linear bearings for milling machine

[ntambomvuParticipant @ntambomvu]

Does anyone have information about the use of linear bearings as the beds

in homemade lathes and milling machines??

[ntambomvuParticipant @ntambomvu]

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Welcome aboard, ntambomvu

Not specifically … but they do work very nicely on microscope stages and such.

The steady load capacity can be astonishingly high, but I suspect you may have problems [bearing tracks pitting] caused by vibrations that are transmitted from the cutter. It really depends what sort of work you are expecting the machine to do.

… A heavily built machine, taking light cuts, could be fine.

What do you have in mind?

MichaelG.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 17/09/2012 21:51:34

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

Most commercial machines now use linear bearings for the bed ways instead of slides.

[ntambomvuParticipant @ntambomvu]

Hello Micheal- nice to meet you

I recently bought a cheap bench lathe and have fitted it with servos and am running mach3

There have been many problems. Fitting limit switches,fitting home switches making fittings for the ball screw – routing wiring away from interference ( mechanical and electric) ts.

Other issues are that the gearbox is noisy and the speed range is inadequate.

So instead of messing around with something of known dubious quality- I am going to

convert it back to original and rather build myself a new all electronic lathe. I am sure it will

probably be cheaper ( and better) than trying to work with something junky and badly made.

( one of the things that I had to do was to strip down the gearbox completely and take about a teaspoonful of foundry sand our that had been left there.

regarrdes fred

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Fred … that's much easier name.

O.K. that sounds like a good plan.

It would be worth looking at the components available from Marchant Dice.

[they also trade on ebay, so you might find a bargain]

Provided that you keep a realistic balance between the "weight" of the machine, and the loads you expect to put on it; the only real problem will keeping the dust and swarf out of the linear bearings.

Good luck … and please keep us informed of progress.

MichaelG.

[Author]

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