My new 326 lb toy...:D

[Martinm210]

Finally brought her home after many many hours online, then a couple of days over the hill playing with several different machines. I used to work in a machine shop a long time ago, and always missed having some precision tools to tinker with.


That's one big heavy wooden box...I wonder what could be inside...



My son say's let's open it up to see and he seems to approve...


Lots of cleaning to do...



Move over drill press and slide vise, the real deal is here. Almost broke my back moving the darn thing..all 326lbs of it took every ounce I had and the help of a neighbor to move it from the truck to my work bench.



Anyhow, I'll be busy making secret waterblocks in the garage for a while My goal is to make something to beat out the Fuzion, then a bunch of custom goodness like mosfet blocks, then a custom D5 pump top...then....?

Or maybe I'll start fabricating those dirt bike parts I've been wanting for a while.. ahh depends what kind of mood I'm in as I walk into the garage...

It's Christmas time!

[[XC] Synthetickiller]

I LOVE IT! What brand is that? Have a link to where you purchased it? It looks like a winner!

Enjoy your toy!

[Martinm210]

I LOVE IT! What brand is that? Have a link to where you purchased it? It looks like a winner!

Enjoy your toy!

Thanks!

Sure, not the exact same one, but very close:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=46199

Mine is the 5890 model from Harbor Freight which I only found available in store, but pretty much the same thing except it comes with a built in vise and it may have a different spindle taper.

At first I was going to buy a mini mill, but after trying one first hand then looking carefully over this one, I went with this one. The mini mill or Sieg X2 rebranded is nice, but it's really smaller than I expected, the ways are all smaller and I liked the construction of this model better.

All the ways are ground very nicely, they also have oil fittings all over the place, and when I took the carrage apart they even ground oil channels in all the ways as well, just like much more expensive machines I previously used and rebuilt. Also this multipurpose machine comes with two larger motors, I believe both are 3/4HP, one for the lathe and one for the mill that's hidden in the rotating colum.

The only real downside is a fairly limited bore/plung depth of about 4 inches and no head tilt. Also the lathe has no threading ability, but for what I need in my garage, it fits the bill nicely. It was only a little more than a mini mill, but a little heavier duty and I get the lathe capability as well.

I'm really happy with the purchase

[pak]

So what you gunna make first?
--pak

[Martinm210]

A fuzion killer!!...well I'm going to try anyhow. I have hours of water delta logged data for my bowed/nozzle fuzion ready for a good comparison.

-CPU block, with a goal to outperform my bowed/nozzled fuzion. Have to try...we'll see. If nothing else, I'll make a heck of a "one of a kind" custom block for a paper wieght..
-I also have a spare Fuzion GFX base and MCW60 I may sacrifice for some ideas.
-Mosfet blocks for my 680i.
-Custom D5 pump top

I also have had some interest from some vendors for some custom stuff.

Finally, I have a list of Dirt/Streetbike parts I've been wanting to make. I'd like to convert my KX500 and move the motor into a KX250 frame, that would obviously require some significant custom fabrication.

So...lots of projects on the list, don't think I'll ever run out..

[pak]

A fuzion killer!!...well I'm going to try anyhow. I have hours of water delta logged data for my bowed/nozzle fuzion ready for a good comparison.

-CPU block, with a goal to outperform my bowed/nozzled fuzion. Have to try...we'll see. If nothing else, I'll make a heck of a "one of a kind" custom block for a paper wieght..
-I also have a spare Fuzion GFX base and MCW60 I may sacrifice for some ideas.
-Mosfet blocks for my 680i.
-Custom D5 pump top

I also have had some interest from some vendors for some custom stuff.

Finally, I have a list of Dirt/Streetbike parts I've been wanting to make. I'd like to convert my KX500 and move the motor into a KX250 frame, that would obviously require some significant custom fabrication.

So...lots of projects on the list, don't think I'll ever run out..

way way too much fun going on there. Keep us updated on that fuzion killer.

--pak

[Pete]

Wow thats a dam cool tol! So come crimob you are not allowed to winge if you get nothing but lumps of copper only okay!

[madmaxx]

-Custom D5 pump top

So...lots of projects on the list, don't think I'll ever run out..

nice aquisition

lookin forward to this 1 martin

[mak1skav]

Gratz for your new toy mate.

Now we have to wait for the Fuzion killer i think.


P.S. Build some nozzles for your killer too.

[The_Beast]

how much was it??? and where do you live so I can use it ???

[Movieman]

Very nice addition to the workshop!

[yankee]

Looks awesome, cant wait to see what you're gonna make.
You're from klamath falls, wasn't klamath the codename for the PII?

[Martinm210]

Thanks guys.

Copper is a flying!..

I need to get some bigger end mills and a fly cutter, but I'm getting by.

I got my parallels in the mail today, so the tools are slowly rolling in. I also think I'll fabricate some digital readouts for the downfeed. The X and Y dials are in .001" increments with .040" per turn, but the downfeed isn't what I thought, looks like 1mm increments on the downfeed. It has a fine downfeed knob, but no dial.

I think I'll be fabricating a couple of little tweaks and tools for the machine as I go to...all part of the fun..

BTW, I paid $600 for this machine OTD.

If I do come up with a really good block, I'll let you know..

Maybe I can sell a few to help suppliment my tooling needs....

[_G_]

Nice all you need is a small rotary table to do radiuses and you're all set.

[Martinm210]

Yeah, a rotary table is on the short list for sure...need more $$..

Anhow, after leveling it all up and bolting her down, here is a little bit of playing so far:



And I'm wondering if I can use shims and make a longer arbor for my slotting saw to cut pins this way with the lathe? Seems like it would make cutting pretty nice this way...hmmmm

[newls1]

sorry to get off subject, but nice mountain range in the background. I always wanted to go to Oregon to see what that state looks like.

[Martinm210]

sorry to get off subject, but nice mountain range in the background. I always wanted to go to Oregon to see what that state looks like.

And that's one of the less pretty bare type, most of the mountains around here (at least the west half of Oregon) are forested.

Klamath also happens to be home of Crater Lake National Park.

I wouldn't be happy without a mountain range around me, how else are you supposed to tell which way you're going..

[Martinm210]

Half way through the pin cutting, not perfect, but I think I figured it out now...cutting fluid is a must..

[pak]

That doesn't look bad. Do you happen to have a sketch of what the final product will look like?

--pak

[.Logic]

Wow, nice machine you have their! I have to say I was surprised when I saw the price of it on the website, I had a figure somewhere near $2000 in mind. $600 for a mill and lathe is a steal!

[TRG]

Damn. People like you with their fancy toys make me regret choosing eletronically engineering over mechanical engineering

Nice work! I'm really looking forward to your results, please post some more tips and tricks about working with copper! (it's annoying how soft it is right?)

[knightwolf654]

Kool Mist in a squirt bottle
cheap and keeps the piece cool. but make sure to real oil the machine when your done, u dont want rust!
awesome machine i might look into getting one

[TopherTony]

i think you need to make the grooves wider. Do you have a wider saw blade?

you cut those without any fluid??? I bet there was smoke and chips flying everywhere.

goggles

[Martinm210]

Haha...

Doesn't matter what you do for work, everyone can have a machine in their garage. Heck I'm not mechanical either (civil), but that's not to say I don't have mechanical ideas and a need to tinker...

Besides, I know the fuzion is cast, so I'm hoping that a machined product will have some materials advantages. This one started out as a $6 slab of copper from Petra's, but I have several larger sheets of copper, delrin, and some acrylic ready for transformation..

I made the first 3 wide passes without cutting fluid and it was really having a hard time, copper is just too gummy and heats up quick. I ended up using a squirt bottle with WD-40 as my cutting fluid. I figured heck, it can't hurt and if it gets all over the machine, it's lubed too But yeah, I'm getting tired of WD-40...need to look into that Koolmist product

I really like the machine, although I'm going to have to invest in a digital readout bar for the downfeed. While the downfeed nob is nice and fine, the larger indicator dial only has graduations down to .100" inches so I cut them at .150" centers. I think the slabs are a little wide, but .1 was too narrow and I didn't think I could keep track of .125. Those quill DRO are only like $40, then I can use millimeters as well.

Anyway, this is just the first attempt, the fun is trying a bunch of different stuff. Going to try some ultra thin base stuff too, it'll be supported by the top of the pins and midblock for rigidity. Anhow, pretty cheap on materials, it's mostly labor and pins are really labor intensive.

I'll keep posting as I progress

[Martinm210]

Got pins?...