CNC mill conversion - Part 5

Ball-nut stop-blocks

  

Last time, I put all the pieces I machined together to show how they fit, however there was still one last internal component missing, the ball-nut with its stop-block. 

The stop-block is threaded onto the ball-nut, but also attaches to the XY table, thus transferring the electric motor impulse into actual linear movement of the table.

I needed to make two of them, one for the X axis, and one for the Y axis, and they were slightly different from each other.

As usual I started with a piece of scrap aluminum, but this one was pretty mangled up, so I was happy to be able to recycle it into useful service.

Truly a piece of scrap metal

First order of business was squaring the roughly cut block of aluminum...

Facing one side

Aluminum blank

... and creating the step.

One "step" closer

Then I went to work on the main hole. This needed to get drilled, bored, and tapped.

Beginning of the center hole

Enlarging the hole

The Mother of all taps!

Talking about taps, I bought this huge one on eBay, just to thread the two stop-block holes.

"TapZilla!"

The last step was to drill and tap the small hole on the fat end of the block. Easy! 

Small hole drilled...

... and tapped.

The last piece of the Y axis was finally done.

First stop-block done!

Stop-block in position

Time to start on the last stop-block...

Part "donor"

Using the band saw to cut the piece down to size

More facing

Taking a 0.150" (3.8 mm) roughing cut with a ¾" end mill

Starting point

Drilling a ⅞" hole (2.2 cm)

TapZilla left its mark

Shaping the block to match the drawing

Another finished stop-block

Stop-block threaded onto the ball-nut

Ball-nut threaded onto the ball-screw

Short demo of Y axis operating