Tapping small holes in cast iron

[Wreck™Wreck]

It is just MY machine
It is just MY machine
It is just MY machine

I understand completely, I once owned my own machines yet had no qualms about drilling holes in them when needed.

On a more serious note you may want to place hard stops on both axes to prevent crashing the scales, many manual machines have shear pins on the lead screw drives, they will however damage a scale before the pin shears.

I had a Bridgeport manual knee mill with power feeds in X and Y, was doing a long X cut and standing at the end of the table watching closely when much to my chagrin the rotating X axis handle latched onto the belly pocket of the hooded sweatshirt that I was wearing, the off feed control was to far away to reach so I just held the handle until the shear pin gave way. Before you point it out I fully understand the whole hobbyist mantra of DO NOT WEAR LOOSE CLOTHING AROUND MACHINES (-:

 

[Bob Korves]

On a more serious note you may want to place hard stops on both axes to prevent crashing the scales,

My mill has hard stops, I use them regularly, and they will not be going away. I ordered the X scale with 1"+ additional travel beyond the maximum lead screw travel, so the read head can never make it to the ends of the scale. Same on the other axes. I will be installing the DRO scale on the front of the table, to avoid losing Y travel, and there will also be adjustable hard stops, adjustable power feed stops, the DRO scale, and new front and rear way covers to keep chips off the top of the knee. It will be busy on the front of the table, but I have found room and have a plan for it all...

 

[FLguy]

What about using Cyanoacrylate (CA, super glue) to mount the brackets to mount the scales to?

NO

 

[Wreck™Wreck]

We just got a new Trac 3 axis mill this Summer, 60" X 23" Y and 24" Z, moved the Y axis soft stop switch a quarter inch toward the back to accommodate one part so it gets down right chip crushingly close when it rapids all the way back. Fortunately it only rapids at 200 IPM which is far fast enough to scare nearly anyone however.

 

[Robert LaLonde]

Fortunately it only rapids at 200 IPM which is far fast enough to scare nearly anyone however.

LOL. Yeah, no kidding. I had my Hurco running at upto 450 IPM and accelerating (with a lot of following error) at 100iss when I was testing the limits of my current servo drivers. Its pretty scary when acelerating at near hammer blow forces back and forth while torture testing. Especially with a 1000 lbs of saddle and table. It was to much for me. I backed it off to 200 and 30 and called it a day. I to pushed my limits, but I did it in programming to accomodate the max size work pieces I can. When it rapids to the back (Y-) max the drain tubes on the back of the table are about 1/16 away from the control cabinets. Fortunately I am usually in front of the machine when that happens and I don't see it. LOL.

I can just imagine how it would feel with your much heavier table and saddle.