[hoss2006]

Yes one side of the outer race is thinner than the other, that more open side faces out on either side.
Hoss

[hoss2006]

Been stocking up on some new endmills now that the mills ready for action again.
Mscdirect has a good deal on Hertel 2fl HSS endmills in the metalworking sales catalog, these are good quality I've used for years.
Industrial Supply Equipment from MSC Industrial Supply
Also trying out some from Tooling House for the first time, Made in the USA.
They have a big discount on medium length 2fl HSS endmills right now, snagged a bunch to try.
http://toolinghouse.com/mediumlength.aspx
Hoss

[BuckingFastards]

Hoss I have been trying to replace my spindle bearings in my G0704 for the past two days, and for the life of me I cannot get the upper pre-load retainer out. I did not make your tool but made something very similar which should work. I used a 3" x 12" x .250" piece of aluminum with a 1" hole drilled on one end, and initially tapped holes for 8-32 screws (because it is what I had on hand). Put the tool in the holes to loosen the pre-load retainer, and I snapped both 8-32 screws. I thought ok let me try that again, and once again snapped another set. I figured the screws must have been cheap, so I walked over to the G0602, to utilize some drill rod I had lying around. Turned the diameter down to fit in the holes, tried again and bent both custom pins. I figured I will try one last time utilizing allen keys to fit the holes, this time i did not bend or break the allen keys but I broke the spindle pin wrench.

What gives!?!? I am quite certain that this pre-load nut should not be this tight, it does not look cross-threaded or welded on from heat, but something is definitely wrong. So now I am torn between making a custom tool again with stronger pins and find a better way to prevent spindle from turning, buying all the new parts for the quill assembly $185, or scrap the G0704 head assembly and go with a Tormach PCNC 700 head assembly.

[hoss2006]

You are going lefty loosey correct? It's right hand threads. The tool I made in the plans unscrewed mine pretty easy, just took a little whap to break loose.
Might put some penetrant on the threads to sit overnight.
Hoss

[BuckingFastards]

Yup I was going lefty loosey... I tried a little penetrant but I will try spray a bit more down there, hopefully it will work this time.

[hoss2006]

Up and running again.
Hoss

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgrqqfs4g5M

[Connor]

Up and running again.
Hoss

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgrqqfs4g5M

That with the new double ball nuts?

[hoss2006]

Nope, but now I can make the mounts for the new ballscrews next.
Hoss

[Connor]

Nope, but now I can make the mounts for the new ballscrews next.
Hoss

Cool. I'm holding off on getting my ball screws till you finish. I want to know how it impacts rapids and how much backlash it takes out vs single nuts.

[BuckingFastards]

Nope, but now I can make the mounts for the new ballscrews next.
Hoss

Be sure to shoot a video of you machining the new mounts. It's nothing like going through the motions then seeing the final product. Also it would be inspirational being that your G0704 is king...

[hoss2006]

It'll be fully documented.
Hoss

[pista01]

So far the only difference I can see is the grinding of the saddle. It doesn't look too bad considering it was done with a dremel and a cutoff wheel.


Attachment 231272


The Y axis went in without any issues. There's plenty of room at the from of the base to accommodate the second ball nut, so no loss of travel. I thought I would need to do something here for the second ball nut, but it just slide right in. I made the ball nut mounts according to the Hoss plans. So far everything fits perfectly. I've not had to change anything. X and Z next week.

I didn't have anything to insert into the nut to allow it to be removed without loosing the balls. I tried a rolled up piece of a cake box, but it proved less than successful, so I just pulled the nuts off and re-packed them. I never did it before so I figured it would be an experience. It was pretty simple. Both nuts have 3 circuits each, with 17 balls per circuit in the main nut and 16 per in the secondary nut. I found that installing one of the pieces that hold the 2 nuts together works well as a guide to turn the secondary nut as the primary nut is installed. I used my finger to keep a gap about the same size as the separators.

[diyengineer]

Dremel! That's dedication! Haha

[pista01]

Dremel! That's dedication! Haha

More like insanity. It's all I had available. I went through 2 wheels, plus a mostly worn one I used to make a hash pattern that I removed with the larger wheels.


I spoke a bit soon on the success with the Y. Apparently the bottom of the ballnut binds on one of the crossmembers in the base after I secured it to the saddle. I think a little grinding on the crossmember will allow it to clear the nut. I read somewhere in past threads that the ballnut must be installed with the screw in the base. I was able to insert the screw and ballnut with the mount attached.

[hoss2006]

Cool. I'm holding off on getting my ball screws till you finish. I want to know how it impacts rapids and how much backlash it takes out vs single nuts.

I tried the "new" pc out but it was crap, well the way the parallel port functions on newer computers that is. The old pc was a P4 2.6 ghz, 512M RAM, integrated parallel port and it worked great, gave the speeds shown in the video. The newer pc was a P4 3.2 ghz, 2G RAM, integrated parallel port. Both ran the same XP and programs. The newer pc did run software faster but the mill ran horrible. Had to drop from 1/8 to 1/2 microstepping, lower the kernel speed and it still wouldn't run half as fast and sounded like it was grinding pepper. Was not interested in spending another couple hundred to go the smoothstepper route so ordered some extra RAM for the old one. Now I can run 1/8 microstepping again, raise the kernel back up to get the faster speeds and it purrs like a kitten. So when I test the new ballscrews rapids at least it will be comparable to before and not skewed because of the pc. I'll save the new one for the lathe with an ESS.
Hoss

[ph_4570]

When I was getting stuff together for my 704 conversion I pondered ESS vs. parallel port long and hard. I sure am glad I sprang for the ESS. It works seamlessly on an ancient laptop and a fairly new desktop. Much smaller cable with much longer run capability is a big plus as well.

[hoss2006]

Yep, if you don't have a pc with a good parallel port some kind of usb or ethernet board is a must, luckily I still have the one with the good parallel port.
Hoss

[hoss2006]

The mill made some real parts that turned out great, ballnut mounts.
The enclosure worked great, no leaks, drained really nice.
Now I can take it all apart again to install them.
Hoss

[twitchy]

Looking great hoss I'm getting extremely excited about getting my ball nuts and doing my phase 2 CNC.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk

[gadgets]

Hoss, I was wondering if your coolant went rancid after sitting so long or did you mix up a fresh batch?