I have a problem with my milling machine - it's worn out pretty badly.
My prefered solution would be to take the parts to be milled straight, but can't locate anybody nearby who could this any reasonable budget.
Plan B: Make an small contraption to grind 0,1 to 0,02 mm maximum. Before rushing into anything unfeasible I have made a roadmap and one big obstacle is how to grind cast iron.
Consensus seems to be: For grinding cast iron, non-ferrous metals and non-metallic materials, select a silicon carbide abrasive. Ant it needs to be dressed frequently.
I would very much like to use standard aprox. 1,1 kW 2800 rpm electric motor on direct drive (there is a problem on how to preload the bearing....).
All other ways are flat ways, but table has a dovetail ways and there is a real chance that they are about 50 degrees. Not that standard.
Anyways, problems aside:
1) Is silicon carbide wheel my only choice or are any of the "diamond" wheels a possibility.
2) Is it possible to use a cup wheel and successfully grind the flat ways on face surface of the wheel without oscillation?
3) Is it possible to dress the periphery to the dovetail angle and use it to grind the dovetail?
I realize that very little of material is going to removed per pass, many passes, dressing the wheel often and probably one way will take best part of the day.
My first idea is to build a fitting straight onto electric motor shaft, which should be easiest part of the whole thing, but I need to find out how much the bearings have end float and is there a simple "close enough" way of making it small enough. I don't want to to get sidetracked into building a grinding spindle - unless I really have to.
I never have done any cast iron grinding and some stuff I have read hints that it is different. Just is it doable?
Thanks,
Pekka