A milling slide support cage

This started as an acorn and is turning into a major work in progress, I don't like milling btw and have no milling machine aspirations

but, sometimes we will have no choice in a project sooo...

Originally I welded some metal onto the bottom to try and improve things but that only highlighted a milling slides inadequacies

So I ground it off and went for a full wrap

The only damage to the slide is two 6mm holes in the base and two 8mm holes in the upper part of the back of the slide, no other harm was inflicted and the slide can be removed

The t-nuts are ski-nuts to make it easier to fit

All welding was done in situ so the fit is great

There are holes in the upper body so a hex key can reach down to the bolts

B+Q fencing provided the angle iron, 30mm mostly

The bottom swivelling part of the slide has been removed

You can see all my pictures in here

Edited By Ady1 on 24/11/2017 08:54:02

So is it any good?

Well yes and no, it's obviously an improvement but now the vice is moving minutely instead of the slide

So I'm making a dedicated 4 point vice now, just for the slide, which will take me a while

All it's really done is move the eternal lathe milling problem somewhere else

So as I say, it's currently a WIP

Other points to note at the minit

The envelope is small, I would guess at 2-3 inches, that myford cross slide extension mod will be essential

I lost about 15mm in the vertical by removing the base to bring the bottom of the slide hard up against the cross slide with that 12mm bar

Edit: I'd also like to submit this item as my entry for the John Stevenson guffy welding award

Edited By Ady1 on 24/11/2017 09:14:52

Blimey, that's given the dancing vertical slide a good seeing to. It wouldn't dare get out of step now. Every time I use mine I swear to bolt the bottom of the vertical part directly to the cross slide. Never thought of the full orthopedic frame though. Certainly looks stout!

John and I discovered the RABA-WIWIT, so you can have this month's virtual RABA_WIWIT Award:

Sorry Andy1 but I don't like it .

To weld in situ can cause stress related movement which can effect more delicate parts .Weld spatter can stick on slides , bad earth can track and trash motor and switches

Cast iron can and will snap/crack quite easily under stress

I would make it off the job clean it up and fit to the job.

Sorry to be negative

Eric

That's OK Eric, I described it badly too

There was half a dozen tack welds on the lathe itself then the entire cross slide assembly was removed and taken to my welding and fabricating bit in the garage for the bulk of the work

I'm curious why you needed to make this. Traditionally you lock all the slides not in use which usually stiffens everything up.

Andy1

you might find this site use full, I use it a lot. "http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/".

Regards Eric

I'm curious why you needed to make this. Traditionally you lock all the slides not in use which usually stiffens everything up.

Doesn't really work for many hobby lathes without a lot of effort to sort out tiny unwanted movements which can wreck a workpiece, especially for steel

This is an attempt to find a one shot solution to simplify milling on a lathe