[WOTDesigns]

I FINALLY am making the purchase today!!

I built an X3 back in 2011 and have done light job shop and prototyping ever since. In November I launched my own widget and by January I was forced to quit my day job to run production full time and have since machined and sold 1400 of them (4 machined parts with over 13 total set ups). I am blown away that I have been able to keep my X3 running as hard as it has (16 hours a day 6-7 days a week), but I am tired of adjusting the gibs every few days, changing brushes, changing burned out switches and having to rough at .05" deep with a 1/4" em in aluminum. This last run I had to send the bars to have the parts roughed out on a waterjet which cost $3.70 ea on a 550 pc run... ouch. Fortunately it paid off and I had a GREAT show last week at AZ Cyclefest so I finally have cash on hand to buy a Tormach PCNC1100.

I have two questions for the masses. Over the last few years MANY people have mentioned the annoyance of coolant draining issues on the stand. I live in CA and the machine will run every day I am in town and be off for weeks at a time when I am out of town at shows selling my little widget. Living in CA means 2 part flooring epoxy is very difficult to come by but not impossible. What do you guys think of just shimming the left mounting feet between the mill and the stand with 1/16" stainless shims and leveling the table with the stand feet giving the stand a slope to the drain on the left?

Second question: I have never run coolant on my X3 only air or Kool Mist Portable (hate cleaning coolant off of everything in the shops I have spent time cutting in most of whom use ValCool). I now use air only for anything other than drilling or milling steel. I cut 95% Aluminum only and some delrin. Tool life has never been an issue as I do production of small parts and throw the $30 tools out after milling a batch and only use Data Flute uncoated for anything over 1/8". I like the idea (I have seen on here) of using Kool Mist as a flood coolant as it is cheap, doesn't seem to spoil, and very forgiving on mixture ratio, BUT I occasionally get a drop or two of way oil dripped from the head onto the part and when it mixes with the kool mist (when I was using it all the time) it grossly discolors the aluminum. Not a HUGE deal as I tumble then send out for powder coat anyways, but I am worried it will mix with the way oil from the ways and discolor everything I cut. Seems a little irrational to even think about, but really do want to use coolant to get rid of the noise of air. Mist coolant sucks in deep pockets and my parts require a LOT of 1/4" wide .75" deep slotting. Air gets the chips out. Kool Mist Spray makes the chips stick in there. I am hoping flood will flush them out and keep the noise down as I have a 1.5 car garage and will be in it while cutting. Very annoying to have to grab the phone and run outside every time a customer calls.

I am going to just throw up a curtain enclosure for now since Tormach is already working on add-on full enclosure for the deluxe stand and try a few of the different coolant pumps I have purchased for the X3 but never installed to get higher volume/force to get the chips out.

Sorry for the long winded explanation of the logic behind my questions but once I get the Tormach running I will not be able to take it out of commission for any length of time to mess with the stand... and I'm just so damn excited I finally get to order my Tormach today WOOOHOOO!!!!

[MetalShavings]

Congratulations PriddyShiddy:

It all starts with a dream. May you continue to prosper and be in good health.

I'm one of those tormach owners who has not experienced any coolant issues. Fortunately for me, the issues I have experienced have been easy fixes.

My present issue is a cooling fan that has given up the ghost. Just waiting for my replacement to come in.

I made my own enclosure out of PVC pipe and clear vinyl. I stitched a zipper flap in front for easy access to my part when needed.

MetalShavings

[GJeff]

Most people just shim between the mill and stand like you said but 1/16th may not be enough if you want to get rid of ALL of the pooling. The weight of the mill itself causes some concavity in the stand which makes it a bit worse than simply being level. It's really not a huge deal, but I'm a perfectionist. It's really the only thing so far that I've been less than happy with. The machine itself is great.

Flood cooling is a pain in the butt and a mess but it works. The problem is that if you're talking about deep slots you need to have some strong pressure to evac the chips and that means an even bigger mess and probably some alterations to the stock coolant system. Same goes for the air, it'll get the chips out and overcome the sticky chips provided enough pressure. I prefer a noise to a mess.

I'm switching to air but I don't run the machine as much as these other guys. If I did it all over again I'd probably build my own stand and use the money saved on a kick ass air compressor that runs nice and quiet.

[mike sr1]

I FINALLY am making the purchase today!!

I built an X3 back in 2011 and have done light job shop and prototyping ever since. In November I launched my own widget and by January I was forced to quit my day job to run production full time and have since machined and sold 1400 of them (4 machined parts with over 13 total set ups). I am blown away that I have been able to keep my X3 running as hard as it has (16 hours a day 6-7 days a week), but I am tired of adjusting the gibs every few days, changing brushes, changing burned out switches and having to rough at .05" deep with a 1/4" em in aluminum. This last run I had to send the bars to have the parts roughed out on a waterjet which cost $3.70 ea on a 550 pc run... ouch. Fortunately it paid off and I had a GREAT show last week at AZ Cyclefest so I finally have cash on hand to buy a Tormach PCNC1100.

I have two questions for the masses. Over the last few years MANY people have mentioned the annoyance of coolant draining issues on the stand. I live in CA and the machine will run every day I am in town and be off for weeks at a time when I am out of town at shows selling my little widget. Living in CA means 2 part flooring epoxy is very difficult to come by but not impossible. What do you guys think of just shimming the left mounting feet between the mill and the stand with 1/16" stainless shims and leveling the table with the stand feet giving the stand a slope to the drain on the left?

Second question: I have never run coolant on my X3 only air or Kool Mist Portable (hate cleaning coolant off of everything in the shops I have spent time cutting in most of whom use ValCool). I now use air only for anything other than drilling or milling steel. I cut 95% Aluminum only and some delrin. Tool life has never been an issue as I do production of small parts and throw the $30 tools out after milling a batch and only use Data Flute uncoated for anything over 1/8". I like the idea (I have seen on here) of using Kool Mist as a flood coolant as it is cheap, doesn't seem to spoil, and very forgiving on mixture ratio, BUT I occasionally get a drop or two of way oil dripped from the head onto the part and when it mixes with the kool mist (when I was using it all the time) it grossly discolors the aluminum. Not a HUGE deal as I tumble then send out for powder coat anyways, but I am worried it will mix with the way oil from the ways and discolor everything I cut. Seems a little irrational to even think about, but really do want to use coolant to get rid of the noise of air. Mist coolant sucks in deep pockets and my parts require a LOT of 1/4" wide .75" deep slotting. Air gets the chips out. Kool Mist Spray makes the chips stick in there. I am hoping flood will flush them out and keep the noise down as I have a 1.5 car garage and will be in it while cutting. Very annoying to have to grab the phone and run outside every time a customer calls.

I am going to just throw up a curtain enclosure for now since Tormach is already working on add-on full enclosure for the deluxe stand and try a few of the different coolant pumps I have purchased for the X3 but never installed to get higher volume/force to get the chips out.

Sorry for the long winded explanation of the logic behind my questions but once I get the Tormach running I will not be able to take it out of commission for any length of time to mess with the stand... and I'm just so damn excited I finally get to order my Tormach today WOOOHOOO!!!!

I am envious of you Priddy! I am looking forward to making a salable widget on my Tormach as well, I do make small parts but not very many of them.

My widget is a part that is Tig welded, and I have a similar success story with that, (bought the Tormach and tooling with some of the proceeds), I am still looking for a commercial part to make on the Tormach.

I sealed up my table to the sheet metal parts, put a splash guard on the rear of the table to keep the coolant and chips on the table, table drains that run back to the drain screen, all in an attempt to keep the coolant from draining on the stand but go directly to the drain screen, so far it has cut the evaporation rate in about half of what it was, this is still a work in progress though. I am going to work on a shower curtain mainly around the spindle to keep the splash and chips contained, what I have works but needs but needs to be redesigned to look nicer.
I didnt like the chips going all over the machine and laying on the y bellows and it was a pain to clean up the machine, now I just need to clean the table and its done.

[bjm323]

Congrats PriddyShiddy. I would like to buy a Tormach but it's not in the cards right now for me but maybe in the near future. Have any pictures of your work?

[WOTDesigns]

Congratulations PriddyShiddy:

It all starts with a dream. May you continue to prosper and be in good health.

I'm one of those tormach owners who has not experienced any coolant issues. Fortunately for me, the issues I have experienced have been easy fixes.

My present issue is a cooling fan that has given up the ghost. Just waiting for my replacement to come in.

I made my own enclosure out of PVC pipe and clear vinyl. I stitched a zipper flap in front for easy access to my part when needed.

MetalShavings

Guess I can't post from my phone since the new update. I have tried a few times and It wont stick. I LOVED the PVC pics/vids I saw if those were yours it was very well thought out!

I bought a panel mount industrial keyboard for this machine and a cheap touch screen since I don't have time to build another one like I did on the X3. I'm actually thinking about just welding up some aluminum square tubing for a frame all around the top with removable corogated plastic panels and sliding doors on bearings just riding in a track. That will give me something to hang the front control box off of eventually, but in the mean time I will probably do what I did for the X3: Big conduit rectangle suspended from 2x4s off the rafters above the machine with shower curtains hanging all the way around. I just use one curtain in the front and sling it open or closed in a second.

Thank your for the Congrats. Running two machines and the ability to tap on machine will make a HUGE difference.

[WOTDesigns]

Most people just shim between the mill and stand like you said but 1/16th may not be enough if you want to get rid of ALL of the pooling. The weight of the mill itself causes some concavity in the stand which makes it a bit worse than simply being level. It's really not a huge deal, but I'm a perfectionist. It's really the only thing so far that I've been less than happy with. The machine itself is great.

Flood cooling is a pain in the butt and a mess but it works. The problem is that if you're talking about deep slots you need to have some strong pressure to evac the chips and that means an even bigger mess and probably some alterations to the stock coolant system. Same goes for the air, it'll get the chips out and overcome the sticky chips provided enough pressure. I prefer a noise to a mess.

I'm switching to air but I don't run the machine as much as these other guys. If I did it all over again I'd probably build my own stand and use the money saved on a kick ass air compressor that runs nice and quiet.

Naw, just throw the air compressor outside and annoy the neighbors ;-)

I have stood next to a Polar air and they are maybe 20% quieter than my Husky, but a little spendy.

I have a 60 gallon Husky that purrs like a 500lb kitten that sits out back under a LARGE eve. Been there for a year and no problems with it except having to add a 90, 6" extension and a ball valve to make draining it take 3 seconds which makes it happen more often. When I am running full production using air I have a large fan blowing on it all day and night and still drain a decent amount of drain every day. Trying to get to coolant only for a lot of reasons and I think I am going to try just Kool Mist since I already have it on hand.

I have two other pumps on hand I bought when planning on running flood on my X3 and I'm willing to buy a third if those don't work out and I need more pressure, BUT I am thinking I will add a second or just larger tank with a second pump plumbed to a second coolant set up all run off the Tormach flood power switching a relay which goes to a switch box so I can just flip switches for one nozzle, two nozzles, and/or air.

The slots are 1/4" wide by 3/4" deep. On the X3 I ran them (before having them waterjet) at .05" deep at 26 ipm. I am REALLY hoping to get that up to .150" with the Tormach, but even less and more reliable is better.

[WOTDesigns]

I am envious of you Priddy! I am looking forward to making a salable widget on my Tormach as well, I do make small parts but not very many of them.

My widget is a part that is Tig welded, and I have a similar success story with that, (bought the Tormach and tooling with some of the proceeds), I am still looking for a commercial part to make on the Tormach.

I sealed up my table to the sheet metal parts, put a splash guard on the rear of the table to keep the coolant and chips on the table, table drains that run back to the drain screen, all in an attempt to keep the coolant from draining on the stand but go directly to the drain screen, so far it has cut the evaporation rate in about half of what it was, this is still a work in progress though. I am going to work on a shower curtain mainly around the spindle to keep the splash and chips contained, what I have works but needs but needs to be redesigned to look nicer.
I didnt like the chips going all over the machine and laying on the y bellows and it was a pain to clean up the machine, now I just need to clean the table and its done.

I like that idea. I am planning on picking up (3) 2 station vices to step up the quantity of parts I can accurately locate that require being stood on their side (1/4") 8 deep in the vice. Right now I run with 2 vices, so (3) two stations should get me up from 16 on table to 48, BUT I will have to figure out how they will fit and how I could add containment. With high pressure nozzles I am not sure how much good it would do, but I am definitely going to keep it in mind.

[WOTDesigns]

Congrats PriddyShiddy. I would like to buy a Tormach but it's not in the cards right now for me but maybe in the near future. Have any pictures of your work?

I did mostly job shop work, but since it was mostly referral from other shops I cant photograph most of the work I have done as I don't want the end company (robotics companies, precision engineering companies, BIG companies) to find out their parts that they sent to a big shop were done by some guy in his garage. Most probably won't care, but if one does it could burn a very convenient bridge. That bridge funded my current project.

I have a youtube under my user name (PriddyShiddy) with just a few parts that I am able to share, and truth is I have been very careful to separate my business from this account completely. Call me neurotic, but the parts I am making can easily lead to a multi-million dollar law suit and I would prefer that my insurance company ($460 a month for product liability alone) doesn't see exactly where they were originally manufactured nor do I want to share with dealers and distributors that the parts they are waiting on are being made on a 400lb mill I lovingly refer to as my "Easy-Bake Mill"

[WOTDesigns]

Congrats PriddyShiddy. I would like to buy a Tormach but it's not in the cards right now for me but maybe in the near future. Have any pictures of your work?

Trust me, I know the feeling. I have subscribed to this forum and read every single thread for two years dreaming about upgrading. In December I had everything set with Tormach and a Leasing company but it got a little silly and took too long because the leasing company only gives half up front and the other half on delivery... they say thats normal, but Tormach isn't Haas and doesn't do partial payments so I just ordered everything to rebuild my spindle and a 1.5hp motor (the original motor ended up being okay after brushes replaced and has run several hundred hours since).

Stick with it man. Its a LONG journey and takes a little luck and the willingness to work 120 hours a week if you have a day job. It took 8 months of prototyping and once I started production there was 5 straight months of 50 hours at the day job and minimum 60 hours a week in the garage. My wife if a VERY understanding woman and supports the hell out me. She even folds my inserts, packages product, preps parts for assembly and is now handing social media for me. I tried to get to get the shipping down, but there are far to many variables between my website, ebay, shipping program, dealer pricing and weight, domestic and international etc. I gave up. I still do all the shipping and customer/dealer communications.

Pictures I have on my youtube channel "PriddyShiddy". It only has a few parts that were not for bigger companies as they have no idea who actually cuts the parts they send to the bigger shops that farm me work, and I like it to stay that way. I have actually kept ALL of my business products separate from this account as I do not really want customers, dealers (and eventually distributors) going back and reading all of my posts and seeing my shop. I am kind of weird about that. If I can ever log in here on my dang phone I have a TON of pics of stuff that I can share but at the moment I can't seem to get it to work.

[BAMCNC.COM]

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