Mill 480x500x180 RIGID

[JAZZCNC]

Hi,

Sensible thinking on the others and credit to you for doing research before jumping in and having ago your self with design, wish others would do the same.!

Your design like you say is a little restrictive and complicated around the backside but it's not too far away.

Now for a long time I've been going to make something similair thou slightly larger but with a slightly differant design that in my opinion if done correctly will give best possible amount of strength at the tool where it's needed.
Now I've seen a few machines done in this way before but other day found this on youtube which will show you what I mean.

As you'll see the Gantry lifts not the Z axis. This gives some very serious advantages where it matters at the tool because your getting maximum support from the Gantry at the spindle with No Z extension so only extension from the Spindle is the tool length the chatter is greatly reduced. This allows either better finish or deeper/faster cutting or some of both.

The machine in the video could be done better regards the frame and it's got a crappy spindle on it so not showing it's true potential but it will show exactly what I mean.

If the frame was beefed up and Gantry counter balanced to allow faster Z movements plus take some of the strain of motors etc and obviously put a real spindle on it not a toy then IMO it would be a cracking little machine.