"New" Mill setup

J

Jonathans

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My mill, a Bridgeport Boss series 1 base with a V2XT head, with new Machmotion controller and servos FINALLY arrived!
My full sized fixture plate arrives next Wednesday or so. I've never utilized a fixtureplate before.
I am assuming that to tram anything prior to installing the plate is a waste of time, and that I should wait until after installation, as I'll probably have to do it all over again. Correct?

Oh, heres a couple of pics as proof for those who always say "no pics it didn't happen"

IMG_1116.JPG IMG_1092.JPG

I'm a cnc noob and still learning gcode; Fusion360, feeds and speeds etc.. Even operating with mpg will be a challenge at first as there will be no "feel". Looking forward to the adventure.
 
Yep, pics make it real. Awesome. Now get a few hours sleep Sir. sounds like you've earned. 2:25am... :) That's the stuff! My Son and I were in the shop yesterday all day on our Centroid/SuperMax making his new design part. We're only a few years into all of this too and we make and use 3d Fusion, Solidworks, 3D printing on and on... You are definitely on your way. Just takes the time and effort. btw/I looked at MachMotion too... Keep us posted on what you think of that setup! I'm still interested.

Good luck and have fun!!
 
Is all of the work that you are planning require a fixture plate?

If not buy a good vice or 3, doing simple non-repeating work on a fixture is time consuming.
 
Thanks Countryguy. Its good for me to work my brain with new stuff and this most definitely qualifies!
Wreck Wreck I still have my Kurt 688 from my Millrite. It will be coming on and off the mill often as some of my work is bigger than the vise, or I will be fixturing for my blade making, especially as I move into framelock folders.
I am expecting the fixture plate to facilitate getting the vise trammed each time, and the pins I have for the plate
will help to align sub fixture plates. In my woodworking I have come to appreciate the setup of a Festool MFT bench
and using the precisely bored holes and dogs for repeatable material placement and holding. I'll let you know if it turns out to be a waste of money!

What about the tramming question? Best to wait, right?
 
Before chip one, tram the head, get it square with the table and parallel quill movement.
 
Level machine, and if you can get it off those casters and on some solid feet do so.
Open cabinet and tighten every electrical connection you can reach. Truck rides are great for loosening things up.
Adjust gibs on all three axis. Get machine moving square & smooth everywhere. Adjust backlash if possible.
Align knee & table to column, or at least find out if it's sagging.
Put the table in the middle of the Y travel, and check that the ram is set so the spindle is also in the center of the table. Mark the ram at this point if it isn't already for future reference.
Tram head to table.
Bolt on fixture plate and double-check tram again.
Finally - align fixture plate holes/features to appropriate axis. Don't trust that the edge is parallel with the holes. It probably is, but the holes are more important since all your sub plates with vises and fixtures will be based on those and not the main plate edges.

Assuming the fixture plate is larger than your travels, you might mill a very shallow groove on the fixture plate at the limits of your machine travels. Good visual indicator of the work envelope.

Awesome machine, well done. The first time you figure out you can clamp up something the size of a bed frame and still machine it you'll be laughing at the guys like me who have smaller mills with full enclosures. Your mill isn't fast, and chip containment is a problem - but it is unbelievably versatile when it comes to machining oddball or big things.

-S
 
Thanks S, thats real helpful. I never thought about going through the electrical conections to make sure they're tight.
 
IMG_1123.JPG Checked everything except for tightness and function. There is some servo "squeal" which is supposedly due to some feedback parameter being set too "tight".
I'm checking on how to adjust that. Got the ring light and arm mount toolbox mounted. I still need to set up the soft stop parameters.
 
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