8x30 A1S mill Ball-screw upgrade?

[slow-poke]

I recently purchased a used Busy Bee A1S (8 x 30) knee mill to replace my round column mill. I plan to do a CNC conversion of this mill and am seeking advice regarding replacing the ACME lead screws for the table.

This is a hobby type application and I don't need (or want to pay for ) super accuracy. Somewhere I read that decent quality economical priced ball screws are available, possibly on Ali-express?

This mill came equipped with a power feed on the X axis, I obviously won't need that if I add steppers/servo motor. I also won't install the spin handles, so the new shaft could be several inches shorter. I have zero experience with selecting and ordering ball-screws so any and all advice is appreciated.


Suggestions on vendor?
What details do I need to provide; length, diamter, thread pitch, details of keyways, diameter etc for original handles, what else?
What about the nut and how it mounts?
Cost?

Any words of wisdom are welcome, assume I know next to nothing about this topic.

 

[hanermo2]

Buy anything that is thicker than the current screws.

Get screw mounts with AC angular contact bearings !
This will cost extra, maybe 30$ each, but it´s really necessary.

Forget steppers.
AC servos have gone down in price, and are vastly better.

You want rigidity, and repeatability.