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Craftex cx630 mill

T

The doc

New Member
Hey There!
Has anyone used this mill to do cast iron cylinder heads. Such as boring out valve seats or milling the head to clean up any imperfections?
any input or ideas would be appreciated.
thanks Doc
 
It takes a lot of table travel to re-finish the gasket surface on a cylinder head. Basically you need travel greater than the length of the head plus the size of the cutter. I just refinished a small block Chev head and since the head is 8" wide I used a 8" flycutter. The head is 19.5" long the tavel required is 27.5". The CX603 has only 14.5" of X travel so would be limited to smaller heads.

johnconroy.smugmug.com

Flycutter - John Conroy

This video hosted by SmugMug; your photos and videos look better here.
johnconroy.smugmug.com johnconroy.smugmug.com
 
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I guesse the question depends...are you talking about a cast iron cylinder head from and old b/s or from a Cummins isb..
 
Thanks for the input. All my head work is chev SB and BB. It would suggest the mill is too small to accommodate.
There are a lot of good used mills out there but they all
run on 3 phase. I have no access to it and I understand
converting to single phase is difficult and expensive.
any ideas on how I can machine my heads?
 
The doc said:
Thanks for the input. All my head work is chev SB and BB. It would suggest the mill is too small to accommodate.
There are a lot of good used mills out there but they all
run on 3 phase. I have no access to it and I understand
converting to single phase is difficult and expensive.
any ideas on how I can machine my heads?
Click to expand...
Using 3-phase machines in a home shop is not insurmountable at all.
In fact I put a 3-phase motor on my RF mill because I wanted variable speed without changing belts. I have a 2hp rated VFD that take 240v input and converts to 240v 3-phase.
 
The doc said:
Thanks for the input. All my head work is chev SB and BB. It would suggest the mill is too small to accommodate.
There are a lot of good used mills out there but they all
run on 3 phase. I have no access to it and I understand
converting to single phase is difficult and expensive.
any ideas on how I can machine my heads?
Click to expand...

A VFD converts single phase to three phase and can be had for as little as a $100.

canadianhobbymetalworkers.com

VFD - Do I understand this correctly???

Something like this...
canadianhobbymetalworkers.com canadianhobbymetalworkers.com

 
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The machine I am looking at is an old Bridgeport mill.
the electrics are 575 v 3 p 60 hz. Table size would be perfect but I still don’t see how to get from single 240
to 575v 3 phase with just the VFD?
 
The doc said:
The machine I am looking at is an old Bridgeport mill.
the electrics are 575 v 3 p 60 hz. Table size would be perfect but I still don’t see how to get from single 240
to 575v 3 phase with just the VFD?
Click to expand...

You could use a step up transformer (small ones you can find used under 1000$) and a vfd....or just change the motor, to either a single phase or to a used 220v 3p 3-5hp..lots of those kicking around
 
There are a few ways. Probably easiest is get a replacement 240 motor. Or a 220 3 phase motor and use a vfd to get 3 phase. Or buy a 575 volt single phase to 3 phase VFD and a 240 volt to 575 volt step up transformer.
 
Ha! Ok I would like to leave the original motor and switches etc in place. So if I understand this right
I would need a 575 v single phase to 3 phase VFD and a 240v to 575 v step up transformer.
what sort of money would it cost for these pieces of equipment approx ?
 
The doc said:
Thanks guys
Click to expand...

Take your time and think this through. There are lots of options. You don't need to decide on the basis of a few questions.

Dont be afraid of 3phase. Most of us only have single phase supply - I'm one of them. And many of us have 3phase equipment - again I'm one of them.

It isn't as hard as it seems on first blush. If you can rebuild an engine, you can deal with the 3ph power issue no sweat. You have a whole forum here who can both attest to that and help you through it.

FWIW, I am now at the point where I actually prefer a 3ph motor over a single phase one. I'm not the only member who feels that way.
 
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