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  1. #1
    Hi All

    I have not been too active around these parts in a while, other projects have been taking up lots of my time. My little lad is now 4 and taking much more of my time, and Im also 6 months into a new job. However, things are starting to calm down, and i got itchy fingers for a winter workshop toy / project.

    Some of you may recall, Earlier this year I took ownership of an old Bridgeport Mill, er http://www.mycncuk.com/threads/8856-bridgeport

    Since ive owned it, ive done a few bits and peaces to it, most notably with the help of an old member from round here (John S) We converted the old three phase motor, to a more modern unit with matching VFD.







    The original plan was that I was going to convert this to CNC, and despite being advised this isn't a brilliant idea, I got quite far down the planning stages, almost to the point I was about to start placing orders

    However, eager ebaying presented a different option, and last night, after work, I shot down the a50 armed with my car trailer, and bought this bad boy







    This is a CNC mill (bigger in shadow than my bridgeport), the unit was covered in wax and stored away new in 1996. so is completely unused. It comes fully equiped with ballscrews I literally need to install some steppers / servos, fit a spindle motor (ala like I did on the bridgeport)

    what could possibly go wrong?

    As its much bigger in the flesh than it seems in the picture, and my trailer was about on its arse carrying the bridgeport, I decided against dragging it home last night, so need to make some alternative arrangements and collect it at the weekend...

    For all those interested, Il keep you all posted, throughout the build.. as it happens, Live!


    Few things... Reckon il get away with steppers? if so, what size?

    anybody got any INT30 tooling they want to sell?
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

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  2. #2
    Good score! Was looking at then too. But no space for it yet.

    If you go stepper motor route, get nema 34 12nm hybrid servos from the likes of leadshine. They are worth it. If the machine had cranks i would have said go the servo route but steppers will be fine. Worth investing in a dro too, just to keep a tab on how the machine performs.

    Keep us updataed on how it goes and who moves it for you
    https://emvioeng.com
    Machine tools and 3D printing supplies. Expanding constantly.

  3. #3
    That looks like a geat purchase, and a real bargain if the cash laid on the side is what you paid. You really do seem to be able to sniff out some good deals. Well done. G.

  4. #4
    its arrived boys :D

    My paranoia got the better of me so decided to hire a trailer.. despite me asking for a "twin axle plant trailer" the dumbo delivered me this single axle... so technically, its plated no greater than my own trailer. just looks better.

    Rather than dwell on it, I shot up the motorway, and the guy dropped it on with the backhoe of a JCB. My old van strugged to tug it back, but we got there in the end

    benefit street is now fully occupied.



    bit tight.

  5. #5
    Neale's Avatar
    Lives in Plymouth, United Kingdom. Last Activity: 18 Hours Ago Has been a member for 9-10 years. Has a total post count of 1,725. Received thanks 295 times, giving thanks to others 11 times.
    How did you unload it? I bought a lathe a little while ago and had it loaded on the back of a flat-bed transit (about 1200kg) and found a friend with tractor with front loader. Sometimes you need friends, especially with a steep drive to negotiate...

  6. #6
    I have an anchor point within the concrete floor of the garage, at the back but central to the opening. I used it for my lathe, the bridgeport etc

    essentially the method is, chock the trailer. use the come-along (ball and tackle) and a series of ratchet straps to drag off the trailer against the anchor point.

    If I had a friend, (or a for that matter, friend with tractor) that would of been a great idea :D

  7. #7
    That looks like a close thing with your garage door height. Any pics of the come along (does that mean rollers). I am sure that you now have the best equipped workshop in your road. G.

  8. #8
    Geoffrey, by come-along, i mean chain and tackle. Essentially, when I layed the concete floor, I sat a 30cmx30cm x 10mm steel plates down first, with a big steel bar loop welded to them. I then poured best part of 20 tons of cement on top of it, leaving the exposed ringlet pretruding from the floor. this is positioned at the back of the garage, in the middle of the garage door opening. I then use something similar to this



    to literally, drag anything into the garage/workshop.

    To complicate things, there are other ringlets dotted around the edges of the workshop floor that I use to drag in different directions. Bit like a poor-mans gantry crane.

    WHen I bought then house, the garage (my own, on my land) was surrounded by council owned garages, on what used to be a council garage site (ala 1970's). I was fortunate enough to rent 8 of them and at the time, I had knocked through. However, the garage site was soon sold to a developer, and now my workshop is surrounded by "studio apartments", When they were building the houses I referred to it as "benefit street", as I didnt believe the developer would be able to rent them out privately as he had suggested. However, it appears they are all indeed rented privately which is better than I had hoped. That said, As you can imagine, I dont doubt the tenants (fiat 500's, jocks, fashionable young lads) are best pleased with my workshop landed right in the middle of it. So I go out of my way to live up to their expectation. I was there first!!! :D

  9. #9
    This weekend turned out ot be one of those weekends where my time was consumed with other things, so short of collecting the machine, I literally didnt get much time to do anything else.

    I did however start the job of cleaning the wax stuff off, which is going to be a b*stard of a job,



    the machine is literally covered in it, although Im pleased its there.


    First things first, I need to esablish how I get some lubrication working, as most things are quite stiff. There is this jobby on the side of the machine





    1.) which I assume is some form of auto-oiler? any information however obvious you may know of this, would be grately appreciated.
    2.) what oil do I fill it with?
    3.) The clear hose coming out of the body of the machine, goes up to the quill, and the black line you can see seems to go to feed the network of lubrication lines plumbed into the machine (both these feed lines are not connected to the oiler, and are just loose. and I dont know where they would go)
    4.) It is marked 110v, so I guess Il have to use one of those yellow site equiptment block things to power it?



    thats probably enough questions for now, but here are some other photos

    oohhh... brand new suds pump inside body of mill


    shows the y ballscrew with guard removed, and the cleaning ive done on the saddle rail, can anybody recommend any cleaning chemical I can use to get rid of the stains?


    shows the x ballscrew with guard removed


    z motor mount


    and finally, the spindle motor mount

  10. #10
    2. Way oil.
    4. Stains. Cutting compound, do you really wanna get that deep?, wd40 works great for rust stains too.

    .Me
    .Me

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