Stargeezer Vertimill

A few months ago I purchased a real mill for my shop. At last I can retire my Harbor Freight mini-mill and because the new mill uses R8 tooling, everything I had been using on the mini-mill will function great on my new Grizzly G0762. I have a long list of projects that I've wanted to tackle, but due to the nature of my mini-mill, I had just put them off. The biggest problem was the small work area available on the mini-mill. The new mill has a huge work area and is going to be a terrific asset in my shop.

About this same time I saw the new Open Builds mini-mill in the parts store and the build data in the forum. As usual Mark and the gang here did a wonderful job presenting a machine that is economical to buy and easy to build. It also is a design that offers lots of options to customize the basic machine.

Even though I really don't need a mini-mill I decided to build one that might end up being a gift to somebody, and I decided that I needed to employ a basic theory about tools, machines, cars and other things - Bigger IS Better! Additionally I decided that I was going to build it only using parts from my junk box and and parts that I made with my new mill. As things sit right now (Aug 3, 17) the mechanical assembly is finished and I only had to buy some more 5mm screws and two stepper motors that I just couldn't find in my parts boxes.

I think that the head is as stout as I can make it with v-slot and 1/4" plate. This is helped by building up a 80x80mm column that consists of 4 20x80 v-slot linear rail combined with 1/4" plates. The column extends from the base up through the head, fastened with a lot of screws and t-nuts. The Open Builds emblem that's cut out of the head plates provide a void that will be back lighted with white LEDs. The 8x10 cutting table will be lighted by LEDs mounted to the underside of the head.

It is my hope that the dual C-Channels that make up the base will provide a solid foundation for the column and a perfectly solid foundation for the cut table.