[sdubfid]

Hello,

New to this section of the site. Saw a local rf-45 mill on craigslist and was researching and stumbled upon the benchtop forum and realized I had to have one.

Ordered an IH clone machine and 6" glacern vise from mtw in Ontario. I'm in Vancouver, BC. Expecting to see it in 1-2 months.

Looking to convert it to cnc and have been reading the builds on this forum for hours. Some huge talent in this forum.

Basic plans:
3 axis to start with planning ahead for 4th axis

Next up:
vfd/belt drive spindle

Dream:
homemade toolchanger for production work


Can't wait to get going on this project. I'm sure I will have MANY questions.

[gd.marsh]

Welcome to the '45ers gang ..

Looking forward to another conversion thread .. be sure to take lots of pictures and keep us abreast of your progress as you get going ..

Gary

[pete from TN]

You will love th Rf45, and the IH clone is just more of it to love.... Once they are cnc that is a whole nother level of love.... I was sitting out in the shop last night watching the machine I built precisely machining a complex wheel I designed and I gotta say I never get tired of watching it move.... Especially the complex contours.... It is just amazing. I am so hooked on this stuff I am probably gonna sell my other hobbies and precision airguns to fund a more commercial oriented machine with auto toolchanger and everything. Of course I am still gonna try to build a toolchanger for my Rf45 Lathemaster.... The added travels of the IH machine are a huge bonus you will find, If i had the cash and knew they exhisted when I bought my mill I would have definitely gotten one of them. I am quite happy with mine tho...

The power of these machines is quite considerable for a benchtop mill, I used to have a small knee mill here for awhile and while it was very slightly more rigid I really can take pretty much the same cuts with this machine and since it is CNC I usually just let the machine run fast and take medium cuts most of the time. It is really amazing how quickly this mill can snap an endmill when you make a mistake!!

This forum is a considerable wealth of knowledge and information and there are quite a few guys doing conversions on this type mill here so you are in good company. Good luck with your build and don't hesitate to ask questions.... peace

Pete

[cyclestart]

Which model did you order ? I haven't contacted Pat since July, at that time he hoped to ship my machine in September. Dealing with this delivery in the snow would be no fun.

btw I'm in Manitoba. The snow could fall next week (kidding.......maybe)

[sdubfid]

I ordered the md001. I think they were supposed to be ready in sept but now october last I heard (last week).

What part of canada are you in?

Going to try and salvage a bijur electric oiler setup and metering valves from a broken lathe tomorrow. Let the parts collecting begin.

[cyclestart]

I messed you up with an edit
Manitoba. Flatland ploughboy country

Same model I'm waiting on.

[Dirty Engineer]

I messed you up with an edit
Manitoba. Flatland ploughboy country

Same model I'm waiting on.

Are you in Winnipeg by chance? I wouldn't mind seeing a MD001 in person if your willing to show it when it arrives.

[cyclestart]

An hour south of Winnipeg. If you're willing to travel I'll pm when it's running. Garage needs 220 wired up to spin the motor.

[Dirty Engineer]

Always down for a road trip! Let me know.

[sdubfid]

Machine arrived last weekend. Was very sketchy hoisting it from the truck to my bench by the roof beam and metal hooks haha. But it worked out good.

Got the glacern vise as well from mtw. Pics of the mill will be up soon.

I've got my geckos, and my encoders so far. Still need to buy lots of things now.

Already made a few hundred bucks the first day I got it. It also runs super quiet. I talked to pat at mtw and he said they have updated the gearset.

PS: mtw is coming out with a cnc version ih clone with 2 speed belt drive and linear ways on all axes with ground ball screws. Theres a prototype pic in the new digital machinist mag.

[Dirty Engineer]

PS: mtw is coming out with a cnc version ih clone with 2 speed belt drive and linear ways on all axes with ground ball screws. Theres a prototype pic in the new digital machinist mag.

From MTW's website


Seems to have everything. VFD, Linear ways, ac servos... they mention a price of $12,000 but add that it will not be the final price. Will be interesting to see where it comes in at.

[cyclestart]

Already made a few hundred bucks the first day I got it. It also runs super quiet. I talked to pat at mtw and he said they have updated the gearset.

Well that's good news Now we'll see if you bypass the gears with a belt lol.

Mine arrived on the coldest day of this winter. The truck driver was unhappy but I was to stoked to pay attention to him or the temperature.

Dirty Engineer
You're welcome to swing by but the machine is still in the crate. I won't be setting it up until the weather improves. The garage is unheated atm so it looks like some time in March ?
You'd probably prefer to see it operating ?