progress on BOSOZ

[cowanrg]

hey everyone. i know how you all like pictures (so do i), so i took some of the progress on my bosoz. in addition, i took pictures of my new milling machine that im assembling in the basement

so, soon i will be done with the bosoz to give to my dad for his bday, and i will be milling with the milling machine, good stuff.

[cowanrg]

i guess i should post the pictures huh?

http://www.cowanrg.mesanetworks.net/...oz/preamp7.jpg
http://www.cowanrg.mesanetworks.net/...oz/preamp8.jpg
http://www.cowanrg.mesanetworks.net/...oz/preamp9.jpg

and here are the milling machine

http://www.cowanrg.mesanetworks.net/.../shop/mill.gif
http://www.cowanrg.mesanetworks.net/...hop/shop11.jpg
http://www.cowanrg.mesanetworks.net/...hop/shop12.jpg
http://www.cowanrg.mesanetworks.net/...hop/shop13.jpg

[gearheaddruid]

Hi, Nice looking piece. I was in the high end audio business for most of my life, recently got into the machine tool industry. I have a cnc mill in the garage and am retrofitting a lathe to cnc presently.
FYI there are several neat things available for DIY machinest. There is a program called CNCSoft that will control stepper motors using the printer port of a p.c. This is an easy retrofit to the smaller mills like the one pictured. The software is free!
The other one I use the @#*& out of is called Deskengrave. This will take any MS Word font and generate the G-code for it. You just type in the text, tell it what tool, and how deep to cut! I attach my Dremel to the spindle nose to give me a high speed for engraving.
Anodize or paint a part and engrave through the coating looks real neat! Do a lot of race car parts like this. This is also a free download.
If someone wants to start a thread on machining, I will be glad to share my knowledge. Regards, Steve

[cowanrg]

ive actually done some pretty intense research on CNC. eventually, i plan on converting that machine to a CNC, i already have a spare computer, some controllers for steppers and some other stuff. but for now, im still outsourcing a lot of my stuff. that back panel was done by frontpanelexpress.com. its a pretty good job. for $30 it was well worth it. it makes the piece look a lot more professional, rather than just a DIY job.

[kilowattski]

Is that an Enco 16 1/2" mill? Did it come dissasembled? The reason I ask is because I am here by myself and the assembled my is about 500 lbs I bet. Your next purchase should be a DRO. Best of luck with it.

[MikeW]

Are you going to build a BOSOZ with 5 outputs for your surround sound system?

[Sandy H.]

Originally posted by cowanrg
in addition, i took pictures of my new milling machine that im assembling in the basement

I'm sure you've already found these other sites for machining, but:

www.practicalmachinist.com
www.homeshopmachinist.net
www.chaski.com

are the 3 I frequent. They will have tons about upgrades, fixes and home made jigs etc for the mill/drill. Since you already have it apart, I assume you're shimming the column etc to get the tram correct. Mine was pretty good at about .002"/ft out of square, but there are horror stories of people whose columns were much worse.

It looks like you enjoy your shop time. That tool will be fun as well.

Sandy.

[moe29]

why no XLR outputs? They could come in handy if you are using Aleph's.

[fcel]

No XLR input and output? Why? Even if you don't ever use it, to built it, it's just a couple more wires and jacks.

[cowanrg]

thanks for the comments everyone!

first off, there is a reason why it doesnt have XLR ins/outs. this is going to my dad for a present. he already has the rest of his system, and it doesnt use balanced. he is the type of guy who keeps things for many many years, and he likes his amp and will keep it for many years. so, adding balanced would just be an extra expense that isnt needed.

as far as the mill goes, its not an enco, its a harborfreight (which is pretty much the same as grizzly, enco, and a few others, just different badge). the size im not sure about, i didnt think mills had a size associated with them. its a 2HP (plenty for aluminum), has 19.75" Longitudinal travel, 7.375" cross travel, and 12 speeds.

the table is big enough for most of what i want to use it for. i should be big enough to do full faceplates too. its pretty sturdy (the crate for just the mill was 763 pounds, the stand was another 150). this isnt a little hobby mill, its pretty huge (small in comparison to the BIG boys though).

i have been doing months of research, thats why you havent seen me around very much. this is the best one to fit my needs, and for the price, it cant be beat. the first modification is to add DRO's. that will be the best thing for accuracy, and just using it easier. i will also throw on some kinda coolant spray on the head.

as of yet, i havent measured accuracy yet, its still apart right now. its apart because its going in my shop, which is in the basement. yes, i know im nuts. i took it arpat so it can be moved down piece by piece. it will be reassembled down their. god help me when i move.

im going on vacation in a week or so, so i cant play with it for awhile (its still not assembled either). it sucks getting new toys (especially big ones like this), and not being able to play around with them at all.