[CadRhino]

I'll go first.

I got a loan to buy my machine and bought what I think I would want. After three years the following items I still have not used (yet) and wonder if I ever will.

Here is the list;
- passive probe and tips. I use the haimer all the time.
- tension compression tapping head. I like threadmill going better.
- foot switch for power down aw bar. The push button works for me.
- 4th axis center rest/post (both live and dead centers). Never needed to do touumbstone yet, I guess.
- Tormach's large precision fixture plate with locating t-nuts
- Tormach's 4-jaw chuck for the 8" 4th axis. I use the 3-jaw all the time.

What do you have in your tormach dusty cabinet?

[Steve Seebold]

I have the 8 inch rotary axis that I just had to have and it's been sitting on the shelf for 2 years. It's never been installed.

[keen]

I bought a whole set of spare boards and electrical parts for series one..... because I feared a breakdown mid production (did happen once)..... being so remote in NZ - about $2000.00 worth of electrical stuff alone.

Finally I decided a spare 1100 made more sense! Wish I had thought of that earlier !

Keen

[Spiffy Lab]

I bought a Tormach CNC mill and haven't used it: http://www.cnczone.com/forums/tormac...c-tormach.html

[smokediver576]

I bought a Tormach CNC mill and haven't used it: http://www.cnczone.com/forums/tormac...c-tormach.html

Ok, you win the prize! I wish you were around when I bought my mill two years ago. Someone, make this man an offer.

[tbev]

No siht. I want it, I just can't quite justify a second....yet. If I could it'd be on it.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[CadRhino]

Yes, you get first place😁

I bought a Tormach CNC mill and haven't used it: http://www.cnczone.com/forums/tormac...c-tormach.html

[mountaindew]

I have the 4th axis center rest and live centers setup that has not been used yet but I have some gears to do that will require it.
I also have a 2 height indicators one digital one analog in tool holders that don't see much use because they are backups to Hamier probe.
I also have a few tool holders with key way and other cutters that are not used much.
I did pick up a 5c spin indexer to use before 4th axis purchase. I did the oxtool mods and then put in drawer. Now it sets on one side of my bench with dedicated collet to hold tts tool Holders while I change cutters,drill bits...... works great. Now the goofy center rest is scrap metal at this point.
And I love my 4th axis, some of the stuff I do on that is down right fun. But I cant get the homing system "hal probe" to work right and found its not that handy anyway.
And the only way to get that big ass super spacer 4th axis on mill is with my trolley winch. Lift, move, set on wood blocks, slide across table, take blocks out , lock down hook up and away you go.

That's it!

[MetalShavings]

I bought that little tool height setter that you can plug into your computer to automatically enter the tool offsets of all your tooling. I've used it a total of three times in the years that I've owned my little tormach 770 before I realized that I didn't really need it.

The vast majority of the time, the largest end mills I use are only a 1/2" and the smallest is only 3/32" I simply set up all my tools so that they are all sticking out of my tool holders the very same length. You don't need a two-hundred-plus-dollar specialty tool to do that.

MetalShavings

[GLCarlson]

I bought that little tool height setter that you can plug into your computer to automatically enter the tool offsets of all your tooling. I've used it a total of three times in the years that I've owned my little tormach 770 before I realized that I didn't really need it.

The vast majority of the time, the largest end mills I use are only a 1/2" and the smallest is only 3/32" I simply set up all my tools so that they are all sticking out of my tool holders the very same length. You don't need a two-hundred-plus-dollar specialty tool to do that.

MetalShavings

That's a very slick idea. Question. Do you have any problems with getting adequate speeds on the small one without being deflection limited? I can imagine a situation where the 1/2 EM needs to be 1 1/2 out. That'd be a looooong way for a 3/32 EM unless you run it fairly slowly, which then creates a rubbing problem.

Perhaps the better way to ask the question is, how much stickout do you have on the tools?

[MetalShavings]

That's a very slick idea. Question. Do you have any problems with getting adequate speeds on the small one without being deflection limited? I can imagine a situation where the 1/2 EM needs to be 1 1/2 out. That'd be a looooong way for a 3/32 EM unless you run it fairly slowly, which then creates a rubbing problem.

Perhaps the better way to ask the question is, how much stickout do you have on the tools?

I see what you're getting at with this concern but that is not the case here.

The particular 1/2" end mills I use stick out of the designated 1/2" Tormach tool holders exactly an inch and a half with an inch of flute length included in that stick out but, the smaller end mills are held by the ER 16 holders which extend out farther. That means that my smallest end mills don't stick out to the point where it creates potentially detrimental flex. Most of my smallest end mills, when held by the ER 16 holders only stick out about .75" from the holder. The 3/32" EM sticks out that much with only about .350 or so of flute length. It's the extended length of these particular Tormach tool holders that allows for the same overall length as the 1/2" EM that sticks out an inch and a half from the holder.

I also use the smaller tormach drill chucks in the same way when holes need to be drilled that aren't any deeper than 3/4" deep. When set to the same Overall length as my end mills in their respective tool holders, it makes for quick and easy tool changes.

Various drill bit sizes can also be set up to mimic the overall length of my end mills using these same ER 16 tool holders. It's just that I only have four of them so if I happen to do a run that requires alot of different diameter hole drilling, it means that I'll have to waste time swapping end mills with drills. Whenever possible, I prefer to leave my end mills in place, using a spotting drill to mark my hole positions and just using the drill press after the fact.

Good point made GL. This might very well be a cause for concern in some instances but, mine is not one of them.

MetalShavings

[al010964]

+1 on the software to load the info into the tool table, but i do use the height guage
Flood coolant, never used. Went to fog and turned the tank into a fire 'safe' for lipo batteries
2x monitor and tool arm - went with the install of enclosure, except the one I robbed parts off for the external arm
Foot switch, for the draw bar

I do have other stuff that hasn't been used but would still get if i started again. As keen indicated being so remote presents it challenges and you need extra ....stuff as it is often a month away not 2 days like u guys have access too in the States.

Cheers,
.adrian

[tbev]

I bought a 32in vizio for cheaper than the monitor, very happy I did that. Is anyone running a wireless keyboard? I built a handle / joystick for the jogger, it's great but I want to make it wireless I just haven't researched it enough, don't know if the usb ports will support it. I parted everything together so I use pretty much everything, thinking about making a pdb myself when / if I get my second , prolly another 1100, if this new account I'm working on is close to their expectations I should need the second. ..I hope it is. I think I'll just get the mill, stand, controller and tats about it.

[popspipes]

I have an extra PDB board that I will never use, I bought it to replace the one that I killed trying to get the failsafe to work from the VFD, I modified the old board and got it to work while waiting on the new one, hence the new one is still unused.

If the machine gets sold at some point it can be put back in its original configuration.

I havent used some of the larger tap holders for the tapping head I bought with the machine.

[Steve Seebold]

I added the enclosure to my 1100 2 years ago. If I had it to do over, I wouldn't do it. I'm getting ready to move out of my garage into a real shop and to get the Tormach out, I'm going to have to have to remove the enclosure. The machine just barely went through the door without the enclosure.

It looks impressive to the neighbors, but the neighbors don't buy many parts.

[Steve Seebold]

I bought a 32in vizio for cheaper than the monitor, very happy I did that. Is anyone running a wireless keyboard? I built a handle b joystick for the jogger, it's great but I want to make it wireless I just haven't researched it enough, don't know if the usb ports will support it. I posted everything together so I use pretty much everything, thinking about making a pdb myself when I get my second , prolly another 1100, if this new account is reverb close to their expectations I should need the second. ..I hope it is.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Big monitors are cool. On my CAD station next to my 1100 I have a 19 inch Lenovo monitor on the desk, AND I have a 46 inch Samsung on the other side, and I'm here to tell ya it's really cool to see a 15 inch long part FULL SIZE.

When I had my shop I had a 37 inch monitor because I had 2 30 inch machines and I did a lot of work that was 24 to 27 inches long and it was really nice to see a 27 inch long part full sized.

You don't miss much detail that way.

[tbev]

Agreed, I wanted to be able to see what's going on from across the shop, $40 arm and I can move it all over the place, works great. I also have chromecast stick in it so I can "cast" my computer screen to it and view customer files, YouTube, music, whatever if I don't need to see what's happening on the mill. For the record I think the amazon for sick is better than the chromecast sick for watching t.v., but I dunno it will cast your computer screen or not, if anyone really cares, it's pretty nice to have tho I think.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[CL_MotoTech]

I don't own a Tormach but was just reading this thread because I am interested in purchasing one in the future. Very informative indeed. More than anything though I wanted to comment on the monitor situation. For my machine I mounted my monitor on a post with four legs and casters. There's a small keyboard and mouse desk as well. I use a UPS battery backup to weight the bottom of the stand and to keep the monitor powered on as I roll it around. I cast with Airserver to an old Apple TV (plugged into the monitor) I had. It's not a fancy build, I just used some 2x4's, but it sure turns heads when people visit my shop.

[tbev]

Yeah that's way cool! I was weighing size vs. touchscreen bc that has just become available at the time buy I didn't really care about it and I didn't want to be touching my monitor with my oily dirty hands anyways. I use a wireless mouse to keep my hands off my CAD computer as much as possible as well. I have mine mounted above/ beside my mill and it's 32 in, which is cool from about 30ft or so away.


Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[pickled]

Here is the list of potential boat anchors in my shop...
1. The 2 jaw vise set-up for the rotary table. I found that the 5C, 4 jaw and 3 jaw chucks to be pretty much rock solid for all my set-ups.
2. The Duality Lathe and assorted accessories - enough said on that.
3. The high speed spindle attachment (for the Proxon rotary tool) sits next to the Duality.
4. Modular Ball End Mill.