Re: RF-45 CNC conversion

I converted mine to CNC and had been using it to make parts. Right now, it is in the back of my truck, since I have moved and don't have a shop to put it in.
To do the column:

1. I cut a hole in the top with a big hole saw and a mag drill mounted to the column with a right angle plate.
2. I ripped out the rack and pinion since I wanted to use a ballscrew and ballnut (please don't censor these terms, they aren't pornographic :)
3. With a cherry picker, I pulled the column off the base and then inserted a 1/2" steel plate between them- with over sized holes for the bolts to clear.
4. There is now a bearing on both the top and bottom of the column with a ballscrew running between them.
5. I ran a massive steel block (it started out as a 2" x 2" x4" and 1" x 2" x 6 bolted together pieces of crs) from the back of the head to the ballnut. There is a bored and threaded hole in the 2" x 2" section for the 1" Thompson ballnut to screw into.
6. There is a big servo motor and timing pulleys/ timing belt on top.

A lot of what I did wasn't pretty or probably the best way to do it, but it worked and paid for itself many times. I have done anything from drilling hundreds of 5/16" holes in stainless plates to making brass parts for guitars with it.

Now, I am in between lives. I just took a job with a place that has dozens of cnc turning centers and some vertical machining centers. This will be a totally new experience - being away from CNC wood routers and in a different industry. So, it will be a while before I set up shop again. When I do, I will probably tweak the RF-45 up a bit.

Dan