New Member Here

[edm4787]

Hi, I'm Ed - a new member. Recently retired and have been busy setting up and equipping a shop so that I can embark on model engine building. My tooling is a collection of vintage and new parts and pieces picked up over the years from sources here and there. My lathe is a Taig, which I purchased new more than 40 years ago and most recently completed significant modifications and upgrades to it including a change gear set-up and lead screw for powered fine feed and screw cutting capabilities as well as tool holder and tail stock improvements. My milling machine is a shop built vertical bench top which I designed and fabricated from raw stock and some salvaged machine slides for x, y and z axis. For guidance on machine design and use, I've been immersing myself in various machinist centered blogs and video sources and hope to be further inspired here with respect to model engine design and fabrication. Interested in sharing machine related experiences.

best edm4787

 

[michael-au]

Welcome to the forums

 

[GreenTwin]

Welcome; glad to have you here.

.

 

[SmithDoor]

Hi, I'm Ed - a new member. Recently retired and have been busy setting up and equipping a shop so that I can embark on model engine building. My tooling is a collection of vintage and new parts and pieces picked up over the years from sources here and there. My lathe is a Taig, which I purchased new more than 40 years ago and most recently completed significant modifications and upgrades to it including a change gear set-up and lead screw for powered fine feed and screw cutting capabilities as well as tool holder and tail stock improvements. My milling machine is a shop built vertical bench top which I designed and fabricated from raw stock and some salvaged machine slides for x, y and z axis. For guidance on machine design and use, I've been immersing myself in various machinist centered blogs and video sources and hope to be further inspired here with respect to model engine design and fabrication. Interested in sharing machine related experiences.

best edm4787

Welcome to the group

Dave

 

[minh-thanh]

Hi Ed .
Welcome, Glad to have you !

 

[trlvn]

Welcome! Would love to see pictures of your milling machine and lathe mods!

Craig

 

[awake]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[edm4787]

Welcome! Would love to see pictures of your milling machine and lathe mods!

Craig

Thanks Craig, happy to share. My heavily modified Taig Lathe and shop built milling machine:

 

[edm4787]

 

[minh-thanh]

Great !
Do you have a gearbox cover ?
I'm very shy...if I don't have a cover

 

[Steamchick]

Welcome! I am another of "the nutters who contributes", or is that another of "the contributors, who is nuts"? We nuts need some solid bolts to keep us in place...
K2

 

[edm4787]

Great !
Do you have a gearbox cover ?
I'm very shy...if I don't have a cover

Thanks, Gear train cover in the works - meanwhile, I keep my fingers [and toes ] a safe distance away.

 

[ajoeiam]

Thanks Craig, happy to share. My heavily modified Taig Lathe and shop built milling machine:View attachment 154291View attachment 154289

Very interesting!!! - - - - did you do your own scrapping on the mill column?

 

[trlvn]

Those are both awesome! For the mill, what kind of work envelope did you aim for? Similar to an RF-45? I take it this is your only milling machine now? Did you use another mill to construct this one?

Very cool even though the handle for the Z movement is a bit close to spindle belt for my taste.

Craig

 

[edm4787]

The short answer is no. Insofar as the x, y and z axis dovetail ways are salvaged commercial machine ways, it wasn't immediately clear if any scrapping of the "column" would be necessary. The Column is a 24" section of 100#/yd rail (railroad rail) and the pre-manufactured z axis machine way is attached to the face of the base of the rail which turned out to be remarkable flat. I used screws and shims to attach and tram the z axis. The end result has column trammed within .0005". If it became necessary, I intended to use steel epoxy grout to level the column surface rather than scrapping - the rail steel is hot rolled so I think scrapping could not have been effectively done. To clarify the assembly, I've attached a few photos. The rail + additional frame steel + machine ways provide the desired and necessary machine mass (>200 lbs in total weight) and rigidity. The end result works well without any measurable flexure of the frame. BTW, the spindle is shop built as well utilizing tapered roller bearings w/ preloading and ER20 collet.

Edm

 

[edm4787]

Those are both awesome! For the mill, what kind of work envelope did you aim for? Similar to an RF-45? I take it this is your only milling machine now? Did you use another mill to construct this one?

Very cool even though the handle for the Z movement is a bit close to spindle belt for my taste.

Craig

 

[edm4787]

Envelope: x, 16"; y, 5"; z, 6". It is my only mill. used the Taig and the partially completed mill for all turning and milling operations necessary to build and complete. The z handwheel is not as close to the drive belt as it may appear in the photo.

Thanks for your interest and compliments

Edm

 

[Apprentice707]

Welcome EDM4787

B

 

[ajoeiam]

Effective scrounging (digging in unusual places for bits and pieces) is a bit of an art.
Here no longer possible as the scrap handlers no longer allow anything out unless its by the car (rail that is) load.
You found yourself some treasures which likely have given you something that most of us can only drool over.

Good on you!!!

(Wass - - - - kein Hohenswangau (sorry doubt that's spelt correctly but its the other of 'Mad Ludwig's' castles.)

 

[edm4787]

Effective scrounging (digging in unusual places for bits and pieces) is a bit of an art.
Here no longer possible as the scrap handlers no longer allow anything out unless its by the car (rail that is) load.
You found yourself some treasures which likely have given you something that most of us can only drool over.

Good on you!!!

(Wass - - - - kein Hohenswangau (sorry doubt that's spelt correctly but its the other of 'Mad Ludwig's' castles.)

Indeed.

Effective scrounging (digging in unusual places for bits and pieces) is a bit of an art.
Here no longer possible as the scrap handlers no longer allow anything out unless its by the car (rail that is) load.
You found yourself some treasures which likely have given you something that most of us can only drool over.

Good on you!!!

(Wass - - - - kein Hohenswangau (sorry doubt that's spelt correctly but its the other of 'Mad Ludwig's' castles.)

Indeed. Thanks. Have been collecting old iron, machines and material, for over 50 years and now finding a use for some of it. days of walking about the scrap yards are long gone. now mostly craigslist, garage/yard sales and curb finds.