# Got myself a new RF-30!



## ChandlerJPerry (Sep 4, 2020)

I've bought my first mill! A round column RF-30 (branded Enco 30) located about an hour from me for $800, with a collet set and terrible x-y milling vise. I've just set it down in the garage so I haven't spent any time with it, but first I need some kind of stand or table for it. What are people mounting these to? Initially I had thought a rolling toolbox would be great but upon picking it up from the seller I think it would be too large and too heavy for that.


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## mikey (Sep 4, 2020)

I bet it's bigger and heavier than you thought it would be, right? That thing is a beast of a benchtop mill and can do a lot of work for you. Congrats!

Best idea is to weld up a stand for it. Lots of ideas on the forum.


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## ChandlerJPerry (Sep 4, 2020)

mikey said:


> I bet it's bigger and heavier than you thought it would be, right? That thing is a beast of a benchtop mill and can do a lot of work for you. Congrats!
> 
> Best idea is to weld up a stand for it. Lots of ideas on the forum.


Definitely more substantial than I expected! Unfortunately I still don't have a welder, and I won't be able to get one for some time so that limits my options. I should specify that I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions for a piece of already put together furniture to use or ideas made from wood. A welder is definitely on my immediate needs list but it will take a little while... It would be quicker if I could just find a way to spend someone else's money!


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## mikey (Sep 4, 2020)

Have you considered looking into a ready-made stand from Grizzly, Jet or PM? The all have them for the mills and I'm sure a separate stand could be found. Just be sure it can handle the weight of your machine; that thing is on the order of about 450-500# all by itself. Add on a vise, power feed and other tooling and the weight escalates fast.


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## mickri (Sep 4, 2020)

Do a search for mill stand.  You will gets lots of hits of what people have done.   Here is the stand for my mill/drill.




These things a definitely heavy.  If you are going to use a metal cabinet you will want to make the top out of 2x6's or two layers of 3/4 plywood.  that will distribute the weight out to the edges.  The top on my stand is made out of 2x6 doug fir.  No matter what kind of top you use it needs to have a hole in it so you can access the feed nuts for the X & Y lead screws.


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## C-Bag (Sep 4, 2020)

Congrats! And welcome to the club. Mine came with a heavy duty welded 1 1/2” square tube frame the width of the machine if the table is centered. Much better IMHO than the factory stand because there is room to keep tools and my rotary table I use all the time handy where with the factory stand you dont have any place to put anything. It’s got a steel 1/4 top so more than adequate. I put castors under it so I can move it to work on it or clean around it. They have a screw jack on each castor to level the unit. I guess at one time it had a built in drawer but he took it out. I mounted an old SnapOn 3 drawer middle box under the table and plan on adding another drawer unit to it for mill specific tooling.


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## ChandlerJPerry (Sep 4, 2020)

What would everyone say about using something like this as a stand? Max listed weight capacity on the Home Depot website is 1000 lbs, maybe throw a steel plate across the top to help distribute the weight? Or too flimsy? I only ask because this is on my local classifieds right now for a very modest price, and the dimensions are right for the base of the machine.


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## ChandlerJPerry (Sep 5, 2020)

mickri said:


> Do a search for mill stand.  You will gets lots of hits of what people have done.   Here is the stand for my mill/drill.
> 
> View attachment 335839
> 
> ...


Do you have approx dimensions for the location of the feed nuts? If I have to lift it up and take a gander myself I will, but seems like you've been through this already.


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## matthewsx (Sep 5, 2020)

ChandlerJPerry said:


> What would everyone say about using something like this as a stand? Max listed weight capacity on the Home Depot website is 1000 lbs, maybe throw a steel plate across the top to help distribute the weight? Or too flimsy? I only ask because this is on my local classifieds right now for a very modest price, and the dimensions are right for the base of the machine.


Nope

Keep looking for something truly heavy duty, it's out there. Go with wood if you have to but I'll bet you have a neighbor with welding equipment who's just itching to teach you how to weld. Put the word out locally and see what you come up with.

John


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## ChandlerJPerry (Sep 5, 2020)

matthewsx said:


> Nope
> 
> Keep looking for something truly heavy duty, it's out there. Go with wood if you have to but I'll bet you have a neighbor with welding equipment who's just itching to teach you how to weld. Put the word out locally and see what you come up with.
> 
> John


It's actually not a problem of experience! I took welding in school and did it professionally for a short time. I just haven't gotten myself a machine yet. I've been eyeballing the AlphaTig 201xd for awhile but haven't been able to pull the trigger because it seems like something else always gets in the way. I do have some buddies with welding equipment so I'll have to go bug them with a 6 pack so I can get something made up.


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## matthewsx (Sep 5, 2020)

ChandlerJPerry said:


> It's actually not a problem of experience! I took welding in school and did it professionally for a short time. I just haven't gotten myself a machine yet. I've been eyeballing the AlphaTig 201xd for awhile but haven't been able to pull the trigger because it seems like something else always gets in the way. I do have some buddies with welding equipment so I'll have to go bug them with a 6 pack so I can get something made up.



That's the way I'd go, most welding shops will rent machines too. If the toolchest is cheap enough go ahead and pick it up for under your new machine stand.

John


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## mikey (Sep 5, 2020)

I'm with Mickri. You need to be able to access the leadscrew nut for the Y-axis. It sits around the middle of the Y-table's travel so you need a big hole under the stand. The nut is a split nut that allows you to dial out backlash. You also need that access to lube the screw. Mounting it on a tool chest will not work.


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## mickri (Sep 5, 2020)

The feed nuts are in the middle of the table.  You can get to the Y nut from the top with the table all the way forward.  You need a hole to access the X nut.  
I think that the stand you posted from HD would work if it is truly rated for 1,000 lbs.  You will still need to put a top on it to help distribute weight out to the edges.  You can always beef it up with some angle iron welded to the corners.  The stand has drawers which is a big plus as is that it is on wheels.  Another big plus.  You will still need a hole to access the X nut.  That means you will have to take the drawers out.  Maybe once or twice per year for cleaning.

Like John said above.  Buy the tool chest if it is reasonable.  You can always find a use for a tool chest and it will be a temporary place to put the mill until you get a better stand made.


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## mikey (Sep 5, 2020)

mickri said:


> The feed nuts are in the middle of the table.  You can get to the Y nut from the top with the table all the way forward.  You need a hole to access the X nut.
> I think that the stand you posted from HD would work if it is truly rated for 1,000 lbs.  You will still need to put a top on it to help distribute weight out to the edges.



Hmm, I wonder if our mills are constructed differently. My Y-axis nut has a boss that fits in a hole that orients the split in the nut for backlash adjustment towards the front of the mill.  I just looked at the manual and the IPB shows that my Y-axis nut is oriented correctly. The only way to access that Y-axis adjustment screw is from underneath the mill. The X-axis nut adjustment is accessible up top, from the end of the table with it shifted most of the way to the left. So, if his mill is really an RF-30, I am not clear how this mill, if set on a tool chest with no access to the bottom of the mill, will work. What am I missing?


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## ahazi (Sep 5, 2020)

I have an Enco RF25 that I mounted on top of a Harbor Freight drawer toolbox. I used 1-1/8 inch plywood to spread the weight and I welded a custom wheel base so I can move it. I only use it as a drill press so I am not using the XY table much and all the comments regarding lead etc are probably something I need to look into. So FWIW here are the pictures with the generic wheels and my custom base that was my first welding project...


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## mickri (Sep 5, 2020)

Mikey our machines are different.  And I guess my memory is fading.  Checked my machine.  The screw for the Y nut is only accessible from the top on my machine.  I have to remove one of the side plates for the X lead screw so the table can slide past centerline to get to the screw that holds the Y nut in place.  I can also now access the bolts for the X nut.  There is no backlash adjustment on either the X or Y nut on my machine.  When moving the table past centerline be careful.  The table is very, very heavy on my machine.  Attached is a manual for an RF 30 that I found online.  Don't remember where I found it.  My Excel 31 seems to be very similar to the RF 30.


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## mickri (Sep 5, 2020)

Also have a manual for the Enco version.  Might be best to take the table off of your mill/drill to see what you have and proceed from there.  There appears to be some variations in the different clones of the RF30.


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## C-Bag (Sep 5, 2020)

Similar, but very different Chuck. My RF30 sold by Enco has adjustments on the X &Y lead screw nuts and the adjustment for Y is only accessible underneath through an access hole. And looks exactly like the pdf you posted.

I see so much variation on stuff that is tagged by other makers. Some are what RF called the 25 which has a different column and is lighter built with smaller head.


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## mikey (Sep 5, 2020)

mickri said:


> Mikey our machines are different.  And I guess my memory is fading.  Checked my machine.  The screw for the Y nut is only accessible from the top on my machine.  I have to remove one of the side plates for the X lead screw so the table can slide past centerline to get to the screw that holds the Y nut in place.  I can also now access the bolts for the X nut.  There is no backlash adjustment on either the X or Y nut on my machine.  When moving the table past centerline be careful.  The table is very, very heavy on my machine.  Attached is a manual for an RF 30 that I found online.  Don't remember where I found it.  My Excel 31 seems to be very similar to the RF 30.



Yes, it appears our machines are quite different but maybe that's a good thing because they seem to be similar enough that it might be possible that the nuts from the RF models might fit your Excel? If so, it might be a good idea to change them because the RF nuts allow you to adjust for backlash and that might make a difference, especially when making a climb cut. As you know, a climb cut can pull the work and any slack in the screw can cause the part to move suddenly and snap, there goes your end mill. I dunno', I would definitely check if the nuts will interchange.

The point of concern was the stand the OP needs. A tool chest will NOT work for a Rong Fu mill like this and I didn't want him going out and spending money on it, only to find he can't use it for that purpose. On the other hand, he is going to fill a chest like that up with tools and tooling so maybe it might not be a bad purchase after all. It's a sure thing we will try to help him fill it!


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## ChandlerJPerry (Sep 6, 2020)

Thanks for the input everyone! A trip to the local metal recycler and to a friend's home that let me use his welder allowed me to make a simple steel stand for it. I still need to get some hockey pucks to put on the bolts to function as leveling feet. The angle iron is 1 1/4"x1/8" and ditto on the square tube. I used 1/2-13 bolts for the leveling feet.


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## matthewsx (Sep 6, 2020)

ChandlerJPerry said:


> Thanks for the input everyone! A trip to the local metal recycler and to a friend's home that let me use his welder allowed me to make a simple steel stand for it. I still need to get some hockey pucks to put on the bolts to function as leveling feet. The angle iron is 1 1/4"x1/8" and ditto on the square tube. I used 1/2-13 bolts for the leveling feet.



That's the ticket 

John


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## ChandlerJPerry (Sep 6, 2020)

Bonus pic with the mill sitting on it for a test. It's rock solid but has a little bit of side to side sway if you push the machine, I think I'll box it in with sheet metal to finalize the rigidity, other than that I'm very pleased with it.


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## matthewsx (Sep 6, 2020)

ChandlerJPerry said:


> Bonus pic with the mill sitting on it for a test. It's rock solid but has a little bit of side to side sway if you push the machine, I think I'll box it in with sheet metal to finalize the rigidity, other than that I'm very pleased with it.



Yep, sheer panels on three sides and you're in business.


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## matthewsx (Sep 6, 2020)

Also shelves.

Pull out ones with slides, probably better than drawers

John


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## brasssmanget (Sep 8, 2020)

This is what I did with mine. Too old to be bending underneath for tools so filled the cabinet with misc. steel and lead cutt-offs for added weight and stability. I have done some pretty heavy work with mine and I am quite satisfied with the RF31.


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## brasssmanget (Sep 8, 2020)

View attachment 336267


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## dodge lancer 1962 (Feb 16, 2021)

this is a pic of my mill i bought it from enco in chicago il. its called a K&F and its similar to yours it works very good.  and i made a power feed from a medical bed lift motor 110v.
View attachment 355785
View attachment 357501


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## Oysta (Jul 21, 2021)

ahazi said:


> I have an Enco RF25 that I mounted on top of a Harbor Freight drawer toolbox. I used 1-1/8 inch plywood to spread the weight and I welded a custom wheel base so I can move it. I only use it as a drill press so I am not using the XY table much and all the comments regarding lead etc are probably something I need to look into. So FWIW here are the pictures with the generic wheels and my custom base that was my first welding project...
> 
> View attachment 335856
> View attachment 335855



I like that emergency stop. Is that a home job or bought?


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## ahazi (Jul 21, 2021)

Oysta said:


> I like that emergency stop. Is that a home job or bought?


I bought the parts and made it. There is really not much that you need to do. Below are the links to the parts:
1. Magnetic switch
2. Weatherproof Electrical Outlet Box, White or Weatherproof Electrical Outlet Box, Bronze
3. Tripp Lite Heavy-Duty Power Extension Cord 15A, 14AWG cut it to 2 pieces (short and long)
4. Reinforced | NPT | Cable Glands | Strain Relief | Cord Grips | UL Rated Nylon | Black
5. Nylon Spade Quick Disconnect Connectors used to connect the wires to the switch. Can be soldered instead.

I held it initially with a strong magnet but I am going to change it to a permanent mount as I like it very much and it will stay permanent. So far I made 4 of those for different machines. Much easier to use and SAFER!

Good luck!

Ariel


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