(07-09-2015, 08:06 AM)PixMan Wrote: Nice milling machine and well worth the effort you're putting into it. The drawbar you made is cool. While you say you welded a 1/2" nut onto the end, I don't see any weld and the hex appears to be milled. ??
I've got those long drawbars on my machine but not a fan. I find that while the length allows you to change tools without retracting the quill, that extra length is rattling around too much at the higher speeds that I so often use. I'll cut mine down to be accessible only with the quill retracted, if I can ever find the time to tip the head over enough to take it out.
The 7/16" CRS rod if a friction fit into the threads of the 1/2" nut. I used a connecting nut for threaded rod for the extra length. I drilled through 2 flats on the nut with a 3/8" drill then inserted the rod into it leaving it about 3/8" from the top of the nut. Then I filled the drilled holes and the top of the nut with weld using a circular button weld technique. After cooling I milled all 6 flats and the end of the nut to give it a finished appearance with the final wrench size being 18mm, the same size wrench I use on the PM932 mill. It came out dead straight and with the little centering shoulder it does not wobble in the spindle. I'm lucky that I have enough ceiling height to remove the drawbar without tilting the head.
John
johnncyc14, proud to be a member of MetalworkingFun Forum since Nov 2013.