Author Topic: My playpen  (Read 20271 times)

Offline tangler

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Re: My playpen
« Reply #30 on: December 12, 2016, 04:04:30 PM »
A new toy has entered my life which has entailed some changes to the workshop.  When I was a working man I procured a couple of Denford CNC machines (Novamill and Novaturn) for making metallurgical test specimens.  I've been on the lookout for a Denford machine for myself and this little Micromill, based on the Sherline mill turned up on ebay at the right price and close enough to pick up in the car.  It runs the proprietry Denford software, with which I am familiar, and will import DXF files for 2 1/2D milling.  It should also be able to cope with full 3D from Fusion 360 since they have a Denford post processor.  The Denford mill seems to run from a laptop OK via a USB to serial convertor but full testing remains to be done.  I have an old XP desktop with a proper serial interface if I need to fall back on this.

Of course, the problem is that I don't actually have room for this new toy so have had to re-jig the workshop a bit.





I've lost some cupboards which held much of the lathe and mill tooling as well as some bench space so I've been busy making some drawers for my mobile bench from various bits of left over plywood.  These drawers are mounted on simple kitchen type drawer runners.



I've also replaced the drawers in the base of the Sharp milling machine so that they run on ball bearing slides.  They carry a heavy load and are much more usable than they were





Right, back to boiler making...

Cheers,
Rod
« Last Edit: December 15, 2016, 10:29:15 AM by tangler »

Offline vcutajar

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Re: My playpen
« Reply #31 on: December 12, 2016, 02:23:37 PM »
Congratulations on your new toy Rod.  I wish I was so organised as yourself.

Vince

Offline Chipswitheverything

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Re: My playpen
« Reply #32 on: December 12, 2016, 08:33:34 PM »
Very impressed by the new dedicated storage, and the neat layout of the revised scheme in the workshop.  Some nice kit lurking in those interesting drawers.....

Dave

Offline fumopuc

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Re: My playpen
« Reply #33 on: December 12, 2016, 07:30:36 PM »
Hi Rod, have fun with your new toy.
Kind Regards
Achim

Offline Roger B

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Re: My playpen
« Reply #34 on: December 13, 2016, 07:36:49 PM »
Nice new toy and a well laid out workshop  :praise2: What make and how big is your rotary table in the drawer?
Best regards

Roger

Offline tangler

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Re: My playpen
« Reply #35 on: December 14, 2016, 01:43:27 AM »
Thanks for the comments guys - I'm pleased to report that the test of a DXF import and subsequent cut using the laptop was successful  :cartwheel:

Roger, the rotary table is a 4" Sharp - they were originally made by the same people as my mill, but by the time I bought it, the rights for the mill had gone to Town-Bent Engineering and the rotary table to R&M Barrowclough.

Cheers,

Rod

Offline b.lindsey

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Re: My playpen
« Reply #36 on: December 14, 2016, 04:13:39 AM »
Great looking man-cave Rod...very cozy and well laid out.

Bill

Offline Flyboy Jim

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Re: My playpen
« Reply #37 on: December 14, 2016, 05:43:50 AM »
Nice shop!

It'd be great to see some close-ups of your new toy when you get time.

Jim
Sherline 4400 Lathe
Sherline 5400 Mill
"You can do small things on big machines, but you can do small things on small machines".

 

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