I
have lusted after a larger CNC mill for a while, now. After running a
decent sized commercial machine (Haas VF3), I was no longer satisfied
with the limitations of my Taig CNC mill.
I wanted a few of the bells and whistles that are so necessary for production work.
My want list includes a decent work envelope, more speed, enclosed cabinet, coolant, a tool changer...you get the idea. I can't afford to buy one, so I decided to get a decent base machine and modify it.
I really like the UMC-10 by DAVID DECAUSSIN. Search Youtube for UMC10 if this link gets broken.
I settled on a Rong Fu 45 clone as the base for my new build. I went so far as to order a Grizzly G0755, mainly for the cast iron stand. After I ordered it, I found out it wouldn't be available for weeks, at the earliest. I canceled the order and resumed shopping.
I'm glad I did! I had looked at the Charter Oaks 12z manual mill before, but the price put me off.
They call it a "High-Capacity Square Column Manual Bed Mill". The work envelope is quite a bit larger than the RF45 clones, and it has some enhanced features, as well. I emailed them for a shipping quote and was floored. Where the Grizzly and the Bolton mills ship for $179.00, Charter Oak wanted a whopping $401.36!
I thought that was that, until I had an inspiration. I wrote back,
telling them I was planning an immediate CNC upgrade, and asked if they
had any damaged mills that would be appropriate for that. I was
expecting maybe handles bent or broken off. Items I wasn't going to
use, anyway.
The guy I dealt with is Paul Litwinovich, Operations Manager. He told me they had one or two "Blems".
This is his description: "The attached picture is of the Z dovetail. This is a factory repair, they apparently welded in a chip before the dovetails were finish ground. Where the repair is shouldn't affect functionality whatsoever. We pulled it from the CNC build line after we noticed it. There are various paint seams that have been separated since we had already begun to disassemble the mill. It is currently completely assembled, and working as it should be. We had put this mill back in storage and were intending on using it as a future R&D machine. The defect is roughly 5" from the top of the column."
He offered a substantial discount. We have a winner!
Shipping took longer than expected. Seems the trucking company didn't want to make the pick up in a Connecticut nor'easter. It's all good, though. As of this writting, it's on it's way.
I didn't waste any time. Once I ordered the mill, I immediately ordered three 1125 oz-in servo motors, a C10 breakout board, and a 72 VDC, 20 amp power supply from Automation Technology.
Also three AMT102-V encoders from Digi-Key.
I already have three Gecko G320X drivers I purchased when they had their yearly sale. Also on hand is a new UC100 usb convertor for Mach3.
I have several stepper motor machines under my belt, but this will be my first venture into Brushed DC servos.
ARRIVAL!
The mill arrived at my place of work on Monday, 2/24/2014. I took delivery at my place of work and used the company forklift to transfer it to my pick-up truck for the ride home.
A few notes on the shipping:
The crate is 40” by 36” and 52” tall. 869 pounds, per the bill of lading. There is not enough room under it for a pallet jack.
It was shipped via YRC Freight, a union ltl carrier.
I stopped by Harbor Freight on the way home and picked up a 2 ton shop crane and a tarp. I knew I wouldn't have time to unload for a few days, so I tarped the crate on my truck.
UNLOADING.
I finally got some time in the afternoon of 2/27/2014 to tackle the chore of unloading this beast.
It's going into a wooden shed behind my house that's elevated off the ground, but not quite tailgate high. The shed has a wooden floor, so using the new shop crane is out.
The goal for today is just to get it indoors and clean up the mess.
I
started by untarping and promptly got a facefull of rain water! I had
placed a pallet in the bed of the truck to act as a spacer, keeping the
mill from sliding forward during it's hour long ride home. I used a
large crowbar to push off this pallet. It slid pretty easy on the steel
truck bed. I was able to put my back against the crate and push it a
few inches at a time to clear the wheel wells. This gave me enough room
to remove the top and sides of the crate.
Tin snips for the banding and a hammer and wrecking bar to remove the nails, and the mill saw the light of this gloomy day.
I was surprised to find surface rust on the unpainted surfaces!
The discoloration at the top of the dovetail is the "defect" that got me the discount.
The rust was on every unpainted place. The paint seems to be real crap. Wrinkled all over the place.
What looks like a water puddle in the center of the table is some sort of light oil or solvent.
The corner of the column rubbed the crate, knockiing off some of the filler.
This small box was laying loose on the skid.
Tools and handles, and the drill chuck.
After moving the truck in place, I used the crowbar to nudge the pallet further to the rear. The banana trees have grown since the shed was built, preventing me from getting the truck square to the doors.
I used a cable come along to lift on one of the (provided!) lifting bolts to help encourage it in the right direction. The come along cable was looped around a single roof truss. It worked, but was flexing the truss to the side.
After it was half way inside, I placed a wooden 4x4 across several trusses and moved the cable to it. I also dropped a chain from the same 4x4 for a Yale ratchet chain hoist on the opposite side of the mill base. I never lifted more than a couple of inches because I had no top support to keep the mill from flipping over. I also never lifted both sides at the same time, allowing the skid to keep itself right side up.
I'm 60 yeas old and working alone. Shoulder surgery a few years ago keeps me from lifting much by hand.
I should also tell you, I built this 12'x12' shed from scratch. It has studs 16" on center and the homemade T trusses are also 16" on center, right over the studs. The trusses have plywood plates at every junction. They are much stronger than "engineered" trusses.
It's inside to door!
The 4'x4" square steel tubes the mill is resting on will likely become the stand for the mill.
Doors closed, all packing material back on the truck for a trip to the dump, 3 hours.
I wanted a few of the bells and whistles that are so necessary for production work.
My want list includes a decent work envelope, more speed, enclosed cabinet, coolant, a tool changer...you get the idea. I can't afford to buy one, so I decided to get a decent base machine and modify it.
I really like the UMC-10 by DAVID DECAUSSIN. Search Youtube for UMC10 if this link gets broken.
I settled on a Rong Fu 45 clone as the base for my new build. I went so far as to order a Grizzly G0755, mainly for the cast iron stand. After I ordered it, I found out it wouldn't be available for weeks, at the earliest. I canceled the order and resumed shopping.
I'm glad I did! I had looked at the Charter Oaks 12z manual mill before, but the price put me off.
They call it a "High-Capacity Square Column Manual Bed Mill". The work envelope is quite a bit larger than the RF45 clones, and it has some enhanced features, as well. I emailed them for a shipping quote and was floored. Where the Grizzly and the Bolton mills ship for $179.00, Charter Oak wanted a whopping $401.36!
The guy I dealt with is Paul Litwinovich, Operations Manager. He told me they had one or two "Blems".
This is his description: "The attached picture is of the Z dovetail. This is a factory repair, they apparently welded in a chip before the dovetails were finish ground. Where the repair is shouldn't affect functionality whatsoever. We pulled it from the CNC build line after we noticed it. There are various paint seams that have been separated since we had already begun to disassemble the mill. It is currently completely assembled, and working as it should be. We had put this mill back in storage and were intending on using it as a future R&D machine. The defect is roughly 5" from the top of the column."
He offered a substantial discount. We have a winner!
Shipping took longer than expected. Seems the trucking company didn't want to make the pick up in a Connecticut nor'easter. It's all good, though. As of this writting, it's on it's way.
I didn't waste any time. Once I ordered the mill, I immediately ordered three 1125 oz-in servo motors, a C10 breakout board, and a 72 VDC, 20 amp power supply from Automation Technology.
Also three AMT102-V encoders from Digi-Key.
I already have three Gecko G320X drivers I purchased when they had their yearly sale. Also on hand is a new UC100 usb convertor for Mach3.
I have several stepper motor machines under my belt, but this will be my first venture into Brushed DC servos.
ARRIVAL!
The mill arrived at my place of work on Monday, 2/24/2014. I took delivery at my place of work and used the company forklift to transfer it to my pick-up truck for the ride home.
A few notes on the shipping:
The crate is 40” by 36” and 52” tall. 869 pounds, per the bill of lading. There is not enough room under it for a pallet jack.
It was shipped via YRC Freight, a union ltl carrier.
I stopped by Harbor Freight on the way home and picked up a 2 ton shop crane and a tarp. I knew I wouldn't have time to unload for a few days, so I tarped the crate on my truck.
UNLOADING.
I finally got some time in the afternoon of 2/27/2014 to tackle the chore of unloading this beast.
It's going into a wooden shed behind my house that's elevated off the ground, but not quite tailgate high. The shed has a wooden floor, so using the new shop crane is out.
The goal for today is just to get it indoors and clean up the mess.
Tin snips for the banding and a hammer and wrecking bar to remove the nails, and the mill saw the light of this gloomy day.
I was surprised to find surface rust on the unpainted surfaces!
The discoloration at the top of the dovetail is the "defect" that got me the discount.
The rust was on every unpainted place. The paint seems to be real crap. Wrinkled all over the place.
What looks like a water puddle in the center of the table is some sort of light oil or solvent.
The corner of the column rubbed the crate, knockiing off some of the filler.
This small box was laying loose on the skid.
Tools and handles, and the drill chuck.
After moving the truck in place, I used the crowbar to nudge the pallet further to the rear. The banana trees have grown since the shed was built, preventing me from getting the truck square to the doors.
I used a cable come along to lift on one of the (provided!) lifting bolts to help encourage it in the right direction. The come along cable was looped around a single roof truss. It worked, but was flexing the truss to the side.
After it was half way inside, I placed a wooden 4x4 across several trusses and moved the cable to it. I also dropped a chain from the same 4x4 for a Yale ratchet chain hoist on the opposite side of the mill base. I never lifted more than a couple of inches because I had no top support to keep the mill from flipping over. I also never lifted both sides at the same time, allowing the skid to keep itself right side up.
I'm 60 yeas old and working alone. Shoulder surgery a few years ago keeps me from lifting much by hand.
I should also tell you, I built this 12'x12' shed from scratch. It has studs 16" on center and the homemade T trusses are also 16" on center, right over the studs. The trusses have plywood plates at every junction. They are much stronger than "engineered" trusses.
It's inside to door!
The 4'x4" square steel tubes the mill is resting on will likely become the stand for the mill.
Doors closed, all packing material back on the truck for a trip to the dump, 3 hours.