I am going to start my build thread, although things are moving pretty slow for me. This is a RF-45 clone mill (Enco) that I will be doing a lot of modifications to as the build goes. The machine will be very close to Bob Warfields IH build. Infact I have been following his build and using it as a guide for my own build. Epoxy work,Z axis mods to the head, X & Y mods for more travel, and a bit different Y axis mounting will be used. I will document and supply pics when I get a little deeper into the build.


For now here is what I have to start with.

Mach3 plus add-on wizards
Gecko 320 drives (four)
HomeShopCNC 850 servos with 500 count encoders (X,Y & Z)
SmoothStepper USB CNC controler
Antek 1440w 72v 20amp power supply
Bob Campbell Combo board (BOB with spindle control and more)
Cables for encoders & motors
A/C power filter/smoother with circuit breaker & relay
Optical limit/homing switches I am building myself
The start of a cooling system I will be making out of a parts washer.
17" LCD panel that will be built in
Industrial E-stop and enable buttons
Pent duel core2duo comp that will be built into the enclosure


The motor mounts I will build myself, and the Y axis will be a little different than I have seen anywhere.

I am building a bench/enclosure that is based off the Tormach DIY bench. There will be some mods to it and it will house the electronics in a slide out tray that will be water tight, but be easy to get to with the opening of a door and the use of sliding tracks. The cooling system will be enclosed in the bottom. And there will be room built in for the Y axis mounting that I will be doing. Basically the Y axis mount will come down from the front of the mill, but the motor will come from the back and be back under the mill base. I have some drawings of this bench and its mods but I will have to scan them before I can post them. The reason for designing the Y axis this way is to help me reach the table from a chair (a little more explained on that at the end).



The Ball screws is really the only thing I have still not figured out what to use yet. The Rockford screws have gotten very expeincive. There doesnt seem to be much feedback on the HomeShopCNC screws and I am not sure where else I can get a good screw at a fair price. I plan to try and use 1" screws but this might only work on the Z axis because of room. If I can I will use 1" on all of them but the X & Y might end up being 3/4". What ever I get will be double nuts with mounting on both ends.


The bearing blocks I am also making myself.

The epoxy work will be done after everything else is fitted so I can put as much as possible in each location.


One shot oiling will be added, but I am working on a system that uses a power steering pump off a small import car for a pump so it can be automated (and cheaper).


Any suggestions or advice will be very welcome, this is my first build. I will start getting pics and docs as quick as I can, but I am dissabled so I do move a bit slower than most will expect. This has been a plan that I have been working on for atleast 6 months (more like a year) that I have been buying parts and gathering equipment. Everything is ready to start going together, encluding the bench. I hope to be doing some bench testing of the servos and electronics this weekend so things should start happening soon. But a lot does depend on when help comes around from my son, I just cant do most of it myself when it comes to the heavy stuff. We plan to build a over head crane to assist me when the machine is running and everything will be built in a way that I can operate it from a chair. The whole deal has been very hard for me to get this far but my family has pitched in many ways to help make it happen. Hopefully in a couple months we will see chips.



Thanks Jess