[gd.marsh]

After following several other threads on the forum I've decided to take the plunge!

Based on a physical inspection of the same machine locally & the fact that they're located in S.Cal. I purchased the Bolton Hardware ZX45 delivered to my driveway for $1656. The paint looks to be exactly the same as Grizzly's but I have to say the fit & finish on this machine is better than my G1007 which was purchased a few years back. I'm not bashing the Grizzly's because I've liked my G1007 from day one and will keep it for manual work.

I've measured the X&Y travel @ 22"&9.5" It came wired for 110V. After getting it out of the crate a thorough inspection revealed not a scratch and as best as I can tell w/o actually making chips, all seems to be in fine order. Firing it up I was surprised how quietly it ran being a geared head machine. My only previous experience with a geared head was an X2 that drove me crazy with the noise until I converted it to belt drive.

I plan to do the whole enchilada with: 850oz Servos /320x Geckos /Roton Ballscrews & Double nuts /One Shot Oilier system /Belt Drive conversion with the Grizzly spindle collar & 2hp-3ph Baldor Motor with Teco 7300CV Drive.

All parts but pulleys & belts are ordered so when it all shows up I've got SOME SERIOUS WORK TO DO! Finding the time to do it will be the biggest challenge.

I'll try to take plenty of pictures & keep the thread up to date as I progress. And thanks in advance to the others who have already shed so much light & produced so much excellent information on the 45 conversions.

gd.marsh

[Flenser]

Congratulations. I have the same machine from Bolton. I haven't started the conversion other than to collect parts and wire the enclosure. The mill is getting some light duty on a project for work, so I can't take it back apart until that is completed this spring.

I did take it apart when it arrived at work, so I could get it home. The insides of most of the castings were very poorly protected, and I spent most of a weekend cleaning, removing rust and painting before I felt comfortable putting it back together. It wasn't a big deal, really - except for getting Rustoleum stuck to my armpit when I painted the inside of the column...

Jeff

[mattbesquare]

yeah! Another


When you say wired for 110. You have a white black and a ground? Silly question, but mine is supposed to be 110 or 220, but the wiring looks a little odd for 220.....

Did yours have a plug on the end? If not could you send me a pick of the ends of your cord?



Thanks

[gd.marsh]

Thanks for the heads up .. I have not really had a chance to investigate all the way to the interior - but I'll certainly be getting there .. sounds like a good idea to clean and coat well with Rustoleum before re-assembly ..

110v as in a plug on the end of the cord .. 220v would use the same black, white & ground, but would have to be a different plug with some difference at the motor-end connection also. I can understand if the manual isn't clear .. the one that came with mine is a riot to try and read .. The Grizzly manuals are pretty good .. the one that came with my G1007 was .. and you should be able to download one for their version of the 45.

[arizonavideo]

A quiet RF-45 clone?

I would check to make sure they didn't forget to put the gears in the head!


It looks like a fine mill.

Keep up informed of the build

Good luck.

[mattmark]

More rf-45s, sweet. Best of luck - looks like we have a similar parts list going. I'm fabricating all the axis/motor mounts right now.

Which spindle collar did you end up ordering from Grizzly? Part P1005007 from the 1005z?

Matt

I plan to do the whole enchilada with: 850oz Servos /320x Geckos /Roton Ballscrews & Double nuts /One Shot Oilier system /Belt Drive conversion with the Grizzly spindle collar & 2hp-3ph Baldor Motor with Teco 7300CV Drive.
gd.marsh

[gd.marsh]

azvideo,

I know what you mean, but the gears are in there!


mattmark,

I ordered the following parts:

(1) P1006306 TAPERED SPINDLE SLEEVE V1.08.97
(1) P1006308 BEARING SPACER
(1) PR52M EXT RETAINING RING 80MM
(1) P1006302 SPINDLE NUT 42-16 V1.08.97

I believe the Grizzly G1005 is a clone of the smaller mill (RF30 perhaps?) I can't say for sure, but I think that's why the parts didn't fit Bob W's IH mill.

I measured the spindle on my 45 when it arrived and compared it to the G1007 I have (which is the RF31 clone .. Grizzly's 1006/1007 are the same mill with different accessories)

The spindles on the Grizz. 1006/7 & my ZX45 are the same so I ordered the parts from my Grizzly parts list. I guess I'll know if it works or not for sure when it shows up and I've got the 45 head torn down. I'll post my findings when I can confirm.

By the way .. your build has been one of those that helped me decide to pull the trigger on this project so we'll probably be helping each other navigate though this.

gd.marsh

[Flenser]

oops, bad reading skills...

[mattmark]

The spindles on the Grizz. 1006/7 & my ZX45 are the same so I ordered the parts from my Grizzly parts list. I guess I'll know if it works or not for sure when it shows up and I've got the 45 head torn down. I'll post my findings when I can confirm.

By the way .. your build has been one of those that helped me decide to pull the trigger on this project so we'll probably be helping each other navigate though this.

gd.marsh

hey, thanks - for sure this forum is the friendliest and most helpful i've encountered in any industry =) i'm finally machining all the aluminum stopblock/mounts this weekend. btw, do you have an approximate measurement of your spindle? i know it's hard to describe the spline measurements, but i'll probably do the experiment as well with the grizzly parts if it's in the right ballpark. thanks!

Matt

[gd.marsh]

mattmark,

Here's how I measured the spline on both of my machines ..

I wouldn't recommend that you take these as absolute measurements .. it was extremely difficult to hold the caliper accurately on the part with my right hand while trying to hold the camera & snap the picture with my left. At least this gives you a pretty close idea of what the ZX45 & G1007 are.

gd.marsh

[mattmark]

mattmark,

Here's how I measured the spline on both of my machines ..

I wouldn't recommend that you take these as absolute measurements .. it was extremely difficult to hold the caliper accurately on the part with my right hand while trying to hold the camera & snap the picture with my left. At least this gives you a pretty close idea of what the ZX45 & G1007 are.

gd.marsh

Thanks! It's virtually what I got based on those measurements.

Matt

[mattmark]

azvideo,

(1) P1006308 BEARING SPACER
gd.marsh

Hi gd.marsh,

I was able to find 3 out of the 4 parts - which did you get the P1006308 from? I checked both the 1006 + 1007.

thanks,

Matt

[gd.marsh]

Matt,

I got the number out of my G1006/G1007 instruction manual .. it's shown in the break-down of the spindle as number 308 - which is a spacer that goes between the bearings. Pete mentions making one, but for $4.25 I thought I'd take a chance on this one. Can't tell you it's going to be the right length though. If it's too short I'll make an additional spacer to add to it, if it's too long I'll cut it down to the right size. I'm waiting until the parts show up & I get the head all torn down to order the correct bearings.

Gary

[mattmark]

Matt,

I got the number out of my G1006/G1007 instruction manual .. it's shown in the break-down of the spindle as number 308 - which is a spacer that goes between the bearings.

Gary

Thanks Gary - so strange when I look online at G1006+G1007, the part is just not on the head/spindle parts list.. I'll give them a call and see what they have.

Update: had to send them an email after i ordered the other parts (they're working to get all the parts online), but everything is good.

Matt

[gd.marsh]

mattbesquare

If you're still watching this thread I've got a picture of what the wiring looked like at the motor end on my ZX45 .. it's a little blurry, but the best I've got to offer.


Some Progress ..

The Griizzly parts came in & I got the head torn down .. Notice the oil level .. no kidding! that's the way it shipped. Glad I didn't run if for long. Also it doesn't look like I'm going to use any of the Grizzly stuff after all. I ordered 4 parts from them and only 1 out of the 4 is right. In the mean time I think I can use the shaft that came in the 45 (the one with the red arrow pointing to it) .. a little lathe work, but shouldn't be too bad. I'll post pictures if successful.

gd.marsh

[mattmark]

I ordered 4 parts from them and only 1 out of the 4 is right.

gd.marsh

Hi Gary,

Funny thing, I order the parts from Grizzly and they tell me the tapered spindle sleeve is on backorder until approx end of May. I ended up cancelling the order. Which part ended up working right?

Matt

[gd.marsh]

Matt

The tapered sleeve is the only piece I got that I could use .. the nut they sent me is the wrong thread .. the snap ring & spacer are WAY too big.

After the frustration of receiving parts I can't use, I discovered another problem. The diam. of the tapered sleeve's bearing surface is 10mm larger than the the sleeve on the 45. I did a search and could not come up with a bearing that would fit the tapered sleeve to the 45 head cover as it stands. The best fit I could come up with would require turning the sleeve down 5mm AND boring the cover out an additional 6mm. I'm confident that both are doable w/o jeopardizing the integrity of either part but as I looked more carefully at the existing sleeve .. I realized it could be used with a little modification that could all be done on the lathe. One less set-up = one less chance to error in my book. Pictures to come when it's done.

gd.marsh

[Flenser]

I have the spindle sleeve from the G3358 which also fits the Bolton spline. I was planning to get bearings locally, but since they are so cheap I went ahead and ordered them and the spacer to see if they will work.

Matt, I don't plan on doing anything with the sleeve before August or so. If you have trouble getting one, let me know and I'll send you this one.

Jeff

[gd.marsh]

Jeff

A 45mm ID & 62mm OD does not seem to be a standard bearing as per my searching. If your spindle sleeve or head cover have different dimensions, or if you can find a bearing that would fit w/o breaking the bank I'd sure be interested.

Gary

[mattmark]

One less set-up = one less chance to error in my book. Pictures to come when it's done.

gd.marsh

Agreed - less modification, the better. I'm hoping my additional boring/reaming on the axis pulleys goes smoothly.. would hate to ruin those.

Jeff - that's an awesome offer if Grizzly doesn't have the part - which part # is sleeve that you have?

Matt