Replacing thick convex washer on X2 mill column with flat plate- extra strength?

[raynerd]

Hi Guys

I would like some clarification please before I go ahead and do this mod.

On the back of the X2 mill where the column is bolted to the base - it is held by a thick convex washer - you are actually tightening the bolt up to an area of the washer not in contact with column. I imagined when I first saw this that there must be some spring in the nut and washer and therefore flex in the column. This isn`t my own idea, I`ve done a search on the forums and have found a few posts regarding this issue. I just wanted to check what you guys thought before I went ahead and changed anything. I would simply be replacing the convex washer with a flat washer/plate. I have even seen modifications of an angle plate bolted to the bench and the nut tightened up against the angle plate?

Any thoughts or opinions....would be better with a picture of what is currently there but I can`t find one.

Chris

 

[websterz]

I replaced the washer on my x2 with a flat plate of 1/2" steel. As long as the plate is at least as wide as the column you are adding as much rigidity as possible (without the angle plate setup). Most of the spring comes from flex in the column itself, not from the shape of the washer. I noticed a huge difference. While I had the machine apart I shimmed the head so that the spindle is parallel with the column. Turned a bit of Chinese kit into a precision machine. 

[Brass_Machine]

There is a write up on this topic in the files section of the yahoo grizzly minimill group. They also talk about filling the bottom part of the column with epoxy to help with the flexing on the lower part of the base.

LINK in the files section named:    Column Flexing in the Minimill - revision 1.pdf

It is now on my list of mods to do.


Eric

[raynerd]

Hi Eric

I haven`t seen it in the yahoo group, but had heard that people fill the column with epoxy and I even heard concrete!! Humm, I don`t know, it some how doesn`t appeal to me but I guess it must work and be worth while!

Chris

[NorthOf40]

Hi everyone,

Here's one solution to increasing the rigidity of the X2 column base (with pictures)--> http://www.harrisson.biz/backplate/rigid.htm

It looks like a good solution, but, I haven't tried it.

[raynerd]

Nice little solution there - I`ve seen the harrison.biz website before but must have missed those free column backplate plans. I like that idea rather than the normal angle plate, I have limited space at the back of my mill and the angle plate would just take up room. I think I`ll try this one, only got a few other mods to do first.

All the best.

[NorthOf40]

Hi craynerd,

I'm glad the link was usefull (I found that link first then from there to the main harrisson.biz site)

[ibuildstuff4u]

Does any one have picts of this mod?  The Harrison site is no longer working.

Thanks!

Dale P.

[tumutbound]

Here are a couple I've bookmarked from the Yahoo groups GrizzlyMiniMill or mini-mills

• Extends Y travel and adds stiffening plate to column http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GrizHFMinimill/photos/album/73074391/pic/list
• Adds angle plate to coulmn http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GrizHFMinimill/photos/album/1983700256/pic/list

[NorthOf40]

Hi Dale,

I've sent you an email with a zipped copy of the Harrison page.

[ibuildstuff4u]

Jim, Thank you for the E-mail, but I can't open the file.  I'm on a Mac computer and it must be written with a program that I don't have.  Do you have any other way you can send it?  Perhaps not compressed?  I always seem to have trouble opening compressed files other wise I can open just about anything else.

Thanks for the help!!!

Dale P.

[NorthOf40]

Dale,

I made the Harrisson page into a PDF file, if that doesn't work let me know and I'll send all the HTML files.