Denford Micromill and Microturn Donation

[Kacper Jaszcz]

Hello Hackspace!

I'm writing with a donation proposal that I hope would be of interest. Through some eBay sniping I have acquired a Denford Micromill and Microturn.

In my naivety, I was attempting to make the little machining setup work in a rented flat... and whilst the machines technically fit in the cupboard, they are just too unwieldy, loud and dirty to realistically operate. Therefore they are just gathering dust, and I'd rather they were put to good use in the space. 

I believe they machines have been converted to run with a Mach3 enabled PC via the parallel port of the included PC (AFAIK without spindle control). As well as that, the previous owner has provided original Denford PCB's and a GRBL conversion kit for both.
Other accessories included a vice for the mill, some cutting tools, the PC/monitor/peripherals to run with a free version of Mach3 and some various other bits.

Both machines are in good condition from what I can tell, I have seen all axis move under PC commands when I picked them up, but I haven't operated them other than turning the spindle on since they moved in.

I'm, happy to give them away completely for free, with the only caveat being the transport - I would need someone /a couple of strong people with a van to come to pick them up and to help me get them out of a 2nd floor flat... The space is quite tight and the machines do weigh just north of 50kgs each, but it is doable. The pickup location is Islington.

I'm hoping that those would be of use to the Hackerspace community and would be a worthwhile addition to the manufacturing capabilities.

Datasheet for newer, but mechanically similar version: https://denford.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Microturn-Micromill-Pro.pdf

Looking forward to hearing back from you guys!

Best,
Kacper

[Richard Painting]

Hi, I'm very interested in these as I have been looking for a model size milling machine for some time, and another club I belong to is clearing out its workshop but can't seem to come up with an answer to: are you selling it and how much for, gave up trying to negotiate for the lathe they had. 

Regards, Richard.

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From: london-h...@googlegroups.com <london-h...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Kacper Jaszcz <kacpe...@gmail.com>
Sent: 14 July 2023 12:53
To: London Hackspace <london-h...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [london-hack-space] Denford Micromill and Microturn Donation

 

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[Jonathan Hodgson]

The Denford Stuff is generally well made and pretty good within its intended useage range, so the metal shop guys may be interested and be able to find room.

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[Jonathan Hodgson]

Or indeed the model shop.

[Richard Painting]

hi, I used to organise the model shop when the Space was in Wembley, it's currently in my flat until the Space get somewhere new to live.

Regards, Richard.

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From: london-h...@googlegroups.com <london-h...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Kacper Jaszcz <kacpe...@gmail.com>
Sent: 14 July 2023 12:53
To: London Hackspace <london-h...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [london-hack-space] Denford Micromill and Microturn Donation

 

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[Jonathan Hodgson]

HI Richard,

Yes, I remember, and a very nicely organized area it was too.

regards

Jonathan

To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/london-hack-space/AS8P195MB1702FBD0036D1C68EA6E12B4C034A%40AS8P195MB1702.EURP195.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM.

[Kacper Jaszcz]

Hi Jonathan, Richard
Thank you for your replies. I'm glad the machines seem to be desirable then :)
I think being CNC and tiny, the model shop will probably be the best place. I'll follow up with you Richard and we can make arrangements!

Best,
Kacper

[Dax Liniere]

Hi Kacper,

That's very generous of you.

I'm the trainer for the hackspace's CNC machines. These machines would be a fantastic addition to the hackspace and I'm sure our members would be able to get a lot of use out of them.

[Matthew]

>  These machines would be a fantastic addition to the hackspace and I'm sure our members would be able to get a lot of use out of them.

Without wishing to completely hijack this thread (honest) should we really be taking on new equipment? I believe EX2 has less floorspace compared to Ujima, so we're going to "rationalise" some stuff, and its likely some areas that existed at Ujima House won't exist at all in EX2. Is it fair that one subgroup is planning on expanding whilst others will disappear entirely? 

Space limitations aside, we also already have a Denford milling machine and I don't think we got as far as AC Noding it or making it available for general use, so taking on 2 more seems... ambitious.

Cheers
Matthew

[Nigel Worsley]

On Sat, 15 Jul 2023 at 20:34, Matthew <Mat...@marrold.co.uk> wrote:

I believe EX2 has less floorspace compared to Ujima

Much less, the red rectangle on this plan of Wembley is the 1560 square feet that is the claimed size of the EX2 space: https://www.dropbox.com/s/y0at6gts91g9r5j/Comparison.pdf?dl=0

Nigle

[JJ]

In response to my question on Discord about the dimensions someone's just posted that it's 10m x 25m but I don't understand how that can be when we were told it was 150m^2 which is more in line with Nigle's plan.  Presumably we're not seriously expecting that even with a mezzanine we'll be able to fit in everything we had at UH and if it's planned that certain things/equipment/activities will be omitted, could it please be shared with the membership?

Thanks,

JJ

[Dax Liniere]

Hi Matthew,
As maintainer and trainer for the Denford mill, I can confirm that it was all up and running including AC node in the last couple weeks of Ujima House. :)

[Nigel Worsley]

On Sat, 15 Jul 2023 at 23:06, 'Dax Liniere' via London Hackspace <london-h...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

As maintainer and trainer for the Denford mill, I can confirm that it was all up and running including AC node in the last couple weeks of Ujima House. :)

That was kept rather quiet, who was allowed to use it?

Nigle

[Dax Liniere]

No one, we hadn't started the inductions.

[deanforbes]

When a lot of the hackspace equipment is in storage and the site is only operational with very limited functionality should the LHS be getting duplicate equipment

the LHS has had a significant drop in membership and member have reduced there contributions as a result of the lack of delivery and lack of confidence in what may be delivered never mind the lack of transparency .should the LHS be getting duplicate equipment

The Denford mill we had was up and running months before we closed both Johnathan and Dax had produced jobs for them selves on it - beyond testing.

[secretsantahacker]

As a non-member not to mention also being banned from LHS this is your concern how?  But thanks for the reminder anyway

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[deanforbes]

oh dear, you dont even have the courage to use your own name , I dont embrace weasels or people who exploit people or organisations.
I have integrity, I follow my convictions. not crowds. but my inner spirit. I have a moral compass, I dont yield to intimidation. 

[Dax Liniere]

Mate, this is me. The only thing you ever made is a fool of yourself.

[deanforbes]

LHS moved out of its previous site in November 2022 its July 2023 our neighbours had less resources and less notice than us and managed to do a seamless move to new premises. Why have I commented - go figure why a cohort of member who are not part of the new cabal are disgruntled (What you see on the mailing list is the tip of the iceberg) - and why do I know because people still reach out to me with there heads in their hands.

And secretsantahacker I guess your posts under various sock puppets explains to a large degree why LHS is the place it is at the moment - with you attitude and mindset I guess it is not a surprise to most adults.

As my grandfather said once dont argue with idiots - so I wont be posting on this topic again 

On Sunday, 16 July 2023 at 11:59:34 UTC+1 deanforbes wrote:

[Jonathan Hodgson]

I’ve produced one item for myself (well for my dad on his 80th birthday)  a pen holder which I posted images of on our Discord Show And Tell (so hardly a secret), this was actually in the middle of the commissioning, not at the end, and being the first full job I had run with multiple tool changes was still very much a test piece (I added a tool length probe to the system). I spent a lot of time on LinuxCNC customisation after that to make it easier to use and Dax joined in and we fitted limit switches to the X and Y axes, added the AC Node and fixed some other hardware issues. I also added NativeCAM to the installation at Dean’s suggestion.

What Dax said about us not having started inductions is not strictly true. Two people were inducted, one was Toby, who acted as our Guinea pig for getting a handle on what inductions should entail, just a couple of weeks before everything went mad in the move to storage.

The other, somewhat earlier than that, was Dean, who despite being too impatient to sort out proper work holding and hot glueing his material directly to the  newly flattened spoil board was authorised and could have used it for work had he so chosen.

Perhaps the reason he chose not to was that he was made fully aware that there are still some niggles to be sorted, these don’t seem to affect running jobs (touch wood) but certainly cause some odd behaviour when manually jogging the machine setting up a job. 

In fact Dean quizzed me about the CNC regularly during the work, and I was always open with him about developments (or in many cases lack of them, it was a long learning curve with a few dead ends and getting an uninterrupted session to work on it was nigh on impossible), so he should be fully aware that whilst the CNC was running (i.e. if you were intimately acquainted with it you could successfully make what is in the photo) some months before we closed it was in no way fit for general consumption.

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[deanforbes]

For the records I have been a maintainer on the CNC kit since Hackney road - we had 3 CNC machines their

At Wembley  I was a maintainer but play ground politics being what they are it was removed or not transferred  

I collected the Denford for Wembley and kicked off the set up it should have taken a week but the little professors took over.

The CNC kit that was at Hackney was initially controlled by a password and then integrated with LDAP at Wembley it was initially agreed/planned that it would be controlled by password until an acnode was set up

I have hundreds of hours experience on hobby CNC machines and probably close to 50 on commercial machines but I will bow to Jonathan's expert experience and knowledge who has close to none apart from youtube and what he has from working on the denford at Wembley...... where he managed to damage the lead screw after ignoring advice on limit switches etc .  A spoil board is a consumable a lead screw isn't 

[secretsantahacker]

Bully for you, excuse the pun ;)

https://wiki.london.hackspace.org.uk/view/Grievance_Procedure/Bans_Issued

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[henry...@ntlworld.com]

I'm ignoring the bitching and getting back to the original subject. As we have neither the need nor the space for another CNC machine, I suggest that we let Richard have first dibs on this generous offer.

[Matthew]

Dax, you appear  to have revealed you're behind a sock puppet account, which I suspect is a breach of -0 on the rules and 1, 2 and 4 of the Code of Conduct. This over-reaction to Deans email which ended with the tiniest of barbed comments is erm, "enlightening" shall we say, but I've got bigger fish to fry.

Existing Denford aside, if Dean - a known CNC fanatic, isn't chomping at the bit to get his hands on more equipment I think it's pretty telling that we should politely decline this one.

Kacper - Sorry you've been dragged into this. 

[Dax Liniere]

Hey Matthew!
No, nothing to reveal: it's not me. :) I have neither the time nor the interest to run additional accounts. I have never nor will ever snipe under a pseudonym, mainly as I have no hesitation making my feelings known and don't really care for social engineering. I'd rather get on with something constructive.
I have no agenda except to make clear that I am acutely allergic to bullshit.

This is not the first time a person has suggested I was using a sock puppet account after some witty and amusing prose was written on the Discord server. I was simultaneously pleased that dean thought enough of me that he believed I would write so eloquently, and disappointed that he assumed I would waste moments of thought on him.

By the way, isn't rule 0 "Never Be On Fire"? Are you saying "Liar, liar, pants on fire?" 😂

xxx

[Matthew]

Right Oh, it's just in the email thread when Dean replied to secretsantahacker you replied with "Mate, this is me". Perhaps the emails weren't received in chronological order. Or something.

I was referring to rule -1, but made a typo in my haste.

[Dax Liniere]

Ahh yes, I can see how that might have been read. 👍 I was simply saying that this (the message I was writing) was me and the other wasn't.