[CROSSHATCH]

Zach_G- If you are considering changing the motor, I would buy the motor from you

[BobWarfield]

I see that pic The Blight posted and it gives me the craziest thought:



I look at the two columns and I see two conventional column mills (bed mills) mounted on a new base with moving table. It so happens I even own two identical Industrial Hobbies mills!

I wonder how such beasts perform? It'd be very tricky to get it all squared up, I suspect. But the work envelope on such a thing would be awesome and it would be much more rigid if done well than the original.

I think I'd use either some massive cast iron bar stock or possibly 70xx aluminum for such a project. That big base could be done as a weldment (fabricated plate welded together) filled with epoxy granite. A big thick plate connecting the column tops also seems like a good idea.

At some point, I would like to build a machine from "scratch". This might be the right one.

It'd be interesting to see one done from a pair of Sieg X2's or X3's too. Wouldn't take that much, and you could buy the machines practically stripped from someone who didn't need all the parts. Probably sell the spare spindle to raise some funds, or make a 2 spindle machine that can make parts 2x as fast.

Cheers,

BW

[The Blight]

http://www.cnczone.com/classifieds/s...uct/3228/cat/4

Check out this beast! A bit high price, but looks like a huge machine. Sorry for being a bit OT.

[Zach_G]

Hi all,

Not much physical progress, I have my reasons, new R&D job mainly. Somehow they have a lot of money to blow (unofortunately not on my salary) so I'm having as much fun with that as possible.

I have been updating the design with yall's suggestions as well as for the new table, which weighs about 250 lbs, bringing the total machine weight to ~550lbs. Getting a little heavy but still a lightweight considering the machining envelope which is now 30x10x12 in.

Sorry Speed, plan on putting the motor to good use

Did increase the height of the side supports for more bolting area of the columns, but don't want to add any additional triangulation above the plane of the table since this would cut into already limited part/fixturing clearance between the columns. Need to do some calc's to see if this geometry will hold up under machining forces, but if it's looking iffy, some beefy tack welds should keep things in place after its all aligned and bolted. Incorporated more material to close the bridge at the top and some triangulation at the base of the moving gantry to prevent parallelogramming.

Spent a long time contemplating whether to incorporate the original ballscrew, but turned out to be more hassle than it's worth with one end pitted with rust, and around 0.0025" backlash.

Need to save some money for some big purchases in ballscrews and waterjetting...

[GITERDUN]

There was a nice Sieg Super X 3 that sold on e-bay for around 1000.00- ball screws, cnc etc.
Forget the treadmill motor- even if you ever got this thing built that thing would last about 24 hours.
I'll mark my calendar to check back in 6 months and see how far you've gone.

Getting down to the wire- any metal parts or just drawings?

[The Blight]

Wow you sure know how to contribute with good information Giterdun! 28 posts of pure gold!

[GITERDUN]

Wow you sure know how to contribute with good information Giterdun! 28 posts of pure gold!

Thanks Blight,
One of my pet peeves in life is guys who talk talk talk about some idea or project but never GIT ER DONE. I'll wager that half of the posts on this forum and a lot of others are just guys verbalizing their pipe dreams.

[The Blight]

I'm sure you are right, but so what? Let them do so. I see no harm in it, and I don't see any need to point such a thing out.

I'm also sure that most of the posts here are made by people who do this as a hobby. Time is not an issue, and therefore projects will move on slowly. Some will never even make it off the drawing board, but it's still fun to watch what people have in mind. Good inspiration

PS. Sorry for the harsh comment.

[GITERDUN]

I'm sure you are right, but so what? Let them do so. I see no harm in it, and I don't see any need to point such a thing out.

I'm also sure that most of the posts here are made by people who do this as a hobby. Time is not an issue, and therefore projects will move on slowly. Some will never even make it off the drawing board, but it's still fun to watch what people have in mind. Good inspiration

PS. Sorry for the harsh comment.

I love to read the posts by guys who are building machines- some of the work is absolutely amazing. I guess I just get irritated when I open a post titled " My New Mill " and find it consists of nothing more than a few hours work on a CAD program. Maybe there should be another section titled " MY IDEA FOR A MACHINE"

[The Blight]

Well you could send in a suggestion to the moderators. "Machine concept" perhaps? I could use it for some of my long term projects. I know the design of a machine will change as time goes by. You gain new knowledge and experience, and it affects the way you make your machine.

As with most other hobbyists I have more time on my hands then money, and I don't have access to a big machine shop 24/7, but I do have access to my computer. I spend a lot of time drawing, and thinking up new projects. I guess it is the same with a lot of people on here. Some times you make a little progress, and eventually it will get done.

I have also been spending some time on quite a few forums, and I know people would like to build all kinds of cool things, but most of the time it only gets to the drawing board, and some times they get to start the project before getting bored with it. I don't mind going through these topics, because if it was truly awesome I would start a similar project on my own

[Jesse B]

Design is looking good.

Giterdun, if you're just gonna piss and moan, why don't you leave. Every forum on the internet is plagued with people like yourself.

[GITERDUN]

Design is looking good.

Giterdun, if you're just gonna piss and moan, why don't you leave. Every forum on the internet is plagued with people like yourself.

OK Jesse, I'm outa here- but I'll mark my calendar to check back on the 1st anniversary of this thread and wager there is no machine to see.

[The Blight]

Eagerly waiting for another pointless reply. One suggestion Giterdun. Just stay away from this topic. There is no need for you to make another reply here, and there is no one who cares about your whining.

[LeeWay]

I don't recall seeing his build log. I was thinking he just might be having a bad few days, but maybe a little more than that.

If no log, then why not be supportive? You can type that way using the very same keyboard. You never stated why the treadmill motor would not work. Just that it wouldn't.
If you are that knowledgeable about things cnc, then share it. Projects are just that. All of my machines where projects to start with. Without some great help from members on this forum, I would likely not have a cnc machine. It's incredible what a fella can do with a little constructive criticism and assistance from time to time.

[sharpshooter90]

I don't recall seeing his build log. I was thinking he just might be having a bad few days, but maybe a little more than that.

If no log, then why not be supportive? You can type that way using the very same keyboard. You never stated why the treadmill motor would not work. Just that it wouldn't.
If you are that knowledgeable about things cnc, then share it. Projects are just that. All of my machines where projects to start with. Without some great help from members on this forum, I would likely not have a cnc machine. It's incredible what a fella can do with a little constructive criticism and assistance from time to time.

Giterdun and I have the same machine and have shared some info. He was brutally honest in his opinion of this build thread- right or wrong, as the old saying goes- " the proof is in the pudding" So only time will tell if he was right. Looks like he touched some raw nerves among the crowd, but maybe it will motivate Zach G to get cracking on this project just to prove him wrong.
Regarding the treadmill motor, I have some experience ( which I shared with Giterdun). I did a DC drive conversion on my lathe/mill using the treadmill motors. Just looking at them makes you wonder if the horsepower rating etc is really accurate. They are very cheaply made with glued in magnets. If you get them in the right rpm range they are workable, but even using a good ( Minarik) controller, the low end torque is not up to par, so you still need to use some belt changes for the low end. Also, they have no cooling fan, so you need to put an external fan on them to keep the temp down- especially at low rpm. All in all, they just don't have the required capacity for a machine tool larger than a Sherline. Under extended use, even with the external fan I found the brushes arcing and smoking.
I have taken the DC setup off my machine and will use it on a couple of little bench drill presses. I am now adding a 3 phase variable frequency drive system.
My advice to Zach G is to get yourself the proper size motor for this project . Looking at that table, you are going to be in the 2-3 hp range once the machine is built.

[The Blight]

So it's okay to go around posting things like this in all topics which you don't believe will get done? Thats just stupid. What was the point of it? It doesn't help on anything as far as I can see! Please correct me if I'm wrong.

We don't come here to post projects and have people say "I don't believe this will ever get done", and then have to prove them wrong. If that's the case, then I sure as hell wont post any more build threads!

[jdclark]

We don't come here to post projects and have people say "I don't believe this will ever get done", and then have to prove them wrong. If that's the case, then I sure as hell wont post any more build threads!

Personally, I read these forums for entertainment and information. I like to see what others are building and pick up on how guys are doing things. I don't like to open a thread and find out there is nothing there but talk. I think the originator of the thread would have been better off to join into an existing project and post his idea for a mill and ask questions about its feasability etc. There are a lot of great projects on this forum-
like this one-

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showth...t=96410&page=7

I think that is what people want to see.

[The Blight]

And this justifies making such replies?! Just because you can't click back on your browser? Instead you just have to tell everyone your opinion on this project even if it does not matter at all. So tell me why there is such a great need to make these kind of replies. Just click back and ignore the topic!

You also want someone to go into another persons thread and hijack it with his ideas? If you only want pictures of done projects, go hang out in the picture gallery.

All in all, please tell me why Giterdun had to make the comments that he did. What was the need for these replies?

[chimpera]

Thanks to the blight for trying to make this a positive forum, and being a contributor. Its funny that the two detractors have contributed nothing, done nothing.

[KyleL]

I don't like to open a thread and find out there is nothing there but talk.

I believe you sir, need a lesson on how the internet works. It is nothing but talk. Sure there may be pretty pictures and boasts, and techniques shared by some but all contributions are simply talk. It is pathetic to think that every thread that has value is simply a build log from start to finish -- are children's picture books all you believe had value?

I think the originator of the thread would have been better off to join into an existing project and post his idea for a mill and ask questions about its feasability etc.

This is called 'Hijacking' and it is an insult.

@Zach, thank you very much for the cad work and talk. This has inspired parts of my own designs and I would love very much to see you finish this project. Please, if you have any issues or questions let us know, others here may have run in to similar problems, and will have less closed minded advice for you.

I also have a more devious reason for hoping you finish this project. Your cad is ambitious, and if finished will undoubtedly be popular, leading many others here to learn from this thread full of talk, discussion, and information. And, it would forever leave the insults posted in this thread on display for others to read. People really should learn that anything posted on the internet is as good as written in stone.