Re: Mill/Drill conversion update

To answer Bill Vance's question, my mill is a Harbor Freight 33686
Mill/Drill (although mine is 2 HP insted of the 1 1/2 HP one they're
selling now)

Tom, thanks. I bought my ballscrews and nuts from Reid Tool (800-253-
0421). Their prices are a few cents more than McMaster-Carr but their
service is good and very fast (in fact, I'm buying from them at work
now as well - they typically ship the same day).

Yes, I chose the 5/8" screws because of the great leap in price to
the 3/4" screws and nuts. I did some basic calculations, and they
seemed plenty strong for the type of work I wanted to do on my mill.

Regarding the X-axis, the screw is a bit flimsy at that length (about
28 inches) but I've seen no appreciable effect on the performance.
Actually, I think it's good to have a little flex in a system like
mine as I *know* I'm not going to be able to perfectly align both
ends AND the nut. The price I'm paying in wear and accuracy is
negligible for me.

For my Z-axis, I'm making a stiff mounting plate that will screw
directly to the side of the mill head. I'm going to drill and tap the
head the same as I did for the Y-axis mounting plate. I'm sure I'm
not going to get optimal alignment, but I'm pretty confident that
I'll have acceptable results. More pictures to come!

BTW, I used my 2-axis capability last night to mill the mounting
plate for the z-axis. It worked great, and the motor fits like a
glove! Woo hoo!

-Jeff

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@y..., "ths992001" <thscarince@h...> wrote:
> Jeff,
>
> Really nice job on your conversion. Where did you get your
> ballscrews, McMaster Carr? Did you choose the 5/8" ballscrews
> because they are the least expensive in the McMaster catalog?
> ($1/inch, $20 per nut) I assume you find that 5/8" is not too
skinny
> for the long x axis? I'd really be more interested in converting
my
> mill drill if I knew I could get useful results from something like
> your setup.
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Tom Scarince
>
> PS let us know about the z axis!