This is my first post on the forum, but have been lurking for some time gathering information and knowhow, so I thought I’d share our (mis)adventures with our current project(s).

We shut down our engineering business 3 years ago following my partners illness and we both now want to dabble with machine tools again, so are keen to CNC retrofit a milling machine for disabled use.

Earlier this year we purchased a new (to us) 1996 KRV2000 mill to replace our RF45 clone (Chester Superlux) we had from new in 2012. The RF45 clone was great, but after much consideration we chose not to go with converting the RF45 because it just didn’t have enough travel and was not rigid enough for what we wanted. We did consider a “small” bed mill like a SMX2500, but it would have needed to be disassembled to get it in the new workshop, and would have been too big anyway.

The plan is to do a CNC conversion on it with linuxcnc 7i76e/7i85 combination controller. This will enable dual loop feedback with feedback loop to the controller coming from some linear scales. The machine was used as a manual machine, and a few additions made like some slideways covers, spindle halo light and a digital quill readout. We also cut and rewelded the chip tray to enable easier access around the machine and reduce it’s footprint, along with rear splashguards on the column to contain some of the chips.

We decided to concentrate on servicing the head first to keep the machine in service more easily. Apart from new brake shoes and a single spindle bearing it was in pretty good shape.

We have named her Matilda and she was filthy. We were really shocked at just how much grime and disgusting fudge was on her that in a backlash to this we decided on a ‘force you to clean it’ white paint job! It was almost as if it had never been cleaned from new.

Pics and details to follow as we complete the rebuild and conversion.