After getting the control software set up and making sure it was communicating with the machine, I took some time to clean the mill. Because we plan to replace the bed, saddle, table and column, I didn’t anal retentively clean the machine like I’d normally do, but did make sure to free up any stuck parts and stone any burrs.
Author: Circularfish (Page 2 of 2)
I am an amateur machine builder with a decade's worth of experience fooling around on projects that range from total disasters to "something kinda neat". I enjoy working on older "American Iron" but have lately begun dipping my toe in home brew CNC. I have a couple of cool projects on tap, so if you enjoy this stuff, stay tuned!
I don't check the email all the time, but can (eventually) be contacted at sententiousadieu at gmail dot com.
To get the mill up and running I’ve elected to start with a cheap all-in-one touchscreen PC. Basically, all it needs to do at this stage in its life is to (a) not let out the magic smoke, and (b) run the Intelitek CNCBase control software that is set up to work with the BenchMill 6000.
I suspect Mach 3 or 4 might be made to work, but the appeal of the BenchMill was that it *should* work out of the box with the Intelitek software, which is set up to control all of the bells and whistles that come with the machine like the pneumatic shield, automatic tool changer, 4th axis, and pneumatic drawbar.
To test this theory I acquired a Gateway ZX4800 touchscreen from the most reputable of internet auction sites for the exorbitant sum of $85. This is the finest of circa-2012 era all-in-one computers, and other than concerns with the integrated graphics, its Pentium dual core seems to meet the minimum requirements published to run the CNCBase software.
After paying for the mill I loaded up a Uhaul 5×9 trailer and headed up to Akron. It was about a 10 hour haul from Georgia, cutting through South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. Took my son with me and made a road trip out of it. Lovely country — believe it or not, it was an enjoyable drive.
The folks at the University of Akron couldn’t have been nicer. After checking the paperwork they helped load the mill using a forklift. Note to anybody considering getting one of these: with the enclosure the machine weighs in at around 400 pounds, so if you are thinking “micro mill” and are assuming you can just man handle it into the back of your SUV, think again. The weight isn’t toooooo bad, but the enclosure makes it bulky and difficult to move.
So we’ve got the raw material to start with. Behold, an Intelitek BenchMill 6000. As far as I can tell, these were constructed around the Sieg iKX1 platform. They feature a pneumatic draw bar, jog pendant, auto opening/closing front shield, and a one-shot oiler. They come wired for a coolant pump and a 4th axis.They also work with Intelitek’s proprietary CNCBase controller software, which is free to download.
While we all love old manual mills, what we really need for some of the ideas on the horizon is something that can manage light but precise and repeatable cuts in aluminum and mild steel. We need a machine that can manage complex, three-dimensional designs and, if possible, automate multiple tool changes. A bench-top CNC mill would be ideal. But how do we get there?