Author Topic: Error in CAD drawing in thread on X2 Column  (Read 9779 times)

Offline superc

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 104
  • Country: us
Error in CAD drawing in thread on X2 Column
« on: February 22, 2014, 03:35:24 PM »

 :Doh:
In my thread about modifying the X2 column (epoxy fill) I posted a CAD from another website.  Being a paranoid sort after doing my layout on the new back plate before drilling I decided to measure everything on the real column myself and make sure everything was right. 

 :doh:
Nope.  The CAD shows the height of the center of the column bolthole at 3.25"

Hear Ye, Hear Ye.

On my column when mounted to the mill base the center of the column bolthole is at 3.68"   IMO, that is a WHOPPING distance to be off on a 15/16" hole placement.

Always check measurements!  Then double check them.   :)

Offline velocette

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 152
  • Country: nz
Re: Error in CAD drawing in thread on X2 Column
« Reply #1 on: February 22, 2014, 04:30:42 PM »
Hi Sorry to be critic thats what I do
The X2 mill is built to Metric Sizes Much easier to work with than convert everything

Eric

Offline velocette

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 152
  • Country: nz
Re: Error in CAD drawing in thread on X2 Column
« Reply #2 on: February 22, 2014, 04:34:09 PM »
Hi
Criticism aside found lots of useful info that you shared on fixing the wobbles on an X2 column.

Erc

Offline superc

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 104
  • Country: us
Re: Error in CAD drawing in thread on X2 Column
« Reply #3 on: February 22, 2014, 10:11:44 PM »
Thanks.
I am afraid that when the US Congress decided back in the 1970s that it was better for the US to follow other countries rather than stay with the Inch system and be a leader, Congress also failed to apportion budget money for American homes to purchase metric tools.  Consequently while I can metric if I have to, Grampa's calipers are inch scale, dad's socket wrenches are inch scale and if I measure, it is in inch scale. 

 :D  My local John Deere dealer hates me.  This is because a few decades ago when I bought a 770 tractor from him, upon discovering it was all metric, I re-tapped many bolt holes and switched the bolts and nuts most commonly accessed to good old American sized 1/4, 1/2, 9/16th etc.  Then a year or two after that I had occasion to drop it off there for service.  Ooops, did I forget to mention that to them?  Yeah, I did.   LoL

Offline mattinker

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1316
  • Country: fr
Re: Error in CAD drawing in thread on X2 Column
« Reply #4 on: February 23, 2014, 03:09:58 AM »
http://madmodder.net/Smileys/default/Bounce.gif I don't suppose that you noticed that 1/2" =13mm, 9/16"=14mm and 19mm=3/4" Could have saved you some time and energy tapping and threading!

Regards, Matthew

Offline superc

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 104
  • Country: us
Re: Error in CAD drawing in thread on X2 Column
« Reply #5 on: February 23, 2014, 12:29:58 PM »
Sure, but why would I buy Metric taps?   LoL

That is true if your wrenches have a lot of slop (tolerance) but actually for instance the 13mm bolt head is not a true .5" but is actually a .51" and yes a larger 9/16 (.56") will easily fit over a smaller 14mm (.55") bolt head but don't be too surprised if someday that bolt's corners begin to round off, nor should you be too upset if a precision 14mm socket just doesn't fit the old beat up 9/16 bolt without a lot of effort.  Agreement that in the case of a 19mm or 3/4" the difference is so negligible no tool should notice.

But no, the 12mm had no real SAE equivalent, so it became a 1/2 inch, the 9 became a 3/8 and the poor 15 (there were a lot of those) became a 5/8.  4mm, 7mm, 9mm, 12mm and 15mms aren't really tolerated around here.   :)

Incidentally for those who work with both and have one of those mixed socket type boxes which tend to mix the different types as you carry the wrench kit around, try my trick of color coding them.  Here a red marked wrench or socket is SAE and yellow means it is metric.  Since I have over 100 of each and they tend to roll around together in various tool kits I found the color code helps when sorting them.

Getting back to the main topic.
 :update:
Based on email exchanges with another X2 owner it has been established to my satisfaction that not all X2 or SX2 bases have the exact same height.  Someone else measured his own height of the column nut center and where the CAD (from a 3rd mill owner) had 3.25" while I had 3.68", the third person has 3.5". 

When I think about it I come up with the conclusion there is more than one mold (or factory?) turning out the mill bases.  As long as the top spaces are proper and can be machined properly to fit the table, the height of the base doesn't become an issue, so out there are tall ones, short ones and ones somewhere in between. 

So the conclusion is, if you do the addition of the back plate to your column, there is no way around measuring everything first.  I would (and do) use the CAD drawing as a reference but the actuality of the measurement's needs to be independently verified for each person's X2 because variations are now known.


Offline mattinker

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1316
  • Country: fr
Re: Error in CAD drawing in thread on X2 Column
« Reply #6 on: February 23, 2014, 01:21:11 PM »
Why would you buy metric taps? Maybe because you have a metric machine! I trained as a a mechanic in the UK over forty years ago, at that time, the UK vehicle manufacturers had adopted the unified system, Some of the body builders were still using the Whitworth system (55°threads) and the metric system was showing up on things like Ford gearboxes. I started out with three sets of spanners, I still use all three, despite living in metric France, I have Unified threads on my Elliot M10 shaper, Whitworth on my Colchester lathe and Clarkson T&G and the rest are metric. I have always bought tools to suit what I'm working on, it's paid off over the years. If you'd bought three taps, you could have don what you had to do!

Regards, Matthew

Offline velocette

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 152
  • Country: nz
Re: Error in CAD drawing in thread on X2 Column
« Reply #7 on: February 23, 2014, 03:16:13 PM »
Hi a little aside on the various spanners required. As a youngster and the proud owner of a motor bike  with B.S.F threads all round. I bought a set of spanners of the appropriate sizes my pride and joy.
The farmers son next door not being the sharpest knife in the box "Borrowed" them to work to adjust the throttle links on the tractor.
They did not quite fit so on returning them proudly told me that they would now fit all the nuts on my bike now as he had taken some time to grind out the jaws to make the fit properly.

Eric

Offline superc

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 104
  • Country: us
Re: Error in CAD drawing in thread on X2 Column
« Reply #8 on: February 23, 2014, 06:31:39 PM »
 :Doh:  Did you burn his tractor?   LoL

Offline JD

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 154
  • Country: england
  • Gosport Hampshire UK
Re: Error in CAD drawing in thread on X2 Column
« Reply #9 on: February 23, 2014, 07:01:43 PM »
 My Step son trained in turning/milling over 20 odd years ago all metric CNC etc   :thumbup:  First machine shop roughing out on a manual Mill in Imperial   :bang: .
He also operated an Industrial CNC plasma cutter for a company making Grain Silos which where shipped all over the world all Imperial.
His last company's work was for emergency repairs for local factories, small run jobs and a lot of marina work, some contracts abroad with a high percentage Imperial spec, the odd metric work crept in but not a lot.
He now works as an engineer on shed for one of UKs rail network all metric, so on some of his longer visits home he keeps his hand in with his old company still all Imperial work :loco:
   John W
If you cant fix it hit it with a bigger hammer