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

serikoff · Monday at 2:23 PM

In this thread, I'll be showing the following:

1. Machine upgrades and improvements (Z-axis bearings, electronic ruler, lighting etc.)
2. Consumables I'll be using (milling cutters, drills, burrs) and jigs I'll be creating for the job.
3. Workspace and storage (designing a box and a stand-drawer).
4. Machine operation and making: gratings, ladders, stairs, skylights, pins, carriage pumps, windlass, winch, masts, yards, etc.

N.B. information will appear as I implement this.

There's a large thread on the forum that might be useful for you too - Can you get the most...
I highly recommend watching it! It's full of useful information.
Thanks to @Jimsky there are also several tutorials: Making: gratings | carriages | cannon trucks | Pawl Rim | calibration.

In this thread, I want to collect everything I'm planning to do with my Proxxon MF 70 so the information doesn't get lost in the numerous pages of build reviews.
I hope you find it useful.

serikoff · Monday at 2:33 PM

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.

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.

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".

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).

serikoff · Monday at 3:11 PM

I recently designed and ordered a Workspace for my machine.
It's a simple cabinet with a protective storage box.

I'll show you the finished product when it's ready.
I will also indicate all the dimensions and sizes to create something similar.

Kurt Konrath · 2025-12-23T00:10:41-0600

Should be helpful to those with this machine.

GIG1810 · 2025-12-23T01:04:21-0600

Hey Sergey,

Wonderful, now I'm curious. I'll take a close look at your reports on the Proxxon MF 70, as I'll probably buy one. Thank you very much for your hard work.

kuba91nt · 2025-12-23T01:08:15-0600

Great topic, thank you.
On a new machine, it's fine and really important to put this bearings. On older, it's probably a useless rescue?
What about lifting with bearing? Lowering it is no problem. When lifting without bearing, head have feel resists.

serikoff · 2025-12-23T02:08:16-0600

Kurt Konrath said:
Should be helpful to those with this machine.

GIG1810 said:
Hey Sergey,

Wonderful, now I'm curious. I'll take a close look at your reports on the Proxxon MF 70, as I'll probably buy one. Thank you very much for your hard work.

This is definitely the most important thing to do. Anyone who has ever tried without bearings understands what a pain it is. And after installation, everything is just wonderful. And tools like a saw, a grinder, and a drill are the bare minimum for a modeler.

kuba91nt said:
Great topic, thank you.
On a new machine, it's fine and really important to put this bearings. On older, it's probably a useless rescue?
What about lifting with bearing? Lowering it is no problem. When lifting without bearing, head have feel resists.

I'm more than sure this will be just as true for an old machine as it is for a new one; there's no difference. Two bearings are required in any case, and it's important to tighten the nut so it doesn't wobble, but also so that rotation is as smooth as possible. The result is simply night and day—before and after.

whiskers · 2025-12-23T14:13:07-0600

Great instructions and pictures.
Can someone explain number 12,
shift close bearings.
Thanks

Bryian · 2025-12-23T14:22:35-0600

I remember a few years ago, a model engineer modified the hand cranks to larger diameter ones. It made the mill more user friendly.

serikoff · 2025-12-24T02:29:57-0600

whiskers said:
Great instructions and pictures.
Can someone explain number 12,
shift close bearings.
Thanks

Thanks for the feedback. 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".

Bryian said:
I remember a few years ago, a model engineer modified the hand cranks to larger diameter ones. It made the mill more user friendly.

Yes, I noticed this and am thinking about it. If it becomes too uncomfortable, I'll probably also consider replacing the handles with larger ones.

dockattner · 2025-12-24T08:06:32-0600

Hi Sergey, nice tutorial thus far. Will you also be adding the thrust bearings to the X-Y table? I found that was necessary as well.

serikoff · 2025-12-24T09:49:31-0600

dockattner said:
Hi Sergey, nice tutorial thus far. Will you also be adding the thrust bearings to the X-Y table? I found that was necessary as well.

Thanks, we'll continue. I haven't decided yet about the X-Y axes; there are a lot of reviews that don't help much, but it's hard for me to judge. I'll try this for now, and if it's uncomfortable, I think I can fix it. But you're the first to say the result is different, and that intrigues me.

dockattner · 2025-12-24T10:02:44-0600

serikoff said:
But you're the first to say the result is different, and that intrigues me.

This difference was the lessening of the play in the turning wheels. Without the thrust bearings the wheel could be turned quite a bit before the table started to move. With the thrust bearings in place that was improved (but still not eliminated). You're right to say: we'll see...