[slowtwitch]

Hello folks, First of let me say that I'm a rank beginner as a machinist. So if this is a dumb question.......

Anyway, I currently own the mill from hell... a Mikini 1610L. I have followed some of the threads here and I'm in complete awe at how the Torus has worked out for many here.

I'm contemplating to moving up to a Torus Pro with servos. I really like the travels

My question is... in reading the specs and looking at pictures, the Torus has a 5.27" spindle to bed clearance. Does this mean that the Torus would require the use of a vise or riser blocks.

I do 99% of my machining using jig plates bolted directly to the table. Again, would I need some form of riser bars to meet the spindle ????

thanks

[holbieone]

that's to the spindle face

add tool body , tool , fixture plate and you would have to makeup the rest

[slowtwitch]

that's to the spindle face

add tool body , tool , fixture plate and you would have to makeup the rest

Doh!!!!! It must be this getting old stuff, not to see that

[SCzEngrgGroup]

I had the same concern, but I just made up three 2" x 2" x 12" risers, and mount all my low fixtures to those. Works perfectly.

I looked at Mikini, as they're located just a few miles from my house, but too many unhappy customers, and too small for my needs. I am VERY happy with my Torus Pro!

Regards,
Ray L.

[SCzEngrgGroup]

Here is a picture of my "riser" blocks, with a low fixture mounted to them. I put four 5/8" holes in each block, lined up with the four T-slots on the table, so I can use them anywhere, with any fixture. This has worked out really perfectly for all my low fixtures, and makes it possible for each the shortest tools to reach the necessary depth.





Regards,
Ray L.

[slowtwitch]

Thanks Ray I was able to see the Pro up close at cabin fever and I completely forgot about asking Novakon about this. I guess I was in awe of the work envelope

If demand increases for my product, I'm seriously thinking of going with the Pro with servos. I was very close to buying a Novakon a year or so ago, when I decided to go with the Mikini ....ouch

I have to give Novakon credit, they seem to be proactive in bettering their product. They've had issues in the past with their motor controllers and instead of blaming their customers (like Mikini), they looked into those issues and corrected them.

[SCzEngrgGroup]

Thanks Ray I was able to see the Pro up close at cabin fever and I completely forgot about asking Novakon about this. I guess I was in awe of the work envelope

If demand increases for my product, I'm seriously thinking of going with the Pro with servos. I was very close to buying a Novakon a year or so ago, when I decided to go with the Mikini ....ouch

I have to give Novakon credit, they seem to be proactive in bettering their product. They've had issues in the past with their motor controllers and instead of blaming their customers (like Mikini), they looked into those issues and corrected them.

Pete,

You can also consider the approach I took - save some money now by getting the stepper machine, then upgrade to servos down the road. My stepper machine runs 200 IPM easily (I've had it up to over 300, and it seems reliable there, but I'm just not comfortable running that fast). At 200 IPM, it's been dead-reliable.

Either way, go with the Pro, and I know you'll be more than happy. I absolutely LOVE mine, now that I've had an opportunity to really use it "in anger" for the last week or so. It's been an absolute joy to work with. And, it STILL won't be "big enough". They never are! :-) It suuuure will make the Mikini look like a toy, though. And you'll never have another spindle problem. The spindle on the Pro is just wonderful - smooth, quiet, and VERY powerful, even at low RPMs. I have stalled it, but I REALLY had to work at it, and I have the broken tools to prove it!

Regards,
Ray L.

[slowtwitch]

Again thanks Ray, you have a point on getting the stepper version. If you're getting the results stated, it may be the way to go