Dixie Duke - A machine in the making.

[Sam]

Thanks Dave.  

Finally got it home in the shop, and the basics wired up. Still gotta put the limit switches on, chip pans, make an enclosure, and put some panels around the cabinet. Still need to purchase a few items, like a coolant pump, hoses, lighting, switches, knobs, and the list goes on and on. At least I'm able to see it make some chips. I'm really impressed the most with the spindle. It runs really smooth and quiet (knock on wood) so far. Hopefully nothing drastic will go wrong. If it last for a few hundred hours, I'll be one very happy camper! For less than $100, and whatever time I spent making it, I certainly can't complain! There does not seem to be any noticeable end-play (yet). Maybe next up will be one with a quick release (drool). First I'm gonna see how long this one last, though. I made a few cuts .04" deep with a small fly cutter across a 2.5" piece of aluminum, and it would have taken more with a larger cutter, but I do hate those darn cutters. There brutal on bearings. I gotta get me a shell cutter (add that to the list). I snapped this pic of a .01" pass with a fly cutter. Looks to be a nice, even finish all the way across. Very pleased so far.

[Tweakie.CNC]

Smoooothhh. 

Tweakie.

[Cosha]

Looking forward to an update of this beauty - its been 7 month almost!

[Sam]

Not much to update as of yet, I'm afraid. The winter months sure do slow everything down. Right now everything is disassembled, and awaiting a good warm couple days that will allow me to paint it.

[Sam]

Fabricated the chip pans and coolant return and welded all that together. Coolant tank delivery shouldn't be far off. Finally got it painted before it rusted into a heap of oxide dust, too. I used an industrial epoxy, so when it finally cures, it should be hard as rock. All that took about 20-30 hours. Next I have to rewire everything completely. Enclosure is purchased, I just have to lay everything out on the back panel and start mounting components. Part of the weekend also consisted of replacing components on a speed control board for the spindle. I fried it by hooking up the input power in reverse. Just as a "heads up" to whom it may concern....the white stripe on a 'wall-wart' power supply cord, does NOT always indicate it's the ground. Live and learn. I still wanna smack somebody over that one.

[Dan13]

Nice, Sam!

Tell me something, how do you plan to make the coolant flow from the right side of the tray to the left side where the drain appears to be? My F1 sits the same way in the middle of the tray and I don't know where to do the drain and how to make the coolant flow there.

Dan

[Sam]

There is a tube underneath connecting the two sides. You could use a hose or whatever, I just welded a tube at a slight angle to join the two.

[Dan13]

OK. Thanks. The way the F1 is, I think I will not be able to connect the two sides. I think the only way is doing two drains, one on each side, and interconnecting them underneath.

Dan

[Tweakie.CNC]

Looking good Sam, in fact looks like a real mean machine now.  

Tweakie.

[Sam]

Well, it's been a while since I have shared anything, so I snapped a few pictures of my latest project. It is an alternator bracket that needed to be redesigned in order to shift the alternator an inch or so. It was currently to close to the turbocharger, and the fear was that the heat would get the better of the alternator unless moved. As far as the machine goes, it has been making chips pretty much on a daily basis. It reeeealy needs some way covers, and the limit switches installed, and the coolant pump hooked up, and fully enclosed, and......well the list goes on. I think the next thing to do will be to make another set of motor/spindle pulleys, to accommodate two belts. It starts slipping when you try to take a good cut, and of course that usually means a broken cutter. Anyhow....