You absolutely keep an eye on that butt weld on the front down tube. It scares the crap outa me. Do you have a spud on the inside? If not I'd seriously consider welding half round patches on both sides of your weld joint.
Mill/Lathe
- Thread starter Dan
- Start date
That's pretty close to what my CNC router looks like, but mine is on a steel chassis... Mine uses a 1/2 hp motor on a flex shaft to the spindle and it can cut wood like butter and is capable of doing some soft metals, I've made a few copper exhaust gaskets with it to see if it would do it and it did the first 2 just fine but copper work hardens and it began to chatter badly on the third one I was cutting on the sheet. In order for me to do more of these I would have to cut the sheet down first, then anneal the pieces and cut out one or 2 at a time.
What's nice tho is I can get a better spindle motor like a pulse modulated DC motor so I can have the much needed torque at a very low rpm, then it would cut thru metals considerably better. I was looking at a 800 watt brushless dc spindle which would fit my mount and the price is still not that bad, but once you get above the 1.5 kw level with these motors and their driver circuits, that's where the price really jumps since the stronger motors are still rather small and require liquid cooling and a driver circuit that can take the additional power.
I was also thinking about using one of those brushless motors in the lathe since I could have triple the power and torque for close to the same size, these motors are pulse width modulated so that's how they can produce such awesome torque at lower rpm's, the power going in is the same, but it's modulated and it does it so smoothly you would never know the motor is going on/off several times a second to control the speed.
It would have to be a real good drill press to have collets, like a Shipley. Then you could for sure use your drill press to mill but it seems like only the best old school machinist still have one and most have a K&T Horizontal Mill to go with a Bridgeport Vertical Mill so they are not needed for such use, a good thing. I'd hate to have to replace the bearings in a Shiply...
I do hope you guys have checked out the machinists I put up links for, especially Keith Fenners' and Adam Booth's videos. Keith is like having a machine instructor giving private lessons and Adam has a part he will have to do a weld build-up then turn the part back to size. What makes this different than any other weld build-up is it's done on the lathe with the part spinning....
He has a oxy/ acyt setup that introduces powdered metal into the flame making it like a plasma metal sprayer. I've seen him rebuild some badly grooved shafts with this device. He's the only guy on youtube that can do this. It's an amazing thing to watch.
Argghhh! math %&$&^$&&*
1.5 x 25.4, divided by 0.06mm = a wrench being flight tested. Good wall, short flight.
But was good and no actual wrenches were harmed. Got the dang holes to line up and next time will be easy-er. snork
1.5 x 25.4, divided by 0.06mm = a wrench being flight tested. Good wall, short flight.
But was good and no actual wrenches were harmed. Got the dang holes to line up and next time will be easy-er. snork
I have to use math everytime I play golf, to keep up with how many balls I've lost! Sometimes I forget how to count,
(I don't cheat of anything I just "forget" a few that loose themselves.)
(I don't cheat of anything I just "forget" a few that loose themselves.)
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LOL w/ ya both. Ayup an' for sure.
Actually kinda proud of finally getting that right. Needed 2 holes 1.5 inches apart. Dang dial is in mm's. @ 0.06! Took an hr but figured it out, eventually.
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Keep forgetting this. The "thumb press", bearing fitting works great! Chill the bearing and heat the housing and it pops right in. So far, so good.
The shop is 30 to 40F most days, so chilling was not hard.
Actually kinda proud of finally getting that right. Needed 2 holes 1.5 inches apart. Dang dial is in mm's. @ 0.06! Took an hr but figured it out, eventually.
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Keep forgetting this. The "thumb press", bearing fitting works great! Chill the bearing and heat the housing and it pops right in. So far, so good.
The shop is 30 to 40F most days, so chilling was not hard.
Dan That's the same way you install a flywheel ring gear, I was amazed the first time I changed one. I knocked the old one off and just heated the new gear with a aceteline torch, it dropped right on, then I tapped it down flush and let it cool.
Dan this might be cheating but all I do is adjust my digital calipers to 1.5 inches then hit the button that switches to mm.
Just amazed me Greg. And thank you for saying that. I was thinking it to good to be true. That there was not enough interference and it would work it's way out.
So easy and worked.
So easy and worked.
Are you talking about the welds part way down the front tube? Not to worry, one place was only partially cut and the other I slipped a piece of tube inside to weld to.
Two major things. I have the drill press base nicely braced against the drill press post yet there is still a good bit of chatter up and down, on the order of .002-.006". The other thing is that it is really a pita to dial in my height. But it beats nothing and does an ok job of making slots if you dont mind cleaning them up.
"...slipped a tube inside..." That's a spud. Usually you want to drill some good sized holes in the outside tube then weld the inside tube to the outside. The spud then has like a "lug" that sticks out and keys the two parts together.
I was building a race car roll cage for one of my cars. Somehow even though I measured twice ended up being 4" short of meeting the floor at the right angle. I drilled 6 holes in both of the parts to be joined and hammered a turned machined spud in. I wanted it as tight as I could make it. When it went through tech I told them what I'd done, they inspected it closely and passed it. Backing broken tubing is common and as long as it's done right they will pass it. They could see the weld "rivet" heads, I didn't grind them down and try to hide, that for sure makes a weld weaker and makes a tech inspector really upset. They figure you're trying to hide something when you don't need to
But still, you check that after every ride like clockwork. It only takes seconds and it could save you major roadrash
Since most of the load is a pulling apart type it should be fine. If it had high side loads I might have went a little further. I like to sleep good at night so I try to do things in such a manner that I feel they won't fail. I have done things like taking out a load bearing wall on the ground floor of a two story house. Good eye you have though, most people wouldn't catch that or realize the potential danger.
How is Boise these days? I partied a number of times there years ago. I grew up outside of Grangeville ID down on a river called the Clearwater.
How is Boise these days? I partied a number of times there years ago. I grew up outside of Grangeville ID down on a river called the Clearwater.
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In a word, wet
I've been through Grangeville, we didn't stop though, on our way somewhere else, I think we fished some in the Clearwater on our way to some lake, can't remember what lake it was, too long ago.Yeah, about the frame. I went on a short tour with a friend that ran a USAC Midget. it was part of my job for them paying my way to inspect the welds for cracks and use pliers to try and crush the aluminum plumbing fittings in the fuel system. Pure methanol eats aluminum like crazy and after a while turns into crumbly powdery garbage and you need to catch it before it breaks at 100 MPH... I found 2 small cracks after a unplanned exit into a rough infield. They weren't broken apart but we ground "V"'s in the crack and TIG them back good as new and kept on the tour. It was a madhouse torture tour, we raced 11 times in 3 weeks. Made money, won one
Tony is a killer driver
Just amazes me how much you folks teach me. Odd lil tidbits here and there so my wee lil brain can keep em. Just cool and thanks.
I really enjoy these conversations and the information so freely given always comes in handy some where down the road. We live in great times. With internet and chatting in almost realtime over many miles. Would never have "met" with out these magic boxes.
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Quick question. What is the advantage of a 4 or 3 jaw chuck? Littlemachineshop.com has a special on a 4 and would like to get it. Just wondering.
Found this;
"Benefits of a 3-jaw:
1. self-centering
2. can hold hex bar-stock
3. quick and easy to use.
Disadvantages of a 3-jaw:
1. can't hold square bar-stock
2. run-out/off-center can't be easily fixed
3. can't hold irregularly shaped work
4. can't turn off-center
Advantages of a 4-jaw:
1. work can be centered to high precision
2. can handle square/rectangular bar
3. can turn work off-center
4. slightly more grip on round stock
Disadvantages of a 4-jaw:
1. slower/fiddlier to mount work (dial-indicator required)
2. can't hold hex-stock"
http://www.mini-lathe.com/Mini_lathe/Chucks/4_jaw/4-Jaw.htm
I really enjoy these conversations and the information so freely given always comes in handy some where down the road. We live in great times. With internet and chatting in almost realtime over many miles. Would never have "met" with out these magic boxes.
===============================================
Quick question. What is the advantage of a 4 or 3 jaw chuck? Littlemachineshop.com has a special on a 4 and would like to get it. Just wondering.
Found this;
"Benefits of a 3-jaw:
1. self-centering
2. can hold hex bar-stock
3. quick and easy to use.
Disadvantages of a 3-jaw:
1. can't hold square bar-stock
2. run-out/off-center can't be easily fixed
3. can't hold irregularly shaped work
4. can't turn off-center
Advantages of a 4-jaw:
1. work can be centered to high precision
2. can handle square/rectangular bar
3. can turn work off-center
4. slightly more grip on round stock
Disadvantages of a 4-jaw:
1. slower/fiddlier to mount work (dial-indicator required)
2. can't hold hex-stock"
http://www.mini-lathe.com/Mini_lathe/Chucks/4_jaw/4-Jaw.htm
Its funny but my lathe came with a big 4 jaw and never used it for a few years. My lathe set for a quit a few years before i bought it and slowly cleaned it up. Then one day i doug it out and glad i did. It is a 4 jaw with a sepperat ajuster that move all 4 jaws at the same time,then you can also move each one individually. Now i use it most of the time. Don't have a dial-indicator yet just set the cutting tool close untill it hits even.
What else is cool is it came with a drill chuck that screws on the spindle so i can use it to chuck small shafting up to 3/4"round stock. More acurate the 3 jaw ...........Curt
What else is cool is it came with a drill chuck that screws on the spindle so i can use it to chuck small shafting up to 3/4"round stock. More acurate the 3 jaw ...........Curt
Can't take the setup/tear down every time I need the mill or lathe and am set up for the other, any more.
So getting this ASAP. Any one have a 25% coupon? I have a bunch of 20s.
http://www.harborfreight.com/two-sp...machine-44991.html#pr-header-back-to-top-link
To set up the mill portion, have to set a work block. Takes 10 mins or so. But if your going back and forth, it is a huge and tedious endeavor only to be immediately torn down and reversed.
So getting this ASAP. Any one have a 25% coupon? I have a bunch of 20s.
http://www.harborfreight.com/two-sp...machine-44991.html#pr-header-back-to-top-link
To set up the mill portion, have to set a work block. Takes 10 mins or so. But if your going back and forth, it is a huge and tedious endeavor only to be immediately torn down and reversed.