Just starting

I'm converting a Warco VMC mill -4 axes mostly running now.

Ballscrew on Z. Original leadscrews with nuts fairly tight give about 0.1mm backlash, which is livable with. I've bought suitable ballscrews, but not yet fitted.

Z drive ('low' cost rolled thread screw) shows no measurable backlash on 1/10 thou DTI.

6N-m stepper motors via 2:1 reduction tooth belt drive and *8 microstep on X & Y,  A bit smaller on Z and rotary table (vertex 6").  

Suppliers (UK)  I've found OK-

Rapid Electronics -bit like RS but usually cheaper

Active Robots - stepper motors

Arc-Euro- motors ballscrews drive electronics bearings-last year they were selling 3A steper drivers for <£30.

Marchant Dice - ballscrews -often good deals on ebay.

Simply Bearings- what they say.

ArmyRadio.co.uk - ex-army 28V 10A power supply.

CNCZone.com - infinite mine of knowledge

http://www.linuxcnc.org/    Home of EMC2  CNC control software.  Free, good, free, easy to use, free, lots of help available on t'internet, and of course, free.

Be warned- CNC is a fascinating hobby in it's own right- I'm in danger of never making anything else than more CNC machines.  I've got the ML7 in my sights.

Good luck with your conversion 

Jim 

Hi iam new to this site and new to cnc but i never do things by halfs hehehhe. bought a denford orac last yr, the plan was to update with a modern controller BUT ended up just keeping the lathe body and the top and bottom of the console cutting the bottom in half welding it onto the top to extend the tray.Then a fibergalss case was moulded with door to cover the spindle head and house the transformer, drivers,relay boards, etc tray is now 1220mm in lengththe splash back was also extended in hight and length the motor was moved from where it originally sat ontop of the tray to underneath the tray control panal was built to fit the moulded appiture in the case sliding door was also moulded and a small tail stock end case part was also moulded in grp then a controller was built usung an intel atom board and mesa 520i to keep the controller case compact i will try and post some pics of the whole project most ofthe work is done just needs fitting together.

also an arm was added from the back over the case to take a 22" in touch screen monitor running emc2 with the green screen addons . now thinking about warco vmc as my mill of conversion, has anyone got any thoughts on the warco vmc?

I would go for a bridgeport but my workshop is wooden floor and although its 7"x3" joists with 20mm sterling board over the top still think the bridgeport would be on the heavy side.

Hi again

just a quick message to let you know ive uploaded some pictures of the ongoing project

ruffed out the skirt that will go between the suds tray and the stand just got to cut out now for the hand wheel panel oh i also did one of the today too

You are quite correct, a Bridgeport at 1.25 Tons is no lightweight!

The workshop iam setting up is for building model radial aero engines iam sick of seeing "so called scale" that are miles off what i call scale and some of the scale aero composite kits classed as the best on the market ive seen less ripples in the wing mouldings standing on the beach in a force 7.

first model will be the A1 skyraider