Hi,
I've had my BF20L a couple of months, learning its characteristics. I am now just finishing installing DRO's using an Arduino and tablet as per Yuriy's Toys website and am thinking of the next upgrade.

I aim to use this basically as a manual mill, but one day in the distant future I would like to consider CNC'ing this but right now I have no rush (or funds) to do so. Also, even after CNC'ing, I would like to maintain some manual functionality those many little jobs that require the hand touch, something like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpK6xxvjZUs

My next project is to add a X axis power feed on the left hand side and then I got thinking - why build something that might have to be torn off and thrown away later? If I am one day going to CNC this, then instead of adding a traditional power feed and control box, why not use a stepper motor driven by an Arduino for the power feed? I can easily whip up a simple control panel for inputs to the Arduino, add a stepper driver and a power supply. In this way, all the bracketry and motor will be in place so that come the day when I do CNC it, I may be able to save some time and money. And if I never get to CNC the mill, I can always just use the stepper power feed.

So the main questions are,
  1. Are there any technical reasons why I shouldn't use a stepper motor for power feed for now?
  2. Rather than designing and building a dog clutch mechanism, can I simply turn off the power to the stepper motor for manual movements? Will it harm the motor or cause excessive drag?
  3. If I fully CNC this with 5mm pitch ballscrews, is it still practical to use the mill manually?



Thanks in advance for any and all answers.