Post date: Feb 9, 2014 8:07:57 PM
Two bits of progress this week, both of which can be seen in the photo below. Firstly, I got the feed nut mounted to the new Y axis table- this can be ween in approximately the center of the picture, with the leadscrew going through it. I didn't do all the work, though; my dad got the fixture properly aligned and secured after I drilled and tapped the first hole (of the four you can see immediately adjacent to the leadscrew).
The second bit of progress is the stepper mount seen on the right edge of the image. This will go across the entire back of the mill, providing extra support and rigidity for the stepper. It replaces the little cantilevered plate that can (barely) be seen at the bottom of this image. The four small holes were started on the CNC mill, then manually drilled to size and tapped, while the larger center hole was done in the opposite way- first manually on the drill press, then milled to the proper size. In this way all the holes should be properly aligned for the stepper and leadscrew.
Only a few more things to do before the new Y axis (and leadscrew) can be installed!
The feed nut mounted to the Y axis. Yes, this is once again being shown upside-down.