[deuce217]

Hey there,

Wanted to share my build on here. Ive bought Hoss's plans and I am in the process of the conversion. I am new to CNC and manual machining. I hope some guys are able to find helpful info in this thread. Feel free to ask me any questions you might have. Please dont expect Hoss quality on this thread. He is on another level. Here are a few videos to get this kicked off.

G0704 CNC MILLING MACHINE CONVERSION - YouTube


GO704 CNC head extension w/ lathe tips and tricks - YouTube

TTS STYLE ER20 collet holders G0704 CNC HOSS CONVERSION - YouTube

G0704 CNC CONVERSION z flip MoD and y Extension part 2 - YouTube

G0704 CNC CONVERSION HEAD SPACER: lathe talk - YouTube

[deuce217]

I am looking forward to completing this project. I am about to sell my little x2 cnc'd machine. I still need to get the money together for the electronics. I have the Ballscrews w/ double ball nuts from Chai for the extended travel and rear mount option for the stepper. I also need to order the bearings and hardware for the build.

Thanks for all the input you guys put on Hoss' threads there is a ton of great information in there. Its nice to see some others that are into this bobbiest level CNC stuff. I do not know a single person in my town that is really into cnc machining at home.

[hoss2006]

Welcome aboard deuce, yeah, most people don't even know what cnc or even machinists means. Tell them what you do and you get the blank stare back, lol.
Funny with all the reality shows on tv haven't seen one following a group of cnc machinists, american chopper had a tiny bit.
Hoss

[deuce217]

Thanks Hoss,

You are right on all accounts. I am loving this conversion so far. I have not that much real machining in some time (basically since my original training in 2009). I have never cut much on cast so machining the base was a nice surprise, it machines pretty easily, but is messy! My nostrils had a bunch of that dust I noticed the next day.


Would it hurt any if I made the middle of the base wider (the area that the ballscrew nut travels) I would love to do a few passes and leave that looking nice and machined if it wont hurt anything. I was thinking of maybe making it 3/16 wider or so.

Thanks for any advice guys.

[hoss2006]

Wouldn't hurt and if you decide to mount the y ballnut at an angle for vertical port positioning you wouldn't need to hack off the corners of the ballnut.
Hoss

[deuce217]

Hoss,

Thanks that sounds like a done deal then. I did not see any cons to it other than maybe taking away some small amount of rigidity from the mass reduction. Thanks for the help.

[Wiggles84]

Thanks Hoss,

You are right on all accounts. I am loving this conversion so far. I have not that much real machining in some time (basically since my original training in 2009). I have never cut much on cast so machining the base was a nice surprise, it machines pretty easily, but is messy! My nostrils had a bunch of that dust I noticed the next day.


Would it hurt any if I made the middle of the base wider (the area that the ballscrew nut travels) I would love to do a few passes and leave that looking nice and machined if it wont hurt anything. I was thinking of maybe making it 3/16 wider or so.

Thanks for any advice guys.

I opened mine up, but just a little. Maybe .050" per side.



I want to say I had to go back in and mill some off of the cross supports because my ball nut was hitting them.

Andrew

[Fastest1]

Like Wiggles and many others, I widened and lengthened the pocket too. It started as a mere clean up pass. Then as you said, it machines so easily. In fact if I tear it apart anytime soon I will likely enlarge it even more. I would like all of my oil lines running inside the base, limit wiring too.

[deuce217]

Wow Andrew, that looks sharp! Great job and thanks for sharing.

- - - Updated - - -

Like Wiggles and many others, I widened and lengthened the pocket too. It started as a mere clean up pass. Then as you said, it machines so easily. In fact if I tear it apart anytime soon I will likely enlarge it even more. I would like all of my oil lines running inside the base, limit wiring too.

Thanks Fastest1, that good to know, Maybe I will take some extra off.

[deuce217]

Wow,

Just placed my McMaster order... 241.00+Shipping, this is getting spendy! I still need to order the pulley/ belt system for the rear mounted Y axis drive and the L style spindle pulleys/ belt.

Does anybody know a good place to pick the stepper motor fasteners up from? Or do they come with the motors?

Thanks in advance.

[hoss2006]

They don't come with the steppers, you can find the screws at any hardware or home improvement store.
I buy in bulk at mcmaster or boltdepot.com to name a couple.
Hoss

[deuce217]

NEW UPDATE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJJYyB_1H3U

Thanks Hoss. I got a bit more done today. This is a fun project.

[hoss2006]

It is fun isn't it.
To have your youtube video show up just copy the link url from your browser and paste it into your post like this.
Hoss

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJJYyB_1H3U

[deuce217]

Thanks Hoss,

that was easy.

[photomankc]

I think the fun level increases when one has a Bridgeport clone with which to make these modifications. I remember my time with the angle grinder and the X2 as somewhat less fun.

[deuce217]

I think the fun level increases when one has a Bridgeport clone with which to make these modifications. I remember my time with the angle grinder and the X2 as somewhat less fun.

Yeah a 9x42 mill make this go pretty fast. But I bet an experienced machinist(not me) could beat my speed with a x2. I edit the video to make them short, but I take hours to make 1 part. But because I know I am very new to this stuff, I am very content with my crawling speed. Thanks for the comment, I am really looking forward to getting this guy built.

[hoss2006]

Yeah a 9x42 mill make this go pretty fast. But I bet an experienced machinist(not me) could beat my speed with a x2. I edit the video to make them short, but I take hours to make 1 part. But because I know I am very new to this stuff, I am very content with my crawling speed. Thanks for the comment, I am really looking forward to getting this guy built.

Yeah fun is fun whether it's the equipment or not, I had lots of fun with my x2, some jobs less fun than others but still a good time and learned while doing it.
Keep up the great work.
Hoss

[photomankc]

Well, to be fair it was 95+ degrees in the garage where I had the X2 at the time and the angle grinder. Love the videos. Freshly machined cast iron is pretty darn close to aluminum in the looks department.

[deuce217]

Thanks for the comments guys,

Hoss, your x2 was a freak though! I was simply amazed when I first came across your videos on youtube, having never seeing anything like it before I was curious to what exactly an X2 milling machine was like on a normal diet. Some time later I stumbled on your 0704 videos and emailed you shortly after wondering if you produced plans for such a conversion. You sent me links, I sent a sales pitch to my spouse, and here I am.

Photomankc,

I know what 95+ in a shop feels like, sweaty. Someday I will invest into a a/c for the shop. Thanks for the comments and I will stay on these videos, I think they might give other rookies a sense of hope. If I can do it, anybody can! (assuming I finish this successfully, and dont go bankrupt in the process) as far as the cast machining goes, I am very pleased with that. It machines easy as pie, and as long as there are not too many bubbles it looks pretty darn good.

QUESTION ON CAST IRON:

What should I coat the newly machined with? I was hoping there is some awesome and affordable solution. I was thinking maybe an oil based paint?

[hoss2006]

If you want to color match you can get the same paint from grizzly, part#305,307.
Grizzly.com® --
Rust-oleum would be fine though.
Hoss