Square column for mill build

Shawn_Laughlin

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does anyone make/sale a mill column only? Dovetail or boxway z and matching slide only,no motor no x and y,only the column and slide with maybe a system to lower and raise it? Or am I doing to have to try to piece something together from a used mill? I have a grizzly g0791 mill lathe,it’s a g4003g with a round column mill and I want to convert it to a square and I’ve seen where people have done it with there rong fu but they don’t go into detail by any means. I either want to completely build a whole new stand alone machine or just use it as is now on the lathe.

Thanks
 
I doubt you will find anything new that will be cheaper than buying a complete machine.

Here's the one I found on craigslist that got me started down the path I'm on.

column.jpeg


You will probably be dollars ahead to sell what you have and buy what you want, I'm only really doing this for the learning process.

Cheers,

John
 
Check out Bruce Whitam. He sells a kit that may do what you want.
 
I not aware of anyone selling a bench top mill column only. Before undertaking my column build on my G0704, I checked with Precision Matthews if they sold any of their products "unfinished" since I would not be using may of the parts for my cnc conversion process. Matt replied to me that they do not offer an unfinished cnc kit

Attached is my link to my cnc conversion and column upgrade to my G0704. If building your own column interests you, I would ask what machine tools do you have access to build it? I am luck that I have access to a Bridgeport mill and lathe to be able to make most parts. I don't know of the size capacity of your mill/lathe combo, but I spent considerable time planning on how I was going to machine/finish the parts with the tools available. In a few cases, the cuts I needed to make are bigger than the X/Y travel on the mill, so knowing how to re-indicate before machining was important.

Making your own column is not cheap either. As many people have already said, look for a used machine or find a good scrap yard. I needed a thick piece of steel that had a cross section of 3"X 4" that was ~11" long. Checking with the online and local steel suppliers, a piece of cold rolled 1018 would have cost me at least $150. A local scrap yard sold me a piece that was 2.5x3.75x11 for $20. I don;t know what flavor of steel it is ( i assume A36 hot rolled) but for $20 and checking/tweaking my design, I couldn't pass it up.

Here is the link to my build
 
Yes vinnito the prices of steel almost gave me a heart attack when I started pricing but I kinda lucked out as well. I actually build pressure vessels and have plenty of sa-516-70 steel plate at my disposal. Its not The best material but it will work just fine. I’ve git more 3/8 and 1/2” than I know what to do with.

The whole reason I bought the mill lathe combo bc I really have no room at all. I know people are going to question that but really I have not one square foot of extra room.I am a sardine in a can,really and I need my lathe so there is no way to to fit and single thing in my garage. I had to store my moms fridge recently when she moved and it’s still there and with the motorcycle it is stuffed so I have to keep the combo until I get a little more room but do plan on buying a medium size machine or even a Haas cnc mill one day,I’ve just got to get a lot more experience under my belt.

I thought about,if not already a thing, combining a box way and linear rail and make a linear box way. I have 20’ of solid heavy aluminum supported, hardened Linear rail and thought about 4 strips, 2 in the front and two in the back and build a roller assembly that is boxed in like a box way. Don’t know if it’s a good idea or not but I’ve been wanting to bounce that off some people that are more knowledgeable than me on these things. I’ll post a picture of the rails I’m talking about.

I can build anything and weld anything and very good with metal work but I’m limited to what I have at home and work (meaning machining tools) so I have to make everything withvwhat I have.
 
Astjo2, Thanks for the reply. I can find ways but no one lists the prices at all and when you fill out for a quote I hear nothing back bc I’m not a company which really pisses me off. And say I’ve got the ways in hand I’m so knew to this I’m not sure of what I would need. I could figure it out with trials,errors and money but one of those I don’t have a lot of. I’m very new to the machining world and I know no one that does that kind of work either so I’m left asking question and figuring it out and I’m good at problem solving and building but would like for it not to take years to complete and that’s why I would like to buy an assembly.
 
Just to be clear I would absolutely replace the steel rail might even go with good stainless grade.
 

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There have been many discussions on this forum about how to make a round column mill do precision work. You have what appears to be a very capable machine, if you're having trouble getting the results you want from it I would suggest trying to resolve them with your current setup before re-designing it from the ground up. It's very possible you could make the changes you're talking about and still not get the desired results. Sometimes the only solution is a larger, more rigid, more precise machine to do the job, and sometimes you can get it done by modifying the process and/or materials used.

The rail you have might be good for a surface grinder or CNC router, making it work for a vertical column would be challenging to say the least.
Post up some pictures of your shop and the projects you've worked on, or at least tell us what you're planning to do that you don't think the G0791 won't handle. It's easier to figure out how to make one part than building an entire machine, ask me how I know this....

As for storing your mom's fridge I can understand that. I recently moved a bunch of my mom's stuff into a rented storage unit so I could expand my shop. For me it's worth the extra monthly expense to be able to use my garage as a shop rather than storage for stuff that will likely never be used.


Cheers,

John
 
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