Hello my name is Brian, I just signed up as a member and I have been around the space a few times. I have been making stuff with my Taig Milling machine for around 10 years now, and recently my machining projects have really outgrown the capacity and capability of the machine. I have not really been using the machine much and when I discovered the hackspace I thought it would be a perfect place to donate the machine to!
The machine is light, not as heavy as the larger one in the corner but heavier than the sherline. I will create a tutorial on how to make a small introductory part for fun! It is all in good working order! The cabinet is showing a bit of wear and tear but it is fully functional. It has a flood coolant system which is great for cutting aluminum, primarily what the machine is capable of. I will include a control computer which runs Mach3, which is a very capable controller. I will also include a programming computer with a legal copy of a simple 2-1/2 D CAM program called Sheet CAM which is very easy to use.
The machine requires regular maintenance to properly function. I will make detailed instructions how to keep it going. Tooling is expensive! You will have to supply your own cutters as they are easy to break. There will be a list of recommendations and suggestions to lessen the the chance of damaging or breaking things, but it will likely happen anyways, don’t worry! The machine is easy to fix and parts are cheap. I think it would be a great candidate for VHS projects to hack and increase the capability of the machine. One idea I had is a big boon of the machine is that it is “open loop” meaning the controller receives no position feedback. If the spindle or machine stalls during any part of a cut you have to start back from the very beginning which is frustrating! Encoder feedback to the controller to keep track of these errors would save a lot of time and stop the machine in a stall.
These pictures are only small sample of things I have done with it. So I am putting the question out there who wants to see the machine in the space??
Hello Brian! Maybe it is too much to ask, since you are already being so extremely kind by offering the CNC donation, but would you be willing to provide an initial training session to a small group who will then be able to train other members?
@Gear105 : Hey Brian, Thanks a ton. Can you give us some idea of how much space we should allocate (including a PC I guess?) and what kind of table we should plan on making to hold it (am guessing 2x4 & 3/4" ply is fine). Thanks, Tom
The machine is free standing. I have never made a really good solution to hold the computers. I used to put the controller monitor on top of my toolbox. I got some old shelving that makes a good temporary desk till something better gets made.
Does bring to mind a question. What kind of supplies will we need to run it? What were you using for cooling fluid? What would use guess the cost to be to say do 60mins of cnc work? Does it have a reservoir in the setup or something on the side? Included or do we need to get our own?
Things we have to find some room in our budget for. Why I ask
Coolant is recirculated. A fair amount does evaporate during cutting but you mostly just have to add water to top it back up. I have a bottle of some concentrate left too. It lasts a very very long time. Cutting tools in my opinion should really be provided by whomever is doing the cutting as they are delicate, expensive and consumable. That is all you need to run it really and a bit of way lube, maybe some spare parts down the line, and oh yeah electricity.
Fully agree! … and if you don’t plan to use the machine enough to warrant purchasing the cutting tools, then you should find someone who does own them. This will ensure that someone with experience (presumably the owner of the tools) will be supervising the person with less experience (the one who only uses the CNC once per year or so).
I forgot to give you the measurements! The machine cabinet is roughly 3’ wide x 2’ deep and the self table I have beside it is roughly 2’10" wide x 20" deep.
