DIY mill...

**irving2008** · 10-08-2008

Originally Posted by Robin Hewitt

One of these, but about 20 years old

http://www.warco.co.uk/productimages/documents/P61.pdf

I'm surprised you get that much flex.. do you know how much, and is it the tool flexing or the mill? what feed rate etc?

**Robin Hewitt** · 10-08-2008

Originally Posted by irving2008

I'm surprised you get that much flex.. do you know how much, and is it the tool flexing or the mill? what feed rate etc?

Everything bends, the trick is to minimalise it :D

I don't usually post pics of where it goes not so good, but what the heck...

1: Backlash on a change of direction, looks like a ditch, actually 4 or 5 thou deep

2: Chatter, an echo from the roughing out, should have changed speed.

3: Tool flexing, you can see where the tool tip bent inwards and wasn't completely removed by the finishing pass. You know it's the tool becae it gets deeper towards the tip.

**irving2008** · 11-08-2008

Originally Posted by Robin Hewitt

Everything bends, the trick is to minimalise it :D

I don't usually post pics of where it goes not so good, but what the heck...

1: Backlash on a change of direction, looks like a ditch, actually 4 or 5 thou deep

2: Chatter, an echo from the roughing out, should have changed speed.

3: Tool flexing, you can see where the tool tip bent inwards and wasn't completely removed by the finishing pass. You know it's the tool becae it gets deeper towards the tip.

Thanks for sharing Robin, helps know what I'm looking for... :) btw, #3 are you sure the tool flexed rather than had excessive runout or the work was offline? I'm not sure I understand how the tool tip can bend into the work, unless it was catching because of excessive feed rate

**Robin Hewitt** · 11-08-2008

Hard to tell, the way the tool tip digs in much further than the rest makes me suspect tool bending. Could be wrong. I shall find out when my new CNC controller is up and running with absolute positioning from the digital scales.

I was working on the Mk2 version over the weekend, finally burst in to life around 7pm Sunday evening :D

I have a fancy algorythm for CNC milling I want to try. Problem is it needs lots of memory and processor speed, so it has to be a USB device running under XP. I'm taking a crash course in Visual Studio 2008 from a geek :D

**Robin Hewitt** · 12-08-2008

Originally Posted by Kip

Is that a new mount for the end of your table Robin?

I'd have cast it :)

It's not too late for you to cast it, where do I send the pattern? :D

That pic was a freaky bench mounted BB firing test gun. I plugged it in to the shop air line, looked down the shop, saw nothing breakable and pumped a dozen out at around 600 ft/s to test it. One went straight through the wall clock glass front, through the case, luckily missed the mechanism and came out the back

**Lee Roberts** · 12-08-2008

Originally Posted by robin hewitt

luckily missed the mechanism and

lmao !!!!!

**irving2008** · 20-10-2008

Some more bits arrived today :)

A nice project box - actually an IP66 wall mount wiring enclosure but it will house the PSU and driver cards. Being IP66 it is completely sealed but I will put a filtered fan on the side and replace the top wiring gland with a fine mesh (air blowing out the top will keep dust/crap out). It has a nice glas front so I will make up an internal panel with lots of flashy LEDs on it :)

The second is a set of 3 x 4-pole lockdown connectors for the steppers, all the way from Hong Kong for under £6 the set, eBay shop is AllPartsPipe. They do 5, 7 and 9 pole too... all rated for 20A DC... and lots of other goodies (Power MOSFETs for instance)

**Lee Roberts** · 20-10-2008

its all GOGOGO !!!

I may get to finish some of the things im working this side of xmas !

**ciscokiduk** · 03-03-2009

I recently puchased a conquest mill from Chester tools UK with the sole purpose of converting to cnc, I purchased plans for cnc conversion from www.stirlingsteele.com, he has used the Seig x2 for cnc conversion which is basically the conquest in different clothing. I have completed nearly all the X, Y, Z components, now moving on to the controller board etc.

**keith77777** · 29-11-2010

Hi you all
Can'nt afford anything like the Seig I'm affraid it has to be good old DIY. I like the plans available on www.crankorgan.com but not sold to UK. One thing I,ve noticed that if you buy butrussed lead screws they are coarser than studding and you are likely to need bigger stepper motors. The Seig uses Nema23 or 34 wonder what current they take?
Have been investigating software with aim of modifying my motor controller www.calenterprises.co.uk/speed.html for opto coupler. Unfortunately only Mach and maybe Zues are the olny ones to have a PWM output.
If I was making a mill I would use 3 inch angle iron bolted together to stant with then tack welded when everthing had been checked/adjusted. Square tube could be used for slides etc.

Happy Xmas Keith