Re:Re: Future CNC man

>Message: 23
> Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2001 02:48:44 -0000
> From: shawnusa@...
>Subject: Re: Future CNC man
>
>It's funny you mention shoptask, There systems seems to be the more
>bang for the buck. Comes pre ready for CNC (a plus). I've been
>lurking on the shoptask email groups and I like everyones responses
>about thsystem. However I'm leary of hoe customer support may be a
>issue. Lastly the dreaded idea of having to wait a month after paying
>for the machine for it to get here. Even so, I'm strongly thinking
>about getting that one unless I get rich and can offord a Bridgport
>or equivlent.

Just to second Tim's comments .. I have a Shoptask, bought it for the
same reasons that have you considering it, and completely happy with
it.

CNC'd it after a year and have never looked back.

Sure, I'd be happier with a nice big Bridgeport and nice big lathe,
but there just ISN'T room, there ISN'T funds and it ISN't going to
happen, plain and simple.

I'd like a wife that worships the ground I walk on, but that
isn't going to happen either, so I make the best of what I do
have, and have a pretty good life as a result.

Knocking down mill setups to quickly turn something is admittedly a
pain, but it doesn't happen often and I just live with it when it
does.

Shoptask support has been just fine for me, even as a "furrener".
I've been polite, and try to keep in mind that they're a small
company with a limit to their resources, in return, they've always
been upfront.

Second the Quadralift recommendation - stacking up a bunch of flat
plates just to lift something close enough to the quill, then taking
it all apart to use a longer tool, with the subsequent realignment
is a REAL pain.

On the plus side, it has a BIG milling envelope.

The "pre-ready for CNC" part is just that it has the brackets in
place to mount some motors and has longer leadscrew shafts to attach
some pulleys. This is nothing earth shattering, but could be a lot
of fussy work on some other machines.

Finally, there are enough of these things out there that a bit of a
cottage industry for accessories has grown up.

Warning - long rambling story to follow -

Slightly annoyed about the lack of a knee, and pre quadralift, I
bought a small ( 800 lbs ) Burke horizontal knee mill, with the
intention of adding a vertical head, and, of course, CNCing it.

First problem with the HMill was that the table was too small, only
4" x 14", with barely 8" of travel and a single TEE slot.

I decided to remedy that by retrofitting a bigger table. I bought
one of Grizzley 6"x18" XY tables, for the table alone. Was a bit
surprised to discover that this table was exactly the same piece
that Shoptask uses, only with CRAPPY leadscrews and REALLY CRAPPY
nuts.

Found myself a block of steel, 6" x 10" x 2" and proceeded to
remove about 75% of it to make a new base for the table. Did
almost all of this on the Shoptask.

Then made myself a carbide insert dovetail cutter, also on the
Shoptask, and milled the dovetails.

Having converted the Shoptask to ballscrews a few years ago, I
used the "leftover" ACME leadscrew and nuts ( being just the
right size for the table ) on the new table.

To shorten this long story, I now have a wonderful table on my
little HMill, and just about every bit of the machining was done
on my Shoptask.

At the end of it all, though, I realized something. I may be using
the identical table, but I'm orienting it differently by 90 degrees.
So while I have 12" or so of travel in the Y axis on the Shoptask,
that same 12" of travel is on the X axis of the Burke. The Y travel
on the Burke is only 5" or so.

So while the Burke may be physically a much larger machine, it has
a much SMALLER milling envelope. Even once I get around to CNCing
the Burke ( no trivial task ), knee or not, I suspect that I'll
still use the Shoptask to do a lot of milling, just because so much
larger a part is possible.

Alan
--

Alan Rothenbush | The Spartans do not ask the number of the
Academic Computing Services | enemy, only where they are.
Simon Fraser University |
Burnaby, B.C., Canada | Agix of Sparta