Proxxon MF 70 | Upgrade Tools Jigs Workspace | Making: grating ladder stair skylight pin carriage pump windlass winch mast yard

[glennb17]

And first of all, I'll show you step-by-step instructions on how to install bearings on the Z axis,
which is the first and most important improvement to this machine!

Two quick questions:

1. It's probably obvious when you take it apart, but is that nut flush to the washer/bearing? If so, does tweaking the tightness of the nut take some of the slop out of the z-axis as do the shims with set screws on the x- and y?

2. Is there no modification to the plastic plates as in Jim's posts on the x- and y-axis? That's the scariest part for me.

Thanks for posting this @serikoff. It's very helpful. I've been frustrated with the MF70 since I got it given it's sometimes toy-like feel. These $8 bearings might save me a costly upgrade that I didn't want to make until I had more of the basics of milling. I was able to take some of the slop out of the x- y-axes just playing with the gibs, but there's been nothing for the z-axis.

And thanks to @Jimsky also for his great post on the x- and y-axes. I am getting bearings and sewing machine oil today via Amazon. I'm always up for a major side track project in the shop. I'm looking forward to maxing out this affordable mill.

 

[DomCee]

And first of all, I'll show you step-by-step instructions on how to install bearings on the Z axis,
which is the first and most important improvement to this machine!

These bearings can be ordered on AliExpress using this link.
It's important to find the exact size.

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Be careful not to move the cylinder with the scale; there's a locking device there that could pop off and get lost! This will need to be done at the end.

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There's a black cylinder with fractional mm markings under the rotary knob. This cylinder needs to be moved away from the knob. But this needs to be done last, otherwise the pin that holds the cylinder to the axle might come loose. I wrote about this after the picture with the "Attention".

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To avoid any friction at all, you can slightly raise the scale cylinder (but this is not necessary; if the scale is very dirty, you can cover the bearings from dust).

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To install bearings on the other two axes on the coordinate table, to avoid repetition, here is a thread with detailed instructions:

Tutorial - Upgrading the Proxxon Micro Compound Table KT 70

Greetings, All With this thread, I am continuing the discussion about upgrading Proxxon tools (where possible). The subject of today's upgrade is the XY mini table Proxxon's official name is Micro Compound Table KT70. This Micro Compound Table KT 70 gives you the possibility of drilling to...

shipsofscale.com

That's great! I only started using my MF70 recently and immediately found the z axis was very poorly engineered. I will be making the mods that you have suggested on all three axes. Thanks.

 

[serikoff]

Two quick questions:

1. It's probably obvious when you take it apart, but is that nut flush to the washer/bearing? If so, does tweaking the tightness of the nut take some of the slop out of the z-axis as do the shims with set screws on the x- and y?

2. Is there no modification to the plastic plates as in Jim's posts on the x- and y-axis? That's the scariest part for me.

Thanks for posting this @serikoff. It's very helpful. I've been frustrated with the MF70 since I got it given it's sometimes toy-like feel. These $8 bearings might save me a costly upgrade that I didn't want to make until I had more of the basics of milling. I was able to take some of the slop out of the x- y-axes just playing with the gibs, but there's been nothing for the z-axis.

And thanks to @Jimsky also for his great post on the x- and y-axes. I am getting bearings and sewing machine oil today via Amazon. I'm always up for a major side track project in the shop. I'm looking forward to maxing out this affordable mill.

It's hard for me to comment on the other axes. I only installed bearings on the Z axis, and the results are very noticeable. I haven't planned the orientation yet; I've been working on the machine and haven't noticed any play or problems with them yet.

Thanks for the feedback. By the way, I've been very pleased with the machine since the first day. But I hope the bearings will help you in all the situations where the Z axis definitely will.

That's great! I only started using my MF70 recently and immediately found the z axis was very poorly engineered. I will be making the mods that you have suggested on all three axes. Thanks.

I was glad to help.

 

[Jimsky]

My experience is the exact opposite. The X- and Y- axis plate was smooth as butter right out of the box while the Z-axis was very difficult to turn. Once I installed the Z-axis bearing I saw no need for the others. I guess each machine has their own idiosyncrasies.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

... where did you see we had the opposite experience, Oliver: The Z-axis, especially when there was significant play, was very hard to turn, and installing thrust bearings made it turn effortlessly.

Merry Xmas and Happy New Year!

 

[serikoff]

In three parts, follow this link to learn how I create this grating and frame for the Proxxon MF 70.

These are two options for two hulls that I'm building simultaneously (one just a frame and the other with a grille).

HMS Alert [1777] 1:48 POF by serikoff. (Two hulls: skeleton and fully rigged)

Hooray! I'm done drilling, and by my count, there are 3,222 holes in total. Considering that 3/4 of the holes were drilled in two passes, that means there were at least 5,500 such drillings. No pencil lines. The meditation is complete ROTF , and now it's time to polish everything and...

shipsofscale.com

 

[serikoff]

At this link, I show a detailed step-by-step 3D visualization of the gratings, ladders, and skylights using the Alert 1777 cutter, as an example.

But the idea is applicable to absolutely all similar structures.

HMS Alert [1777] 1:48 POF by serikoff. (Two hulls: skeleton and fully rigged)

Everything is ready for gluing. I glued it with TiteBond II... Then I glued on the temporary waterway, or rather, the second part of it. I applied it to the CA gel in dots so that I could remove it later. After that, I sanded the surface first with 120-grit sandpaper, then with 150-grit...

shipsofscale.com