How Would You Upgrade An Old Ox CNC Build Into A Serious Machine?

[Boyan Silyavski]

Boyan,
I notice that both BST and your recommended supplier Hong Yi sell both the 'miniature' MGN15 size rails and the larger HGR15 (same size as Hi-Win). The overall height from the base of the rail to the top of the carriage is only 16mm for the miniature compared to 28 for the standard size. Strangely enough the larger size works out slightly cheaper from Hong Yi for the 400mm set I'm looking at for my planned Z-axis upgrade. 15mm seems to be the largest size available in the miniature range and the smallest in the standard sizes so this is the only size where the confusion might occur.

I'd advise anyone looking at 15mm rails to check exactly what you're buying. No doubt the miniature size has practical advantages for some projects but it is not as robust as the standard size for heavy load applications. Those initials make all the difference!

Thats why i laugh when someone says here on forum, he will buy the stuff and figure it out later. I make 3d model of what i make, then piece by piece simulate the assembly and still so normally a mistake or 2 happens.

I say : Figure it out earlier, buy rails and screws. Receive them. Check what is received. Then compare to drawing and continue the build.

[JAZZCNC]

Thats why i laugh when someone says here on forum, he will buy the stuff and figure it out later.

This is the most common mistake I find people make, that and buying stepper driver kits.!. . . . If only they would search the forum first.!

[Kitwn]

If I'd been an avid reader of MYCNCUK before I ever set out to build my first plywood and allthread router a few years ago, the machine I have now would not look anything like the machine I have now!

[Neale]

If I'd been an avid reader of MYCNCUK before I ever set out to build my first plywood and allthread router a few years ago, the machine I have now would not look anything like the machine I have now!

I saw and believed lots of internet content that told me how great my first MDF router would be. Then I built it. Then I found this forum. Curiously, my mk2 machine looks a whole lot different as well! Learnt a lot on the way, though.

[NeoMorph]

This is the most common mistake I find people make, that and buying stepper driver kits.!. . . . If only they would search the forum first.!

“Hmm instead of rails perhaps I could save some money using drawer slides.”

Seriously... I saw that once and even I, of the limited CNC knowledge, laughed my socks off at that

[JAZZCNC]

“Hmm instead of rails perhaps I could save some money using drawer slides.”

Seriously... I saw that once and even I, of the limited CNC knowledge, laughed my socks off at that

Got one better than that look at this.? . . . Din rail for rail.!! . . . . . A lesson in how to waste $900 . . .This should be made a Sticky on how NOT to do it.!

[AndyUK]

Got one better than that look at this.? . . . Din rail for rail.!! . . . . . A lesson in how to waste $900 . . .This should be made a Sticky on how NOT to do it.!

But in a grainy thumbnail from 10ft away it almost looks like the real thing so surely its awesome right? /s

[Boyan Silyavski]

Got one better than that look at this.? . . . Din rail for rail.!! . . . . . A lesson in how to waste $900 . . .This should be made a Sticky on how NOT to do it.!

Keep Calm And Add MORE Clamps! , check the funny guy t shirt . There is the answer

[NeoMorph]

Keep Calm And Add MORE Clamps! , check the funny guy t shirt . There is the answer

I’ve got a feeling that he may play Kerbal Space Program. LOL

Back to my “upgrade” I’m abandoning the attemp as upgrading it would need me to replace too much. A friend has said he will help me with the heavy stuff if he can have a go at making stuff with it (which I think is a fair trade).

So it’s actually time to start planning a machine from scratch. Spent today looking through water pump requirements as the advice is all over the shop... “use a pond pump it’s the cheapest”... “Don’t use a pond pump ffs”... use a 12v water cooling pump and use a pc dual radiator”... “don’t use small pumps as they don’t pump enough to get it all through the narrow pipe”...”don’t use PVC pipe, use expensive anti microbial silicon pipe”... and on, and on, and on. Made my head spin.

So once I get my spindle I think I’ll set up a system to test actual flow rate and temp. ... and oh sh1t... we just left the EU. *cry*

[JAZZCNC]

So it’s actually time to start planning a machine from scratch. Spent today looking through water pump requirements as the advice is all over the shop... “use a pond pump it’s the cheapest”... “Don’t use a pond pump ffs”... use a 12v water cooling pump and use a pc dual radiator”... “don’t use small pumps as they don’t pump enough to get it all through the narrow pipe”...”don’t use PVC pipe, use expensive anti microbial silicon pipe”... and on, and on, and on. Made my head spin.

So once I get my spindle I think I’ll set up a system to test actual flow rate and temp. ... and oh sh1t... we just left the EU. *cry*

I've probably fitted in excess of 100 of these spindles and everyone used a 24Vdc fish pond or solar panel type pump in sealed 20ltr container that as a head height of around 8mtr with high duty cycle for continuous running. The flow rate doesn't need to be high because the cooling requirements are low.
To be honest these spindles will happily run for 20-30mins without water and not do any damage. My own machine is a basket case of wires n pipes hanging off it from testing and I'm actually just running water straight from the tap through it and out again into the drain because I destroyed the pump while testing a radiator setup.
Most of the jobs I do on this machine are only short jobs 30-40 mins so I hardly ever turn the water on. Only if the job is over an hour-long do I turn it on. It's been this way for the last 3-4yrs without any issues and I nearly exclusively cut aluminum on it. I've also cut a few jobs where I've forgot to turn the water on and only noticed after 2hrs and while the spindle was relatively hot, the spindle didn't complain. They are tuff little things and will stand a lot of abuse regards cooling. My spindle must be 6yrs old now and nobody could abuse it more than I have and do on a weekly basis.