[hoss2006]

Hey Bill,
I got this 12 x 6 in. Magnetic Chuck at Harbor Freight for $99.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=33487
They Also have an 8 X 4 in. for $59.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=90504
Wholesale Tool has a midsized 5 X 10 in which would be the perfect size for
the X2 I think, but it's $139.
http://www.wttool.com/product-exec/p...Magnetic_Chuck
Later Hoss

[Micro Rotors]

Holly Mackerel !!!!!,

I didn't know HF has that item! Is it powerful, could you also do light machining with it with an end mill bit?

I have got to look at that item, I was just there for their sidewalk sale yesterday! Boy, I could just kick myself in the .....(nuts)

Bill

[ZipSnipe]

Very cool grinding attachment Hoss, hmm never thought about using an angle grinder. I though about adapting your idea and putting one on a vertical column on my 9x20 lathe,. The saddle moves back and forth quickly like a real surface grinder does.

[dfurlano]

Hoss,

Do you control the spindle via the software our did you leave it manual?

If you did convert the speed control can you let me know how you did so?

Thanks

Dan

PS like your website can't wait till you get some lathe info up!

[hoss2006]

Hey dan,
Nope the speed control is still manual.
The replacement board I installed still has to have the motor start with the
control switch very low or off to begin.I could have Mach 3 turn it off without too much trouble wiring it up, but to get it to turn it on will require a seperate circuit control for that.When I get around to it I'll probably get this board from Homann Designs.
http://homanndesigns.com/store/index...&products_id=2
Later Hoss

[willo]

I'm new to ballscrews/ball nuts, but aren't those non-preloaded ball nuts?
I'm getting ready to order parts for mine.

update: I finally found a picture of a preloaded nut purchased from homeshopcnc, so I'll assume that they are. I was confused because I'd seen some that are made from two ball nuts.

[hoss2006]

Hey Will,
I did buy Non-preloaded ballnuts from Homeshopcnc.com.http://www.homeshopcnc.com/page3.html
It's a lot easier to machine the ends of the ballscrews without the nuts in the way. They ship the ballnuts with a cardboard tube inside held with tape to keep the ball bearings from falling out. They are already inside the nut.
When it's time to load the nut, Remove the tape,(careful the cardboard doesn't slide out) The machined end of the ballscrew will fit nicely inside the cardboard tube, Slowly feed the ballscrew into the nut keeping tension on the cardboard tube against the ballscrew with your finger.As you screw the screw through the nut, it will push out the cardboard keeping the bearings right where they're supposed to be. If you do let bearings fall out(I did once) unscrew the ballscrew till the end starts to expose the bearings inside. I used a small screwdriver or punch to push a bearing back into the tubing with the rest of the bearings. It's a PAIN so be careful loading the nut the first time so you don't have to do this. One missing bearing can make the nut jam on the ballscrew.
Bigger mills like the X3 can use two ball nuts per screw for slightly better accuracy, but there isn't room on the X2. One nut is more than adequate for accuracy, 2 is just overkill.
Later Hoss

[hoss2006]

Hey Will,
here's a closeup of the Z Axis breakdown.
Later Hoss
http://www.hossmachine.com

[hoss2006]

Hey gang,
Here's a color coded breakdown of the Z Axis assembly.
Hope it makes it clearer.
later Hoss
http://www.hossmachine.com

[dhiruj]

hi hoss

how was the magnetic chuck..

dhiruj

[hoss2006]

Hey dhiruj,
It's a good strong chuck but I should have saved a few bucks
and got the smaller 8x4in. chuck. Would be a better fit for the X2.
Later Hoss
http://www.hossmachine.com

[JC Harper]

I visited your website Hoss. Very nice.
I just purchased an x2 from Grizzly. Your mods are great. Will be converting my machine in the not too distant future to cnc. So I'll be visiting your site with regularity.
Here's a toast to you and all your good work.

[hoss2006]

Hey Gang,
Here's a little surface grinder attachment update.
Using an old angle grinder came back to bite me, the bearings in it were in
bad shape. The original was metric, so I made a new drive shaft to accept a larger heavier duty 'English' bearing, and it was cheaper too. I changed the threads on the shaft to 1/2-13 too so it will fit a bigger range of wheels.
Used the 'Surfacing with Tool down in X ' wizard in Mach 3 to take a back and forth pass across a piece of stock at .0005 a pass. Works pretty nice and hands free to boot.
Next project is a lathe attachment for the mill. Using parts from a 7x10 lathe
with custom parts to give about 10-12in. between the centers. Will use a small variable speed motor for turning with CNC using the Mills X and Z Axis and a stepper for 4th axis control for gear making, etc. Should be able to make some cool stuff.
Later Hoss
http://www.hossmachine.com

[hoss2006]

Have a couple videos of my mill in action posted on my website.
http://www.hossmachine.com
Right click and Save As the follwing links.
Milling the Engraver Bracket and Control Panel about 14 Megs
http://www.hossmachine.com/downloads...%201%2014m.wmv
The Surface Grinder Initial Test about 19 Megs.
http://www.hossmachine.com/downloads...nder%2019m.wmv

[philbur]

Hi Hoss,

I would be interested to see the surface finish you achieved with the surface grinding attachment.

Regards
Phil

Hey Gang,
Here's a little surface grinder attachment update.
Using an old angle grinder came back to bite me, the bearings in it were in
bad shape. The original was metric, so I made a new drive shaft to accept a larger heavier duty 'English' bearing, and it was cheaper too. I changed the threads on the shaft to 1/2-13 too so it will fit a bigger range of wheels.
Used the 'Surfacing with Tool down in X ' wizard in Mach 3 to take a back and forth pass across a piece of stock at .0005 a pass. Works pretty nice and hands free to boot.
Next project is a lathe attachment for the mill. Using parts from a 7x10 lathe
with custom parts to give about 10-12in. between the centers. Will use a small variable speed motor for turning with CNC using the Mills X and Z Axis and a stepper for 4th axis control for gear making, etc. Should be able to make some cool stuff.
Later Hoss
http://www.hossmachine.com

[hoss2006]

Hey Phil,
After dressing the wheel with a diamond tipped dresser,
I got a better finish on this washer.
It will do me.
Hoss

[philbur]

Hi Hoss,

Thanks for the photo,

For an angle grinder set-up it looks pretty reasonable to me, did you change the bearing arrangment at all, other than switching to imperial.

I was expecting that bearing qualty and setup would be critical for surface finish and didn't expect an angle grinder to have the precision necessary.

Regards
Phil

Hey Phil,
After dressing the wheel with a diamond tipped dresser,
I got a better finish on this washer.
It will do me.
Hoss

[hoss2006]

Hey Phil,
Didn't make any changes other than the replacement bearing and shaft.
I'm sure using a quality made angle grinder would be the way to go. I used
an old one I already had to experiment with and thus had to make the
modifications. You get what you pay for I guess.
Hoss

[hoss2006]

Here's a preliminary report on the X2 lathe attachment I'm working on.
I'm making big changes to my Harbor Freight 7x10 lathe, so I'm using
the leftover parts to build this. I'll have the same DC variable speed reversing motor for turning, plus I'll be using a stepper motor for 4th axis milling.
I'm making the aluminum tailstock from scratch as well as the headstock. Trying
to save some weight. The mill can handle my 22lb. magnetic chuck no problem,
so that's the weight I want to keep this under.
I'll have a complete overview on my website when It's finished.
http://www.hossmachine.com
Plan to use Bob Adams' Cad2lathe program with Mach 3 Turn to get it up and running. Check it out here.
http://www.cad2gcode.com/index.html
here's a few pics
later hoss

[willo]

It's mechanically the same as Hoss's, with a few changes.
The biggest is my Z-ballscrew mount. --by the way, the dimension on that piece was way too big for my mill. I had to cut it down quite a bit, and removed all the manual Z hardware to get it to clear nicely.


I redid the mount on the Z, since I don't have a tailstock chuck for my lathe yet. (I experimented with the 1/2" piece that I bought, but ended up having to toss it.) I couldn't accurately center drill and thread the end of the ballscrew, so I turned the end down to .5, milled a flat into the edge and cut a .5 hole in a piece of 3/8 aluminum. Then I used a 1/4" set screw to hold it. It probably won't handle alot of abuse, but I expect it to hold until the chuck for my tailstock shows up. It's pretty solid for now, so it may surprise me and last longer.

I put up more notes on the mechanical build here: http://biobug.org/machine-shop/mill/mechanical.php

I used EAS microstep controllers for 1600 steps/inch on the X/Y and 3200 (for now) on the Z. --I haven't played with anything buy 8 microsteps yet.
More on the controller can be found here: http://biobug.org/machine-shop/mill/controller.php
I'm using EMC linux to run the machine and trying out various CAM packages along the way.

Once the X and Y were done, I ran Z myself and got some cam practice in. The biggest lesson: verify dimensions on the drawings! I used Hoss's, and ran into a few places that needed tweaking.

Lastly, I put together a bill of materials as I went along. I haven't gotten around to adding all the screw in yet. http://biobug.org/machine-shop/mill/bom-conversion