My 833T's new leather skirt

[OCJohn]

Stop – you're making me blush.

 

[verbotenwhisky]

I really like my 833T mill but did not like how the swarf could sit on the Y axis ways in front of the table. A member by the name of David P Best (you guys may have heard of him) suggested I make a protector out of leather, aka Stefan Gotteswinter style. So I asked my wife if she still had that leather skirt from when I met her on the street corner. A few days later the swelling around my eyes subsided enough that I could make out my computer screen and ordered up some fine Corinthian leather from the Bay.

I fab'd up a piece of aluminum to capture it onto the mill table and the other end is fastened to the mill base via double sided carpet tape (Mohawk Airo). I may change that method to metal holders also but this was proof of concept. I then drew up a "capture stop" in Solidworks and printed two off on my 3D printer. They keep the leather from interfering with the Y axis handle as the table moves forward. I also cut a slot in the leather to reduce the amount of material around the Y axis dial.

The whole system seems to work well. If the only method of table movement is counting dials, it would be a little bit of a pain with the leather near the dial but since I have a DRO that is a non issue for me.

Them Women have no sense of humor..... LOL

My PM940 originally came with a mud flap which I hated.

So I machined an extension for the handle and made a set of rest for the accordion cover to rest on and installed it, much better. If I need the dial I lift the cover to see it but 99% of my work uses the DRO.

For those who notice the missing handles on my X-Axis locks it isn't because of the cover, they were a pain, swinging down in the way so I pulled them and use a wrench when I need them tightened.

 

[9t8z28]

I used a silicone oven mat to cover the front Y-axis ways of my PM-932. I made it just long enough that it slightly stretches when the saddle is away from the operator so that when its move in the opposite direction it doesnt bundle up and block the handwheel or the dial. It’s naturally repels oils and hot chips and you can get it in a variety of colors and thicknesses.