Novamill Column Raising Block

All info relating to the Denford Novamill CNC Milling machines

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madebymccoy
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue 13 Dec , 2016 23:36 pm
Hardware/Software: Novamill
- in process of upgrading controller to Mesa I/O and LinuxCNC
- retrofitting head with power drawbar
- and next year, raise column by 70mm

Microrouter V3

Micromill 2000

Re: Novamill Column Raising Block

Post by madebymccoy » Tue 21 Mar , 2017 2:12 am

Looks good!

It's on my to do list... I've stalled on the power drawbar, as I need to figure a plan of action to remove the head and refit plus align it again. Plus a snafu with incorrect measurements on the artwork, so I need to make a new plate :-/

How much did the spacer cost you in the end?

Also, you mention plate glass, what did you use that for??

Jon

Ben L
CNC Apprentice
CNC Apprentice
Posts: 53
Joined: Tue 23 Aug , 2016 23:13 pm
Hardware/Software: Novamill - Mach 3

Re: Novamill Column Raising Block

Post by Ben L » Sat 25 Mar , 2017 1:21 am

madebymccoy wrote:Looks good!

It's on my to do list... I've stalled on the power drawbar, as I need to figure a plan of action to remove the head and refit plus align it again. Plus a snafu with incorrect measurements on the artwork, so I need to make a new plate :-/

How much did the spacer cost you in the end?

Also, you mention plate glass, what did you use that for??

Jon
Hi Jon the spacer cost me £240 all in so a good price in the end after some crazy quotes.
I used a circle of plate glass to tram the head, the Novamill doesnt have any adjustment so its all on shims, just a long laborious process of moving a dti in all 4 directions over the glass until i was happy enough to lock it down at that. I'm sure there must be an easier way, but it has worked to reasonable tolerance and hopefully i wont have to do it again. i'll keep an eye on it though.

fgc
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri 22 Jun , 2012 6:01 am
Hardware/Software: Looking to purchase Denford machines in the near future

Re: Novamill Column Raising Block

Post by fgc » Sun 30 Apr , 2017 18:01 pm

Beautifully done. Thanks for sharing.

I too just got a local machine shop to make me a spacer. Can't wait to fit it in (though I have to modify the ATC as well)

Q1 - once the 4 large bolts at the base is undone, the entire Z column with everything else attached to it also lifts up with the column? So it is a simple act of putting the spacer in and bolting it back with longer bolts followed by refitting the Y axis stepper.

Q2 - what did you use as shims for leveling the Z column?

Thanks

Ben L
CNC Apprentice
CNC Apprentice
Posts: 53
Joined: Tue 23 Aug , 2016 23:13 pm
Hardware/Software: Novamill - Mach 3

Re: Novamill Column Raising Block

Post by Ben L » Mon 05 Jun , 2017 22:14 pm

Hi FGC, only just seen this sorry, i'm hoping you figured it out.
I disconnected the wires to all the steppers etc from the main plug to allow me the slack i needed for lifting the column.
shims I used were brass shim of varied thickness. a piece of ground glass and a dti to check in every direction that is was square to the table.

fgc
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri 22 Jun , 2012 6:01 am
Hardware/Software: Looking to purchase Denford machines in the near future

Re: Novamill Column Raising Block

Post by fgc » Mon 31 Jul , 2017 4:45 am

Hi Ben

Thanks for taking time to reply. I have been away and wasnt able to work on upgrading the mill. Thanks for the tips. Will look to upgrading it soon.

Cheers

madebymccoy
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue 13 Dec , 2016 23:36 pm
Hardware/Software: Novamill
- in process of upgrading controller to Mesa I/O and LinuxCNC
- retrofitting head with power drawbar
- and next year, raise column by 70mm

Microrouter V3

Micromill 2000

Re: Novamill Column Raising Block

Post by madebymccoy » Thu 29 Mar , 2018 17:18 pm

I've just been chatting with the waterjetting company I use, and it dawned on me that I could get them to cut the raising block from ground tool steel. It'll already have two parallel ground faces, and even though they do really good cutting (so minimal taper from the waterjet), I don't really care about the sides, just the parallel faces.

If not a tool steel, any suggestions as to which steel to use?

I've not actually looked that deeply into the internal design of the column - so I wonder if I should make it in one 70mm, two 35mm slices, or an i.e. 2x 20mm slices and a 30mm slice to give the internal structure needed. Guessing a profile cut isn't a sufficient internal structure??

JohnHaine
CNC Apprentice
CNC Apprentice
Posts: 51
Joined: Mon 21 Nov , 2011 12:12 pm
Hardware/Software: My Novamill, bought in Nov 11 without electronics, is now up and running under Mach3 with a home-build control box. I'm very pleased with the machine, only project so far is correcting a cheap small machine vice originally bought for a vertical slide to use on the machine - not a right-angle in it when bought!

Re: Novamill Column Raising Block

Post by JohnHaine » Thu 24 Oct , 2019 11:44 am

IMG_20191024_104316496.jpg
IMG_20191024_104316496.jpg (185.63 KiB) Viewed 10255 times
A possible alternative approach, though it gives less benefit, is to use finger collets direct in the spindle. I bought a set of these from China, they effectively give an extra 50mm daylight.

bpmsl
CNC Expert
CNC Expert
Posts: 145
Joined: Mon 16 Nov , 2009 10:00 am

Re: Novamill Column Raising Block

Post by bpmsl » Thu 01 Apr , 2021 18:25 pm

Hi All,
Been a long time. Has anyone considered casting a spacer in polymer granite and then lightly skimming it with a large diameter fly cutter?

My other thought was to get some ground steel plate water jet cut to profile then stack them to height.

Any constructive thoughts would be much appreciated.

All the best

Barry M

Mihail
Posts: 13
Joined: Mon 28 Jun , 2021 17:47 pm
Hardware/Software: Denford Novamil

Re: Novamill Column Raising Block

Post by Mihail » Thu 01 Jul , 2021 18:19 pm

If anyone is thinking of getting the riser block made and would benefit from another unit to reduce the per unit cost, please let me know.

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