. The one like in the OP usually stay on forever. I guess if you are silly enough to think rust is “just surface” and of no consequence you’re silly enough to think it should be 90% of new price.

 

[C-Bag]

No can see, don’t do Face Plant.

I don’t do any so called social media. My suspicion of it was totally born out by the recent insider whistleblower leak of internal docs. Without FacePlant and it’s associated apps the world would be a much saner place. And that’s no exaggeration and their internal memos bear this out. It is far more dangerous than the masses who are addicted to its fomenting of outrage can come to grips with.

 

[markba633csi]

An enthusiast. He enthusiastically drilled the heck out of the table
My heart aches for that Acra

 

[jwmay]

Not adding anything really, but my round column mill has been handily making me feel silly for a few weeks now. I quit bothering with speed changes and just run it at 380 or thereabouts. I also indicate off the head if I have to raise or lower. It's actually not a big deal at all. And say nothing of DOC... this thing is fine with heavy ish cuts in steel and aluminum. I bought a knee mill just by chance, and I'm using the rc mill to make things for it. It's much better than I thought. It just needed a more confident user at the handwheels I guess.

 

[Manual Mac]

No mill seen, just girls with exaggerated proportions.
???

 

[Doc Hoy]

Not adding anything really, but my round column mill has been handily making me feel silly for a few weeks now. I quit bothering with speed changes and just run it at 380 or thereabouts. I also indicate off the head if I have to raise or lower. It's actually not a big deal at all. And say nothing of DOC... this thing is fine with heavy ish cuts in steel and aluminum. I bought a knee mill just by chance, and I'm using the rc mill to make things for it. It's much better than I thought. It just needed a more confident user at the handwheels I guess.

Agree. As a possible addition to the original post, after working on gibs and the follower nuts to take out the slop, I have come to believe that the remaining slop will respond to the addition of some shims outside of the bearings. I will report success.

 

[Doc Hoy]

Yes I see them. I will likely use some metal casters. Prolly buy them from Harbor Freight. Kind of anxious to get started now that I have seen yours. Thanks.

Some more on this mill. As, perhaps, you know, the feed shaft followers on this mill can be touched up with an adjustment in the nut itself. Pretty easy to get to the X axis nut. Y axis nut is harder unless a base is designed with an opening in the top surface that allows access to the Y nut. (Planned on my new base) But tightening these nuts ignores play in the shafts created by sloppiness in the design of the end bearings and end bearing journals.

I tightened up the follower nuts as best I could but still had about ten thousandths backlash in the table movement. I detected this as I turns to right X axis handwheel clockwise until the table began to move. Then I turned it the opposite direction and was able to move the handwheel about ten thousandths registered on the handwheel dial. First photo is of the moved handwheel. Almost exactly ten thousands.

 

[Doc Hoy]

Some more on this mill. As, perhaps, you know, the feed shaft followers on this mill can be touched up with an adjustment in the nut itself. Pretty easy to get to the X axis nut. Y axis nut is harder unless a base is designed with an opening in the top surface that allows access to the Y nut. (Planned on my new base) But tightening these nuts ignores play in the shafts created by sloppiness in the design of the end bearings and end bearing journals.

I tightened up the follower nuts as best I could but still had about ten thousandths backlash in the table movement. I detected this as I turns to right X axis handwheel clockwise until the table began to move. Then I turned it the opposite direction and was able to move the handwheel about ten thousandths registered on the handwheel dial. First photo is of the moved handwheel. Almost exactly ten thousands.

So I made two shims from brass stock. The first went between the handwheel base and the dial. This moved the dial closer to the bearing journal to help close the gap. The second shim went between the bearing rider and the bearing. This is actually the surface which holds everything in place.