Hi Wolfie,

I fitted stops to my small X1 mill. I think you could do someting similar on yours, see:

http://mikesworkshop.weebly.com/mill-table-stops-and-locks.html

I hope this helps

Mike

It's not stops you want with power-feed, it's limit switches. Hitting a stop will just bust something.

Stops are OK in principle if you want to repeatedly (and repeatably) mill up to a specific point but I always found them difficult to set. You can mill up to the point then slide the stop up and lock it but next time up it'll go a few thou farther – at least in my experience. Mine aren't even on the machine any more.

Thats the problem, the pointers to the scale leave some accuracy to be desired.

As a fellow newbie I can save you a LOT of time. Fit a DRO Wolfie

As an experiment, fit a $10 vernier(properly, do a decent job of it) and be amazed

I can do repeatability stuff to 1-2 hundredths of a mm on a 1944 Drummond clunker with DRO

(Watching that tooltip scrape minute amounts of metal from inside a thread when threadcutting was a revelation.)

Once you've got an independent DRO fitted you'll be singing as you mill

I messed about with all sorts of things, including a 1000mile round trip to pick up a cheap pultra prototype lathe, so I had some high quality gear to copy/profile.

na

I should have just fitted a $10 DRO right at the start

Edited By Ady1 on 26/02/2012 23:38:48

I remember this same challenge when I started out.

My initial answer was to do two things:

1. To work out the backlash in each scale so I could mill 'back and forth' in a slot (As you mention) without contantly making it slightly larger!

2. To add a couple of differently coloured small circular stickers to the fixed part of the wheel scale and ends of mill table so I could see at a glance which way turning the wheel would move the table (prevents the 'oh bugger' moment when you mill the 'wrong' way).

I have to say that now with digital scales, problem (1) is solved and problem (2) has mitigated with experience. However, I have to say (2) does very occasionally still happen – perhaps I should put the stickers back on!

Hi Sid, yes I meant to say limit switches, stops would be a disaster with power feed! If you have micromter dials I fail to see what would be gained with a stop and I would imagine you will get a positional variation depending how hard the stop is hit. Wolfie has your mill actually got micrometer dials as you mention scales???

Tony

Think your all missing the point, stops are totally advantageous for repetition work. One or two offs i wouldnt bother.

The repeatability would come down to one or more of play in the beds, quill, runout and most likely machine casting flex.

Never had the need on Y axis though, turn the work round 90 degrees.

Most power feeds come with stops and a double plunger switch to trip the feed. The main stops can go to the side and over the top to act as a stop.

I think most definitely you are missing the point Andrew. Why is it that so many people that have CNC in their workshop seem to think that ever body should, perhaps you can answer this?

Much more affordable machines has made the hobby available to a considerably number who otherwise would not be able to be involved. Universal use of CNC would probably price out at least 75% of those presently enjoying the hobby, me included.

Perhaps Andrew you would prefer the hobby to be open just to an elite band.

Harold

Edited By Harold Hall 1 on 28/02/2012 07:53:45

I agree Jon, Table stops are very useful on repeat parts and I include in this repeat processes on a single part. Typically, if milling a closed end stop, say 6mm wide in 12mm thick, it would need multiple passes. Setting the end stops would simplify this especially for us oldies. With memory not being what it once was I could of course write down the DRO reading, say 0.879". However, when traversing the table and observing the DRO it would not be unusual to jumble the numbers and machine to 0.897" only to find when then looking at the part that I had gone too far.

Mechanical end stops virtually eliminate such a situation.

Having recently used my mill and rotary table to cross out some clock wheels, I set both ends of the X and Y axis stops and this enabled me to mill the spokes and the inner and outer curves at the one setting. Again, errors were almost impossible.

Any viewer who would like to see details of this setup view here

Harold

Harold !

Crossing out clock wheels using the mill & rotary table – good grief where is your sense of tradition ? (Good idea though!! )

Which clock are you making?

Norman