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How much did they cost? Beswick wants me to "create an account" before they'll tell.

I think I can add a few heavy coats of paint to my sample part to compensate for shrinkage. As long as the relationship between two of the surfaces leaves enough metal to finish, the rest of the...

I need to make some small parts from steel such as 4130. They're about the size of one of a pair of standard dice, maybe 1/2" in the longest dimension, of very complex shape. It would take several...

The VFD's manual shows how to add an external stop switch. What would be the point of the contactor, then?

Hmm... the manual does recommend using a breaker of some sort instead of fuses. I...

I didn't get anything back when I searched "huanyang contactor", though I'm sure someone has asked this question before...

I have one of the 2,2Kw Huanyang VFDs. The manual says not to use a...

Could someone with an X2 measure the table dovetail for me? Just the width and depth of the vee would be enough.

I bought some bathtub liner and some music wire. The plan is to curve the music wire under the liner, so that the liner bows up when the carriage slides. I figured that would eliminate the...

The nuts on the ends of my CNCFusion X2 kit are two different 32-pitch threads. The nuts are self-locking with brown plastic rings, and I found it almost impossible to run them down the threaded...

I asked CNCFusion as well; he said the balls should be .1250. I'm confident my micrometer is correct; I set it with gage blocks and I used to do a lot of measuring to tenths.

That leads me to...

I managed to lose some of the balls on my CNCFusion X2 ballscrew. I was going to order a pack of replacement balls from the local bearing supply house, but when I miked them they were an odd size. ...

I've cut 1" aluminum with my ordinary woodworking circular saw and a carbide blade.

You'll need long sleeves and gloves; the chips are hot enough to raise blisters. And it's very loud, too.

...

The usual solution is to use a fixture that swings or pivots, or holds the part in more than one position. You perform all the operations within the machine's work envelope, then refixture the part...

One group I hang with occasionally proclaims someone as a "Master of the Bleeding Obvious." We award the current winner a virtual Captain Obvious hat. Today, I'm wearing the hat.

I have an X2...

I bought the CNCFusion and Xylotex kits to convert my X2 to CNC. Then I got sidetracked into other modifications... I bought some steel, air cylinders, Belleville springs, and other doodads, but...

Now that my CNC mini-mill conversion is almost finished I'm looking ahead for a lathe conversion. I've been planning to do one of the 7x10 or 7x12 mini-lathes.

Recently, I've been looking at the...

I just hate it when people go all logical on me...

I'll leave the head alone and move on to the tooling plate.

Dang, I didn't even think about the head being moved back.

Now I have to decide whether to make a simple spacer plate, or make a swivel head setup that would clear the toolchanger...

My...

Pictures of mine, so far:

http://www.bacomatic.org/~dw/tool/x2/x2.htm

I put the X and Y switches on the saddle after hollowing out the left CNCFusion motor mount. I haven't finished the Z...

Yes, just a piece of 1/4" flat.

Hoss, did you spring mount the disc changer like you did with the table-mounted changer? I can't see any deflection in the video.

I had some leftover Belleville springs from the drawbar, so I...

If your using microswitches, buy new ones unless you're good at desoldering. I sound up buying one of those "third hand" thingies to help hold mine while trying to desolder the mess of wires on the...

After milling the column end of the base casting back 1 inch, it looks like I could use a screw 1.25" longer than the one provided in the kit.

I'm going to place my order at the end of the week. ...

I've been waiting for you to put a stepper up there and turn the swivel head into a fifth axis!

You'd have to do B-axis motion by combining X and Z, though.

As a CNC newbie I'm still not sure...

Excellent! And much simpler than mine!

I used a low-mounted air cylinder on the left side and a rocker arm for my X2 drawbar. This is Hoss's engineering; ratios, air cylinder, Belleville springs, etc. All I did was rearrange some of the...

I contacted CNCFusion about a longer Y ballscrew for my X2. Here's the reply I got this morning:

<snip>

Hi Dave, sorry for the slow response. we have been without power since hurricane
Ike...

As soon as I finish the bracketry I'll see how much CNCFusion wants to make up a leadscrew 1" longer than stock.

That's it!

I'll start another thread as soon as I get some pictures.

The Mach3 documentation covers the electrical part of the limit switches extensively.

I'm almost finished with the switch bracketry for my X2. It has been an adventure. Fortunately, the machine...