Boxford 260 VMC rebuild

[mike-f]

Wow, mate, cracking job you’ve done!.

Really enjoyed reading through this latest post, lol proper workshop thinking all the way. The bit about the bridge solution made me smile...the classic “getting done” ingenuity!

Loved the fact you admitted it probably shouldn’t be tried at home, definitely earns extra bonus points for that

You’ve clearly put a lot of time and effort into this rebuild and it shows, sorting the electricals and wiring, that M6 cap screws was a good catch.

You’ve gone above and beyond to make sure this machine is built better than it probably ever was...NICE!

I'm currently sat nursing a total right knee replacement, So enjoying as much content as I can get at the moment, thanks for sharing the pictures and video, it’s always a right buzz when/seeing the machine come to life and make those first cuts isnt it, are you happy with the outcome ?

Hope you’ll keep the thread updated as you start to put it to work and look forward to the next set of action videos, I reckon others here will find it just as inspiring (and reassuring!) to see what’s possible with a bit of patience and a solid plan.

Top work

Thank you for your kind comments, I did do a bit more while I was distracted from my main project (Fairbanks Morse 15hp Model N ) https://www.smokstak.com/forum/threa...-model.228112/

One last thing on my list was converting an RDG Tools HV4 rotary table to a 4th axis. I recycled the stepper motor that originally drove the tool carousel to power the 4th axis. I had already installed a socket and stepper drive for this purpose. A word of warning: if you’re considering buying an RDG Tools HV4 or similar £100 rotary table, DON’T—they’re rubbish! I wasn’t expecting much, but it was about 50% worse than I anticipated. Apparently, Vertex Taiwanese HV4 tables are far superior to the poor-quality Chinese ones sold by RDG Tools. The main issues with the HV4 I used were significant. The 3 Morse taper bore was a good fit on a Morse taper sleeve but was nearly 0.5mm out of true—yes, half a millimetre! Additionally, every single part had burrs and work-holding damage from chuck jaws, etc. I couldn’t be bothered to send it back, and honestly, I enjoy tackling a basket case! So, I re-machined nearly everything the manufacturer had messed up, spent time deburring, and ensured the worm gear was mounted accurately. With some care and running in, I managed to get it running mostly true with minimal backlash. I designed a 3D-printed belt housing and motor mount. The main motor mount was commercially 3D-printed in nylon, while I printed the other parts in ABS. Unfortunately, I didn’t take many pictures during the build, but here are a few of the finished unit.











So that pretty much completes the rebuild, hopefully the machine will have a new lease of life and has been saved from the scrap man for now. I am at present trying really hard not to make a BT30 spindle for the machine although the current spindle is OK and works pretty well as it is, I think a BT30 spindle would more rigid than the Easy change tool holders and the BT30 toolholders are so much cheaper than the Easy change ones. Should I or should I just stick with what I have ??