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Where I am the cost of good leadscrews is more than a second hand linear encoder :p so is it possible to use one (or 3) of these with mach3 to improve the accuracy of my machine?
Thanks

Solidcam's 'Constant Z' is good for 3d contouring if you want to put minimal wear on the z column ways. Other CAM apps must have an equivalent. It's harder to put equal wear along the entire Z axis...

Interesting to see it's not just me who uses a 0.02" DOC on alu. Except I have an unreinforced X2 mill and I would expect a lot better from an X3!

My no-brand endmills were dirt cheap on ebay and...

Simple and cheap are subjective terms. At the extreme end of the scale you can retrofit a machine by replacing the handwheels with stepper motors, all wired up to a cheap Chinese 24v driver board...

Thanks for the advice! Saved my cutters from a premature grave. :wee:

Have you tried a roughing endmill? They're supposed to remove material much more efficiently. I have one but I usually cut stock so close to final size that it's not needed.

I'm also interested to...

His question implies that he already knows how to attach steppers to his axes. Thats just one 3-axis driver board away from CNC, if you want to make life easy for yourself. There is no intermediate...

I bought a jig like this once for 5 bucks, works down to 1/4" easily and probably a bit less if I had any smaller. Sharpen Your Drill Bits

The strangest thing is why so many people think converting to CNC is a challenge on a par with landing on the moon?

I soldered together an EZ HobbyCNC kit (45 mins work) connected up the motors...

I am going to apply a quick fix (light filing as described) in the meantime just to get things moving and because it can be improved on later.
But I hope to read the write up on the mini mill, it...

Wow, those designs look fantastic and very substantial size! I don't know much about working on that scale, with my little X2 :).

Thanks for the tip. Can't feel a divot by hand but I do think filing will be the way to go, when I feel confident enough! Just need to work out which side or both needs filing.

Does a larger ballnose bit give a better surface finish than a smaller one, in general for 3d contouring? According to estimated run time I think it is at least a little faster.

This thread has left me with more questions than answers. I have an X2 mill which binds near the very end of the Y axis (at the handle end, before the saddle overhangs the base), no problems anywhere...

Dismantled and scrubbed it all down with soap and water when I got the mill (drying after, obviously!). Still when I wipe a tissue or my finger over the ways after brief usage it gets coated with...

Thanks, seems you solved it! Could kick myself for not thinking of that. I guess the nuts had worn somewhat and after adjusting and re-tightening the machine has stopped shuddering, and so can I. ...

I am trying to find the cause of a loud vibration affecting my x axis. It started soon after I stripped and lubricated the table recently, and I can hear it when the table moves one direction, but...

I was wondering if Solidcam lets you to use a concave, radius shaped cutter (like a router rounderover bit) to cut a radius of a smaller size along a straight horizontal edge?

It seems to me that...

In motor outputs check that step port and dir port are all set to '1'. Little thing I overlooked once. And check that 'Reset' isn't flashing :o

I have recently converted an X2 mini mill to CNC, using a simple split nut mod for anti-backlash. After an entire week of tweaking I am now seeing backlash of .0003 - .001 across the entire travel of...

I am finding the split nuts on my build make the axes very stiff at sub 0.003", wondered if this was normal, or a problem with how I split them.

I imagine those thrust bearings on your Y axis were...

Curious about what you are making that needs a huge custom made mill, or is it for cost savings? Maybe mill building is fun in itself to some folks :cheers:

I thought that was the easy part :confused: How bout just marking a circle all the way round with a centerpunch and drilling multiple times till the hole falls out? Then maybe clean up with a round...

and then how would you tighten the nut? take one hell of a socket wrench :p

Not sure if you're suggesting building a column brace out of tubing? I guess it should be ok, the cheapest brace that appears to work is the one made by simpson36 out of 1/8" steel plate. I'm...

Hehe dropping it off the edge of a table? Seriously though that is a good idea, I guess all those bolts remove the need for the 'dish' shape washer.

Shame a floor standing drill press seems to be...

LOL I knew the hole placement would be a hassle and 'cutting corners' is what I normally do. It's split now and seems to do the job. I take it you converted an X2 as well, is there a write up for...

I am using the fine feed for CNC just to keep the costs down, less than $800 spent in hardware at this point. I'm sure it won't be quick or easy to duplicate but Chuck's level of backlash on the Z...

My mill is up and running, just a quick question for any X2 users -is it the case that the fine feed wheel on the Z does not have the same TPI as the X and Y axis? (if you can say a rack and pinion...

So they just teach you to design the part and leave it to some lowly machinist to know how to produce the thing :rolleyes: