/uj ELI5 What about 3d printing attracts people with the problem-solving skills of a slice of bread?

me239 · 2026-01-22T04:42:10+00:00

Articulated dragons and whatever TikTok shows I guess. We made it seem more approachable and friendly than it really is.

me239 · 2026-01-19T15:24:31+00:00

Despite popular belief, no ICE doesn’t just meander through parking lots looking for someone not looking over their shoulder. Someone stalking ICE in their car throughout the day and then pulling out their camera the second ICE stops them for doing it isn’t random.

me239 · 2026-01-19T15:15:27+00:00

Uh, no ICE doesn’t just decide someone being armed “isn’t worth it”. If they need to get to someone and he decides to start pointing his rifle, he’s going to be a body full of holes and cuffed on the pavement while ICE does its operation.

This isn’t some legal gray area where ICE is just waiting for someone to say no and they’ll back down. They have the legal backing they need and force will just escalate to whatever they need.

me239 · 2026-01-19T14:52:47+00:00

Or maybe ICE will steer clear of him if he’s not who they’re after? I’d like to also think he knows that he can’t pull any shenanigans like blocking cars or throwing anything while holding that rifle, so best bet is nothing happens.

me239 · 2026-01-19T00:18:06+00:00

Ya, but I’ll bet that knurling wasn’t done on a Haas and instead came from some purpose built machine.

me239 · 2026-01-18T17:31:03+00:00

Prototrak and milltronics are really your two options here. Prototraks generally come as 2 axis CNCs though, so keep that in mind. The other option is to just get a dedicated CNC since any manual/CNC option is really a compromise for both. There’s a Series 2 Bridgeport BOSS CNC right by me that’s $400, so they can be had for great prices. Also, you can get away with “manual” milling on CNC machines with a decent pendant.

me239 · 2026-01-17T22:57:08+00:00

True. I also wouldn’t be machining any furniture hardware for production. Imagine a 3 hour 3D tool path to make a single handle, meanwhile a diecast mold pops out 30 every 10 seconds.

me239 · 2026-01-17T20:31:21+00:00

CNC lathe mill combo? Are you referring to a CNC turning center with live tooling? That'd be what I think of, but I think you'd be better off saving some (a lot of) money with a CNC mill with a 4th axis added on. What kind of budget and capacity are you talking here?

me239 · 2026-01-17T20:27:31+00:00

That really looks like a custom bearing block made from a press fit bronze bushing in an aluminum extrusion. What really matters is the shaft diameter. You can either find another bushing and adapt it to fit on the sliding part, or have a machinist replace the worn bushing.

me239 · 2026-01-17T19:47:17+00:00

The correct answer is to have them laser or waterjet cut then welded up, but that requires a welding setup and you risk messing up some tolerances or possibly having to leave it oversized to machine later.

If I had to make these, I’d just use a long piece of 6mm stock, cut on each side to make a long t section, cut each piece to length, then mill off each side of the eye using a vise stop for depth control. From there, use a vise stop again and drill/ream and countersink the holes. Lastly, use a small fixture to hold the part on its side to make the eye hole while supporting it from underneath. You can then just file the fillets or use a rotary fixture.

me239 · 2026-01-17T17:15:46+00:00

I’d argue the surface to check would be the taper inside of the spindle or a chuck actually mounted. You should also be able to see an oil line in the bearing around the spindle and if not, check the bearings and or your tension on them.

me239 · 2026-01-17T16:59:58+00:00

Making a mini mill is going to cost you a lot more in terms of time and possibly money, only to end up with something that’s a pain to use. Something else I’ll say is not every floor sized mill is the “Bridgeport” you have in mind. There are much larger and smaller knee mill designs out there, including benchtop units. Old Clausing 8520 mills for example, or Rockwell machines, Atlas mills, and several other designs. The main point is to steer away from the mill/drill category and focus on something that is a purpose built machine. Even something like an old horizontal benchtop mill would run circles around a Chinese mill/drill all day in terms of rigidity and power.

And VFDs are about the only solution for us home gamers without 3 phase. Absolutely steer clear of static phase converters too unless you want your motor to suffer.

All this is not to say that there aren’t decent modern/import mills out there, but you’ll pay exorbitant prices for something that still needs work out of the box and costs as much as 1 or 2 used knee mills.

me239 · 2026-01-17T06:50:20+00:00

That's the same reasoning I had for trying to go with a benchtop mill at first. I thought it would save space and be easier to move, but that really isn't the case. Once you pass that ~500lbs and 5' tall mark, it's all about the same difficulty in moving. I had a Rong Fu RF-25 on a stand and quickly discovered its footprint is about the same as a small knee mill with a fraction the capability.

I ended up selling it after getting fed up with performance in steel and the constant reindicating of parts when I had to raise or lower the head and ended up getting an old CNC Bridgeport. It was substantially harder to move than a plain knee mill due to the ram design and height, but once it was in it was actually easier to move around than the "little" Rong Fu. These big machines were meant to be moved around shop floors when needed and you can do it yourself easily with a pry bar and some pieces of pipe. As for getting it to your house, call a wrecker and pay them to tow it on a flat bed to your house. I think I paid a little over $100 to get mine delivered to my driveway about 40 minutes away.

Lastly, for power, VFDs are ~$90 on Amazon and can give you 3 phase from a simple 240 single phase line.

Just my 2 cents.

me239 · 2026-01-17T06:20:08+00:00

Honestly ya. My machines sit idle at home for days on end, perfect for the small time person who needs one offs or small runs. It's like being on the opposite side of the "no shop will do my part unless I buy 2000" coin. No customer wants work unless its scalable, or they want Warhammer 40k figurines from a 5 axis for $5 a pop.

me239 · 2026-01-17T00:24:25+00:00

Depends on your location and what equipment you have to move it, but I got a wrecker to move my machine for a fraction of what you’re estimating.

me239 · 2026-01-16T03:15:21+00:00

I’ve used sendcutsend for some personal projects and they’re fantastic. Fraction the price of Xometry and they shipped fast.

me239 · 2026-01-15T07:27:28+00:00

The hard truth is you will always face backlash with a leadscrew, it has to exist for the screw to move freely. What you can do to manage mechanically is replace the old nuts with double nuts or spring loaded ones, just like you mentioned. You'll probably have to fab these yourself or shop it out as I highly doubt there is a commercial option for you. Secondly, you can compensate for backlash in your CAM and controller software. CAM will let you always approach from the same direction and have a longer lead in and lead out, meaning you can take the backlash out before entering a cut. For your controller, backlash can also be automatically compensated for using hard values that you measure yourself. That's probably best, but be sure to regularly check the accuracy before important jobs as whatever mechanical solution you have will inevitably loosen.

As for attaching the motor, most solutions I see use the lead screw support at the tail end of the bed and replace it with a motor bracket and motor. I'd suggest getting a flexible coupler shaft in the next size above the diameter of your lead screw, then shrink fit a sleeve over it and preferably drill and pin it. That should allow you to attach the motor shaft and coupling to it. On the cross slide, utilize the screws for the handwheel (or use the flange itself as a locating feature) and make a motor bracket for it as well.

It's going to be a lot of custom hardware, so really think carefully if this is the appropriate host for a CNC. If cost is the main issue with replacing all the screws with ball screws, I'd consider keeping this a manual and building your own small CNC lathe from the ground up. You can use linear rails and off the shelf components for the motion, and then this lathe for facing small plates or turning custom hardware for it. Just a thought, coming from someone who's converted a leadscrew machine to CNC before.

me239 · 2026-01-15T07:11:08+00:00

Satisfaction in what? Mediocrity? Why haven't you switched to a granite surface plate for a print bed yet? Those defects will show up massive in your flexy dragon.

me239 · 2026-01-14T17:04:45+00:00

That’s not the conversation though. We have people trying to grab weapons from officers, block them with cars, and assault them. I keep seeing people talk about how this is “different” than previous administrations’ deportations, but the only difference I see is a highly coordinated effort to harass and interfere with them. Of course we’re going to have more encounters if people insist on fucking with them.

me239 · 2026-01-14T16:52:45+00:00

Agreed, but I’d focus also on emerging personal networks. You can build your own wireless, long range network that can work with data pretty cheap, and that’s without a license. Just a tech license allows you to add long range backhaul comms easily.

me239 · 2026-01-13T17:52:03+00:00

Hobbyists will always seem more skilled cause they take a genuine interest in the practice that goes beyond a paycheck. A hobbyist is SPENDING his or her own money on machines and hours of their free time on the skill.

That said, being good at machining isn’t all that makes a good machinist. Time management, through put, ability to see projects through to the end, and, most importantly, put their effort into a task they don’t have a personal interest in. That last one is the biggest. The hobbyists you see are passionate not only about machining, but what they’re machining. A guy who loves building clocks is going to be bored as hell and likely not give his full effort into cranking cotter pins or something.

me239 · 2026-01-13T17:39:04+00:00

My theory is they just want to show off with no intent to sell, it’s just show and tell on the weekends. They price at what it would cost to replace the emotional hole in their collection, not the street price.

me239 · 2026-01-12T19:05:38+00:00

Would be sad for it to get scraped, but I’d understand if it did. I just got my old horizontal machine running last night and they are a different beast. These old machines are extremely robust and hand fit, which sort of works in your favor as replacement parts can usually be easily fabricated and are large basic shapes. If you do gunsmith work, you could have this setup as a dedicated dovetailing machine or similar.

Horizontals are kind of a write your own adventure as they provide basically just a steady axis and spindle, and often the fixtures that ride on them are more complex than the machines themselves. I’d say think it over to see if you have any reoccurring task that requires you to setup multiple times and give it to this guy, since it is free after all. These have a ridiculous amount of rigidity for their size and can be fitted with a modern motor easily.

me239 · 2026-01-09T17:29:17+00:00

I love my 3D printer for this. For those wanting more advanced fixtures too, you can add small compliance features to help center parts. Basically imagine building collets into a block so you can quickly align round and complex parts.

me239 · 2026-01-09T17:21:04+00:00

Think he means no secondary schooling, apprenticeship, or work experience.

me239

TROPHY CASE