Baie baie mooi, one of kind... I like that

Doesn't it fall over easily to the right hand side?

No, Gerald it is stable but the floor is not level.I will however change the design a little for the next one.I did make slots for the legs into the table top so that basically keeps the table together.

Nice, I was out of circulation for a week and only now catching up with all the news on the forum.

Ja, been visiting all over the country.Show some pic`s

Will post a picture of your wife :D
Pictures are all on Facebook. 4000 km in a week around South Africa

Ja, you can`t come and get a broom but you can stop and visit my wife in plett

I am not on your Fleisbook friend list.

My new z-slide
 

I decided to build a new z-slide for my MM and this is the results.I basically used what I had.The parts were made by the old z-slide before it got a new home.I will put pic`s of the unit fitted tomorrow.It slides like a dream and the gas shock works good.

Hennie,
So why the change in design? Looks interesting though.
:)

Heath, because I got board.:) No, just joking I basically designed it for my smaller machine and the thought is that if I can make it a universal design it could work with what I am ding next My lathe but on the lathe it will be horizontal and not vertical as in the MM. I can then use it without the gas shock.

Lekker! - how much it costs???

Alan I had the alu plate 12 mm that cost me R 2500.00 about 5 years ago.The bearings and rail was about R3 000.00. I can still make 2 more out of the alu plate that I have left so roughly R 4000.00 incl the rack( off cut ) and bolts.
Because the motor sits in the middle of the slide i made the part that holds the router/spindle only 400 mm long.I can move the whole thing 50 mm higher or lower if I need to. I would like to get it sandblasted before I put it back in the MM but I need to get it working so we know it is not going to happen.:)

my sexy Z-slide
 

Ok here is the pic`s.And it works like a dream.Now for the dust extraction:)

some more pic`s
 

Some more pic`s

Is the motor spring loaded into the rack or is it fixed in place? - if fixed how do you deal with the backlash?

Alan it is fixed but I also thought of that.The rack has a plastic spacer so if by chance it does have any kickback it moves the rack and then I just need to move it back against the Pinion.

Hennie,
It is not kickback that you should worry about but rather backlash. If you dont have a pre-loaded tension on the rack you cannot hope to operate without backlash.

I tried similar approach with my 1st Z-slide, I learnt that square rails has higher stiction. I have loose step issue due to rail binding when I tension the rack & pinion mesh....

Hence my current ball screw set up.

My approach ,if it works leave it if it doesn`t sort it out.The question that I have is why do we have a gas shock?( my pre-loaded tension)

No Hennie not pre-loaded tension. It is to take the weight of the Z slide off the motor and to balance the holding torque between up and down. So the Z slide seem to weigh nil.

Pre-loading on the rack is required as it pulls the teeth of the pinion into the rack in order to make a positive mesh and ensure constant contact between the pinion and the rack. Secondly, as the rack does not have very good linear characteristics, it is required to make sure that contact is maintained at a constant pressure all over the area of the rack.

Marius the distance of rack that I use will be about 50mm when I am cutting ( 2 d cutting 95 % of the time and even 3d cutting).Even if we let it go up to the max and down to the max we only cut max 60 mm thick material.

I do see your point and I know what you mean by having constant contact with the Rack to have a perfect positive mesh.Why don`t you come to my w/shop for coffee,and see what I have done.Yes I have looked at the option of even having a spring pulling the rack against the pinion.

PM me your details and I will make a turn there.

I will sms it just give me a call before you come through

First cut with new z-slide
 

I am Happy with the first cuts all nice and square.

Sure, backlash in the Z-axis doesn't make any difference in cut quality when doing 2D cutting.

how much backlash can it be. did anyone ever measured the rack backlash?

Noting that can`t be fixed with a bit of sanding.

I got a quote from an engineering firm that manufactures module 1 gears and what not.I didn`t know that a 30 teeth module 1 pinion gear would cost R 318.00 + 14 % vat. And a 180 teeth module 1 gear would cost R 1620 + vat.Dam the effort to go to Nusaf is now worth it .

Made this recently Bamboo Bar chair for my bum.