# New 935 Is Running!



## wrmiller (Feb 13, 2016)

Well, sorta.

Today I got the VFD mounted, made a 12 ga. cable to plug into the wall, and ran the cables to the control box and motor.

Even managed to get the VFD programmed (I hope I did it right...). Did a test run to see if I would let the factory smoke out, but it runs perfectly. And very quietly . 

I even checked the backgear to make sure it works like a BP. Yup, it does, in that forward is now reverse, and reverse is now forward.   Monday Chris Bettis and I are going to get this thing off this pallet and onto it's new stand. I'm almost there...

I bolted the VFD to the smaller side access panel like Matt suggested. Not sure if I'm going to add the USB cable or not. We'll see.











I still have some cable routing to do as you can see.


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## wrmiller (Feb 14, 2016)

Well, I'm in the process of cutting the pallet down to get my hoist around it. It's getting a bit unsteady, but I'm almost there.

Slowly....


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## wrmiller (Feb 14, 2016)

Never held my breath so long...

The pallet is trimmed as much as I dare, and it's enough to get the hoist hooked up to it. Tomorrow (when Chris is here), I'll lift it just off the remains of the pallet and whack those lower 2x4s off and slide the remains out from under the mill. Then we'll figure out how to get the mill on it's new stand.


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## GA Gyro (Feb 14, 2016)

Ahhh....

Remember doing that...

And yeah... remember holding my breath... <grin>

It will all work out... just takes a bit of thought and some extra hands (in my case to extra folks for about 30 minutes).


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## wrmiller (Feb 14, 2016)

Well, patience isn't my long suit (and being a low-grade genius doesn't mean I always make smart decisions), so after staring at this thing for a bit I decided to go for it (the phone was within arms reach with 911 punched in...).

It's so cute! And so very vertically challenged (read short). 

I do realize that there are hundreds of pounds of extra cast iron here, but the 12z dwarfs this thing height and width wise. I'd be sitting on this little stool I put next to it for any prolonged work on this guy. Thank goodness the stand is almost done.






Matt is right about this being a "space saving" mill.    (sorry Matt, couldn't resist)

EDIT: Oh, and FYI: I actually had to move the table in towards the column and still had the mill leaning forward an inch or so. Swinging the head to the rear worked pretty well.


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## GA Gyro (Feb 14, 2016)

Are you gonna put the TS in the corner when the 12Z goes to a new home?


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## wrmiller (Feb 14, 2016)

GA Gyro said:


> Are you gonna put the TS in the corner when the 12Z goes to a new home?



No, it's going straight back towards the wall. I will be putting the 40" toolbox that I keep the mill's tooling in over there. I'm actually going to have some room to walk around in my shop now.


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## maker of things (Feb 15, 2016)

Those mills sure look nice.  And what an elegant solution to make the y crank go the right direction for you, and the z easier to change

Did you figure out where to mount your machine lights yet?


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## wrmiller (Feb 15, 2016)

maker of things said:


> Those mills sure look nice.  And what an elegant solution to make the y crank go the right direction for you, and the z easier to change
> 
> Did you figure out where to mount your machine lights yet?



The Z is not THAT much easier, but it takes a lot more cranking to get the head to move very far. 

Not sure about the lights. Thought about sticking them on either side of the 'knuckle' and see how that works.


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## zmotorsports (Feb 15, 2016)

Mill looks good sitting there Bill.  I found the limit in size on mine Saturday.  I had a transmission case to drill some holes in for an adapter and with the knee all the way down I could get the transmission on the table but just not enough room to put a drill chuck and bit in it.  Oh well, I don't think even a 9x49 would have given me any more because the Z travel is about the same.

Thank goodness I still had my 20" floor mounted drill press.  I had been contemplating selling it but after Saturday she's a keeper for sure now.

Had I not had to stand the trans on end it would have been fine but kind of bummed me out I couldn't use the mill and had to go old school for drilling and tapping holes.

Mike.


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## wrmiller (Feb 15, 2016)

It's on the stand and sitting right about where it will stay. Need to get it leveled, install the x-axis power feed, and start planning the DRO install. I stepped up this time to a 3-axis El700 with touch probe.

Thanks Chris for all the help.







Here I was trying to get a shot of the screw and nut assy, and noticed there were two gibbs and screws?!?! Then realized the top one is a reflection. The underside of the table is literally a mirror.


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## JimDawson (Feb 15, 2016)

Hmmmm....Looks like plenty of room in there for a ball nut


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## wrmiller (Feb 15, 2016)

JimDawson said:


> Hmmmm....Looks like plenty of room in there for a ball nut



Dude, can I wear this one out first?


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## brav65 (Feb 15, 2016)

wrmiller said:


> Dude, can I wear this one out first?




Bill at the rate you go, you will need another mill by July of this year!  I'm just glad you don't live any closer to California as your shop may cause a major quake


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## wrmiller (Feb 15, 2016)

Not moving to CA. I'll be moving into your back yard.


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## maker of things (Feb 16, 2016)

I like the blue on the base.  Can't tell from the angle of that pic, do your lights come past the spindle line, i.e. shine on the front of the work?

When are you going to break the z handle?  From what I have seen over the years, that must be a requirement of all knee mills.


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## wrmiller (Feb 16, 2016)

The blue was Chris' idea. Looks pretty good.

The lights come just forward of the spindle at the moment. But with the mag bases on these Deltas I can position them where I need them for different jobs.

Z handle? You mean the knee handle. I've not seen those broke. Stabbed myself with one a few times...


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## maker of things (Feb 16, 2016)

Yes. The knee handle on all 8 BPs I have been around was welded where it had been broken by some miscreant.


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## wrmiller (Feb 16, 2016)

Hopefully, I won't do that. My 12z still has both of the x-axis locks after over a year of me using this thing. 

BUT, if something did happen, Eisen is selling a cool looking chromed handle that would probably fit right on there.


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## Chris Bettis (Feb 16, 2016)

As long as you get in a habbit of pulling the handle and flipping it you shouldn't have to worry.

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Tapatalk


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## maker of things (Feb 16, 2016)

wrmiller said:


> BUT, if something did happen, Eisen is selling a cool looking chromed handle that would probably fit right on there.


  Oh don't worry, I could weld it up for you so it looks like all the others, then you wouldn't have to get a chromed one.  Maybe I would even weld it slightly crooked like the last one a dealt with, man does that feel weird when you turn it!  Needless to say I cut it apart and re-welded it.



Chris Bettis said:


> As long as you get in a habbit of pulling the handle and flipping it you shouldn't have to worry.


...and don't back into it with a hi-lo (probably pretty safe there).

While we are at it, why not round over and bust off a few of the teeth so the handle is difficult to engage and slips if you don't push against it while cranking? LOL

Are you going to do 4 axis on the DRO?  i.e x,y,z knee, z spindle.


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## wrmiller (Feb 16, 2016)

DroPros does offer the EL700 in a 4-axis, but I thought I'd get more use out of the 3-axis (knee) plus touch probe configuration. I've not used a electronic touch probe, so the 'cool factor' probably swayed my decision. And then there's the 3-d screen so I can better visualize things like arcs and pockets. My rotary table may be spending even more time in the toolbox drawer once I figure out how to drive this EL700...  

If in the future I need better accuracy on the quill I'll put a good quality digital scale on there.


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## maker of things (Feb 16, 2016)

You old guys and your fancy thingamawhatchits, sheesh!  Back in my day we were happy enough having a computer controlled the machine.  Now you need a computer to control the person that controls the machine?


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## wrmiller (Feb 16, 2016)

Toys, dude.  

So unless I trip and fall face first into a pile of money sometime in the future, I think I'm good on the lathe and mill front. A slightly larger band saw is scheduled for this spring/summer, so i'll be good there as well. What else?

I still am toying with the idea of that small surface grinder that Griz sells. I've talked to a few folks that have it and they give it a passing grade for what it is. And it doesn't weigh a half-ton or more, which suits me just fine.

Besides, you know me, I'd take the darn thing apart and start 'improving' it anyway.


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## AirWolf (Feb 17, 2016)

Nice to hear you got her purring.... how about some action video?


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## maker of things (Feb 17, 2016)

wrmiller said:


> What else?


There is always welding to consider...


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## wrmiller (Feb 17, 2016)

maker of things said:


> There is always welding to consider...



Been thinking about that. It would be nice to be able to do small welding jobs to support my shooting hobbies. My mentor had a TIG setup at his shop, but those things are expensive. And I worry about fumes and sparks in an attached garage. I need to do some more research on this.


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## Chris Bettis (Feb 17, 2016)

Tig won't produce to much spark. And as far as fumes you'll never notice them in a small shop environment you would have to be a full time fabricator welding crappy dirty steel to get any measurable amount of fumes.  Gas Mig will throw some sparks but not much (not recomended for gun smithing) and relatively low amount of fumes. I've spent many hours in the garage mig welding with no adverse affects. 
Flux core mig and stick welding however will make all kinds of slag mess and smoke. Also neither are good for gun smithing

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Tapatalk


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## wrmiller (Feb 17, 2016)

AirWolf said:


> Nice to hear you got her purring.... how about some action video?



I've turned it on, but I wouldn't call it 'operational' just yet. Saturday I'll start on attaching the accessories and figuring out the DRO scale mounting. X and Y will be a piece of cake, but I'm not sure about where or how to install the scale for the knee. Matt says his guys will be doing some installations on a few 935s and has promised me some pics. 

Different subject: There is a grease nipple on the head, so I need to get a small grease gun. Any recommendations on type of grease for this thing?


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## maker of things (Feb 17, 2016)

this would be my vote for a tig for you. http://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-us/Equipment/Pages/product.aspx?product=K5126-1(LincolnElectric)

BP would probably call for Lubriplate, but that is on the vs model.  Probably just some NGL-1


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## AirWolf (Feb 17, 2016)

wrmiller said:


> Matt says his guys will be doing some installations on a few 935s and has promised me some pics.




Pass those along please as I will be doing the same soon. I do like how Coolidge installed his and may follow his lead... saved a couple inches of Y travel I believe.


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## wrmiller (Feb 19, 2016)

The Y axis install should be very straight forward, and I will mount the X-axis scale on the front of the table like I have on all of my machines, as I am not interested in giving up any Y-axis travel. I don't bother with power feed stops, so that makes the X-axis even easier than the one coolidge did.

Going to have to think through the Z-axis scale install though. The sides of the column are not vertical, nor parallel to the knee's travel, and the small ledge next to the knee dovetail is not sufficient to mount a scale there, or so I believe. I'm going to be doing a lot of thinking and staring at this thing this weekend. Probably have to make a couple of uneven standoffs to mount to the side of the column to get a proper mounting surface.


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## Chris Bettis (Feb 19, 2016)

wrmiller said:


> The Y axis install should be very straight forward, and I will mount the X-axis scale on the front of the table like I have on all of my machines, as I am not interested in giving up any Y-axis travel. I don't bother with power feed stops, so that makes the X-axis even easier than the one coolidge did.
> 
> Going to have to think through the Z-axis scale install though. The sides of the column are not vertical, nor parallel to the knee's travel, and the small ledge next to the knee dovetail is not sufficient to mount a scale there, or so I believe. I'm going to be doing a lot of thinking and staring at this thing this weekend. Probably have to make a couple of uneven standoffs to mount to the side of the column to get a proper mounting surface.


I have some ideas on how to mount that z scale. Id rig up a piece of bar stock on the table hanging off behind the table then run a plumb bob off of it. Mark the line at 2 points the same distance apart as the scale mount holes for reference. Use the plumb bob to take a rough measurement via tape measure or the depth gauge on your starret calipers from the 2 points to the column of the mill. Use those 2 measurements to trig the angle required for the mount spacers. Once you get the spacer roughed out you can use foil to fine tune and shim any misalignmen, or hand finish the mounts by draw file.  If you use your starret dial caliper you should be able to get within a couple thou. Then mount the scale and read head. Problem solved! 
Of course you will need to level the machine first.
Sent from my LG-LS980 using Tapatalk


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## wrmiller (Feb 21, 2016)

Setup continues. I'd actually forgotten how easy a BP style head is to tram. No excuses now.







Already making chips: The X-axis reader head mount needed some fine tuning.


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## brav65 (Feb 21, 2016)

wrmiller said:


> Setup continues. I'd actually forgotten how easy a BP style head is to tram. No excuses now.
> 
> View attachment 122835
> 
> ...


Bill that baby looks like a piece of jewelry!


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## Leonard (Feb 21, 2016)

Very pretty machine! Got to get me one of those some day soon.


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## wrmiller (Feb 21, 2016)

One axis mounted, two to go.






Time to call it a day.


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## jer (Feb 21, 2016)

I am so jealous Bill, I am stretching my budget way to far just "considering" a PM932 PDF, congrats again.


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## AirWolf (Feb 21, 2016)

Ya need to paint the place in Luster Pearl White to make that beautiful lady feel comfy  

It does look nice!!!


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## wrmiller (Feb 21, 2016)

Thanks guys. 

Now I know why Matt has one of these at home. Very, very smooth and cuts like a dream. 

My only real complaint to date is that little pointer thingie for the knee dial (you can see it in the last pic). It's cockeyed and goofy looking. Definitely not in character with the rest of the machine. Not sure what to replace it with, but it is definitely getting replaced.


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## maker of things (Feb 23, 2016)

wrmiller said:


> I'd actually forgotten how easy a BP style head is to tram


You mean like how you don't need a set of finely calibrated hammers and shim stock to make the adjustments?
The surface finish on that table is terrible!  How are you supposed so see what you are doing when all that light bounces back in your eyes?


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## wrmiller (Feb 23, 2016)

Welder's helmet.


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## wrmiller (Feb 23, 2016)

Question for you guys running a VFD on a BP clone (Mike, Mark)?

How do you disable braking on the WJ200? I made the mistake of grabbing the spindle brake one time and the VFD seemed to fight the brake. Won't do that again.


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## JimDawson (Feb 23, 2016)

Bill, in wading through the manual that I have, it looks like the braking is controlled by b09.  Setting that =1 may disable the braking, the manual is a bit unclear on this point.  Look for ''Free Run Stop"

I hope this helps.


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## tmarks11 (Feb 23, 2016)

Also might help to set your deceleration time to something like 3-4 sec to bring it to a quick stop.  If your VFD has the option, you can add an external resistor/choke to help.

With some trial and error you can find the best time; set it too quick and you will get Over Current trips.


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## wrmiller (Feb 23, 2016)

The manual states that anything under 3 sec. requires a braking resistor like that on my 1340. I'd rather not go that route, but will if I have to.

Jim: I'll take another look at the manual, thanks.


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## mksj (Feb 23, 2016)

WJ200 Free run commands
Free run always active, should program both B091 and B088 as follows:
B091 Stop mode selection = 01  free-run to stop
B088 = 01 Resume from current speed

Or program an input function to give the free run command, so C162-C166 (Inputs 3-7)
11 FRS Free-run Stop = ON input , allows motor to free run (coast) to stop

I often use the latter with a micro switch if one wants to use the machine mechanical brake. So when you hit the mechanical brake, it closes a micro switch which engages an input to give the free run command. If using electronic braking, you can push the VFD a little harder on the braking on a mill without an external braking resistor, because there is less mass (momentum) in the system. Not sure what happens when you start spinning the mill at very high RPM. If one brakes too fast, normally you would get an over voltage error on the bus, because the buss voltage exceeds the programmed threshold which is adjustable to a point.  The other factor, braking resistors are cheap, so if you plan on using electronic braking, just get a resistor. Haven't seen a choke used for braking, more for smoothing the ripple on the bus or to tame the voltage switching spikes. Using a braking resistor will keep the VFD cooler, since it will not need to dissipate all the system energy internally, which = heat which is not good long term.  Have also used the free run command for tapping on a lathe, and also tied to the lathe mechanical brake. Lots of possibilities.
Mark


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## wrmiller (Feb 24, 2016)

Thanks Mark!

I'll give the Free run commands a try this weekend.


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## zmotorsports (Feb 24, 2016)

tmarks11 said:


> Also might help to set your deceleration time to something like 3-4 sec to bring it to a quick stop.  If your VFD has the option, you can add an external resistor/choke to help.
> 
> With some trial and error you can find the best time; set it too quick and you will get Over Current trips.



This is what I did, just played with the setting until I got a value that would not trip it out on overcurrent.  I had/have a plan of adding a braking resistor but originally, I just wanted to get the lathe up and running then tackle the braking resistor.  However, I have been pleased thus far with it enough that I have not put a braking resistor to the top of my "to do" list.  It actually stops quite quick even without the braking resistor.

Mike.


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## wrmiller (Feb 26, 2016)

Got the EL700 and it's scales installed. Matt at PM says this is a pretty cool DRO. All I know is that it's got a bunch of functions I've never used, so training will be involved. And then there's the touch probe. Never used one of those either. Still have to install the protective shields, but the hard part is done.


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## Chris Bettis (Feb 26, 2016)

wrmiller said:


> Got the EL700 and it's scales installed. Matt at PM says this is a pretty cool DRO. All I know is that it's got a bunch of functions I've never used, so training will be involved. And then there's the touch probe. Never used one of those either. Still have to install the protective shields, but the hard part is done.
> 
> View attachment 123219


Lookin good Bill!

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## AirWolf (Feb 29, 2016)

I really like the looks of the EL700 along with the 935.... Nice ! Now you're making me rethink the EL400..


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## AirWolf (Feb 29, 2016)

Are those Delta lights as bright as they appear to be in the photo? Are they cool to touch or on the warm/hot side??  Might be a forearm burner reaching for the DRO if they run hot.... but they sure look bright!


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## wrmiller (Feb 29, 2016)

AirWolf said:


> Are those Delta lights as bright as they appear to be in the photo? Are they cool to touch or on the warm/hot side??  Might be a forearm burner reaching for the DRO if they run hot.... but they sure look bright!



They look bright because I replaced all the bulbs with sylvania (sp?) LED bulbs. Brighter, more of a white light instead of yellow, and a lot cooler in case you touch one.


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## wrmiller (Mar 6, 2016)

Hey Mike!

Well, it didn't take as long for me as it did for you, but I'm pretty close to the limits of the mill already (using the vise). I'm going to be able to cut 1911 frames for a Wilson/Nowlin ramped barrel. Barely.


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## wrmiller (Mar 6, 2016)

In case anyone is wondering what I'm doing, I'm drilling a 7/16" hole 4" deep in a piece of 7075 (is that called 'deep drilling'?) to make a little compressed air manifold for the side of the mill to support my FogBuster and a small air hose/blowgun.






Put'n the new toy to work.


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## AirWolf (Mar 6, 2016)

Looks Beautiful!!!

I was wondering what the heck you were doing as it doesn't  resemble anything of working on a 1911 project.

I'm from Texas - when someone says "deep drilling".... well - it is measured in MILES - not inches..


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## zmotorsports (Mar 7, 2016)

Fine lookin' piece of equipment there Bill.  Looks right at home in your garage.

Mike.


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## jer (Mar 7, 2016)

What a fine piece of machinery, but I would have liked most all that preceded it too. I'm Green Bill.


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## wrmiller (Mar 7, 2016)

jer said:


> What a fine piece of machinery, but I would have liked most all that preceded it too. I'm Green Bill.



The gentleman who now has El Hefe likes it very much and will likely post here on the forums soon.


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## Chris Bettis (Mar 7, 2016)

wrmiller said:


> The gentleman who now has El Hefe likes it very much and will likely post here on the forums soon.


 

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Tapatalk


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## jer (Mar 7, 2016)

I'm sure he will, like it that is.


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## maker of things (Mar 9, 2016)

wrmiller said:


> I'm going to be able to cut 1911 frames for a Wilson/Nowlin ramped barrel. Barely.


sorry I missed this earlier.  Barrel e ?  nice one.

You are maxing out in the knee travel i.e distance from table to spindle?


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## wrmiller (Mar 9, 2016)

Not quite maxing out. There's a couple of inches left.

After posting that though, I realized that I had not taken into account that the Wilson/Nowlin cutter is held in a collet, not a drill chuck. So I should be fine. I had just gotten used to having 20" of Z travel with my old machine and may have gotten spoiled a bit.


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## zmotorsports (Mar 9, 2016)

wrmiller said:


> Not quite maxing out. There's a couple of inches left.
> 
> After posting that though, I realized that I had not taken into account that the Wilson/Nowlin cutter is held in a collet, not a drill chuck. So I should be fine. I had just gotten used to having 20" of Z travel with my old machine and may have gotten spoiled a bit.



Even after I made my comment earlier Bill, I thought that if I had no other option on the transmission case, I could have always laid it down, turned the head 90-degrees and come at it that way.

Another thing I have been thinking about is looking into a 6" riser for the mill.  I know many who have them on the 9x49 BP's as the Z travel is nearly identical on most of them.

Mike.


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## wrmiller (Mar 9, 2016)

Does Matt have a riser for this mill?


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## zmotorsports (Mar 9, 2016)

I haven't heard back from him but I did send an email inquiring.  I am waffling on getting one "just in case" I run into a situation that I run our of Z travel.  I know several guys who have them on their 9x49 BP clones and like them for the most part.  The only time they do NOT like them is when they have a large flat part to mill and then they have to space them up off of the table a bit.  I don't know if I can justify having a riser on mine because up until recently I had absolutely zero issues and only one in almost two years now.

Mike.


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## zmotorsports (Mar 9, 2016)

Bill, no dice on the spacer/riser for the 935 mill.  Matt replied stating that due to its smaller diameter at the head he does not have one available nor know of one that is available.  I guess I will just have to machine one IF I ever run into a situation where I need it.

Mike.


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## wrmiller (Mar 9, 2016)

zmotorsports said:


> Bill, no dice on the spacer/riser for the 935 mill.  Matt replied stating that due to its smaller diameter at the head he does not have one available nor know of one that is available.  I guess I will just have to machine one IF I ever run into a situation where I need it.
> 
> Mike.


Sounds good. IF you do this, keep the drawings please?


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## zmotorsports (Mar 9, 2016)

wrmiller said:


> Sounds good. IF you do this, keep the drawings please?



Will do.

Mike.


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## wrmiller (Mar 13, 2016)

Some comments about the EL700 and touch probe. First, the shaft on the touch probe is .393", which means it doesn't fit in a standard 3/8" R8 collet. I think something like 25/64" is about the closest. Then, I remembered the ER-32 collet chuck I bought (no comments about forgetting tools please...), and vaguely remembered someone here commenting about the greater range of sizes these collets will grab. It's a snug fit, but it fits.

The touch probe default ships with the break-away tip, although a steel one is available. Installed the tip, and then started thinking about how to calibrate/center the .118" tip to spindle centerline. This is my first  experience with a touch probe, so this is all new to me. Finally got the thing more-or-less centered (less than half a thou) and started trying to figure out how to use this thing. I was using a gauge block to determine the accuracy of the touch probe and DRO system while capturing the length of the gauge block in the x-axis. Problem was, it was off by just over 3 thou, plus or minus. What? I saw a little icon in the lower right of the display that showed a the touch probe tip next to a vertical surface (the manual for this thing is terrible...no reference to this anywhere) but it appears to be where you input the diameter of the touch probe tip. I think. So I started changing the value, and sure enough the results of my measurements started changing. But, I was having to put in smaller tip diameters to get the system to read out within a few tenths. Hmmm...

Then I tried to just capture a datum in X. Way off... Now I'm getting frustrated so I called it quits for the day (yesterday evening). Then as I'm finishing up my coffee, I go back and re-read this one-page commentary about the touch probe. Apparently, you have to position the rotation of the touch probe so that moves the 3 sensors at the same time, or in the proper order. Huh? That's all the paper says. Then on the back it shows it (touch probe) dis-assembled with some comments that the factory puts too much grease in there and you should take it apart and clean it for proper operation. Great. This thing is a real PITA to get aligned, and it looks like I have to do it all over again.

So today I'll attempt to start over and hopefully get some better results. If not, tomorrow will require a phone call to DroPros.

Anyone here have any experience with these things who could offer some suggestions to a noob?


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## llamatrails (Mar 13, 2016)

Bill, the probe dimensions are metric.  The shaft is 10mm and the ball is 3mm.


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## wrmiller (Mar 13, 2016)

Well that makes sense. Thanks Rick!

Wish that had been mentioned in the 'manual'...


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## mksj (Mar 14, 2016)

Hey Bill,

I have the mechanical dial type edge sensor which uses a 12mm shaft and a 4mm ball. I have both a metric R8 and ER collets to fit the probe that I use. I can get down to a resolution of 0.0004" when everything is aligned. A bit of a PTA, but very accurate once set. Read up on the EL700 and probe, impressive DRO on all accounts, like buying a Rolls Royce of DROs. Impressive features, haven't seen anything else like it for either the mill or the lathe.


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## wrmiller (Mar 14, 2016)

It is a really cool DRO. Has more features than I can shake a stick at. It appears to be able to do pretty much everything except drive the mill itself. Also can be configured for a lathe with it's own special set of functions. If I can get this touch probe thingie figured out, it should be a pretty sweet setup.

I have my eye on a Hardinge 10mm R8 collet that I will likely buy, so that part is taken care of. Yesterday, I was using my 2" gauge block as a test to see how accurate this thing is. I seem to be able to repeat to a few tenths, but every now and then it's off by one or two. Started to get frustrated, but then realized I was chasing TENTHS and started laughing. For most of my work, a thou is plenty good, so I stopped chasing my tail and called it good. I've got some scrap that I want to try some of the functions on, especially the pocket and arc modes.

My rotary table may get very lonely sitting in it's drawer...


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## coolidge (Mar 14, 2016)

Bill is it possible to install a Maxi Torque-Rite power drawbar on it? Also I just helped another forum member install a power feed on Y and the knee, he loves it.


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## wrmiller (Mar 14, 2016)

coolidge said:


> Bill is it possible to install a Maxi Torque-Rite power drawbar on it? Also I just helped another forum member install a power feed on Y and the knee, he loves it.



I'm not sure, regarding the Maxi. With that lever up top to switch from low range to high on these belt-drive models, I would think it would be right in the way. Some platform would have to be made to elevate everything above that? I've not seen a quick-change in person so I'm not sure what would be involved. This thing looks like a standard-sized BP head but I'm no expert at this. I already ran into an issue trying to buy a quill speed handle. The shaft for the handle is bigger than the standard BP 1" diameter, and the pin spacing's are different as well.

You must have read my mind on the power feed. I just asked Matt today if he had a PF for the knee. He does, but is waiting for some mounting part which should be available in a week or two. I told him to let me know when that part comes in.


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## coolidge (Mar 14, 2016)

$280 on sale at Enco right now with todays 20% off coupon. It seems like these power feeds are always in the Hot Deals catalog for $350, retail is $462. I will tell you right now the Enco installation instructions are worthless, I use the Servo instructions but even they are horrible for the knee. Ping me when you get ready to do the install its super easy, a picture is worth a thousand words should take you 30 minutes at most. There are a couple gotcha's to look out for as well. http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INPDFF?PMPAGE=8&PMKANO=402&PARTPG=INLMPA&PMCTLG=01

Check with Matt on the Maxi, he stocks them and more importantly stocks the appropriate length drawbar for these mills. I love the power drawbar its awesome, and I'm equally a happy camper with the power feed on the knee. They really go hand in hand, feed the knee down, power drawbar tool change, feed the knee back up. Its not quite CNC but a huge improvement over manual. The power feed on the knee will just crawl you can make very fine adjustments with it in the .001 to .003 range.


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