# X2 First Mods



## CrewCab (May 16, 2008)

Well, it's only been here just over a week and it's had a couple of modifications ......... courtesy of little machine shop ;D ........... have to say their service is first class, I ordered the bits on Monday and UPS dropped them off here today (Friday) ....  :bow: .......... I've waited longer for mail from Huddersfield(10 miles away) :wall: ........ so from the USA to the UK in 4 days is pretty good in my book 8)

Fitted a belt Drive kit and one of * these* ............. which seem pretty good value guys 

Dave


----------



## Divided He ad (May 16, 2008)

Sounds good Dave... The only thing is with no pic's and no clue what you have replaced with the parts you show...... I can't get too excited for you!!! :big: 

Well I'm sure yor happy... Why else would you be up this late on a friday night to tell us ;D 


Ralph.


----------



## Bogstandard (May 16, 2008)

Ralph,

Click on these in Dave's post. All will be revealed.

Dave,

Did you have to pay any duty on them?

If not, expect a bill from UPS a bit later, they sometimes pick up the duty charges, then send it onto you.

Anything over £18 is liable.

John


----------



## CrewCab (May 16, 2008)

Up late ??? ........... don't ask ........ been playing ;D


Ralph ........ I will get some pictures tomorrow, but at the present time I can't even be bothered to look for the camera :

The belt conversion has been covered in many other threads, IMHO it's well worth it. As for the air spring ............. if you have an X2 .......just get one ;D ........... ti's a brilliant piece of kit for not a lot of money .......... much more "Z" axis travel and it stays put, no up and down "flip flop" 

Dave


----------



## rake60 (May 16, 2008)

Air Spring?

I thought I had every mod available for the X2

Come on now Dave, sleep is an over rated waste of life.
Tell me about this air spring............

Well OK I guess I can wait until tomorrow. 

Rick


----------



## BobWarfield (May 17, 2008)

Rick, it's a counterbalance for the head made up of an air spring. They're not unlike the struts to raise the hatchback of a car.  Much more compact than an actual counterweight. They make it much nicer when cranking the head of a mill up or down.

Cheers,

BW


----------



## Brass_Machine (May 17, 2008)

Rick... That is on my 'to do' list for my X2... That and finally put up a DRO display for my scales. And ofc... CNC it!

Eric


----------



## CrewCab (May 17, 2008)

Just for Rick ;D






The new Z Axis rack included in the kit is about 5" (125mm) longer than the original, the head now travels up to the top of the column .... about 2" more (50mm), and obviously moves down about 3" more (125mm).

The travel is smoother and the head stays in position. It's a very easy modification to do, just requiring drilling 4 holes and tapping 3 of them plus removing, drilling and sticking the plastic column cap back on ............ about an hour or so overall for an amateur like me, probably about 10 minutes for you guys :

and just for Ralph ............. although these first bits of turning are very modest compared to some of the works of art on here they are a big step forward for me so I'm happy with them 

Toolpost Clamp bolt ............. at least it's shiny 






Start of "Doughnut" ................ 






Doughnut so far ............ at least it looks better than in the first picture 






More to follow later .............. providing this post doesn't sens everyone to sleep :big: ;D :big:

Dave


----------



## Bogstandard (May 17, 2008)

Dave,

It is far from sending everybody to sleep.

Even though these articles have no interest to me, it is nice to see a relative newbie joining in, and contributing and producing articles that are followed by many with the same sort of machines. 

Well done

John


----------



## CrewCab (May 17, 2008)

Thank you John 

That's a good point, I found it difficult to find "basic stuff" when I started looking to start a little machining so hopefully this sort of thing will be helpful to others ........... and hopefully in a year or two I can look back and see if I've progressed any : ............... This site has been immensely helpful, so thank you all 

So far I've found the X2 to be a very capable little machine, the 2 mods I've done I would certainly recommend. I think one further mod in the near future will be a couple of holes in the table as it's filling up with coolant .....  : ........ however not till I get a tray underneath.

Wish list ............. 
1) Better lighting ............. am investigating
2) Coolant system ............... work in progress (but slow) ........ I do have some idea's though ???
3) Improve my range of work holding clamps etc ......... and will give me practice with both the mill and the lathe 
4) X axis power feed ............ my right wrist is doing circles even when I'm asleep 8) ............. so as it's mi' birthday in a couple of months ....... and the gang never know what to buy me .............  ;D  ;D
5) DRO ......... would be nice; but on the back burner for now as there are lots of more basic things that require funding first I'm afraid ???

Same with the lathe really, the 9x20 is a good piece of kit, the qctp coupled with indexable tools has been a very worthwhile investment, once I finish the Doughnut I think that's going to make life a lot easier when turning steel etc or anything fairly large.

Anyway enough waffle ................... apart from ........... :

Having gone to get my other set of jaws for the standard 3 jaw chuck ............. I've found that I don't have any :wall: ..... ??? :  ....... so it looks like a new chuck is top of the shopping list ........... any recommendations gang ;D

Dave


----------



## Divided He ad (May 17, 2008)

Far from being asleep here Dave ;D 

I think I can see where the gas strut goes? sticking out of the top? You certainly seem happy with it, and why not if it increases capacity and ease of use ;D

I am intrigued as to where the doughnut is going ? I wouldn't underestimate your machining skills either... To get that nice round base from the square plate... Things like that were a challenge for me when I first started.... most still are!! : 

Nice QCTP too.. Got to get myself one of those! That means either selling myself (whole or in bits!!) or separating myself from some of my collectables!!  ...Maybe I can do without for a bit longer! 


Keep posting Dave. It doesn't matter to me what it is  I love to see what others create ;D 


You just posted whilst I was slow a#@ typing this!!! So in answer to one thing... Chuck... I just recently fitted a 5" chuck to my 9x20... had a few issues! If you look ( http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/index.php?topic=1740.msg14412#msg14412 ) at this it might help you a little? 
Mine was a 'Chester ' brought chuck and backplate. Since then I also purchased a front mounting chuck for my rotary table, also 5" but an RDG one... Very nice finish but not tested it properly for runout etc yet (only just mounted it for turning my engine base on friday).

Ralph.


----------



## chuck foster (May 17, 2008)

dave..........keep posting, you are doing great work and you will definitely be helping not only the "newbies but the old guys" as well.

no matter how long a person has been doing this kind of work you can still get ideas and learn stuff from looking at what others have done.

my son has about 5 hours worth of machining experience and he will ask questions that make me think and wonder. so i figure that he is teaching me by asking questions.

keep up the great work :bow:

chuck


----------



## CrewCab (May 18, 2008)

Ralph, as Bob said above it's a gas strut similar to the ones that hold up the hatchback's on cars, it fits down the inside of the column and makes the Z axis movement smoother and the big bonus is the increased Z axis travel, much easier to change long drill bits without unbolting the workpiece etc ;D ........... considering the whole kit was about £15 I think it's good value, ................. well it is if your in the USA that is, over here carriage plus import duty /VAT (Yes John, they stung me for £31  ) makes it a bit more expensive.

As for the chuck ............ ??? ................... sounds like a bit of a nightmare to set up, perhaps I'd better manage for now till I get a bit more practice in  

I was considering *This One* .............. which sounds like the one you've just bought from RDG ................. I presume backplates are separate ............ and ......... how does one go about cutting an internal M39x4mm thread .........  ??? ........... without buying a big tap : ............ I've had a nosey around but even Steve Bedair seems to skip that bit.

Dave


----------



## Bogstandard (May 18, 2008)

Dave,

If you are considering a new chuck, look for one that you can get soft jaws for, and buy a set at the same time. You honestly won't regret it. For high precision work they can't be beaten.

John


----------



## CrewCab (May 18, 2008)

Divided He ad  said:
			
		

> I am intrigued as to where the doughnut is going ?



Sorry Ralph, I forgot to answer your question .............. the donught is an alternative to the Compound Clamp ............. as suggested by Hilmar ....... *Here*

Dave


----------



## rake60 (May 18, 2008)

I like the looks of that Air Spring!

Just ordered one, it should be here in about 3 days.

Rick


----------



## Divided He ad (May 18, 2008)

Ahh now I know about the doughnut!! ;D 

The Chuck... The threaded backplate can be purchased from 'Chester uk' for about £28 ( http://www.chesteruk.net/store/chuck_adapter_plates.htm) 
The chuck I brought was the 3jaw 125mm type (£50.00) and I also got the soft jaws to suit (£25) from the bottom of the page. (http://www.chesteruk.net/store/3-jaw_chucks.htm )

This would probably all have been good except for the backplate being so bloody wrong!! Apparently they had run out of stock of the correct ones so supplied me with one they keep for mounting spurious chucks!! 

You could get the chuck from RDG and the backplate from Chester ? The re-working would have to be done to the backplate either way! it is a lot easier than cutting the thread through one you have made yourself! (you have to drill and recess for the retaining screws too!)

The chuck you have shown from RDG is the one I got for my rotary table and is not the type (standard) fitted to our lathes... Rear mounting chucks are the specified but I doubt it would be a massive issue? (I'm sure someone will shout up if it is!) You would have to drill and tap the Chester backplate if using a front mount chuck.

Oh and here is a link for the making of the backplate if you want to try it ;D http://www.homecnc.info/9x20lathe.htm

I'm not trying to scare you Dave!! Just help you in your dilema... Honestly  




Ralph.


----------



## CrewCab (May 22, 2008)

rake60  said:
			
		

> I like the looks of that Air Spring!
> 
> Just ordered one, it should be here in about 3 days.
> 
> Rick



I'm away for a few days so looking forward to your verdict on the air spring Rick 

As for mi' chuck jaw problem : ........ I sent an email to the chap I bought the lathe from, he had a root around and found them, posted them next day and they are now here ............. result ;D

Ralph, thanks for the reply, yes you did frighten me to death ??? .......... hopefully I'll get a little more practice in before tackling a new chuck 

Dave


----------



## rake60 (May 22, 2008)

CrewCab  said:
			
		

> I'm away for a few days so looking forward to your verdict on the air spring Rick
> 
> Dave



Just checked the tracking number.
It's on time and scheduled for delivery tomorrow.

I know what I'll be doing on Sunday... 

Rick


----------



## whatsit (May 23, 2008)

Here's my .02 cents on these.
I have put these both on my mill and have been very pleased with them.
Belt-drive is quiet and gives a wider range of RPMs.
The air spring gives you more Z travel and the head doesn't drop on it's own.

CrewCab:
GET THE POWER FEED!! My arm has thanked me for it many times.

I have been real pleased with this little mill. But I think I need a bigger one now.

Kevin


----------



## Cedge (May 24, 2008)

Kevin
Sounds like you've boarded the same boat I was in. I felt like I'd outgrown the trusty X2 and needed a bit more room to grow. Take a look at the X3 or SX3.... I've not regretted going with it for one minute. 

Ditto on the power feed endorsement. It makes the whole experience much more pleasurable.

Steve


----------



## CrewCab (May 28, 2008)

Cedge  said:
			
		

> Ditto on the power feed endorsement. It makes the whole experience much more pleasurable.



Thanks Guys ;D

I've been talking to the guys at LMS and they advise me I need *This One* which should be in stock around the end of August ........... ;D ................ gives me chance to save up after my recent "plastic meltdown" at the Harrogate Show 

Hopefully (at the rate I'm progressing) I might have finished rebuilding the workshop by then and have the Mill in a permanent home rather than a temporary bench 

CC aka Dave


----------

