We needed to have a quick, self-centering, fixturing system for a final operation of small, round parts that are made via our HF 8×12 CNC lathe. While there are some commercial fixtures such as the Yuasa 5C collet block fixture (5C Multiple Collet Chuck Block Yuasa #640-404) which accommodates 4 5-C collets, it’s also quite pricey at somewhere between $1,600 and $2,000. What’s nice about the system (aside from being able to buy and use out of the box) is that it’s squared up and made of meehanite cast iron. It’s a solid fixture:
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The 12×36 is a great medium-sized lathe for the home shop. It’s a lathe that can be mounted on a rolling stand or fixed in place. Either way, its size and price make it easy for the home shop machinist to consider when upgrading from the 7×12, 8×12, 9×20 and other smaller lathes.
While the lathe is not quite suitable for production work (not like a Hardinge turret lathe or similar 2nd op lathe), it has the range that to do small, large and long work.
Did you know that the 12×36 (for example, the Grizzly G4002 and G4003 lathe) has a collet closer that’s sold by Grizzly? That’s right, it’s the G4026 sold for $299.95. That’s a pretty decent price indeed. There is, however, one slight problem with the system. It mounts using the existing studs which means that the lever itself is oriented vertically instead of outward towards the operator. Awkard!
Here’s the collet closer from Grizzly. We’ve read reports about fitment issues, but it looks pretty solid.
In our quest to solve the collet closer issue, we realized that until an actual collet closer system was put into place, we could simply use the stock chuck but would need a decent depth-stop of sorts.
Something that mounts to the outboard end of the spindle tube?
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We’ve already CNC’d our 8x a while back and have been putting it to decent use. Even after we upgraded the X-axis leadscrew with a 5/8-8 TPI with brass leadnut (not split), we wanted better resolution and backlash control (there’s not a lot of space underneath the cross slide as you can imagine).
So, we retrieved the eBay ballscrew purchase from the parts drawer and commenced the upgrade. It’s a Kuroda C3 class ballscrew with little detectable backlash. Well, it has to be better than what we already had…
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When first starting out, you want a reliable and cheap method of finding the edge and/or center of a workpiece or to be able to square your vise to the table and find origin on your vise.
Flipping through the ENCO, MSC Direct, J&L Industrial, Travers, McMaster, Grainger, and a slew of other catalogs may tempt you to buy a standard edge finder since it’s affordable at only $20 or so, but this requires that the spindle turns while in operation. We think there are better options.
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After much research and deliberation, we finally decided to place an order for three import (i.e. China) “precision” milling vises for the Fadal VMC40.
Our rational was simple – purchase “throw away” (although we would never do that!) milling vises with questionable precision and get something like a Gerardi (or heck, even try out the Glacern Machine Tools import vises from Taiwan) at a later date. We know Kurt vises pretty well by now and think their quality is the benchmark for vises, but want to try other brands. Chick vises are also pretty tempting to buy as accessory availability is important (something that is somewhat lacking in Gerardi).
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If you own a Rong-Fu 45 (AKA RF45) or clone mill such as the Lathemaster ZAY7045, ENCO Model #325-5184 Square Column Mill, Grizzly G0484 (actually, this doesn’t have this “issue”), Travers OT7045FG, and Industrial Hobbies to name a few, you may notice that raising the head can be quite a chore.
There’s an extremely simple way to resolve this.
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We’ve been loyal supporters of ENCO and MSCDirect because we can typically get free ground shipping that ends up at the shop in one day due to our proximity to a distribution center.
We typically purchase everything from bolts and raw stock to end mills and such from ENCO since their pricing was pretty good and purchase from MSCDirect for items not found at ENCO.
But you have to check out OnlineMetals!
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One has to wonder why and how, at the very least, a spindle wrench is NOT provided with the ENCO version of the Rong Fu 45 dovetail/square column mill.
We had posted a quick wrench how-to in a previous post that requires only some scrap stock and a few drilling operations.
But we still wondered if there was an easier way. During a break from working on some kits for the X2 mill, we prototyped a spindle lock add-on for the RF45 mill.
Nothing more than a few scrap pieces later, we had this:
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Hi all-
We’ve been busy working on some yet-to-be-released plans for the 8x lathe, X2 mill, and even the RF45 fill (CNC!), but one thing at a time, and we’ve finally gotten steps away from launching the X2 belt drive kit!
What makes our kit different from others on the market? We believe in simplicity and ease of use. As such, we have a single-drive belt/pulley system that requires no belt changes – no fuss!
Here’s an updated picture of the belt drive mounting plate:
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The 4×6 bandsaw is a great little starter saw for the home shop. But as time passed, we found some issues with the saw – namely that of stuck blades that “popped” out of the bandsaw rollers. This was quite a frustrating experience! One of the reasons for this (and this occurs even with nice blades with no missing teeth) was the lack of an even downfeed. With only gravity pulling down on the saw, sometimes the arm would pop-up as it fed down. This in turn would case the teeth of the blade to jam in the workpiece and dislocate the saw blade. Also, without a steady coolant feed, it was difficult to evacuate the shavings which would also help it jam.
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