My TaigTool CNC Milling Machine. A new tool and new control software to learn.

When I was a college student I had access to a manual milling machine to cut and shape metal parts with.  My first design job after college was for a company that made residential furniture from metal and glass and occasionally plastic.  I learned several things most don't know about what can be done with metal while working there. 

On February 24th, 2023 I received a mini CNC controlled milling machine that I had ordered.  A tool to permit me to stretch my experience using a CNC to cut wood and plastics toward CNC cutting metals.  A tool to explore with to scratch my design curiosity.  A tool I can use to make more complex parts with metal than I could with that manual milling machine.  

CNC Mini Milling Machine 

Some assembly was required.  Bought from TaigTools.com, this mini milling machine arrived in three separate boxes.  The stepper motors needed to be mounted to each of three axes. The motor and spindle had to be mounted to the Z axis post.  The Z axis post had to be mounted to the X/Y table.  

Once assembled a new adventure began.  To run the CNC it came with Mach3 controller software.  I was able to install it and run the software, but couldn't get it to communicate with the CNC.

The refurbished PC I bought to run the CNC came with a fresh install of Windows 10 Pro, 64 bit version.  As the 64 bit operating system doesn't support parallel ports Mach3 had no communication path to the CNC controller plugged into a parallel port I bought for that PC. 

It took more than a week, but eventually I received the UC100 USB to Parallel adapter that was recommended by the CNC company.  

Initially the adapter also failed to communicate with the CNC controller.  It took some research to find out why the new adapter still wouldn't.   A web clue suggested the PC needed .NET framework for everything to work.  The PC I bought to run the CNC mill apparently didn't have that installed.  Once I had it installed Mach3 did recognize the USB adapter and prompted me to select it from a list of other options. Once I selected it and turned on the CNC controller box I found that I finally did have control of the CNC mill. 

So now begins a new adventure for my retired soul. First task was to add the ability to have the spindle turn on when the job starts and off when it ends. An AC/DC control relay from IOTRELAY.COM along with an 8-pin plug and some 2-lead coated wire did the job.  

Spindle Relay

My next task was wiring up an emergency stop button to the CNC controller. Mounting the stop button where it would be quick to hit was important. I didn't want to make holes in the bench top so a way to clamp it to the edge of the bench was needed. 

Emergency Stop Button

The injection molded ends on the switch body had an angle on them and didn't sit flat on the table top.  I used my Probotix CNC to cut a mounting plate. It allowed for the angled ends and had a slot for the clamp I used to hold it to the bench top with.

Why an emergency stop button?  There have been several moments in the past when what was happening on my Probotix CNC took an unexpected turn. When a cut went awry having a button in reach to slap and stop the router and the movement of the CNC was extremely important.  As I get used to using this CNC milling machine I can loosen the clamp and move this E-Stop button to wherever it will be easiest to reach. 

The next update I am considering is to add limit switches the CNC mill. This should keep the machine from bumping into end stops during a cut which usually ruins the part being cut. That tale I'll reserve for another day. 

Questions and comments are welcome and appreciated.

4D

   

A Tool Stand for my Taigtool CNC Mini Milling Machine

I've got a new benchtop tool on order and it needs a stand to rest on. There will be associated accessories for this tool so a drawer to keep them in will be useful. The top of the bench has been made and was made from a 25" x 48" x 1.5"thick butcherblock panel purchased from my local Menards.  See here how I made the rectangular panel into a square panel:  Rectangle to Square

To access the tool without having to bend over the bench will be 38" tall. The legs will be similar to those I made for the prototype bench you can see here: Hobby Bench

Made from 4x4 (3.5" x 3.5") Cedar legs and 12mm x 5.75" plywood stretchers the flared stance should be sturdy and steady when the machine is in motion. 

8 degree legs

The drawer will use 24" long soft closing full extension drawer slides. The stand may eventually have casters.  

I found 6' long 4x4 cedar posts at my local Menards store. Fortunately six feet of material is the longest I can fit in my small car.  Six feet of 4x4 is enough for 2 legs.  I made all 4 legs with very little waste from two 6' long posts.  My Bosch Glide compound miter saw was used to cut the top and bottom compound angle on all 4 legs. 

The tenons on the end of the 12mm thick plywood stretchers were cut on my CNC.  They were clamped vertically in the X plane and held at 8 degrees relative to the Y direction. 

Mortises on two sides of each leg were also cut with the legs on my CNC. They are at an angle to end up vertical in relationship to the angled legs. 

Mortises at 8 degrees

To make the drawer side rails I split a pine board in half and ran both halves though the drum sander until the bandsaw marks were gone. I cut the two pieces in half lengthwise, then glued each half side by side to make two wider boards I can use. A new resaw blade on my bandsaw took awhile to install and set up, but did a nice job of splitting the pine board in half. 

For the two drawer sides I found two 6' long pine 1x3s that would do. I cut them in half lengthwise, then joined one edge on each piece before gluing 2 together x 2 stretchers.  With the glue dry I scraped off any beads of glue, then took all 3 stretcher boards out to my drum sander to clean them all up. They ended up 3/4" thick. 

Next came finalizing the design drawings and verifying the dimensions that all the parts needed to be. 

Drawer rails were made, including the tenons on the back angled end.  Mortises for those tenons were cut on the top inside edge of the two rear legs.  A pocket for the rails has been cut on the side of the two front legs. 

Legs will have their outer corner rounded over by a 1" radius round over bit.  The outer two faces of each legs have been cleaned up and made square to each other on my small jointer. 

Fence for 1" Radius Roundover Cutter

I designed and made a fence for my router table that would work with my 1" radius roundover bit.  I then took all four legs of the base out to my garage shop and ran their outside corner through that 1" radius roundover cutter. The outside corner 1" radius is to match the 1" radius corners of my table top. Some detail continuity to ensure the base leaves no question that it belongs to the table top. After that all legs were sanded to clean up their sides, and a 1/4" radius roundover was cut on the two inner external corners.  

For the drawer I've decided to use finger joints on the corners.   I've already CNC cut the profile for the drawer slides on the two sides of the drawer.  I cut the finger joints on the 4 corners of the drawer box. I used a 12mm router bit to simplify making a slot in the box sides for the 12mm plywood bottom. While I could make a 12mm wide slot with two passes of a 1/4" bit, it simplified the job by having a 12mm bit for that task.  Most 1/2" plywood sold these days is actually 12mm thick.  

 Drawer assembly started with one end (two corners) being glued up.  

24 inch deep drawer.

After the glue was dry on the first end, the other two corners were glued up.   This drawer will slide between two rails that were glued to the base.

These rails will hold the drawer slides for the drawer. 

The articulating "feet" for my parallel clamps helped clamp these parts efficiently. 

Finger joints on the drawer box needed to be flush trimmed to the side contour.  A 1/4" spiral flush trim bit in my hand held Milwaukee router took care of that.  

Finger jointed corners

With the drawer all glued up and finger corners cut flush the drawer was ready to have the drawer slides mounted and fit into the stand. 

Assembled drawer

I applied iron-on birch veneer edge tape to the plywood stretcher edges. When all the parts were done, and rough assembly was complete to verify fit, I took the bench into my utility room to help verify space and association to the PC work station. I might swap these two so the CNC mill will be centered on a wall rather than in a corner. 

I addition to this milling machine I plan to add a metal cutting bandsaw and a metal cutting miter saw to this room.  The bandsaw already has a base.  The miter saw will need a bench to sit on.  I ordered a ready made portable worksite stand for it from Amazon. 

The CNC mini milling machine will arrive soon.  The table top has been handy as I've been working on clearing out more space in this room for other metal processing tools. I need to clear off the table and apply 3 or more coats of finish on it to protect it. 

Assembled the base was a little racked, and the drawer didn't close evenly.  My hopefully temporary fix was a belt clamp between opposite corner legs. 

This table as intended is very stout and firm. When the CNC milling machine arrives I expect it to be happy mounted on this bench. 

Questions and Comments are encouraged and welcome.

4D