CNC x2 Mill

[Rndmann9]

I was going to let my oldest son take the one that's just the engine, apart so he could learn how they tick. When I was his age I didn't ask. I took everything apart to see what made them tick much to my moms dismay. Kids don't have that sense of curiousity anymore. I never lost it. Thank god. My youngest shows promise if he doesn't burn the house down. Obcessed with fire as he should be.

 

[Foozer]

My kids thought they were 'All That' in their younger days, Gave em two sticks and told them to make fire . . .

Had a chain saw that acted like your trimmer, wouldn't start and if it did ran like [c]rap - case had a small crack in it.

This must be Murphys small problem week. First had to road side rescue the bride, car died - - fuel pump fuse blew, easy enough but what made it go? Alt is on the same circuit, little rattle noise coming from engine bay, grab a hunk of rod so can listen to the alt, didn't have to, alt started spitting sparks out the back - Oh Dear I think I found the problem, I say
I've been telling you cars been making funny noises for a week, She says
But you did turn the radio up till the noise went away, I said
Don't need to repeat what she said - - -
Today I get to change the alt, front wheel drive, underneath in the back

 

[Rndmann9]

I have taught them to make fire from sticks but they are not patent enough. They still try everyonce in a while since I keep a bow drill out in the garage. Got some new fuel lines so off to changing those. Trimmer is only in its second summer. I think the gas turned on me while I was on vacation. Had a lot of rain here. It worked fine before that. my wife's grand caravan is a peach to work on. Everything is hard to get to. Just changing the plugs requires me to tap my inner contortionist. Next up on hers is the water pump. I think I can reach it through the passenger wheel well. We shall see but that's for another day. Trying to get this done because I have to fly to Nashville Tuesday return Wednesday for work.

 

[Rndmann9]

VICTORY. She is running like a champ now. Tore the carb down again and cleaned it for good measure. Worked this time. Guess I'll be doing some trimming tomorrow since I have run out of daylight.

 

[Wizard69]

I lied. One more distraction. Fought and so far have lost against my gas trimmer today. Will only run on full choke. So either a jets clogged or air leak right? Nope. Tore down cleaned and reassembled carb. Replaced plug. Fresh gas fresh oil mix. Inspected gas lines. Made sure fuel cap vent wasn't clogged, Cleaned spark arrester ...no dice. Only thing I have not done is replace fuel lines out right. Guess that's on the agenda tomorrow. Stupid things haven't ran right since California's epa hippies ruined everything with their enviro laws. Lol. On the same subject I bought a new gas can. The ones with the green valve mandated by epa to limit fuel spills. So effective that gas will only come out from around the cap nothing from the spout.... It would leak less if I shot holes in it. I had to break the mechanism just to make it work. I think this new environmentally safe model has leaked more fuel in the short time I have had it than all the other ones I have owned combined. No vents so if the sun warms it look out cause it's going to spray everywhere not to mention how it belches fuel in spurts which is very effective at filling a small tank and dousing everything around it. Lol. amazing how the gov can ruin something as simple as a gas can. speaking of vents. I feel better already. Hahaha

The EPA or maybe the CPSC? (The safety people) really have no idea how to make something safer. They just mandate stupidity. I know the gas tanks you speak of and have yet to find one that works at all. I've give retro and use a funnel when the can is full and use care when it is empty enough.

 

[Foozer]

And I have "Spark" [bad ground] Lots of Spark [bad ground] 20 degree crank rotation 40K worth of Spark [bad ground] Gotta love that MSD CD blue white mini jacobs ladder Spark - - Did I mention problem was a Bad Ground . .

All in all, not a bad day . . .

 

[Rndmann9]

Busy weekend... Fixed two leaf blowers someone gave me had to clean the carb on one and rebuild carb on the other along with new fuel lines and cleaning the fuel tank. Got my limit switches permanently mounted for x and y. And finished my moon light drafting. Throw in a soccer game and visit by mother and grandmother in law....whooo! Now maybe I can start to learn how to work the machine...oh and somewhat cleaned my shop...well at least I can see my bench again. Now for the other 98%. I love a good productive weekend.

 

[Foozer]

Company? Cousin Tim from Tenn came by, well ain't my cousin and ain't from Tenn - - Been ages since seen a Dodge 3/4 ton with a slant six, a slant six that was pucking oil. If the pass side motor mount comes loose from the block [which it did] the motor mount will rock on its pivot [which it did] As it rocks it hits the bottom of the fuel pump and of course cracks it open - Oil Oil Oil - To get Cousin Tim to 'Go Home', had to fix his truck for him.

Now your gizmo is going, what ya going to stress test it on?
I got brave and tried a flycutter - Can see how that thing can go very wrong, very quickly if not very careful.

 

[Foozer]

You've been quiet lately - Bride got you on the Honey Do List?

 

[Blogwitch]

Goodness me Foozer, a flycutter mounted into a drill chuck, and by the looks of it, with a rather fast feed!!!!

You are asking for the flycutter to be embedded in your forehead.

Drill chucks are only just about secure when drilling downwards, to put any side loads on it is asking for the taper joint between chuck and it's spindle mount to let go and the chuck and flycutter is liable to be bouncing around your shop or yourself.

Please take care.

John

 

[Foozer]

Goodness me Foozer, a flycutter mounted into a drill chuck, and by the looks of it, with a rather fast feed!!!!

You are asking for the flycutter to be embedded in your forehead.
John

Tis the Great Grandfather Henry Banton in me - the tendency to at least once throw caution to the wind.
A flycutter mounted into a drill chuck - From the advise by those who know, coupled with the less than desirable racket it makes [racket that means 'Duck for cover'] I can join the univocal and say - Nope - Something going very wrong, very fast is something very well to be avoided . . .

You made me chuckle - Mom still wonders how I have managed all these 64 years - i tell her, without me, she'd have no one to worry about . .

 

[DiegoVV]

Goodness me Foozer, a flycutter mounted into a drill chuck, and by the looks of it, with a rather fast feed!!!!

You are asking for the flycutter to be embedded in your forehead.

Drill chucks are only just about secure when drilling downwards, to put any side loads on it is asking for the taper joint between chuck and it's spindle mount to let go and the chuck and flycutter is liable to be bouncing around your shop or yourself.

Please take care.

John

I have to adhere to this advice. This is in the ABC of "what no to do with a milling machine". When machining, things can turn into a disaster in fractions of a second. And damaging your equipment is not the worst that can happen to you. If you are going to walk the CNC road, your tooling should be fail-proof, so using a drill chuck is not the best idea.

Going CNC means that you know almost everything about machining and that you have spent a good momey on apporpiate tooling. CNC is not just throwing some motors to the milling machine and connecting them to a PC. I don´t know any good CNC machinist that is not a good manual machinist.

Just my two cents

 

[Rndmann9]

Haven't been on in a while. Didn't fall off the face of the earth, just have been crazy buisy with work so haven't had any shop time. Hope that changes soon because the weather is turning cool at the shop is at prime comfort levels. Careful with the flys. I have ruined many a parts from the head moving unexpectedly. If that drill has a morse taper i would use some collets. Better grip and more concentric.

 

[Foozer]

There you are - The fly went to the bottom of the Sound - Only time the taper came loose, ages ago using a forstner bit on pine. Replaced the chuck with a Jacobs No. 36 [it has holding power] and pinned the taper to the shaft.
No rings, No watches, No long hair or sleeves - Don't use a tractor to tension barb wire - It's inevitable to get a little nip here or there - Justt try to keep it 'Little'

Ah the new toy to drive the bride insane - A 23 quart pressure cooker - I like Chili, big pots of Chili - the Pss-Pss-Pss of the steam release, the Bride not so much . . .

 

[Foozer]

Farther away from the grinding wheel my knuckles are, the better I like it . .So as to entertain myself - Won't know the functionality until it's done, any resemblance to what's in the book is - Well have to start somewhere - -

- - -

 

[DiegoVV]

There you are - The fly went to the bottom of the Sound - Only time the taper came loose, ages ago using a forstner bit on pine. Replaced the chuck with a Jacobs No. 36 [it has holding power] and pinned the taper to the shaft.
No rings, No watches, No long hair or sleeves - Don't use a tractor to tension barb wire - It's inevitable to get a little nip here or there - Justt try to keep it 'Little'

Ah the new toy to drive the bride insane - A 23 quart pressure cooker - I like Chili, big pots of Chili - the Pss-Pss-Pss of the steam release, the Bride not so much . . .

Of course you are free of using your machinery in the way you want, but please, don´t confuse new machinists saying that. Every experienced guy will tell you, using a drill chuck for milling is not a good practice and can be dangerous. But if you prefer investing in steppers rather than in the appropiate equipment, it´s your decission.

 

[Foozer]

Am aware of the downside, I'm just a tinkerer, I tinker - Is not meant to be a mill - Just a tinkering exercise to learn some Arduino and stepper code - Best Practice - First run after a cam change, the thing that can harm me while final tuning is done is not present


[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNaIvcCH9PU&feature=youtu.be[/ame]


The Fan . . .

 

[Rndmann9]

Man, I'm having withdrawals from my shop. I've been so busy with work I haven't had time to do anything. Doing a 15 story hospital and a college basketball arena right now, plenty for one person, lol. Might have to make an executive decision and forgo work this weekend and get my priorities straight again. Lol. Love my job but there isn't enough hours in a week to do what I need to do. Three 55+ hrs weeks in a row is starting to grow a little tiring. Kills my motivation because in my head - if I have time to work in the shop I have time that I should be getting ahead on my jobs. Best time of the year temp wise to be in the shop but it seems I'm in a similar situation every year. I need to get my wife a new pressure cooker, hers has a temperamental seal that you have to beat on the edges to get it to seal up, just don't want to end up on some stupid watch list for buying a cooking pot. Lol. Got to finish my mill.....

 

[Foozer]

. . . just don't want to end up on some stupid watch list for buying a cooking pot. Lol. Got to finish my mill.....

I change the seal every couple years - - Pressure cooker scares the tinkles out of the Bride so naturally being the kind hearted soul that I am, just had to get a bigger better one - - -

Today is Pumpkin Pie making day - - -

 

[Rndmann9]

Well I finally got to tool around in the shop some this past week. Good news is I got the mill all moving in the right directions now. I'm stumped trying to figure out tool length offsets with the software side. It should be pulling lengths from my virtual tool library and compensating in the z. So far no Bueno. I made a test part that first faces the part with a 9/16 end mill then does a contour cut around the out side with a 1/4 then bores a hole through then mills a pocket. Part is just complicated enough to run through a few more complicated cuts than facing. Does everything but z after the tool change isn't adjusting...? Guess I need to keep messing with it till I get it worked out. Hoping to do it over the weekend but had to go out of town for a funeral ( wifes grandfather). Once that's solved I have to write some code to adjust for backlash. Not to make it perfect, just to smooth out the enormous amount built into every x2 mill. I think it's something like .072 on z direction changes. Frankly just happy to finally have everything going the direction and distance it's suppose to. Baby steps.