[awetmore]

I noticed that the G0704 has bellow style way covers. Grizzly sells this replacement part fairly inexpensively too.

Could someone with a G0704 measure them for me? What is the width and height of them? I'm curious to see if I could adapt them to my Taig CNC mill. Currently I'm using the X2 bellows and they don't work very well with flood cooling.

Are the G0704 ones water tight or easy to seal?

[nateman_doo]

Go to Home Depot, and get Shower pan liner. Its a thick (ugly) gray sheet which will do the same, for $5.00 a foot, and its 4 feet wide to begin with.

[awetmore]

Shower pan liner doesn't wrap around the ways so nicely, keeping oil and chips off of them. It is a reasonable replacement for the X2 bellows, but not the G0704 ones that wrap around.

[nateman_doo]

Bob made it work for his much larger IH mill: CNCCookbook: IH Mill Way Covers


Its not as pretty, but I will make it work for both my machines. Can't justify the price of bellows, when I can make the shower pan liner work just as well. I remember a post somewhere that someone made their own by taking a material and cutting/scoring/folding it in a specific pattern, it it worked really nicely. It wasn't a rubber type material, but it was pretty similar to actual bellows material.

Did you try McMaster? I guess its down to your budget vs what you can stand to look at, vs practicality. Good luck either way.

[awetmore]

I want to run them on the Y axis, not the Z (sorry, I should have been more clear on this in the first message). The X2 bellows work fine on the Z, but flood coolant sticks to the sides of it on the Y and wicks around and ends up on the ways. It carries chips along with it, and having those chips swim around in coolant along with my Y axis leadscrew can't be very good for it.

Bob is only using them on the Z. A metal protector like what he made for his Y would work on the front of my Taig, but not the rear.

[hoss2006]

I'll have pics and measurements posted in a few minutes for you.
Hoss

[hoss2006]

Here you go, basically they are 4.75 x 1.25 and go from 2.0 to 18 inches long fully opened.
Are made from some kind of plastic fabric lined with smooth plastic inside.
Hoss

[awetmore]

Here you go, basically they are 4.75 x 1.25 and go from 2.0 to 18 inches long fully opened.
Are made from some kind of plastic fabric lined with smooth plastic inside.
Hoss

Thanks Hoss, this is really helpful! I'll post back if I can make them work on my Taig.

[awetmore]

Thanks Hoss, this is really helpful! I'll post back if I can make them work on my Taig.

Sadly it doesn't look like they'll work. The Y on the Taig is about 5-1/2" wide (wider than the Y on my G3102 knee mill, which is a bit unexpected). Thanks for the photos though, this was really helpful and may help someone else down the line.

[hoss2006]

Okeedoke, this is the guy that shows how to make the bellows nate mentioned.
iXen-CNC: Leadscrew cover for your Sherline mill
Hoss

[SSN Vet]

very interesting.... anyone ever identify a good material to use?

[109jb]

Perhaps this will help

Bellows, Chip Guard - LittleMachineShop.com

[migrusch]

I purchased mine from china via ebay (australia). Heaps of sizes and shapes. Costs between $20 ~ $30 inc. shipping.
Seems reasonable quality for the cost.

Hardest part was finding them in a search, can't remember what they were advertised as but it wasn't 'bellows'

[A.Hotea]

Try Produkte 100% quality.