Taig Mill From Ebay: Update

I'm still chasing the backlash in the table. There seems to be as much as .012" on the y axis. It looks to me as though it is coming from the bearing blocks at the end of the leadscrews where the cranks are mounted. There doesn't appear to be any way to adjust this out. I ordered a new x axis leadscrew and a bearing block assembly as well as the CNC style leadscrew nuts which can be tightened to reduced backlash. I also ordered the 1/5Hp motor which should be an improvement over the 1/8Hp motor that is on it now. It only cost me $30 so I figured it was worth a try. As you can see in the picture below I also got around to wiring and mounting a switch to the Taig. The Taig motor came with a connector wired to it that happens to be the mate to the type of connector that plugs into a PC power supply. That made it really simple to use spare PC power cord to wire it up.


I also managed to wreck the test indicator that I was using to align the vise. I was cranking the handles to move the table to do something and I didn't remove the indicator before doing so. I tend to be really impatient and take shortcuts that end this way all too often. Luckily, the indicator was a $30 cheapy that I bought from littlemachineshop.com rather than a $200-$300 Starret or Brown and Sharp.
I did manage to machine a few pieces out of scrap aluminum that I got from work. I made a few t-slot nuts and two clamps to hold the vise down. In order to clamp the vise down to make those I ground some 1/4-20 carriage bolts to fit in the t-slots and made some clamps on the FDM machine at work. The FDM machine extrudes ABS plastic, so those clamps were not very strong and the vise walked at times, which is why I used them only to make new clamps.
Lee and I got together at his house the other Saturday. I loaded the bio-diesel processor into my truck and dropped it off in one of his garages. I presently have no diesels running, so the ambition to complete the processor is just not there. Lee now has my old Golf and a Rabitamino, so hopefully he'll find the time to get one of them going and the processor up and running too.
After we unloaded the processor we worked on fixing up an old drill press that Lee had because I had none and he had an extra laying around. The press had no power cord, no power switch, and the belt guard had no means of being mounted. Lee fashioned a quick and dirty power switch from a light switch that he hastily tore off of the wall of his garage. He then attached it using some scrap wood that was laying around. Lee doesn't pay much regard for aesthetics, but he gets results.

































The mount for the belt guard was a bit more refined as Lee was itching to show me his wood lathe and used it as an excuse to start it up. The drill press is based around a large pipe Lee turned a piece that would fit into the pipe. He then attached a few blocks of wood upon which the guard rests quite nicely. It isn't beautiful but it works better than the nothing that I had before.


I actually used the drill press to drill and tap the holes in the Taig column to mount the power switch. It was much nicer than drilling a crooked hole with the hand drill. I was also able to chuck the tap and turn it by hand to start the tap straight, thus reducing the likelyhood of breaking the tap. Well done, Lee. Thanks for the drill press.