Milling Machine Advice

[Jonathan]

My guess is that there are "tensioned" in opposite directions against each other and therefore cancel out any play no matter which direction of rotation is used (can't quite visualise how though).

Near enough. I recommend reading Robin's build log as he dismantled some, so you can easily see how it works ... or can be improved with springs (which I've now copied on 3 machines but with separate nuts).

[JAZZCNC]

I machined a slot out under the X table with my router very slowly 1mm DOC 200mm/min with a 6mm carbide 4 flute at 5500 rpm.

BUT BUT BUT CLIVE dont you know Routers can't Machine Cast Iron they must only EVER be used for cutting compressed paper according to ROBINS law.

[Clive S]

BUT BUT BUT CLIVE dont you know Routers can't Machine Cast Iron they must only EVER be used for cutting compressed paper according to ROBINS law.

Very sorry about that, I will never ever do it again ..Clive

[JAZZCNC]

Very sorry about that, I will never ever do it again ..Clive

You bloody well better do it again mate otherwise don't bother ringing me anymore.! .

[Clive S]

You bloody well better do it again mate otherwise don't bother ringing me anymore.! .

Eh Eh OK boss. I might try titanium and see how that goes.

[Washout]

Eh Eh OK boss. I might try titanium and see how that goes.

How hard can it be? ;-)

[JAZZCNC]

Eh Eh OK boss. I might try titanium and see how that goes.

Ok and I'll get the tissues ready and my book of sympathy words. .

[njhussey]

After using the mill (and lathe) to make a one off spacer and a couple of other bits I now wish I'd got a mill with a dovetail Z axis and not the round column!! We've got a BILZ tapping head that requires the headstock to be moved up to use and as soon as you move it you lose position so you have to go back to finding your centres again which is a right royal PITA. I'm going to get a cheap laser pointer and mill a 1mm notch in some white plastic and attach the laser pointer to the mill head pointing back at the wall at the plastic. Hopefully (if the plastic is truely vertical) then I can keep the head square. I've discovered that the rack for the head is only wedged top and bottom on the column and not secured in any way so it can flex as much as it likes.....crap design but I guess you get what you pay for. I can see the machine coming apart and the rack being drilled and tapped so it is fixed to the column to stop some of this flexing. Trouble is we seem to have sold a few "one offs" recently so can't do anything to it yet...

Pics of the spacer, the DRO is brilliant for doing PCD's...makes it easy to drill bolt holes.

[njhussey]

Fitted a DRO to the Z axis just now...