And, here's the first build update!   ;D

This is my humble machining area!  It took me ~3 months to acquire, install, and setup:

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I bought all raw materials from eBay - 6061 aluminum and stainless steel:

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Here's the first shop drawing! 

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This project required a 4-jaw chuck to hold the square stock.  This was the first facing operation on the ED-209!

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I learned quickly that machining required tools.  Lots and lots of tools.  I built tools to build tools that helped me to build the actual parts.  Seriously.  Here you see the "T" stop I made and a tapping guide.  The tapping guide was critical to keep from breaking $8 #2-56 taps:

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First holes drilled and tapped:

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This is the start of the footpad.  I turned a section of 2"x2"x1/4" aluminum to get the final part:

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After some milling (sorry for the blur):

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Here's the first assembly:

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I'll have some build time this weekend.  I'll post an update for sure.  Thanks for following along!