[How-To] Trying to decide what to do with linear rails.

[Safety Crocs]

So I'm looking for a purpose for a bunch of linear rails that I salvaged from an industrial robot. I have a literal bucket full of 20mm rails (measured the width of the base of the rail.) of lengths ranging from 6" to 14", and two 28mm rails about 8' long with two bearing blocks each. The machine would have made an absolutely amazing starting point for a 4'x8' CNC router, however, I had neither the ability to move nor the space to keep the absolute beefcake of a frame.
Anyway, I really want to get into machining and am interested in building a lathe or mill.
I'm wondering how suitable these rails would be for the project
While my goal is to keep the price reasonable my main concern is building a more capable lathe/mill than I could have bought for the same amount.
I there a good place to shop for parts other than ali express, Ebay, and Amazon? I live in the US.
I'm really just thinking out loud as I'm starting my research so any and all thoughts/advice is welcome!

 

[matthewsx]

So I'm looking for a purpose for a bunch of linear rails that I salvaged from an industrial robot. I have a literal bucket full of 20mm rails (measured the width of the base of the rail.) of lengths ranging from 6" to 14", and two 28mm rails about 8' long with two bearing blocks each. The machine would have made an absolutely amazing starting point for a 4'x8' CNC router, however, I had neither the ability to move nor the space to keep the absolute beefcake of a frame.
Anyway, I really want to get into machining and am interested in building a lathe or mill.
I'm wondering how suitable these rails would be for the project
While my goal is to keep the price reasonable my main concern is building a more capable lathe/mill than I could have bought for the same amount.
I there a good place to shop for parts other than ali express, Ebay, and Amazon? I live in the US.
I'm really just thinking out loud as I'm starting my research so any and all thoughts/advice is welcome!

Hello and welcome,

It's too bad you couldn't get the table since a strong platform will be needed for building a capable machine. As someone who built a CNC mill/drill from pieces I hate to tell you that you'll want a mill and a lathe to do this project. Building either for than less than what a decent used machine costs is also a tough thing.

Homemade vertical mill drill

Well, I guess I'm gonna try to make myself a mill for cheap. I found this column on Craigslist for $80. And I ordered this spindle I can power with a VFD I already have. And I'm going to get one of these cheap x-y milling tables. And probably look for a really flat piece of C channel...

www.hobby-machinist.com

The materials you have would work for making a CNC router of some kind, add some steppers, pulleys, controls and other assorted bits and you'll be on your way.

What kind of projects are you interested in besides building a machine?

John

 

[Safety Crocs]

Whoever built the first machine tools without machine tools was a real badass haha. I don't have my heart set on anything in particular for the rails, I just want to use them for something good, not to mention I just really want a lathe/mill. I run a small carpentry business, but I play with everything from welding to 3d printing. The CNC router would be great, but I am limited in space and can't really justify anything less than 4'x8' capabilities.

Nice build, what is it about making your own tools that is so satisfying? Do you think that ball screws were necessary or could you have gotten away with lead screws?
Also, have you tried milling steel with it?

 

[matthewsx]

I got tools to make tools to fix my tools for makin tools….

I started with a cheap x/y table but for CNC ball screws are pretty much required. I have dine a little steel but not terribly successful, have an RF30 now so hopefully I’ll get back to making parts for the CNC to be able to use it. I’d be happy to make delrin parts though.

Best advice if you want to get started is buy a decent lathe. Old is fine, bought my Seneca Falls for $300 and the Samson for $850.
John

 

[Safety Crocs]

What are your thoughts on the old craftsman benchtop lathes? They are the only thing I have found in that price range in my area.

 

[matthewsx]

What are your thoughts on the old craftsman benchtop lathes? They are the only thing I have found in that price range in my area.

Lots of folks do good work with them, I had one and wouldn’t hesitate to get another if I was in the market.

Post what you find and we’ll give more thoughts. But, be ready with cash in hand when something comes up that looks good.

There are plenty of threads on here to tell you what to look for.

John

 

[Zack]

What are your thoughts on the old craftsman benchtop lathes? They are the only thing I have found in that price range in my area.

I ran an old Craftsman 618 for 8 years before I found a larger one. It got me by and I was proud to have it. You'll eventually want to get a bigger one though.

 

[mmcmdl]

Can you post a pic of your rails ? I have quite a few which are headed to the scrap yard if you could use them . Have linear bearings , Thomson rod , DROs , angled rails etc laying around also along with some motors .

 

[Safety Crocs]

Sure! I would definitely be interested. I would have to move a bunch of stuff to get a better pic.

 

[Inferno]

You don't have to build a 4x8 CNC to make it worthwhile.
I've been taking a break from building a 2x4. It's plenty big in the garage. A 4x8 would take most of the garage.
On a whim I bought a handful of linear rails. Now I have a half-built 12x12x12 3d printer on my coffee table. It sounds like you could build a 8x8x8 3d printer.