Messages

141

General Mach Discussion / Re: WHERE'S THE DAY COUNTER ???

« on: August 16, 2010, 12:07:54 PM »

WHAT?  YOU WANT ME TO DO ACTUAL MATH? 

142

General Mach Discussion / Re: WHERE'S THE DAY COUNTER ???

« on: August 16, 2010, 11:52:08 AM »

In other words I think I would like my elapsed time counter to display a just a few more hours.  I guess this should go in the feature requests section. 

143

General Mach Discussion / WHERE'S THE DAY COUNTER ???

« on: August 16, 2010, 12:34:18 AM »

Ok, come on.  Somebody tell me where the day counter is.  I've got about 25.5 hours minutes into a job right now.  I stopped to do a check at 7.5 hours and restarted so I guess I am technically about 33 hours into the job, but my elapsed time counter say I'm only about an hour and a half into it. 

144

General Mach Discussion / Re: Non-integrated Video Card with 32MB RAM

« on: August 14, 2010, 10:12:12 PM »

The downgrade to SP2, setting Mach 3 as high priority, and partial optimization (only those things I know exactly what they do) seems to have worked.  I've got about 34 hours of run time with no missed steps and no missed lines of code execution.  21 hours of a 1000 hour test program to run limits of machine.  7 hours on the first side of a job, and about 6 hours into the next 40 hour job.  I did have one glitch during the test program, but it was a binding of the machine/motor during the test program.  I dropped the motor speed back and nothing since.  

I am currently running my old controller and motors because my new controller developed and idiosyncrasy and I sent it back to be checked out.  Now that I have things working really well on the PC side I really can't wait to get the new controller and faster/stronger motors back on the machine.  

145

General Mach Discussion / Re: Start in the middle of the program

« on: August 14, 2010, 10:04:42 PM »

Pre-position the mill and always use set next line on the last Z clearance move.  It will save you a ton of headaches and destroyed work pieces... no need to ask me how I know.   

146

General Mach Discussion / Re: High speed spindle recommendations

« on: August 14, 2010, 12:56:53 PM »

The drill chuck on mine was just as good as the Jacobs collet ( about .002"  runout at the jaws ) but it had a rough /bad / tight feel when tightening a the cutting bits in it.

I had that with my HF chuck keys.  One was better than the other so I took a look at them.  The center pin on one was longer than the other.  I ground it off and now both feel better.   I may grind it a little more and see if it feels perfect or not. 

147

General Mach Discussion / Re: High speed spindle recommendations

« on: August 13, 2010, 10:58:57 PM »

Just use your existing cutter to make yourself a set of mounts for the HF handpiece.  That's what I did.  Actually twice.  Once for a single cutter, and one to hold two of the HF handpieces so I could destroy work pieces two at a time.  

148

General Mach Discussion / Re: High speed spindle recommendations

« on: August 13, 2010, 06:35:03 PM »

This one from Grizzly:
http://www.grizzly.com/products/Flex-Shaft-Grinder/G9928
$64.95

Looks exactly like this one from Harbor Freight:
http://www.harborfreight.com/flexible-shaft-grinder-and-carver-40432.html
$44.95  (On sale from 49.95)

They both claim 15,000 RPM.  I have not been able to find the older ones that used to claim 18,000 RPM since I started looking at these for mill spindles a few weeks ago. 

I found the handpiece that came with the Harbor Fright one to be surprisingly good.  I highly doubt the motor puts out a true 1/4 HP however.  On an agressive cut or sudden turn when cutting surface increases it bogs down and makes the motor jump all over the place on its hook.  That's why I was considering trying to adpat the flexshaft to a router that definitely produces much more horsepower.  With apporpiate speed reuction pulley of course. 

A fixed solid mount for the motor instead of a hanging mount might help of course, but then it might just snap the shaft. 

149

General Mach Discussion / Re: High speed spindle recommendations

« on: August 13, 2010, 03:48:12 PM »

Bob, the air conditioning is a requirement for my comfort, nothing to do with the equipment.

At 99% humidity and 99F in the shade I can understand that.  I'ld rather experience 110F in the southwest desert than anything over 90 in the midwest or south. 

150

General Mach Discussion / Re: High speed spindle recommendations

« on: August 13, 2010, 11:48:02 AM »

Hood,

Another option might be an air spindle. There are pros and cons. I designed and fabed a Sherline air spindle adapter (which I was rather proud of <grin>) and posted it to one of the hobby sites.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sherline/photos/album/1116381707/pic/list

 For my purpose it turned out to be less than acceptable. My hobby mill is inside the house (need to be inside the AC here in southern Louisiana) and the air spindle noise would wake the dead, or in my case a sleeping wife. Also the air requirement exceeds the capacity of the small ‘quiet’ hobby compressors and dragging an air hose from the garage into the house wasn’t convenient.  In the end, even tho it worked very well, I gave up on it.

In a shop environment where you have plenty of air and noise isn’t such an issue, an air spindle might be worth considering.

Al Lenz

Hood,  Sorry for the thread jack. 

Al,

I'm curious which factor or component decided you to move your machine into the house.  I've been able to keep my motors and controller within the heat specs by putting fans on the machine, and with my newer motors and controller heat sinks have done the trick.  Its not uncommon for temps to get close to 100F inside my shop.  The only part I really worry about for heat is the computer iteself.  I'm in Southwest Arizona where outdoor summer temps often hit 110-115 in the shade and occassionally hit the low 120s.  We normally do not have anywhere your humidity however so air cooling does work better.  5-20% most of the time and maybe 40% in late summer. 

When I get some time and the urge it is in my plan to put my machine next to the communications closet in my office, put the LPT cable through the wall, and place the computer in the air conditioned closet. 

Bob