Chester 626 mill CNC Conversion

[Mayhem]

Give me swarf in my clothing over sand in my arse crack any day of the week!  Oh wait, you guys don't have sand on your beaches do you?  Just pebbles.

[daz]

Hey Rob, that's some fantastic looking work and I can't wait to see this project finished. Especially because I want to see you get that lathe up and running! It was the first lathe I ever wrote a program for in my tech class some twenty years ago! I was a bit sad to see it go but it has definitely gone to a good and worthy home and I know you will do just as good a job on it as you are doing with your mill conversion.
Excellent stuff!

daz

[awemawson]

Fancy meeting you in here!

I've not seen the floor in that garage for years Andrew!

Bob

Oh I get arround you know !!!! (BTW that Dominion Combination Woodworking machine is doing sterling service now I've re-built it)

AWEM

[Rob.Wilson]

Cheers Daz   

Funny enough it was the first manual lathe i owned    , I am looking forward to cracking on with it , at least i dont have to make any parts for the lathe  , had the spindle motor spinning the other day  , just scratching my head on how to get a Digital signal converted to analog , it will give me something to do over the winter 

Give me swarf in my clothing over sand in my arse crack any day of the week!  Oh wait, you guys don't have sand on your beaches do you?  Just pebbles.

   All sand here mate , friggin miles of the stuff , wish it was pebbles , much easier to remove from the crack of ones butt     ,, At the end of the day at least wor sand is round the outside of the country , were it should be 

Rob

[thewho]

Been reading this whole thread in one go and I'm impressed!  Please keep the pictures coming 

[Rob.Wilson]

Cheers Thewho 

Not allot done today , to busy building sandcastles 

Did get the bracket welded up and cooked .


 At least i can  start machining it tomorrow night 

Rob

[Rob.Wilson]

And after a bit of a clean up and milled square 



Hopefully i will get the chance to poke a few holes in the mount tomorrow.


Rob

[Stilldrillin]

Looking usual Rob! 

Good luck with the hole poking...... 

David D

[NickG]

Am baffled!  Is that bracket made from the flat bits of steel a couple of photos earlier? How come it's got perfect radii etc? What did the 'cooking' do? Relieve stresses?

It's the best fabrication I've ever seen in my life! 

[dsquire]

Am baffled!  Is that bracket made from the flat bits of steel a couple of photos earlier? How come it's got perfect radii etc? What did the 'cooking' do? Relieve stresses?

It's the best fabrication I've ever seen in my life! 

Nick

Rob not only has a magic camera for his shiny pictures but has a magic oven as well to melt welds into perfect radii. 

I'd like to sneak into his shop and watch him at work sometime. I bet it would be a real treat.

Cheers 

Don

[Mayhem]

I need to start cooking my weldments!

[loply]

Am baffled!  Is that bracket made from the flat bits of steel a couple of photos earlier? How come it's got perfect radii etc? What did the 'cooking' do? Relieve stresses?

It's the best fabrication I've ever seen in my life! 

He clearly cut three bits of metal to make it look like he was welding it up, then he melted them down and sandcast it.

[Rob.Wilson]

  cheers lads 

Hi Nick ,,,I heat treated the job  to remove any welding stress and to make sure there would be no hard spots in the welds as i am machining  through a few of them .

  Hole poking nearly finished David 




I think whom ever, cant really say machined the cut out in the knee must have been pissed .


Mount fits something like this .



Still needs  fixing holes drilled and de-buring 



Rob

[DaveH]

Rob,

Really does look good 
 
DaveH

[John Stevenson]

It'll be a shame to use it, if it ever gets finished. 

[Stilldrillin]

Hey Rob!
Why can't you produce a magnificent hockey stick effect like that, just once in a while?? 

I think whom ever, cant really say machined the cut out in the knee must have been pissed .


Rob

Only joking'.........     

David D

[Rob.Wilson]

  I ITS A QUEER SHAPE  David   


Well its been a slow couple of weeks with regards working on the mill ,had to get all my out standing  jobs out of the way at work ready for my holidays and move a few machines around in the shop to make room for more toys , me thinks i need a bigger shop 

anyway i did finish up the Z axis belt tensioner today   , John DB answered the call for a pulley for the job , he brought me a selection form   different makes of  cars  , i settled on a timing belt tensioner pulley for an Audi A3 .




The tensioner  arm needs to be  cranked so the belt passes through the original hole in the knee casting as i did not want to remove any more material from the knee in this area  , it also gives me about 20% more belt contact with the Z motor pulley. 





suppose i better crack on poking a few more holes in the mount so i can stick it to the knee .


Rob

[Mayhem]

It's about time you got some more done Rob!  Looking good (as always).

[9fingers]

Hmm! I must get round to posting something on my thread - I've quite a collection of parts made now too.


Like you, I shall be enlarging the opening in the upper face of the knee to allow the use of a bigger ball nut and realised that will leave a gaping hole for crap to fall onto the y axis ballscrew. My ballnuts are 92mm long (not wishing to brag!) and so the current sliding plate scheme will not fit in.
I've investigated spring based protectors and moulded bellows but neither that I've found will compress sufficiently to not limit the Y axis travel.

Have you got a planned solution for this little problem yet? the best I've come up with is a miniature 'roller blind' fixed between the saddle and the front of the knee

Bob

[Rob.Wilson]

Hi Bob .

I am still contemplating that problem and i no what you mean, anything fitted between the saddle and column will decrease Y travel   , having increased the length of the Y axis slot I am planning on moving the head out an inch or so .

Rob

[Rob.Wilson]

It's about time you got some more done Rob!  Looking good (as always).

Cheers , still loads to do , the machine stand is crap , looks like i will have to make a new one 


Rob

[9fingers]

Hi Bob .

I am still contemplating that problem and i no what you mean, anything fitted between the saddle and column will decrease Y travel   , having increased the length of the Y axis slot I am planning on moving the head out an inch or so .

Rob

My VMC has a flexible sheet see http://www.myford.co.uk/acatalog/VM_Milling_Machine.html to protect the rear end of the Y screw. It is pretty crude but effective and with a bit of bungee cord it can be held up out of the way and only 'costs' about 1.5mm of travel. I think the Warco/Chester might have had a similar solution but yours might have been removed.
The real problem that needs solving is the front portion of the screw when the table is moved towards the column.

There is an idea here

but the big unknown to me is sourcing a suitable coolant tolerant material that will take sharp folds and yet remain flexible.

Bob

[Rob.Wilson]

Hi  Bob , canny video    , getting the correct material a you say could be a problem , that why i may have a bash at making steel telescopic way covers .And concertina type really do trap swarf , well the ones on my Denford CNC did 

Rob ,still pondering 

[AdeV]

Cough! Ahem! http://madmodder.net/index.php/topic,7564.0.html 

For you Rob, it'd be gratis - I know the economy is shite up there, and besides, you did give me that hearth...

[Rob.Wilson]

  Cheers Ade  thanks for the offer   


I PM you if i need some rubber sheet , see how i get on with steel way covers 


Rob