Tormach, Tts And Other Tooling Systems?

+1 on referencing the tools...
One of the handiest things for me is having a bunch of the drill chucks for TTS. I have 6 small, 2 med. keyless and 2 large. But since i do a lot of drilling (and tapping), I can keep drills referenced for particular thread sizes. We've been developing a tiny custom electrical & RF connector for one of our flight products. This required 6 different drill sizes. I can't imagine trying to do these connectors, having to change and re-reference the bits, every couple holes. Having 6 referenced chucks made the machining a real snap, especially since I make 30 of them at a time.

Though I use it mostly for work, I have done a couple personal projects on it as well. Here's the latest, with detailed shots of a lot of the pieces:
http://www.ericchesak.com/Galleries/DIY/Star-Tracker-III/
Funny that for me, most of the work is in the design and CAM. When it's time to actually machine the part, most of the work is already done.
 
echesak said:
+1 on referencing the tools...
One of the handiest things for me is having a bunch of the drill chucks for TTS. I have 6 small, 2 med. keyless and 2 large. But since i do a lot of drilling (and tapping), I can keep drills referenced for particular thread sizes. We've been developing a tiny custom electrical & RF connector for one of our flight products. This required 6 different drill sizes. I can't imagine trying to do these connectors, having to change and re-reference the bits, every couple holes. Having 6 referenced chucks made the machining a real snap, especially since I make 30 of them at a time.

Though I use it mostly for work, I have done a couple personal projects on it as well. Here's the latest, with detailed shots of a lot of the pieces:
http://www.ericchesak.com/Galleries/DIY/Star-Tracker-III/
Funny that for me, most of the work is in the design and CAM. When it's time to actually machine the part, most of the work is already done.
Click to expand...
Nice work! I like the hex machining! I would be tempted to just cut circular pockets on a hex pattern but if you're going for maximum weight reduction without sacrifcing strength, the hex pockets are supreme.
 
Thanks... unfortunately, it's pretty time consuming to set-up the hex pattern in CAD. But the results are fairly eyecatching. I have a video of the rough machining of these, with a HSS 3/8 rougher. Man, chips were flying everywhere. After I get one of my girls graduated (next May), I think I'll invest in an enclosure for my machine. I get tired of cleaning chips off everything in the garage, as well as the carpet and rugs in the house. They can be stubborn to remove.
 
cjtoombs said:
Tormach has reintroduced the Speeder, a 3:1 step up drive, so you could use that to get up to the 15,000 RPM mark on an 1100, but it doesn't come cheap. It also eats up some vertical real estate, which may be a problem depending on what you are doing. I would like to have one, but until I have a specific need for it, I'm not going to buy it. For me the 1100 was the best choice as well. I have been very happy with the machine, the only problem I have had with it was with the computer, motherboard or video card crapped out. I don't think it was even the original computer.
Click to expand...

Don't buy a speeder. Get a replacement variable speed router motor (DeWalt and others sell motor only 70-80 bucks). Buy precision collets from PreciseBits (and check their website for advice on the current best choice for router motor). Build an inline (not offset) bracket to hold the motor. You now have a variable speed, 1-2 hp, 25K rpm mill spindle; it cost about a hundred bucks and has a runout as good as the router. Which, by the way, is amazing. TIR on three router motors I had was <0.0002" with precision collets (the ones you get with a router are junk). The only drawback is that you lose about 8" on the Z axis with an inline mount, but that's probably irrelevant to anything one does with 1/16" end mills (you still have the full 18 x 9 x & y space). Geat for engraving and other small work.
 
echesak said:
I get tired of cleaning chips off everything in the garage, as well as the carpet and rugs in the house. They can be stubborn to remove.
Click to expand...
Heh, heh... My wife can spot chips in the carpet like you or I could spot a campfire on the beach. Her keen eye misses many things but not chips. Not anymore. It's what you might call a "zero tolerance policy" in my house.

I tell her if i've been a bad boy, she can send me to my shop.

Wrat
 
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