johnsmachines

machines which I have made, am making, or intend to make, and some other stuff. If you find this site interesting, please leave a comment. I read every comment and respond to most. n.b. There is a list of my first 800 posts in my post of 17 June 2021, titled "800 Posts"

Tag: Boxford

November 25, 2019

Lathe Toolpost Milling attachment (CNC)

 

Although my recent posts indicate that I have spent  a fair amount of time recently on Google Earth Pro, I have also been busy in the workshop.  Mainly finishing the toolpost milling attachment for the Boxford CNC lathe, but also fiddling with the laser attachment for the CNC mill.  Neither of those projects is completely finished, but I thought that you might be interested in some progress photos.

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This is what the Boxford TCL125 CNC lathe now looks like from the front.  It is substantially modified from the original which I purchased 5 years ago.  To mention a few changes…..

the axis stepper motors are bigger and more powerful than the originals

the ball screws are now 10mm diameter, compared with the original 8mm

there are some adjustable axis limit switches

the 3 jaw chuck is replaced by an ER32 collet chuck

there is a removable toolpost milling attachment with ER 16 Collet chuck, with a speed controller, cables, and panic switch.

there is a removable safety screen (not seen in the photo)

And hidden in the electronics compartment….

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There is a 750 watt AC Servo spindle motor and controller (RHS, under the coiled cable)

The electronics have been replaced with a Mach3 compatible breakout board and associated peripherals.  Anyone with an original 1985 machine will hardly recognise these components.

And the software is now Mach3, running off an old Windows XP computer.  And using “Ezilathe” for most of the G coding, especially threading, and interpreting shapes which have been drawn as CAD dxf’s.

The new toolpost spindle works, but the software  needs a bit more fiddling to tie it into the CNC controls of the lathe.

The Boxford has provided an excellent base on which to make these changes, and I look forward to producing some videos soon of the renewed machine in action.

 

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March 25, 2017

NEW SPINDLE MOTOR for CNC LATHE?

Now that I have replaced the stepper motors in the Boxford CNC lathe, (see “New steppers for an old CNC lathe”)  I am considering whether I might replace the spindle motor for the same reason…  that it has become less powerful due to the age of its permanent magnets.   Sometimes I am aware that it struggles to keep up the revs while cutting.

Watch the YouTube video about the next generation servo motors.  They use modern rare earth magnets.  They are powerful, compact and precise.  And not cheap.  Stuart T, who has the same Boxford CNC lathe as me, has suggested that these Clearpath motors would be suitable replacements for the ageing Boxford spindle motors .

 

 

 

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