I have an idea for making a motorized ball screw carriage & cross slide that I can secure to a lathe bed. I was thinking of taking something like a steel rectangle 3/4 - 1" thick X 6" wide X 24" long and mounting 2 THK type rails on it. Then the carriage might be a 6" X 6" X 1/2" - 3/4" thick with bearing blocks mounted on top and bottom, 4 on top, 4 on bottom at 90 degrees. Then the cross slide would be perhaps 4" X 12" X 1/2" - 3/4". This configuration would keep my cutting forces inline, cutter with bearing blocks & rails directly below on down to the lathe bed. The 12" cross slide would give me room to mount cutters on front and back.
I have a Monarch 10EC that I'm trying to use for the spindle and bed.
Do the THK type linear rails make good machine tool ways?
I also thought of machining a 30 degree side on rectangle bars to make a dovetail profile that I can bolt down to make dovetail cross slides, this would be cheaper for now (as far as $$$ leaving my pockets) and could be replaced later with THK rails later if desired.
I thought I'd fish for thoughts and ideas before I start spending more money on this.
Thanks!
Roger N