Model Engine Maker

Supporting => My Workshop => Topic started by: Kim on December 16, 2017, 06:36:02 AM

Title: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Kim on December 16, 2017, 06:36:02 AM
… when, what to my  wondering eyes should appear, but a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer, …

Or maybe it was a big yellow truck with a lift gate.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-A-1-DSC_3937.jpg)

Regardless, the important point is, that the jolly old man left me a present!
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-A-2-DSC_3940.jpg)

(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-A-4-DSC_3944.jpg)

Oh!  What fun!  Just what I always wanted for Christmas!  How did my wife know?!   OK, maybe I helped her out a little bit.  And my gift to her was that she didn’t have to have anything to do with it!  And she could be far away during delivery.   :D

Delivery went very smoothly.  He offered to back the truck down the driveway and help me get it right into the garage.  Couldn’t have asked for a better situation!

After he’d left I broke open the crate.  I found the packaging interesting.  The lathe came in a completely enclosed box – hard sides all around.  The mill, clearly, did not. But it seems to have arrived just fine.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-A-5-DSC_3946.jpg)

(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-A-6-DSC_3948.jpg)

Next step is figuring out how to get it off the pallet.  Always a fun bonding experience with a new piece of equipment :D

There are a bunch more goodies coming for it sometime next week – um…  or so a little elf told me.  It's all a surprise to me! (isn’t it?  ;))

Ho, ho, ho….  :cartwheel:    :whoohoo:   :cartwheel:
Kim

Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Steamer5 on December 16, 2017, 08:06:49 AM
Ooohhhhh NICE!

Take care getting it off the pellet, I’m sure you will.

Cheers Kerrin
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Jo on December 16, 2017, 08:26:39 AM
 8)

That looks very useful  :naughty: I Hope you are not going to be good and wait for Xmas day itself to make swarf with it  :stickpoke:

Make sure that someone else helps you when you take it off the pallet  ;)

Jo
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Joco on December 16, 2017, 09:38:12 AM
Now that looks SOLID.   Awesome xmas prezzy.
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Ramon Wilson on December 16, 2017, 10:05:49 AM
That's a lovely acquisition Kim  :ThumbsUp:

May you have many, many hours of pleasure in its use  :)

Tug
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: steamer on December 16, 2017, 12:16:28 PM
Nice Kim!   go slow and think about the process.....Gravity is a mothah!...

Dave
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: b.lindsey on December 16, 2017, 12:35:14 PM
Congratulations Kim. A fine new addition to the shop!!

Bill
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: crueby on December 16, 2017, 01:06:32 PM
Nice! Good thing Santa rented a truck rather than land that crate on your roof, and drop it down the chimney!!
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Dave Otto on December 16, 2017, 03:21:15 PM
Congrats on the new addition Kim!

One of my engine buddies has pretty much the same mill, he is quite happy with it.

You must have been pretty good this year!


Dave
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Kim on December 16, 2017, 03:49:52 PM
Thanks everyone!  As you might guess, I'm quite excited!  :cartwheel:

Yes, I'll be extremely careful.  I believe I have a good plan on how to stage the manouver without ever breaking a sweat!  Slow and careful is the ticket, as you say.  Take no chances at all.

No, Jo, I'm not going to be good !  I'll be all over it this week before Christmas.  I've got some time off and will be using it to make the newest member of my shop feel right at home!  ;D

Kim
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: fumopuc on December 16, 2017, 05:07:20 PM
Hi Kim,
nice present, congratulation.
I am just thinking how to get such a monster through the staircase into my shop unser the roof in the second flloor. :lolb:

Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: scc on December 16, 2017, 05:34:07 PM
WONDERFUL present Kim   Take care and have FUN.       Terry
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Kim on December 16, 2017, 06:10:03 PM
Thanks to all for the well wishes on my new addition!

And I wish you all have as happy a Christmas as I have!
Its not just because of the new addition to the shop.  I get to have several of my kids come home for the holidays, and that is the best present ever!
Kim
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Kim on December 19, 2017, 10:45:33 PM
OK, how to get the pallet out from under the mill?  Turns out, the pallet is two wide in both directions for my shop crane to get in there to hook up to the mill.  I seem to recall having the same problem with the lathe!  What I did then was to jack up each corner and slowly raise the pallet high enough that I could slide the crane under it.

I started doing that, but the mill lifted hire off the ground, it started to feel too unstable.  And that didn’t give me good feelings.  So, in keeping with my “Don’t take any chances” mentality, I lowered the pallet back down and decided on another course of action.

This time I just blocked up the pallet where the runners attached to the mill, and then cut off all the excess pallet.  This shot is right after I finished cutting the pallet down to size.
[(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-B-1-DSC_3954.jpg)

And with the pallet narrowed like this, I could get the shop crane in far enough to be useful.

So I rolled the crane into position, harnessed it up and lifted the mill off the pallet.  Then I pulled the mutilated pallet out from under it, and set it back down to rest on the legs of the shop crane itself.  Like so:
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-B-2-DSC_3956.jpg)

Now here, you can see where the mill is currently positioned (close to the garage door), and where its going to go – right about where my red HF Horizontal Bandsaw is on the left side of the pic.  And I have to navigate around that stupid pole in the middle of my garage.  (OK,so the stupid pole supports the house, but still, I’m sure they could have found a more inconvenient place for this pole if they’d really tried, but its pretty inconvenient as it is!)
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-B-3-DSC_3959.jpg)

And then slowly rolling the shop crane around, I got my new mill to his new home location.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-B-4-DSC_3962.jpg)

Now, for the safety conscience amongst us (which I hope is ALL of you!), I want assure you that the pile of junk behind the mill will be leaving the garage in the next few days ( :cartwheel:) so it won’t be in the way.
Also, while I did all of the moving myself, I did have my wife come out to the shop to supervise any of the lifting/moving parts, just so that I had human backup to call if anything went horribly wrong.  But, taking it slowly and carefully, and thinking through each step ahead of time, and stopping if anything felt the least bit questionable – I was able to do the whole move without lifting anything, or even expending much effort.  Most of the effort was in braking up the shipping pallet it came on!

And finally, the cliff-hanger:  Just I was coming in for lunch, the doorbell rang. It was our UPS man with a small collection of boxes for me!  I’m betting that long one on top are the scales for the DRO for the mill.  And the other boxes?  I’ll have to open them and see!  That will be a post-lunch activity :)
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-B-5-DSC_3968.jpg)

Thanks for checking in on me,
Kim
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: dalem9 on December 19, 2017, 11:03:13 PM
Very nice Kim . I just got a new mill in Feb. Was really exciting to have something new . I am sure you will enjoy it !
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: b.lindsey on December 20, 2017, 12:21:51 AM
We will need the obligatory pic of course Kim.  :D

Bill
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Tennessee Whiskey on December 20, 2017, 12:25:41 AM
I agree Bill: with Kim in Christmas pajamas and raindeer house shoes  :lolb:

Cletus
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Dave Otto on December 20, 2017, 12:41:16 AM
You're having too much fun!  :ThumbsUp:

Dave
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Flyboy Jim on December 20, 2017, 04:44:26 AM
Sweet!  :whoohoo:

Jim
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Jo on December 20, 2017, 07:55:44 AM
It doesn't take that long to open a few boxes  :noidea:

Hey Kim, don't keep us in suspense we want to see what is in the boxes  :naughty:

Jo
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Jasonb on December 20, 2017, 08:04:05 AM
I expect he has been slowed by having to move all that junk behind earlier than expected so the crane can be backed out of the way :'(

Looking good, are you allowed to properly play (make swarf) with the new toy before Xmas?
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Kim on December 20, 2017, 04:37:35 PM
Well, I actually HAVE opened the boxes, I just haven't gotten around to posting pics... I'll try to do that later today.  With all the festivities of the upcoming holiday, believe it or not, I'm actually taking some time out of the shop to spend with my family  :Lol:.

But, since it hasn't happened if there aren't pictures to prove it, I guess I haven't opened the boxes  yet!  :naughty:

And Jason, very astute observation.  You're more right than you know!  I haven't moved the crane yet - I've left it all harnessed up, just in case I need to nudge the machine an inch to the left or something.  But I fear I will have to clear up the pile of junk before the crane will come out!

And no moratorium on swarf making before Christmas!  ;D  However, I will have to get out to Home Depot and get a suitable plug & cord so that I can hook it up to power.  These machines don't come with a plug.  I guess they figure no matter which one they put on it will be wrong, or that you'll cut it off to connect it directly to a power source.  Anyway, all part of the fun of a new machine!

Eric, still working on the Christmas Pajamas, so that picture will be delayed a while!  :ROFL:

Kim
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Kim on December 20, 2017, 05:17:43 PM
OK, just to make sure you all know that I REALLY did unbox my goodies yesterday, here’s the proof:
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-B-6-DSC_3971.jpg)
The highlights are, 3-axis DRO (with a little iGaging unit for the quill), a SB 4” mill vise, a selection of R8 collets and tooling, and a SB 8” Rotary Table.

You might have also noticed the yellow foot pads in the previous photo.  I was waiting for those to set the machine down.  And, since they came in, I went ahead and set the mill down on the floor, on all four feet!
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-B-7-DSC_3973.jpg)

Onward and upward!
Kim

Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Don1966 on December 20, 2017, 08:19:47 PM
Awesome Kim and congrats buddy on you acquisition. Now you know it’s really starting to get addictive and the acquition syndrome is starting to really sink in.... :lolb:


 :cheers:
Don
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Kim on December 31, 2017, 10:04:19 PM
Thanks Don! Yes, it is somewhat addictive, isn't it?  But I'm going to have to stop - I've run out of room in my shop!  :o

Many days in the past week have been dedicated to fun family times :)  But I’ve still made some progress in the shop.

I think it was still before Christmas when I actually got around to leveling the Mill:
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-C-1-DSC_3976.jpg)

And also leveling the Lathe in its new location.  Note the carefully written note on the tailstock to remind me!
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-C-2-DSC_3984.jpg)

Yesterday, I started working on the DRO installation.  First, I unboxed the scales and the DRO unit and spread them all out on my work table, then carefully read the sketchy installation instructions.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-C-4-DSC_4000.jpg)

With all the pondering and pacing that goes into these kinds of things, it took me many hours yesterday to get the X-axis installed.  Here’s a first test fitting with the scale clamped in place.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-C-3-DSC_3996.jpg)

After a bunch of drilling and tapping (always a little tense when I’m working on a new piece of machinery!) I got the X-axis installed and squared up.  The read head is bolted to the back of the 1/4" aluminum bar, which is in turn, bolted to the back side of the saddle.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-C-5-DSC_4002.jpg)

And now with the cover installed, my X-axis is complete.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-C-6-DSC_4004.jpg)

Only two more to go!
Kim
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: b.lindsey on December 31, 2017, 10:23:53 PM
I am behind Kim. That's a nice bunch of goodies to go with the new mill. You must have been very good this year!!

Bill
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Kim on January 01, 2018, 08:22:03 AM
Thanks Bill.  Clearly, I've been exemplary this year  :lolb:
Kim
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Chipswitheverything on January 01, 2018, 01:28:04 PM
Hi Kim, have fun with the DRO kit!, I was doing just the same pondering and head scratching a year ago with a pile of pretty similar looking bits. I tried a few false starts before coming up with the arrangement, as one good thing seemed to be compromised by some snag elsewhere.   The bracketry you have looks highly the same....  I ended up making a fair amount of other odd bits from bar stock, as you have done.
   See that you opted for putting the X axis scale on the back of your slide, I would have quite liked that solution but I would have lost too much of the available Y travel.  I wrote up / photographed my adventures with the 3 axis fitting on my Senior mill, in the My Workshop section, Dec 31st '16, Fitting a DRO to a Tom Senior Mill, just wonder if there is anything there to interest you while you are doing your design scheming...      Dave
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Kim on January 01, 2018, 05:31:52 PM
Hi Dave,
Yes, I do remember your work putting the DRO on your Tom Senior mill.  And in fact, I'm mounting my Y axis just as you did.  My read head bracket will have to be slightly different since I've got a few more bits to dodge around on my mill, but quite similar.

As you noted, I opted for the back of the slide on the X-axis.  Yes, its quite sad to lose slightly over an inch of Y travel.  But in the end, I decied I'd miss that less than losing the stops and the access to the X-axis locks.  So that's the way I went.  As you said, its all a big pile of compromises!

Did you install a Z-axis on your Tom Senior? I didn't see one in your post.

Thanks,
Kim
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Chipswitheverything on January 02, 2018, 10:46:57 AM
Hello Kim, thanks for your comments.  Yes, the third, Z,  axis is on my mill, the photos show it all.
   That third axis was the most involved to configure, as one side of the mill column had a door, and the other the electrics that needed to be shifted: -  but you look to have an easier proposition, I think.  I wanted to keep chips away from the Z scale and reader, so had to devise some dedicated fitments to tuck the delicate bits "round the corner"  so to speak.   As you can see, I painted the covers and brackets, which did a lot to blend the apparatus in.   Dave
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Kim on January 02, 2018, 04:12:14 PM
Thanks for the picture, Dave. Yes, I see your Z-axis there now.  I think it was the excellent paint job you did that caused me not to notice!  I don’t plan on painting mine, at least, not yet! :)  But my Z-axis shouldn’t be too bad (he says optimistically :) )

As you see below, my Y-axis had that kind of problem – lots of do-dads to work around.

Here I’m squaring up the Y-axis scale.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-D-1-DSC_4009.jpg)

Then I modified the cover to fit around all the fixtures on the mill.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-D-2-DSC_4010.jpg)

Showing the cover in place:
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-D-3-DSC_4016.jpg)

Next, and most complicated, was fixing the read head to the saddle.  This is a bit of bar stock I had to modify to fit on the end of the saddle to hold the fixture.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-D-4-DSC_4019.jpg)

And how it fits in (“F” marks the Front).
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-D-5-DSC_4022.jpg)

Then, hours of little puzzles and headaches later, I had the read head squared and attached to the saddle.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-D-6-DSC_4026.jpg)

And, finally, with the swarf cover in place.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-D-7-DSC_4027.jpg)

Last will be the Z-axis.  And it does look to be ‘mostly’ straight forward. But all that piping for the One-Shot-Oiler that is on this mill makes things a little more challenging. It uses up valuable real estate on the mill and makes for lots of ‘off limit’ areas and things you have to dodge around.

But I’ll get there!
Kim
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: b.lindsey on January 02, 2018, 04:20:02 PM
Despite all the dodging of obstacles, that is a very neat installation Kim!  Hopefully the "Z" axis will be easier. That is just a quill attachment correct?

Bill

Edit: looking back at the earlier pictured of all the goodies, I see that you have a 3 axis kit, so assume you will have a DRO for the knee and quill both ...nice
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Kim on January 02, 2018, 04:50:11 PM
Yes, Bill, that is my plan.
I'm putting the Z-axis of the DRO on the knee, and have a little iGaging scale for the quill.
Kim

Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Don1966 on January 03, 2018, 01:12:12 AM
Kim I had my x axis at the back of the mill but loss some travel so I moved it to the front worked much better.

Don
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Kim on January 03, 2018, 05:31:48 AM
Hmm... You too, eh, Don?  Did you lose the X-axis stops or the locks?  I make use of the lock a lot.  I've never had the stops, but I have thought that those would have been very handy and always wished I had them.  But maybe you haven't found that to be a limitation?

Kim
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Chipswitheverything on January 03, 2018, 09:40:55 AM
Hi Kim, progress on the tricky fitting is coming on well.
  I had to lose the stop facility on my mill table when I put the DRO slider on the front of the main table, but as the arrangement on the Senior always had a bit of "squeeze" in it, I never much used the stops.  With the DRO working, you will have a very accurate indication of coming up to a limit, without the physical stop.   But the slide locks you very definitely need to keep available.  I had to do a mod on my lock, described in my write up.  The tee slot for the stops I was able to conveniently use to mount the DRO slider bar and its backing plate. 
 If you do think to move the DRO to the front of the table, see if you can avoid a silly oversight of mine - I should have left a small amount of table edge above the cover plate of the DRO, so that I could put the stock of a square against it when setting up jobs on the table.   Dave
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Tennessee Whiskey on January 03, 2018, 07:19:48 PM
Ok, I’m another one Kim. I moved mine to the front awhile before I bought the big Jet. IIRC, I mounted the read head where the switch for the X axis power feed stops was mounted and didn’t even have to drill and tap any holes for that. I don’t recall it hampering the X axis table locks though. +1 on leaving a lip, whether front or back.

Cletus
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Kim on January 03, 2018, 08:17:27 PM
OK, now you guys have me reconsidering here.  I may have to move my X-axis scale up front...  If the stops aren't that big of a deal, and I can keep the travel x-axis lock, then it's hard to think about leaving it there - an inch-plus is a big part of the Y-travel... Hmm....

Hate to back up and do that one again, but better now than later I guess...

Kim
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Jo on January 03, 2018, 08:33:58 PM
I have the scale on the front on "H"'s X axis but it is spaced off so that the stops are still available: I needed to keep them as they provide trip when using the power feed.

Jo
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: b.lindsey on January 03, 2018, 10:32:46 PM
Kim, I would use it a while first and see if it really is a problem. You can also compensate by moving the head ram in or out an inch or so. Just a thought.

Bill
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Kim on January 03, 2018, 11:06:36 PM
Hmm... yeah, Bill, that seems like sound advice.

Jo, how far is it spaced off?  The stops on this mill stick out almost an inch which seems like it would be pretty far out.

Kim
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Jo on January 04, 2018, 08:07:15 AM

Jo, how far is it spaced off?  The stops on this mill stick out almost an inch which seems like it would be pretty far out.

It is spaced off 50mm from the bed, mounted on a steel bar to support/protect the scale. By careful positioning of the cover it seems more like an extension to the bed ( = more space that I can leave my tools all over  :) )

Jo
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Kim on January 04, 2018, 04:38:27 PM
Thanks for the info Jo.  More for me to think about...

For the moment, I'll be focusing on the Z-axis.  I may just leave the X as is for a bit and how much it bothers me.  I can always move it, right? :)

Kim
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Tennessee Whiskey on January 04, 2018, 07:11:57 PM
Kim, if the head of your mill will extend and retract in the Y axis , then you should be ok, mine and Don’s doesn’t.


Cletus
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Kim on January 04, 2018, 07:43:53 PM
Hey Cletus,
Yes, this mill has a 'ram head' and can move in and out.  However, I'm sure you'll have to re-tram things every time you move it.  But yes, I can see how having the head be able to move in and out could mitigate the loss of Y-travel a bit.

Thanks!
Kim

Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Tennessee Whiskey on January 04, 2018, 07:49:45 PM
Yup, move “Y” to the rear limit and extend the ram a couple of inches forward of that, lock and tram and your golden  :ThumbsUp:

Cletus
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Kim on January 14, 2018, 02:30:42 AM
Last weekend I started on the Z-axis and was just snailing along, when I suddenly realized that my X-axis only had 1/2" of travel!  :o  Not Ideal.  It took me a while to finally figure out what was keeping the X-axis from moving past that point, but I eventually did it.  The cool setup I had to hold the Y-axis read head didn’t clear the casting for the right end of the X-asis.
In this picture, you can see where I’ve marked a new semi-circular line on the 1/4" aluminum plate.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-E-01-DSC_4032.jpg)

And here’s from the back side. It’s the place where the casting gets wider that hits the plate.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-E-02-DSC_4030.jpg)

So, off to the little Taig mill to clean up the problem.  I just free-handed (or Etch-a-sketched, as Chris would say :) ) the x/y knobs to follow the circular line.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-E-03-DSC_4036.jpg)

And it worked great!  Have the full X travel now!
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-E-04-DSC_4037.jpg)

So, back to the Z.  I had to position the scale back a ways, and a little bit on the high side to work around the shape of the column casting and the various carbuncles growing out of it.  And I ended up making an Aluminum block for one end that helped square the scale up.  In this picture I’m madly cranking the Z-axis up and down to adjust the scale into alignment in all dimensions.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-E-05-DSC_4042.jpg)

Then I worked on attaching the read head.  Again, a lot of things in the way.  And with the scales mounted a bit high, I ended up using a bunch of brackets and a 10” length of aluminum angle to connect the read head, as shown here.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-E-06-DSC_4045.jpg)

Then I put the cover in place.    
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-E-07-DSC_4048.jpg)

Lastly, I needed to mount the control panel.
I marked up the holes, drilled and tapped one, then started to drill the 2nd one when something strange happened.  The hole started at my center punched location just fine, but suddenly, the bit moved about 1/4" to the left and dug in FAST.  Its like the spot I was drilling was extra hard or something, and the spot next to it was really soft.  Try as I might, I couldn’t get the hole to start where I wanted it.  :(

So, I made another set of holes about 1/2" down from those first holes.  You can see my mess right here (the upper left one is the one that got very messed up).
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-E-08-DSC_4049.jpg)

I really think there was something goofy with the casting right there. It was just weird!

Anyway, with that excitement behind me, I got the control panel bracket attached to the column.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-E-09-DSC_4053.jpg)

Then I wired up the panel, arranged all the cables and ty-wrapped them neatly, and here it is – all working as expected!
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-E-10-DSC_4056.jpg)
I’ve got good travel on all axes! 

The only thing left to do now is the scale for the quill.  And that will wait for another day.
Kim

P.S.  Wow, the background of those shelves is REALLY ugly!  I'm going to have to figure out what to do about that.  The shelves are actually about 5' behind the mill, but it looks like they bump right up next to it.  The magic of photography, I guess.
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: 10KPete on January 14, 2018, 02:51:48 AM
I wouldn't worry about the shelves..... I'd worry about a shield behind the mill to stop the chips!!! A curtain works....

Congrats on the DRO install.

Pete
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Kim on January 14, 2018, 02:54:45 AM
Thanks Pete!

So how would you hold up a curtain?  Just a movable rack sitting behind the mill?

I'd considered hanging a tarp in front of the shelves.  While that would hide (and protect) the shelves, it might not control the chips too well.

Kim
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: 10KPete on January 14, 2018, 03:15:16 AM
Conduit can make a nice, light frame. Either free standing or mounted to the mill.

Pete
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Kim on January 14, 2018, 05:10:22 AM
The conduit is an interesting idea...
Kim
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: 10KPete on January 14, 2018, 06:23:19 AM
I like conduit 'cause there are lots of fittings available to join it. Not all electrical. Much bracketry is made for uses in green houses and such.

Pete
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Kim on January 15, 2018, 11:36:04 PM
With the three main axes completed, I want to do the quill next.  The 2nd Z-axis.  I debated whether or not to do the quill at all, but I finally decided to do it now while I’m in the doing mode.  Then I’ll have all the axes completed and won’t have to fiddle with it again (until I decided to move the Y-axis or something :) ).

This is a 6” iGaging scale, but I really only need 3 1/2“ for the quill.  And in fact, the 6” scale just won’t fit where it needs to go.  I needed to cut it shorter by about an inch.  I didn’t know if this was possible, or if I’d break the whole thing, but I decided to go for it and hope for the best.  Turns out, it works just fine.  Here’s the scale after I cut about 1” off of the end. 
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/01-DSC_4060.JPG)
Interesting to see what is involved in the scales.   I don’t see how the thin sliver of glass here does anything, but apparently it does, and the read head needs it to get a good reading.  I peeled off a black protective layer then carefully lifted the thin glass off the metal.  Interesting.  And the best part is rest of it still works! :)

I’m going to hold the scale in place by making a clamping ring to clamp on to the end of the Quill.  The quill is about 3.30” in diameter.  So I setup a 4”x1/2” piece of aluminum on the lathe to bore a hole in.  I used the faceplate, which is a first for me.  I used the center to get the location for the hole lined up.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/02-DSC_4062.JPG)

Then drilled  a 1” hole (the largest drill I have).
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/03-DSC_4067.JPG)

From there, I used a 3/8” insert boring bar to bring the hole up to about 2”.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/04-DSC_4070.JPG)

And after that, I moved to a 3/4" boring bar to finish it off.  The 3/4" bar worked really well.  It has so much less spring than the 3/8” bar its not funny!
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/05-DSC_4072.JPG)

Here’s the end of the quill that I will be clamping on to:
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/06-DSC_4078.JPG)

And what it should look like in place:
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/07-DSC_4081.JPG)

The second main piece I’ll need for this is a plate to hold the read head.  The read head will clamp to the quill quick feed lever.  And it will need a very similar hole in it for clamping.  So I did the same procedure to setup for that, but rather than opening the hole with a 1" drill and the small boring bar, this time, I decided to try a hole saw and see if that would work for me.  The benefit is that it would make a LOT less swarf, and hopefully take less time too.  And I’d have a cool aluminum donut for the scrap bin when I’m done!
So, here’s the hole saw at work.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/08-DSC_4084.JPG)

I took it slow and cleaned chips often.  But it worked :D
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/09-DSC_4086.JPG)

Then I finished the hole to size using the 3/4" boring bar.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/10-DSC_4087.JPG)

And here’s about what that piece will look like when its in place:
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/11-DSC_4089.JPG)

And just to give you an idea of where the iGaging uint will be going.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/12-DSC_4092.JPG)

And that’s about it for today.  Here are the two pieces I’ve got so far, with a sketch of the eventual shape drawn on.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/13-DSC_4094.JPG)

My next step will be to make the large radius corners.  But unfortunately, my sherline RT is too small for this and I don’t have any 7/16 T-nuts to use for holding things down on my cool new 8” RT. But that should be remedied early this week!

Till next time,
Kim
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: zeeprogrammer on January 15, 2018, 11:54:39 PM
I wouldn't worry about the shelves..... I'd worry about a shield behind the mill to stop the chips!!! A curtain works....

I'd worry about visitors...and the realization that things are missing.  ;D

Too bad you're on the other side of the continent. Makes it difficult to visit and squirrel away some goodies.

I get the impression you walk into your shop everyday and get a smile on your face.
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Kim on January 16, 2018, 12:07:32 AM
Yeah, well, I'd like to walk out there every day!  I do get in my shop most weekends (not all, unfortunately) and some evenings.  But that silly four letter W word keeps me out of the shop more than I'd like.

But yes, it does make me smile! :)

Bet you're looking forward to your retirement, eh, Zee? :)
Kim
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: b.lindsey on January 16, 2018, 12:46:55 AM
That's looking good Kim. With the quill scale mounted you should be ready to turn out milled pars with relative ease.

Bill
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: zeeprogrammer on January 16, 2018, 12:57:39 AM
Bet you're looking forward to your retirement, eh, Zee? :)

Oh yes. Funny thing at Cabin Fever. Fellow said "I thought you retired!". Made me think of the phrase "I thought you were dead".

I thought I'd retire January 2nd. But I'm still going for a little while.
Partly because of a fellow at work...I think we want to go together. He's been my manager for years and is a good friend.

Funny...once you hit that target...you don't mind as much to keep going.

And...I see this as free money...money for shop goodies.  ;D
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Kim on January 16, 2018, 02:46:53 AM
That's looking good Kim. With the quill scale mounted you should be ready to turn out milled pars with relative ease.

Bill
Thanks Bill, that's my plan! :)

...
I thought I'd retire January 2nd. But I'm still going for a little while.
Partly because of a fellow at work...I think we want to go together. He's been my manager for years and is a good friend.

Funny...once you hit that target...you don't mind as much to keep going.

And...I see this as free money...money for shop goodies.  ;D
That's a great way to look at it, Zee!   I like that!
Kim
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Jo on January 16, 2018, 08:08:45 AM
Partly because of a fellow at work...I think we want to go together. He's been my manager for years and is a good friend.

:headscratch: I thought one of the requirements for being a manager was to be a heartless  :censored: I wouldn't want to have a drink with my boss even if he was paying and it was in company hours  :hellno:

Yes once you know you can afford to retire then the job is to spend your money. All your life you save for retirement, once retired the task is to spend it all  :whoohoo: Have I mentioned buying the odd casting for retirement   :mischief:

Jo
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Kim on January 21, 2018, 05:07:43 AM
Today, was First Swarf day on my new mill!

Last shop session, I’d just bored holes in the brackets for the Quill Z-axis.  Now it was time to round the sides of the clamping ring.  But do that, I wanted to use my new 8” South Bend Rotary Table, but I didn’t have any 7/16” T-Nuts.  But UPS came to the rescue yesterday, so I was all set for today!

After getting the RT centered, I used an old piece of kit I had, but one I could barely use on my Taig – an Coaxial Indicator.  It just required too much headroom and I couldn’t ever make it fit on the Taig.  But the new Grizzly has ample head room for this ingenious tool!  It was fun to finally get to use it:
 (http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-G-1-DSC_4097.jpg)

I made the first swarf using a 3/8” roughing mill to cut a straight edge where clamping screw will go.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-G-2-DSC_4101.jpg)

Then I repositioned things and roughed out the outside of the ring clamp.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-G-3-DSC_4104.jpg)

I then went back over it with a 4-flute mill to clean things up and take it down to the final dimension.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-G-4-DSC_4106.jpg)

All I can say is “WOW!”  This is fun!  The mill works great – plenty of power – sure, aluminum isn’t the toughest trial run, but I could still tell a dramatic difference from the Taig.

And I’ll have to say I REALLY like that SB Rotary Table.  It is very nice quality. I was worried because I’ve heard people talk about slop or inaccuracies in their less expensive RTs. And I was worried I'd gotten spoiled with the Sherline RT - that is a very nice piece of equipment. But its only a 4” table.  This SB 8” is much bigger, but equally smooth and even.  It met and surpassed all my quality expectations for an RT!

That’s it for today.  Not a lot accomplished, but since I was using new tools, every step took longer.  I had to develop new methods for clamping things, figure out how to use the R-8 Tooling, and all sorts of other new fun things.  But it is worth it, and working beautifully!

Thanks for checking in,
Kim
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Chipswitheverything on January 21, 2018, 10:12:07 AM
Hi Kim, that all looks like an excellent start with enjoying and learning the new machinery, and it seems that you have added a considerable asset to your machine shop.  Hasn't taken you long to get the DRO sorted and the first swarf on the table!   Dave
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: scc on January 21, 2018, 11:03:56 AM
Kim, I am totally impressed.  The new mill is a great addition and as for the dro...what can I say :LickLips:. I would certainly GRIN on every visit.      Enjoy              Terry
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Kim on January 21, 2018, 02:56:13 PM
Thanks Dave and Terry,
I certainly am enjoying my new toys tools! :)
Kim
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: b.lindsey on January 21, 2018, 07:19:04 PM
Glad you are getting to play with the new mill and DROs Kim. I can well relate as to  the power difference between the new mill and the Taig. It will spoil you, especially when working on larger parts. So happy to hear you are up and running!!!

Bill
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Kim on January 22, 2018, 05:06:49 AM
Thanks Bill!

With the clamps rounded, I drilled and tapped holes for the clamping screw.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-H-1-DSC_4119.jpg)

After drilling a clearance hole half way through, I used a 3/8” 2-slot end mill to make a countersink for the 1/4" SCHS clamping screws.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-H-2-DSC_4120.jpg)

Next I needed to cut the slit in the clamps.  However, as I was setting this up I noticed that the top of the parts would hit the quill as I was trying to cut the slit.  :(
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-H-3-DSC_4122.jpg)

Luckly, I came up with a way to do it – I used the 3/8” sitting saw adaptor from my Taig, and put that in the 3/8” R8 Holder.   This put the slitting saw significantly lower than using the R8 slitting saw adaptor directly.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-H-4-DSC_4128.jpg)

Here’s a shot after cutting the slit in one of the clamps:
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-H-5-DSC_4131.jpg)

And the two completed clamps:
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-H-6-DSC_4133.jpg)

For my final shot, I’ve got them clamped in place on the mill.  Now all I have to do is trim them up a bit and attach the iGauging scale!
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-H-7-DSC_4135.jpg)

Getting closer!
Kim
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Kim on January 28, 2018, 12:31:37 AM
To complete the installation of the Quill Z-Axis, I made 3 threaded holes in the back of the read head and mounted it to the vertical plate clamped to the quill feed.

Then I trimmed the horizontal plate that clamped to the Quill itself to match up with the scale, and drilled and tapped a couple of holes for the scale clamp.

Here’s the completed process:
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-I-1-DSC_4137.jpg)

(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-I-2-DSC_4138.jpg)

I attached a 8” length of aluminum angle as a cover to help protect the DRO.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-I-3-DSC_4140.jpg)

Finally, I double sticky taped a short length of steel angle iron to the top of my DRO display, and attached the quill readout there (there are magnets on the back of the iGaging readout, so it just magnets to the angle iron.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-I-4-DSC_4142.jpg)

My new mill, in all its completed glory!
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-I-5-DSC_4145.jpg)

And it only took me four weeks to get the DROs all installed!  But I’m happy to have it done :)

Thanks for the advice and help along the way,
Kim
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: 90LX_Notch on January 28, 2018, 12:53:30 AM
Very nice work Kim on a very sweet piece of equipment.

-Bob
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: b.lindsey on January 28, 2018, 01:13:14 AM
Very neat installation Kim. Now you can start making some chips  8)

Bill
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Kim on January 28, 2018, 01:30:33 AM
Thanks Bob & Bill!
Kim
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Chipswitheverything on January 28, 2018, 08:21:31 AM
That's a very nice installation Kim, and it's been a good idea to get on with it and have the DRO available from the very outset. Like your DRO mounting,  my Tom Senior DRO fit did take quite a time to do:  and I do just wonder if a few DRO kits sit in their boxes for ages after purchase, when the buyers realise the work that they have landed themselves with!   Dave
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Kim on April 15, 2018, 10:26:33 PM
A few weeks back this package showed up on my doorstep:
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-J-0-DSC_4231.JPG)

I’d completely forgotten I’d ordered this er… um… my wife order it, I mean, as part of my Christmas present!  And it was back-ordered.  I knew it was on back-order because Grizzly is very good about letting you know.  But had been over 2 months and I'd forgotten about it.  What a fun surprise!

And with the metal rack complete, it seemed time to tackle this, before getting back to the steam tractor.

First thing I did was to read through the skimpy directions.  These did not look like the standard Grizzly instructions.  These were factory sealed instructions.  And the first page just cracked me up: “Welcome to use this power feed. It will make your job convenient and make you happy.”
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-J-1-DSC_4232.jpg)

I mean, what more could you ask for from a piece of equipment beyond making your job convenient, and making you happy!  :ROFL:

Once past that, I started taking apart the right side of the xy table, as conveniently and happily instructed.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-J-2-DSC_4233.jpg)

Next was to mount the power feed.  One problem here was that I had no 3mm square key, and it didn’t come with one.  So I had to make a trip to the HW store to pick one up.  Unfortunately, they only had 4mm, so I milled 1mm off each dimension and we were good to go.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-J-3-DSC_4237.jpg)

Here’s the bevel gear that engages with the motor, and the 3mm key on the drive shaft.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-J-4-DSC_4238.jpg)

Next issue; the bearing housing that came with the mill was about 2x longer than the one that comes with the power feed.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-J-5-DSC_4240.jpg)

Which resulted in this:
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-J-6-DSC_4243.jpg)
The number dial isn’t anywhere near the marker that you are supposed to read it from.

But, since I’ve got the DROs, I won’t be relying on that dial too much.  So for now, I’ve decided to ignore it. :)

Here’s completed beauty shot.  I did have to modify the Y axis connection for the DRO.  The power feed housing was hitting the Y-axis DRO brackets when pulled in to one extreme of travel.
(http://listerengine.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10008/GrizzlyMill-J-7-DSC_4245.jpg)

Even with this, I think I am loosing about an inch of X travel.  I’m going to leave it like this for now.  I’d have to completely re-plumb the Y-DRO setup to get around it and I just wasn’t ready to bite that off.  Maybe someday, when I decide that extra inch is worth it!

So, NOW I think my new mill is ready for some SERIOUS action!  And It will be convenient, AND I will be happy!  :D

Thanks,
Kim
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: zeeprogrammer on April 15, 2018, 10:42:48 PM
You're going to love that.  :ThumbsUp:

I also have an ALSGS for my mill. But I had to mount it on the left side of the table and it completely replaced the left hand-wheel.
Which is fine. I happen to be right-handed and the right hand-wheel is 'handy'.
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Kim on April 15, 2018, 11:50:54 PM
I'm glad you like yours, Zee.

I might have been better off to mount it on the left.  That would have resolved the problem with the interference with the Y-axis DRO.

But, wouldn't the controls be on the back side of the mill if you mount it on the right left?  How does that work?

Kim
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Kim on April 15, 2018, 11:52:15 PM
One other question I was going to ask for anyone who might know - the instructions talk about a knee mount for the ALSGS.  Has anyone used one of these to drive their mill knee?  I would certainly be interested in doing that!   It's a lot of work cranking that thing up and down! :)

Thanks,
Kim
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: zeeprogrammer on April 16, 2018, 12:40:55 AM
I might have been better off to mount it on the left.  That would have resolved the problem with the interference with the Y-axis DRO.
But, wouldn't the controls be on the back side of the mill if you mount it on the right?  How does that work?

Yes. Controls would have been in the back had I mounted on the right.
When I first talked to the vendor, along with some misunderstanding of the instructions...I had initially tried to mount it on the right.
All the time thinking I didn't like it because the hand wheel would be gone.

It was soon apparent that it was designed for the left.

Looks to me that yours was designed for the right. Otherwise, just as you suspect, the controls would be on the back side. No?

It seems surprising to me that there would be left versus right drives. There may be...but I'd think it would be more clear where they go.
Title: Re: When, what to my wondering eyes should appear...
Post by: Kim on April 16, 2018, 05:33:14 AM
Yes, mine is Right side.  I'm left/right challenged, just in case you hadn't realized :)  Please be patient with my bogus directions.  You have to look which way I point, not this left/right nonsense.  I'm always getting that backwards!  :-\

Yes!  You'd think they'd make it clear if its left or right side.   Maybe it depends on the mill?

But you said your's was also a ALSGS (whatever that means... I assume its a brand name?) so you'd think they'd have been the same, or maybe they have L/R models, though I don't recall mine stating that ever.  All the diagrams showed it on the right side though (and yes, I did mean right this time!)

Kim

PS  I fixed the left/right backwardness in my last reply.
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