Great upgrade to the mini mill. You have really transformed into a much higher performance machine. Thank you for sharing your upgrades, gives me some food for thought.
Good upgrade. At 8:07 it seems lack of stiffness. I recommend change paper shims to a metal immediately and check fit by paint. If you install all machine (bolt the base) to thick steel plate, you can rise general rigidity highly. Best regards!
Yes, the paper shims were temporary. I have new metal shims I'll be installing this weekend. I'll have to look into getting a thick steel plate for the base. That's a good idea.
You prolly dont care but if you guys are bored like me during the covid times then you can watch all of the new movies and series on Instaflixxer. Been binge watching with my brother for the last weeks xD
Hello John, could you tell me please about the reason why quite a few people replace the original Taig factory blue frames with something else? I know for instance the the famous Harbor Freight Mini Mill lacks rigidity in the connection point of the column to the base. That weakness results in carbide cutters being broken and also leads to poor precision of machining. Does the original Taig frame suffers from the same problems?
There are two reasons. The first is additional rigidity. The blue frame hinges at the bottom, which is so you can use it at an angle other than 90 degrees to the work. But that also reduced rigidity. The other reason is to allow the spindle to be mounted farther from the Z column, which provides some very useful Y travel, and is required for the new TTS spindle I added. I don't remember the specifics, but I likely covered them in later videos in this series.
Could you tell me if you were able to lift the completed assembled mill into your enclosure by yourself or if you needed a helping hand as it was too heavy to carry? My concern is upgrading to this frame and not being able to lift it myself. Also curious what is those round like pucks under the frame? do those add dampening to it?
I assembled it in place, so I don't know. My enclosure lifts up over the mill, so I put the enclosure back after assembling the mill. My workbench is pretty high, so I can't lift the mill with my arms almost straight out. I'd probably have to get on a stool to be able to lift it. As to the pucks, these are Rockler Bench Cookies. I don't have my mill screwed to my bench, so these do a great job of keeping the mill in place.
Make a video making cuts in steel. I would like to see how good it runs. Are tapered roller bearings the next improvement. If there is a video what is the name.
I'm not sure my current spindle is up to significant cuts in steel--also I've never cut steel. But I have a new R8 spindle I received recently that should be a lot more rigid. I'll have to try some steel cutting with that.
Cut 12L14 whenever possible. A second option is 416 Stainless. Over the course of 6 years I changed and changed my Sherline 5000 mill many times, there is not much left. Today I have replaced the X-Y axis table with the Taig and the Z-axis with Taig. The X-Y table is bolted to a large 1/2" plate of aluminum and I have a bridge Z-axis column made up of two 28" 2.5x4 aluminum columns with a 6" space in between. The space allows me to have a brass chip pan bolted to the back of the Y-axis. Amazingly I am still using the Sherline spindle and motor. Some day I may make a new spindle using 25x52x15 tapered roller bearings. I do have a vintage Taiwan Mill-Drill that I only use for the Large jobs like squaring of the 2.5x4x28 aluminum columns. My home made mill is 10 times more fun to use.
Very nice video indeed. I'm currently awaiting my new Taig CNC Mill. I noticed with this mod. that you loose the ability to move the Z in a side-to-side motion. I'm wondering if you anticipate a fix? Again, a very beefy upgrade.
The tilting of the Z-axis is generally an unwanted feature. It makes sense for tramming the machine in and for saving the spindle in x-axis crashes but can be a source of flex.
I see the fixed Z as a feature. I've never wanted to move the Z side to side. As I understand it, this is mainly useful for manual milling. But since I only do CNC milling, having the Z fixed ensures it stays aligned.
That's something I can do later if I need to. My understanding is that this would mainly make a difference for heavier milling than I do most of the time. I mostly do micro machining (1/8" cutters or smaller), so this should be a factor.
Thanks John, your video turned me on to the FB group and the new frame. Just ordered mine! BTW - I notice you are using the stock motor and not the Consew upgrade. Any particular reason? Cheers, Mark
Nice! At the very moment, I'm 3D printing a box for the potentiometer to control the motor speed on the Consew. I also have some parts to make a circuit that will allow me to control the speed from software. My plan is to get the software spindle speed control working at my desk before I mount the motor to the frame. I'm hoping to get that working this weekend or later next week.
Very cool! I've wanted software control of spindle speed for a long time. Can't wait to see how yours turns out. I have Mach3 setup to turn on/off the stock motor via relay, so at least it stops spinning automatically at the end of a long run, but still moving belts to change speed :-(. Been using it this way close to 10 years now.
@@JohnSL do you have any other contact info for the frame? I went to the link and no one has gotten back to me. I was hoping there something on the invoice, email, phone number ect..
Great upgrade to the mini mill. You have really transformed into a much higher performance machine. Thank you for sharing your upgrades, gives me some food for thought.
Thanks. Wait till you see what comes next :-).
Good upgrade. At 8:07 it seems lack of stiffness. I recommend change paper shims to a metal immediately and check fit by paint. If you install all machine (bolt the base) to thick steel plate, you can rise general rigidity highly. Best regards!
Yes, the paper shims were temporary. I have new metal shims I'll be installing this weekend. I'll have to look into getting a thick steel plate for the base. That's a good idea.
Great video John
Just got my frames - First two in Canada
You prolly dont care but if you guys are bored like me during the covid times then you can watch all of the new movies and series on Instaflixxer. Been binge watching with my brother for the last weeks xD
@Mekhi Zyaire Yea, I have been using Instaflixxer for since december myself =)
Hello John, could you tell me please about the reason why quite a few people replace the original Taig factory blue frames with something else? I know for instance the the famous Harbor Freight Mini Mill lacks rigidity in the connection point of the column to the base. That weakness results in carbide cutters being broken and also leads to poor precision of machining. Does the original Taig frame suffers from the same problems?
There are two reasons. The first is additional rigidity. The blue frame hinges at the bottom, which is so you can use it at an angle other than 90 degrees to the work. But that also reduced rigidity. The other reason is to allow the spindle to be mounted farther from the Z column, which provides some very useful Y travel, and is required for the new TTS spindle I added. I don't remember the specifics, but I likely covered them in later videos in this series.
Could you tell me if you were able to lift the completed assembled mill into your enclosure by yourself or if you needed a helping hand as it was too heavy to carry? My concern is upgrading to this frame and not being able to lift it myself.
Also curious what is those round like pucks under the frame? do those add dampening to it?
I assembled it in place, so I don't know. My enclosure lifts up over the mill, so I put the enclosure back after assembling the mill. My workbench is pretty high, so I can't lift the mill with my arms almost straight out. I'd probably have to get on a stool to be able to lift it.
As to the pucks, these are Rockler Bench Cookies. I don't have my mill screwed to my bench, so these do a great job of keeping the mill in place.
Mr. Andrews wouldn't get back to me. Would it be possible to draw me a sketch so I can make my own?
I sold my machine over a year ago. I suggest you ask on the status in the Taig Facebook group, as they should know more about the current status.
Make a video making cuts in steel. I would like to see how good it runs. Are tapered roller bearings the next improvement. If there is a video what is the name.
I'm not sure my current spindle is up to significant cuts in steel--also I've never cut steel. But I have a new R8 spindle I received recently that should be a lot more rigid. I'll have to try some steel cutting with that.
Cut 12L14 whenever possible. A second option is 416 Stainless. Over the course of 6 years I changed and changed my Sherline 5000 mill many times, there is not much left. Today I have replaced the X-Y axis table with the Taig and the Z-axis with Taig. The X-Y table is bolted to a large 1/2" plate of aluminum and I have a bridge Z-axis column made up of two 28" 2.5x4 aluminum columns with a 6" space in between. The space allows me to have a brass chip pan bolted to the back of the Y-axis. Amazingly I am still using the Sherline spindle and motor. Some day I may make a new spindle using 25x52x15 tapered roller bearings. I do have a vintage Taiwan Mill-Drill that I only use for the Large jobs like squaring of the 2.5x4x28 aluminum columns. My home made mill is 10 times more fun to use.
Very nice video indeed. I'm currently awaiting my new Taig CNC Mill. I noticed with this mod. that you loose the ability to move the Z in a side-to-side motion. I'm wondering if you anticipate a fix?
Again, a very beefy upgrade.
tom warren that’s part of the upgrade. Adds a LOT more rigidity
The tilting of the Z-axis is generally an unwanted feature. It makes sense for tramming the machine in and for saving the spindle in x-axis crashes but can be a source of flex.
I see the fixed Z as a feature. I've never wanted to move the Z side to side. As I understand it, this is mainly useful for manual milling. But since I only do CNC milling, having the Z fixed ensures it stays aligned.
Have you considered filling the square tube cavities full of sand or even better epoxy granite?
What for?
@@sid1977 Its a common frame damping technique for machine builders.
That's something I can do later if I need to. My understanding is that this would mainly make a difference for heavier milling than I do most of the time. I mostly do micro machining (1/8" cutters or smaller), so this should be a factor.
Thanks John, your video turned me on to the FB group and the new frame. Just ordered mine! BTW - I notice you are using the stock motor and not the Consew upgrade. Any particular reason? Cheers, Mark
Nice! At the very moment, I'm 3D printing a box for the potentiometer to control the motor speed on the Consew. I also have some parts to make a circuit that will allow me to control the speed from software. My plan is to get the software spindle speed control working at my desk before I mount the motor to the frame. I'm hoping to get that working this weekend or later next week.
Very cool! I've wanted software control of spindle speed for a long time. Can't wait to see how yours turns out. I have Mach3 setup to turn on/off the stock motor via relay, so at least it stops spinning automatically at the end of a long run, but still moving belts to change speed :-(. Been using it this way close to 10 years now.
That frame looks amazing! I'd definitely pick one up if Andrews is selling them online - Is the fb group the only way to reach him?
That's how I reached him. Here is the URL I used to order the frame: goo.gl/forms/Hm9bl1gncWpGOoxo1
@@JohnSL do you have any other contact info for the frame? I went to the link and no one has gotten back to me. I was hoping there something on the invoice, email, phone number ect..
Where can purchase the frame for upgrading?
The link is in the description. You have to join a Facebook group to get the details.
what kind of frame is this ?
The link to more information is in the description for this video.