Fabrication and Machining

Its a scratch built machine. Started a few years ago as just something I threw together with spare parts just to see if it would work. Since then its grown up to a pretty capable machine. This is what it looks like today and is capable of making decent Aluminum parts. The other picture is a rendering of what it will hopefully look like soon after I replace the wood frame with a steel one. That should allow me to increase my machining speed significantly and hopefully (with a nee spindle) let me make steel parts as well.
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Sure, The frame right now is made of 2x4s, the new version is going to be made of steel tube. It has Rexroth linear bearings of different sizes on each axis, 50mm, 35mm and 20mm. It has Nema 23 Stepper motors to drive ballscrews on each axis. The steppers are powered by some generic drivers and are fed by an Arduino Uno running GRBL. The Ardinuo is fed by a PC running BCNC. BCNC sends the commands whenever windows feels like it filling a buffer on the Arduino, with GRBL then sending the pulse commands to the stepper drivers at the precise time required. Since all the software is open source and the Uno is dirt cheap its a very inexpensive setup and works very well.

Thats a super high level overview, if there is anything specific you're curious about let me know.

 

Great thread! I moved in this direction once I got a big enough garage. After refurbishing this 1941 South Bend Tooling Lathe I have been looking for things to make and honing my skills. The best website I have found is Practical Machinist . com.

So far I haven't made anything for a car, but I made lots of things for the lathe and a couple things for the house! Oh I did make a special threaded adapter for my vespa rear view mirror!

This is old school analog machining and I find that I can pass the hours away just making chips or figuring out order of operations and setting up to make what I need. I am very well read on the subject matter and have a sufficient amount of practical experience now if I can help any discussions along. Cheers

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Thanks, I am just catching up with your threads you posted in the OP. Good job making that nice spacer. I am far away from most everyone but if there is something that is needed I can also lend a hand. Cheers

 

The Sherline is a very light duty machine. Older used American lathes are out there if you look.

 

I only have room for a small, light duty machine.