Here we go again . . . MK4

[routercnc]

Bit more progress. One of the gantry end plates was cut out over the weekend:


Tonight I drilled and tapped all the various holes. Couldn't resist a trial fit of a couple of the previous parts:
OUTER VIEW

(Note the tabs on each end still need facing off. I'll wait for the other one to be machined then do them in the same session.)

INNER VIEW


With the side plates offered up:






Another reminder of what the end sections should look like . ..



I used the tapping chuck again which made light work of the threads. Also discovered I was holding the tap wrong. I had been putting the tap right into the chuck and it gripped on the round shank - liable to slip. Looking at the 3 jaws of the chuck I noticed that it has ridges in the centre of each jaw. If you put the square part of the tap into the chuck these grip the 4 sides nicely, with 2 jaws on the flats and 1 jaw (with the ridge) on one of the chamfers of the square. Hard to describe but just put the square shank of the tap into the 3 jaw chuck and it will not rotate.