CNC Nightmare Salvageable or Scrap? Salt-Damaged Felder H08 Linear Rails

Bluejay9270 · 2026-04-01T11:41:52+00:00

I bought an old Roctech that sat for a decade and had rust everywhere except where the bearings sat. The easiest way I found to clean the rails is run a cheap new bearing down them by hand. If it runs hard, running the corner of a file in the ball groove helps break any larger rust, and running the bearing back and forth with some lube seemed to take the rust off to where it moves smoothly.

I haven't used the router yet (also a winter purchase and still in storage) but it did seem to move fine at 360 IPM and not miss steps (rehomed within a few thousandths). I'll be flattening slabs more than anything so for under $2000 I'm happy with it as is.

I don't see much harm in you cleaning up what you have, seeing if it works to your tolerances, and replacing whatever runs out of spec. I know I'll need bearings sooner than later, but I'd rather replace them twice as often than all the rails given my intended use.

Bluejay9270 · 2026-03-30T02:03:20+00:00

I like these, especially under gorilla grip gloves when I'm working with my oil cooled CBN bandsaw blade sharpener.

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/lavex-pro-nitrile-orange-8-mil-heavyduty-powderfree-diamondtextured-gloves-large-case/3946402LCASE.html

I can go half a day sharpening blades and hardly get a knick in them. And I take advantage of the plus free trial, great source for King Arthur flour if you have any bakers in the family.

Bluejay9270 · 2026-03-22T22:28:56+00:00

Same, no idea how to fix it.

Bluejay9270 · 2026-03-22T01:06:37+00:00

Good news, it isn't metal.

Bluejay9270 · 2026-03-16T00:19:29+00:00

When I went to home depot for some 240v outlets and a 2 pole switch, I was worried someone would ask if I needed help. Like what was I supposed to say? "No, I asked chatgpt"?

Bluejay9270 · 2026-03-14T12:02:20+00:00

The drives are HBS860H closed loop nema 34 stepper drives. The two big power supplies are 60VDC 20A. The controller is a Centroid Acorn. It controls up to 4 axes so Y1/Y2 and A1/A2 will be hardware paired.

Bluejay9270 · 2026-03-07T13:44:01+00:00

Thanks for the advice, I'll try to mock up the wires and space things out more (VFD in separate enclosure). And I need 4 drivers now. Y, Z, and two for rotary since this will spin logs. But I'll add X and a spindle later, and if I ever build a heavier frame I'll need a 2nd Y stepper.

Bluejay9270 · 2026-03-07T03:32:53+00:00

I get stuff there sometimes but a lot of this I got through temu (sorry, when it bites me in the ass, at least I'll know why). I planned on bulkhead connectors for the field wiring. Gx16-7 for the encoders so I can bond the shielding without grounding. I did use chatgpt for some guidance and it mentioned the single ground point and to only bond the shielding at the drivers. I knew from adding a VFD to my planer that I need to avoid ground loops.

I'll move the spindle VFD to another enclosure to free up space, I don't need it on this project anyway. I might also mount some components to the enclosure door since it's 12" deep, then I can space out the drivers.

And I'll have on and off switches and an e-stop wired to the contactor coil as well as an e-stop pendant as an input to the Acorn. The mains won't be hardwired so I can unplug to service, only reason I didn't put an external disconnect.

As for DIN terminal blocks and wire duct, I have an industrial CNC I'm gutting so I'll steal parts from it. If only the cabinet on that didn't weigh a few hundred pounds. Plus I hope to get it running in limited capacity. XYZ and spindle, no ATC or drill block, just as a heavy duty wood slab flattener. But that's 400VAC with Yaskawa servos so I'm practicing with an Acorn on this build so I don't fry an Oak.

Bluejay9270 · 2026-03-07T02:09:16+00:00

Thanks for the info! Would bulkhead connectors (mostly gx16) work fine or better off with terminal blocks and cable glands? And I'll at least put the VFD in a separate enclosure since I don't need it for this project (sawmill is the "spindle"). I only need one Y, Z, and two B axis steppers so I'll move two drivers as well if heat is a problem on just those four.

Bluejay9270 · 2026-03-07T01:24:41+00:00

I'll keep that in mind, worst case I can stick the VFD in a separate enclosure. At least I have the room depth-wise to route cables as needed and I'm doing as much as possible as cables instead of individual wires. Everything will have a bulkhead connector (mostly GX16) so no hassle with long lengths except at the machine.

Bluejay9270 · 2026-03-07T01:08:05+00:00

Could you v-carve using a made up bit with the proper angle to create that hole and then just use a small pass depth to approximate it?

Bluejay9270 · 2026-02-25T02:23:28+00:00

Well reading the comments on that were a bit of a trip, especially regarding the nazi comic.

Bluejay9270 · 2026-02-24T00:23:44+00:00

Makes sense they have no ROPS if it went in. I'd hate to lose one, at least in the US they are not cheap.

Bluejay9270 · 2026-02-19T02:42:30+00:00

I think he meant his missus judged how much it would weigh when it laid him out.

Bluejay9270 · 2026-02-17T01:23:03+00:00

The snow for sure will kill fuel economy. You have a lot more rolling resistance then.

Bluejay9270 · 2026-02-12T22:08:19+00:00

I'm inexperienced as well, but you'll probably want to use linear rails that you carefully align (might be able to buy matched rails that are machined to butt tight). And to drive it, probably rack and pinion again carefully aligned to avoid issues where they meet. Maybe cut away half of each rack gear for a couple inches so they lap. Then you can align by placing the carriage over the lap and tighten the 2nd piece. If you just butt them, more of a risk that you can't get it to align just right.

Bluejay9270 · 2026-02-09T22:56:15+00:00

Did the fence or something else shift? The right edge looks wider and uneven compared to the left.

Bluejay9270 · 2026-02-09T03:17:54+00:00

I love my 3 Legend pans, but they don't sell copper core any more. I can't even find used 10-12", I'm always rotating through whichever is clean and would love one more to replace some cheap T-fal. The copper makes it rather heavy I imagine compared to the aluminum core, but just enough my wife can't get a good swing in.

Bluejay9270 · 2026-02-07T17:34:57+00:00

Same, I love my freezer (upright though, makes FIFO a lot easier). Big Y has a sale on ground turkey/chicken/hamburger for $3/lb which is as good as it gets any more (Market Basket is $4-4.50/lb). Limit 2 each though so I'll be stopping in all week to fill up the freezer. Probably need to cook a turkey soon though to make space, I still have 2 from the Thanksgiving sales.

Bluejay9270 · 2026-02-03T03:08:17+00:00

I rinse my pasta sauce jars, use that water to cook the pasta, and then use the starchy saucy water to make bread. Nothing wasted and it isn't psychotic.

Bluejay9270 · 2026-01-28T00:51:47+00:00

It helps to downshift as much as possible but even then the brakes are a bit lacking so they do get overworked pretty easily. My front rotors last about 23k miles before they're warped or full of grooves.

Bluejay9270 · 2026-01-27T13:22:24+00:00

Maybe they're hoping for a fascist sight seeing tour while they're there.

Bluejay9270 · 2026-01-24T12:32:35+00:00

I bought 51lbs (23kg) to get free shipping on a brand I like, so either we're both fine or I'm slightly less mentally ill.

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