[derekbackus]

Hi all.

I've been reading these forums for a long time now and have gained a lot of knowledge and thought it might be time I post something...

You can check out some of the things my company does at http://www.ammodel.com.

Anyway, I've completed my first project...

1) Remove 2/3 of the parts on a Grizzly G0602 lathe and throw them in a bin.
2) Throw on a couple steppers and it cut parts.

Okay, there was a lot more to it, but it amuses me how much of the original lathe goes away.

Attached are some screenshots of the design. There are couple things missing in the screen-shots as I need to update the CAD geometry with the parts I made. Hopefully, I can get some pictures taken and put online tomorrow.

I made no modifications to the lathe casting or cross-slide (no new holes, etc.) for the Z axis.

The X axis needed two holes drilled and tapped for a plate that holds the ball nut (on the cross-slide). I chose to put the nut under the slide, so I had to mill a pocket in the cross-slide so the nut would fit. That is the total modifications to the original lathe -- two tapped holes and a pocket.

I modified the lathe electronics quite a bit. The E-Stop now connects to a CNC4PC C11 board to shutdown the spindle, steppers, etc. The fwd/rev switch still switches direction, but the C11 is in charge of the spindle on/off. The enable button is just there to look pretty now.

I get 65"/min rapid -- I could probably get more if I tweaked it, but that is PLENTY fast for me.

Parts:

- Grizzly G0602 Lathe
- 5/8" 3' Ball Screw (Z axis)
- 5/8" 1' Ball Screw (X axis)
- Ball Nuts
- CNC4PC C11 Multifunction Break-Out-Board
- CNC4PC C21 Voltage Regulation Unit (supplies power to the C11 board)
- Xylotex 3 Axis Bipolar Stepper Motor Driver "Kit" With Power Supply, 269oz/in Steppers.
- Various bits of Aluminum.
- Lots of #10 Screws.
- 2.4ghz Used Computer from the Store Down the Street.
- 15" Dell Touchscreen Monitor (very important!!)
- 4 Angular Contact Bearings
- 2 Hi-Misalignment Spiders (0 backlash)
- 15/16-16 Tap for Nut Holders

I'm sure I missed something...

I can post pictures, etc. if anyone is interested.

[Crevice Reamer]

Yes! Pics please!

CR.

[derekbackus]

I was going to send a video (.mov) but it was too large.

Everything I did was as easy as I could make it... Everything (except the Y nut) mounts to existing holes in the lathe.

[GaryCorlew]

Very nice!! I would cover the limit switch with something to keep the chips away from it, I would also move the pc, They also contain the magic smoke!

[derekbackus]

I would cover the limit switch with something to keep the chips away from it

The limit switch is not hooked up yet. Still have some final things to do (limit switches, flexible tubing for the wires, wipers for the screws) but it is working well.

I would also move the pc, They also contain the magic smoke!

The CPU is actually under the bench. All the electronics for the steppers, break out board, power supplies, etc. are in the PC box with an extra fan to keep everything cool. What I really need is a membrane keyboard.

[acondit]

I was going to send a video (.mov) but it was too large.

Everything I did was as easy as I could make it... Everything (except the Y nut) mounts to existing holes in the lathe.

Derek,

It looks nice. Are you going to protect the X axis screw from chips somehow?

What is the Y nut?

Alan

[cnczoner]

Derek, I am interested in CNCing one of these lathes, but my stumbling block will be figuring out the dimensions of the brackets for the motors and ballscrews. Would you be willing to share/sell the plans? Or sell me a set of the brackets?
Thanks,
-Neil.

[chich2]

Nice Conversion!!!! Keep up the Pictures,

Chich

[derekbackus]

Derek, I am interested in CNCing one of these lathes, but my stumbling block will be figuring out the dimensions of the brackets for the motors and ballscrews. Would you be willing to share/sell the plans? Or sell me a set of the brackets?
Thanks,
-Neil.

I'd be happy to share the drawings -- I just have to make them!

I'll see if I can get these posted today. I also need to get a list of materials, etc. used to make this -- as the brackets are designed for the bearings I used.

I don't think I'm interested in making brackets to sell, but if you are interested, I could ask the machine shop next door how much they'd charge to make them -- though, this could be expensive!

[derekbackus]

It looks nice. Are you going to protect the X axis screw from chips somehow?

Yes, but haven't figured that out yet. I cut mostly ABS so haven't been too worried about hurting the screw or nuts -- but this is something I have to do.

What is the Y nut?

That'd be the Z nut. This is my first time using/making a CNC lathe and my brain still hasn't wrapped itself around the idea that the right/left movement is Z and not X.

[acondit]

Someone once explained to me that the axis running parallel to the main spindle is always Z, I don't even know if that explanation always holds true.

Alan

[cnczoner]

Having drawings, sketches or measurements would be 80% of the battle for me, as I could make the parts on my CNC mill. But I'd definitely pay a fair price to have a shop make the parts.

Thanks!
-Neil.

I'd be happy to share the drawings -- I just have to make them!

I'll see if I can get these posted today. I also need to get a list of materials, etc. used to make this -- as the brackets are designed for the bearings I used.

I don't think I'm interested in making brackets to sell, but if you are interested, I could ask the machine shop next door how much they'd charge to make them -- though, this could be expensive!

[blackbeard52]

What I really need is a membrane keyboard.

I dont know if you have tried these but I have had great success with them.. and for $14 can go very wrong. I buy mine locally but here ia link I found http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.7846

bob

[derekbackus]

I dont know if you have tried these but I have had great success with them.. and for $14 can go very wrong. I buy mine locally but here ia link I found http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.7846

Yup, that's very similar to the one I have on my mill -- got it at CompUSA before they went away.

[txcowdog]

I got my membrane keyboard from ebay for $5.

[derekbackus]

Okay, as promised, here is the parts listing and drawings.

Total cost is about $2K and the computer stuff (used computer, Mach3, and touch-screen monitor) is another $500.00.

Stuff left to do:

- Hook up limit switches
- Cover X ball screw
- Put wipers on X and Z ball nuts
- Run all wires through flexible conduit from steppers, switches, etc.

This setup works well, with very little backlash. For what I do, the backlash doesn't matter too much, though. You may want to consider loaded nuts on the X, but I don't think it matters on the Z unless you want to cut in both directions.

I'd like some opinions. I think I could refine this design and sell a complete, assembled package (without computer) for $3K or so. I think this would be comparible to the Syil CNC lathe for $1.5K less. Another thought is a "kit" of some sort. Maybe one with just the metal parts, one with everything, etc. Any opinions?

Thanks!

[cnczoner]

Wow, great stuff. Much thanks. I'll go through these in detail tonight.

Re: your questions -- I was looking for the sturdiest 110V lathe I could find, and the Syil definitely meets that need. But, I feel it's overpriced for what it is. I figured $2000 or maybe $2500 for the lathe/materials/parts, and I figured $3k to $3.5k for a turnkey machine would've been fine. The other option was to get Syil's $2k kit plus the C6 lathe for $1k, but there's some confusion over which C6 their kit will fit, and they're not sure. There's also a couple-month wait for the kit. The 10x22 has some advantages over the C6, such as bigger spindle bore. Also, I want to use my (excellent) PC, drives, controller & PS that I already have for my mill, so I would prefer not to buy that again. For me, the mechanical components are the hassle -- the motor mounts, ballscrew mounts, ballscrews, etc. Sourcing motors, and other electronics are the easy part for me. Assembly is no problem either. So if you do plan to put together a kit of these mechanical parts, count me in. Or if you want to try out the concept and need a guinea pig, I'd also be in.

Re: keyboard -- I have a membrane keyboard here that I don't use (since my keyboard is not very close to the mill). It's called "the Virtually Indestructible Keyboard" and is somewhere in a box over here. Send me your mailing address and it's yours.

Cheers,
-Neil.

[dgoddard]

Derek,

Thanks for posting the drawings and parts list. I'm with Cnczoner in not trying to reinvent the wheel. Been considering this mill for conversion and your thread and drawings have been a big help. Making the parts no problem and if I do the project will most likely follow your lead. I convereted a RF-31 mill/drill and really enjoying it. Sure same would be with the lathe. Any particular reason you used stepper motors instead of servos?

Doug

[derekbackus]

I've been working to refine the design on this conversion so that it is much more than a bunch of wires hanging off an existing lathe. Even though it works great, I want something that looks good and will not be hurt by the chips & liquids spraying off the parts I cut.

So... here's what I've been up to.

I've devised a method to keep the chips and debris out of the X screw where they all seem to want to fall. My method is a combination of a 1" hollow tube and a similar piece of sheet metal that comes with the G602.

I was not happy with the open steppers and couplings open to chips -- those are now covered in bent sheet metal.

The limit switches I used were cheepie RadioShack items. I've ordered waterproof switches. Along with this, I've got wire coming that is designed to be flexible to run from the steppers as well as a sleeve to route those wires within.

I've also ordered a sheet of black anodized aluminum so I can replace the ugly Grizzly panel with a nice, laser engraved panel of my design.

Oh, and I took the Z carriage off and milled the slot larger where the X screw goes through it. this let me turn the ball screw sideways which lets it fit (just barely) underneath the cross slide without removing any material. This elminates the piece of T aluminum from the end of the cross-slide. This was a biggie for me and required a slight re-design of a couple of the other parts on the X axis -- mainly just to move a couple holes.

While the store is not open yet, here is where I'm going with this project: http://www.d3cnc.com. Once I have refined the design to where I'm happy with it (a couple more days), I'll post new drawings. I've got parts for a second lathe to build and sell on the way -- when it is ready, I'll then open the store and start advertising.

Derek

[derekbackus]

Re: your questions -- I was looking for the sturdiest 110V lathe I could find, and the Syil definitely meets that need. But, I feel it's overpriced for what it is.

I actually think they've priced their machine right. It is cost more than I expected to create a machine that I think could be sold to the public. I'm going to put Gecko's in the production machine as well as a bigger power supply. This will give much higher top end speed -- the torque on this machine is just fine. I've never stalled it unless I run into the mechanical limits of travel! The cost of materials alone is approaching $2,100.00 and that doesn't include any machining, assembly, etc.

So if you do plan to put together a kit of these mechanical parts, count me in. Or if you want to try out the concept and need a guinea pig, I'd also be in.

I don't think I'll be making a kit, though I haven't ruled anything out. Once I get my design complete, I'd be willing to make you one, though. There are only a few aluminum parts -- the only problem I have with a kit is creating the installation manual, tech support, etc. which will probably be much greater than a complete, working machine.

Re: keyboard -- I have a membrane keyboard here that I don't use (since my keyboard is not very close to the mill). It's called "the Virtually Indestructible Keyboard" and is somewhere in a box over here. Send me your mailing address and it's yours.

Thank you, that's kind of you! I'll see if I can figure out how to send private messages!