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IndustryArena Forum > WoodWorking Machines > DIY CNC Router Table Machines > should I chop up these MASSIVE linear rails?
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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Posts
    484

    should I chop up these MASSIVE linear rails?

    Hi guys,

    I have four massive linear square rails each about 2 inches wide, 3 inches tall and over 8 feet long. They each have two giant carriages (about 7 inches long, 3 inches wide or so). They were all brand new in wrapping, but the idiots at Boeing had stored them somwhere damp and there is some surface rust or something in a few places (but at least on 3 of them not in any of the travel contact points).

    I want to sell or trade these since I will be moving soon and am abandoning the idea of building a 4x8 router with them. I am toying with the idea of chopping them down into smaller sections so they could be easier to ship. At over 8 feet I think each rail is around 80 pounds or more!

    Alternatively, if anyone in the Seattle area wants some cheap precision linear motion components...

    I also have a 2 inch diamter 8' ground ballscrew and nut, brand new which is coated in oil and in a plastic sleeve. Last time I checked it was in excellent non rusted shape. Could work well with the rails...

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Posts
    1147
    Pictures are worth a thousand words. I'd try to sell them as is before you brake them up. You may really help someone out.


    Quote Originally Posted by KTP View Post
    Hi guys,

    I have four massive linear square rails each about 2 inches wide, 3 inches tall and over 8 feet long. They each have two giant carriages (about 7 inches long, 3 inches wide or so). They were all brand new in wrapping, but the idiots at Boeing had stored them somwhere damp and there is some surface rust or something in a few places (but at least on 3 of them not in any of the travel contact points).

    I want to sell or trade these since I will be moving soon and am abandoning the idea of building a 4x8 router with them. I am toying with the idea of chopping them down into smaller sections so they could be easier to ship. At over 8 feet I think each rail is around 80 pounds or more!

    Alternatively, if anyone in the Seattle area wants some cheap precision linear motion components...

    I also have a 2 inch diamter 8' ground ballscrew and nut, brand new which is coated in oil and in a plastic sleeve. Last time I checked it was in excellent non rusted shape. Could work well with the rails...

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Posts
    379
    I would not cut them. Long rails are much harder to come by these days and people who need them will pay significantly more for them.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Posts
    3634
    Don't cut them. You'll get more $ As Is.

    Post a photo & asking price. If you cut them in 1/2, you'll still be short on carriers.


    .
    Free DXF - vectorink.com

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Posts
    484
    Here are the specs on the ballscrew and the linear rails:

    Ballscrew:

    Manufacturer: Barnes Ind. Inc. Madison Hts, MI
    Length overall: ~104"
    Length of screw: ~86"
    Length of nut: ~5.5"
    Screw diameter: ~2"
    Journal diameter: 1.5" and then a long 1.2" down to the motor shaft
    Motor shaft: 0.875"
    Pitch: 0.4"?

    Linear Rails (4 of them):

    Manufacturer: Tsubaki Japan
    Length overall: ~101"
    Height: 48mm
    Width: 53mm
    block length: ~190mm
    block width: 100mm

    And here are the pics:
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails rail.jpg   block.JPG   raillabel.JPG   ballscrew.JPG  

    journal.jpg   ballnut.jpg  

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Posts
    3655
    Wow! that is one big a$$ ball screw! It's a joy to behold and the pics are a work of art.

    CR.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Posts
    1147
    wOWzers... You should sell them as is. Man you are going to make someone very happy.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Posts
    242
    where did you even get these? They must have cost a fortune!

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Posts
    484
    They were not as much as you might think. I got them from Boeing Surplus a few years ago. I think I paid $700 for the 4 rails plus a bunch of other smaller rails, but when I bought them they were new in the box wrapped in original manufacturer oil paper and packaging. I thought I was getting a steal until I got home and found out that they had been evidently stored outside for a number of days (what a damn shame). Still, most of them are still in useable condition, and two of the huge rails only have a few spots on the bottom.

    The ballscrew was new in the box and stored inside, so was in pristine shape. I think it was $200, with an original pricetag of over $4000.

    Some amazing deals could be had at Boeing Surplus (out of business now though).

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