07-14-2018, 03:59 AM
I'm Ken from the Tampa Bay area of Florida, very much a newb in the machining world. So here we go sorry up front if this post wears you out.... I really am not generally this talkative.
First let me take time to thank Yuri and everyone else involved in the creation and ongoing development of TouchDRO. I am totally blown away at the quality of the product and cannot say thanks enough for the hard work and that it is offered for free. I’m a longtime Android user and cannot remember not rooting and hacking any Android phone or tablet I’ve owned. Being a beta tester with a few android developers I’m aware of what the developers go throw while developing their ideas into working devices.
As to machining… I got started a few years ago when I relocated back to the Tampa Bay Florida area to be closer to my Dad as he was 85 at the time and he and I are the only ones in the family with sense enough to get out of the cold north (rest of the family is up in VA). The house I got down the street from my Dad had a semi attached shop which my Dad (a Master Machinist back in his younger days) promptly started to fill up with equipment I never knew he had stashed away. Included are a Rockwell 11x36 Engine Lathe, KO Lee 718 series surface grinder, Lincoln Idlearch 300/300 MIG/TIG/Stick AC/DC welder with other odds and ends but no mill. A little over a year ago he had me order a mill and accessories for him. What we got was a Sieg series X2 Mini Mill though not made by Sieg. I know my Dad was a little surprised as he got a little mixed up by the catalog and thought he was getting a different machine. At any rate it fit well in the space we had available so we decided to make the best of it and I’ve be trying to learn how to use it ever since. Unfortunately my Dad passed at 90 this past April though each day I spend in the shop is a day spent with him.
Which brings me to the modifications of the Mini Mill… I can truly say that the DRO’s made the mill “usable” and the addition of TouchDRO has made it a real (all but small and limited) milling machine.
I’ve attached a few pictures of my build, not really sure what order they will show up in but they show the Basic TouchDRO build for my generic 3Volt DRO’s. Some quick testing assured me it was working OK (should be a pic showing 6-hole bolt pattern). Then I got fancy and put together a Rubbermaid based enclosure to keep my new creation safe while playing with the TouchDRO system. (Just PM me for details of the Rubbermaid Enclosure Build). Being satisfied that the build was stable and not wanting to be to “Up Town” with the custom Rubbermaid enclosure through the magic of Aluminum chip creation I put together a more traditional enclosure. Got tired and rather than finishing it off with a Plexiglas cover I opted for 12 gauge vinyl fabric for a cover for now (it’s what I use for my custom chip guard).
Again thank you very much for all your time and effort put into this. Looking forward to learning how to get the most from my upgraded Mini Mill.
Ken O.
"Life is about chasing dreams, if your not it's hard to argue you're living." me years ago in a moment of clarity.
First let me take time to thank Yuri and everyone else involved in the creation and ongoing development of TouchDRO. I am totally blown away at the quality of the product and cannot say thanks enough for the hard work and that it is offered for free. I’m a longtime Android user and cannot remember not rooting and hacking any Android phone or tablet I’ve owned. Being a beta tester with a few android developers I’m aware of what the developers go throw while developing their ideas into working devices.
As to machining… I got started a few years ago when I relocated back to the Tampa Bay Florida area to be closer to my Dad as he was 85 at the time and he and I are the only ones in the family with sense enough to get out of the cold north (rest of the family is up in VA). The house I got down the street from my Dad had a semi attached shop which my Dad (a Master Machinist back in his younger days) promptly started to fill up with equipment I never knew he had stashed away. Included are a Rockwell 11x36 Engine Lathe, KO Lee 718 series surface grinder, Lincoln Idlearch 300/300 MIG/TIG/Stick AC/DC welder with other odds and ends but no mill. A little over a year ago he had me order a mill and accessories for him. What we got was a Sieg series X2 Mini Mill though not made by Sieg. I know my Dad was a little surprised as he got a little mixed up by the catalog and thought he was getting a different machine. At any rate it fit well in the space we had available so we decided to make the best of it and I’ve be trying to learn how to use it ever since. Unfortunately my Dad passed at 90 this past April though each day I spend in the shop is a day spent with him.
Which brings me to the modifications of the Mini Mill… I can truly say that the DRO’s made the mill “usable” and the addition of TouchDRO has made it a real (all but small and limited) milling machine.
I’ve attached a few pictures of my build, not really sure what order they will show up in but they show the Basic TouchDRO build for my generic 3Volt DRO’s. Some quick testing assured me it was working OK (should be a pic showing 6-hole bolt pattern). Then I got fancy and put together a Rubbermaid based enclosure to keep my new creation safe while playing with the TouchDRO system. (Just PM me for details of the Rubbermaid Enclosure Build). Being satisfied that the build was stable and not wanting to be to “Up Town” with the custom Rubbermaid enclosure through the magic of Aluminum chip creation I put together a more traditional enclosure. Got tired and rather than finishing it off with a Plexiglas cover I opted for 12 gauge vinyl fabric for a cover for now (it’s what I use for my custom chip guard).
Again thank you very much for all your time and effort put into this. Looking forward to learning how to get the most from my upgraded Mini Mill.
Ken O.
"Life is about chasing dreams, if your not it's hard to argue you're living." me years ago in a moment of clarity.