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DIY Curvage

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mateo

Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2002
Is it possible, just using a cross-slide vise, to somehow do curves w/ a milling bit? Or would I just be left to drilling each hole and then connecting them?
 
If you are using it in conjunction with a drill press and the drill press has a rotatable plate, you can rotate the entire vise, with the distance the piece is from dead center setting your arc.

Hoot
 
Hmm...my drill press doesn't (cheap Home Depot thing), is a plate that does this available as an add-on type thing, like the vise itself? Or perhaps a cross-slide vise with rotation somehow integrated?
 
The stepper alone might cost more than the table, especially the 250 OZ type.

I've seen a few inexpensive 6" rotary tables on eBay from time to time, but unfortunately 6" would be way to large for me. I don't own a mill yet (still on a drill press myself), but the best mill I could ever hope to afford is the mini, and anything larger than 4" would be too large. :(

With creative uses of clamp kits, I've seen some pretty large projects done on a 4" rotary.

Putting a gear on the handle wouldn't be a problem. Mounting the stepper could be a pain, as the base looks to be hardened. I don't know if there is enough clearence for the worm gear if bolts were used, a strap going around the outside might be an idea. If you have an extra channel on your CNC, a 250OZ bipolar chopper could probably be had on eBay for cheap. Getting another channel can be very expensive.
 
Have you ever used an etchasketch?

Try making a circle with the two knobs, that's basicly what you have to do on a 2 axis cross-slide vise to make a spiral. :p
 
wormwood said:
The stepper alone might cost more than the table, especially the 250 OZ type.

I've seen a few inexpensive 6" rotary tables on eBay from time to time, but unfortunately 6" would be way to large for me. I don't own a mill yet (still on a drill press myself), but the best mill I could ever hope to afford is the mini, and anything larger than 4" would be too large. :(

With creative uses of clamp kits, I've seen some pretty large projects done on a 4" rotary.

Putting a gear on the handle wouldn't be a problem. Mounting the stepper could be a pain, as the base looks to be hardened. I don't know if there is enough clearence for the worm gear if bolts were used, a strap going around the outside might be an idea. If you have an extra channel on your CNC, a 250OZ bipolar chopper could probably be had on eBay for cheap. Getting another channel can be very expensive.

I found some pretty cheap 190 OZ steppers that work fine for the other movements of my mill (mini sized). When I do find a rotary table I will probably just use one of the channels from my current 3 axis control board (using all 4 axes would take a pretty complex project). I read that the mill that I have (Taig) can handle a 6" rotary table. The alternative that I was looking at was the 4" sherline table (with stepper mount) here http://shop.store.yahoo.com/serioushobbies/sher374rotta1.html

I also recommend www.xylotex.com for a stepper controller (if it will handle the motors that you want to use). Great service and great support.
 
junkymagi said:
Have you ever used an etchasketch?

Try making a circle with the two knobs, that's basicly what you have to do on a 2 axis cross-slide vise to make a spiral. :p

lets see you draw over that multiple times(multiple passes to get to desired depth) :D


Jon
 
I wasn't counting on it or thinking it possible, but hey, never hurts to ask.
 
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