I've posted this under a new subject because Andy's EDM project had me looking through 25 year old copies of MEW and Home Shop Machinist etc. Brought back memories of building the Gingery Hacksaw and Slip Roll so I could fabricate the propane fired foundry in order to be able to make the Gingery lathe. Which I did and that spawned the Electronic Lead Screw project back in 2006. The plan was to also make the shaper and mill but as luck would have it I ended up with a used metal bandsaw, a 1942 vintage South Bend Heavy 10L with taper attachment and finally a House of Tools Mill (similar to the now discontinued G3616 from Grizzly). I also purchased a 3 Ton Arbor press and a 30" 3:1 sheet metal tool along with a corner notcher. My shop isn't large enough to fit a box pan brake or larger separate shear. Anyway the plan was to at some time create an ELS controlled movable back fence for the 3:1 tool and an XY movement system for the Arbor press to give me limited punching capabilities like the attached picture. Now 14 years later I'm running out of ELS kits and still haven't built the back fence control and China dominates the cheap market with Encoders, Arduinos and stepper drivers. Not to mention far less expensive linear rails and carriages. Given that I had a Pi4 with the MESA 7i92H running my mill for a while it seems like LinuxCNC may be a better choice for both the 3:1 back fence and XY positioning simply because it's an easy way to bring in the sequences. One really only needs a few different size punches in square, triangle and round to be able to nibble out most holes in sheet metal thin enough for working with a 3:1 tool. But there's also a company nearby me that has a laser cutting system that can now operate lights out. The sheets are picked, placed, punched and removed all automatically. So for production it's not logical to do that sort of thing in house. They also bend metal. But, for that prototype or hobby, just like having a CNC Mill and Lathe, being able to bend and punch metal does come in handy. Especially since I do more electronics than machining; at the moment. The 3D printer now also finds a place that was there 25 years ago but done with other technologies. Where before I'd bend up a box to hold an ESTOP switch now I 3D print switch holders and boxes for electronics. What I'm wondering is if it's worth the trouble to add XY to a 3 ton arbour press. The back fence for the 3:1 tool is almost done so it's just a matter of finishing it. But I can't see how any of the CAD/CAM software out there addresses using a small punch to nibble out a larger hole. And truthfully my JGRO based CNC router with a small end mill can just as easily cut out metal plate. Or for that matter the mill. The shearing, bending and rolling are still valid operations. The press is still handing for pressing broaches through holes or bearings etc. But is an XY punch even worth the effort? So many of the projects from 1995 to about 2005 in the magazines were pretty cool but from a time when some things just weren't available at low cost. Now I think one would have to be nuts to try and build your own CNC mill from bar stock and rails. John Dammeyer "ELS! Nothing else works as well for your Lathe" Automation Artisans Inc. www dot autoartisans dot com
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