Finally got my CNC mill!

[theperfessor]

My Haas TM1-P CNC mill was delivered to my shop Tuesday morning. The carpenter came today and closed up the opening in the garage where we had to remove the door and part of the header across the doorway. I have an outfit coming to install a new roll-up type garage door Friday morning. (The old door was the type that runs on tracks and goes horizontal when you raise it, which would run into the machine.) If I can get the power run to the machine by Friday I can get the Haas tech to come Monday and finish the installation. I might be cutting parts Monday night!

It's fully enclosed with a powered chip auger, a ten tool changer, and the rigid tapping option activated. It has a USB port for communication, color monitor, and all the other standard Haas goodies. No chips on the floor to sweep up, etc. Bought a starter tool holder set as part of the package, I need to buy some additional tool holders but what I have is enough to get started.

I have a lot of ideas and a list of jobs all ready to run, including some die retention nut drivers for Lyman lubers and hopefully a lead head hammer sale as a site benefit. (I need the mill to engrave the handles on these.)

Woohoo! It's been a little hard to sleep the last few nights I'm so excited.

[BrianL]

I know how you feel! I remember waiting for my 3 -axis Prototrak mill to be delivered 15 years ago. Still going strong.

[shoot-n-lead]

Congrats...that is some new toy...uhh, I mean tool.

[DougGuy]

Congrats Keith! My son runs a bunch of hi $$ CNC stuff in Florida, he is INTO it LOL seriously cool stuff with theirs, I know you will be turning out some of it too!

[MtGun44]

Very cool. Sounds like it will be a wonderful tool and a great learning
experience. Good to see you having so much fun and putting the troubles
behind you. Very good news in all ways, sir.

Bill

[GSM]

Pictures?

Please.....

[theperfessor]

I'll post some pix as soon as I get time and get all the junk out of the way.

[Artful]

Here's some video's of Hass TM-1P CNC Mill
https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...M-1P+CNC+Mill+

[LynC2]

Excellent, I know you will put it to good use! I bet you have been feeling like a kid on Christmas eve waiting on Santa.

[w5pv]

Good luck with your new tool,hope it is a joy to operate.

[oldred]

This is just like a new gun, it ain't nothin but a tall tale till we see pics!!!!!

[km101]

Glad that you have something new to keep you interested. It's been a while since we have seen you excited about anything!
New tools and new projects are great ways to keep you going. Hope things keep going well for you!

[ph4570]

Very nice machine. I have drooled over it at the Haas website but it is way beyond my financial means.
What CAD/CAM software will you use?

My modest means let me do a CNC modification to a Grizzly G0704 mill. It is a nice hobbyist setup with CamBam and Mach3 software.

[Alexn20]

I want one!

[theperfessor]

I use Cadkey 98 (17 years old and runs under everything from Win 98 to Win7 just fine!) for CAD and any good text editor to write the actual CNC code. Normally that's Notepad in Windows but I have used my iPad and iPhone both to write code in an email and send it to myself. Lathe code is usually pretty simple, and unless you need to do 3D sculpting so is most mill code. I'm thinking about getting a simple tablet or cheap laptop with a USB port so I can write directly to a thumb drive memory stick and not have to run in the house to my office computer to edit/write code.

My code is usually leaner and a lot less buggy than what most post-processors generate. Haas firmware has some pretty good macro commands for all kind of standard machining functions, and I take advantage of them when I can. And that is just the G&M codes. There is also a built in high level programming language that can do all kinds of things during run time that I haven't gotten in to yet.

One of my long term ideas is to develop one or more "font files" that can be used in conjunction with the mill's engraving function to generate different type faces (italic, script, etc.)

[kfarm]

I bet you feel like a kid in a candy store and yours is much better than mine. I had a friend who has a friend that had a grizzly mini Lathe, mill and band saw with boxes of tooling who wanted them out of his garage and sold them to me for get this $350. So far I've made a neat little doodad and a cartridge minimum length gauge. Haven't had them for a week yet and already wanting to upgrade to bigger. This is almost as intoxicating as reloading. Just wish I had a DRO on mine. The first thing that I have learned is to really make a mess with all those chips. Hope things are looking up.

[Nueces]

Hooboy! Now you can start cranking out tons of cool stuff so we can help pay for that machine!

[RED333]

So much congrats!!!

[smokeywolf]

Anxious to see pics of your new machine tool with chips in the pan (those that the auger misses).

[DR Owl Creek]

Keith,

Congrats! Glad things are working out for you.

Dave