Author Topic: CX601 Milling Machine  (Read 28487 times)

Offline NickG

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Re: CX601 Milling Machine
« Reply #30 on: July 07, 2015, 07:16:37 PM »
Brian, that looks a good mod. I hate having to reach up, it takes quite a lot of force to turn when lifting the head so a lower ratio will help too. I'm not sure a cordless drill motor would give enough torque without gearing down a lot. I see the x3 mills have the handwheel at the front / bottom now which is better although must be more backlash through the gears / shafts. The bevel gears aren't great anyway.

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: CX601 Milling Machine
« Reply #31 on: July 07, 2015, 07:41:25 PM »
Over a lifetime, I have had too many holes move while being drilled to do this without a drilling fixture. the "fixture" is simply a piece of 3 1/2" x 3/8" cold rolled flatbar, with two 1/4" diameter pins inserted in the bottom to "straddle" the dovetail below it with zero clearance and the two holes I want to drill in the back side of the saddle pre-drilled in the bar on the mill. Two toe-clamps on the mill table hold it securely in place. The right angle drill attachment is something I bought 6 years ago for a different purpose and have never used.---it worked out very well for this. The holes are now drilled and tapped with no misplaced holes or broken tap disasters. The reading head is mounted in place and the table is drilled and tapped to hold the scale in place. I am going to put some travel limiters on the 23 1/2" X axis table movement, because at full travel it gets alarmingly close to the full travel of the scale. the next size larger scale would have been longer than my mill table.



Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: CX601 Milling Machine
« Reply #32 on: July 08, 2015, 01:22:56 AM »
Somebody was asking about table stops for the Y axis. This picture shows how I made them on my previous benchtop mill, and they worked very well.----Brian

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: CX601 Milling Machine
« Reply #33 on: July 08, 2015, 12:25:16 PM »
Here we go, as requested. This will get the head height adjusting handwheel down out of the sky, to a more comfortable height, and give you some mechanical advantage as well. A word of warning though---There is no provision for tensioning the chain, so pick the approximate position you want the lowered handwheel to be in, then form a length of chain complete with master link and "hang" the lower assembly from the top sprocket. This will give an exact location to drill and tap your mill column so that the chain will be neither too tight nor too loose.


Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: CX601 Milling Machine
« Reply #34 on: July 08, 2015, 09:20:49 PM »
The electronic display and support are installed. If it bounces around because of being installed on the sheet metal motor guard, I will relocate the support bracket to the column.  I purchased a piece of 3" x 3" x 1/8" aluminum angle and used it to make a cover for the X axis scale. Since I don't have the capability here to weld aluminum, I made up two end plate/mounting brackets from 1" aluminum plate and bolted them in place.  The top of the aluminum guard angle is about 0.100" below the top of the mill table. I will lose 1 1/8" off the Y travel because of mounting the X scale where I did. The only fabrication I have left to do is to make up two table stop brackets to limit the travel of my X axis to 23" so as not to damage the scale by òvertravelling`the reading head.



Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: CX601 Milling Machine
« Reply #35 on: July 09, 2015, 12:23:10 AM »
IT'S ALIIIIIVVVE!!!!  I just plugged in  the wiring from the X axis scale and the 110 volt feed to the read-out box. Holy Cow---is it ever neat to turn the dials/handles on the table and see those numbers spiral up or down. Ron, you're absolutely right---it's way too high where it is currently mounted. Of course now I'm going to have to build yet another bracket to hang off the side of the column so I can see the DRO readout  around the  mill control box. I haven't permanently mounted the Y axis scale yet, I've been too busy working on the X axis guard.---I've got two emails from customers insisting that I work on their projects RIGHT NOW, so it will probably be Sunday before I get the X axis travel limiters built and installed and suss out a bracket to mount the DRO box in a better spot.---Brian

Offline Dave Otto

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Re: CX601 Milling Machine
« Reply #36 on: July 09, 2015, 12:33:53 AM »
Coming along nicely Brian.

I would think that about the same level as the mill control panel would be good. Most every mill I have ever seen and/or run, had the readout display on the right hand side; maybe its a left hand right hand thing. Just don't put it so low that it is in the line of fire from all the swarf and cutting oil, like I have see some people do :LittleDevil:.

Once you get used using to the readout you know where your tool is anyway, there is not much point in trying to see two things at the same time.

Dave

Offline ths

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Re: CX601 Milling Machine
« Reply #37 on: July 09, 2015, 02:46:06 PM »
Great planning, good to see that it has all come together. Now to move the beast...Hugh.

Offline NickG

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Re: CX601 Milling Machine
« Reply #38 on: July 09, 2015, 09:43:17 PM »
Got to be said it looks great, and in my experience of using DROs at University it made life so much easier and the quality of my work was better. Could be something do to with the fact it was on bridgeports but I think a lot was down to the DRO.

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: CX601 Milling Machine
« Reply #39 on: July 10, 2015, 01:59:29 AM »
I worked on a design job today until 1:30, but got hung up on a question my customer who is currently away in Europe couldn't answer.----so---I made up my X axis table travel limiters. My glass scale is only good for 23 5/8" (600 mm) and my table travel is 23 1/2". If you overtravel the scale capabilities, then it breaks something inside the scale. I didn't want to take a chance on that happening, so I made up a travel limiter for each end of the x axis which bolt to tapped holes in the end of the table. The 1/2" diameter rod welded to the inside of the stop bracket stops against the end of the saddle as shown in the pictures. This reduces my overall table travel to 21 1/2", but I can't imagine ever needing that much travel, and I certainly didn't want to break the scale.---I'm almost there!!! I need to make up a bracket to correctly position the electronic readout box and I will be just about finished with the DRO installation. This type of mill comes with a sheet of flexible rubber that runs from the base of the column to a bracket on the saddle to prevent chips from clogging up the Acme screw which operates the Y axis.--I now have nowhere to attach this sheet at the saddle end, so I'm a bit perplexed as to what to do about that. I know you can buy collapsible covers for this screw, same as you can for a lathe lead screw, but they are horribly expensive and I don't want to get into installing anything more right now.


Offline Dave Otto

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Re: CX601 Milling Machine
« Reply #40 on: July 10, 2015, 02:12:08 AM »
Why can't you attach it to the scale guard? Or possibly shorten the scale guard and attach it below the scale if there is room. When I did my knee mill years ago I remember having to cut a section out of the rubber to clear the read head.


Dave

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: CX601 Milling Machine
« Reply #41 on: July 10, 2015, 11:21:41 AM »
The scale and scale guard move back and forth. The column doesn't.

Offline Dave Otto

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Re: CX601 Milling Machine
« Reply #42 on: July 10, 2015, 01:29:00 PM »
I guess I wasn't thinking when I posted that :lolb:

So there isn't enough room under the scale even if you cut out an area of clearance for the read head?

Dave

Offline techonehundred

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Re: CX601 Milling Machine
« Reply #43 on: July 10, 2015, 03:48:04 PM »
You could make a piece of Brass with a groove for the guard to slide from side to side with legs on each side of the ways.  Attach the way cover to the piece of brass.     
 That way the brass would move the way cover, still be able to slide left and right,  and the legs would keep the piece of brass from sliding left or right.   :stir:

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: CX601 Milling Machine
« Reply #44 on: July 11, 2015, 02:01:10 AM »
I keep on making the "last bracket" and then discovering I need one more---. This afternoon I welded up a "dogleg" bracket to mount the DRO display off the column.--This was no simple task, because the milling machine control box sets exactly in the position where I would like the DRO readout to set, and it travels up and down as I raise or lower the head of the mill, plus the fact that the mill will eventually set in a recess in the wall of my machine shop. I finished the dogleg bracket and painted it, and then I got to seriously studying how the heck I am going to re-attach the big rubber flap that protects the Y axis Acme screw. Okay---I have a plan--but it is going to require yet another bracket. And it involves an "edge sealing brush" which will ride against the aluminum X axis guard as the table moves left to right and back, to prevent swarf from getting down into the X axis reading head. I'm getting darn well tired of making brackets!!!!

 

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