I have finally able to post my JGRO pics. It looks a little confused but it works.

The three pieces of threaded rod running side to side under the bed pull the sides together therefore not allowing the gantry to sprawl the seamless rod outwards. The rods are also supported from underneath.

Cutting cedar curtain rod brackets for a friend's woodwork shop at 1016mm/min or 40" min with a 4.6mm plunge, 3/16" with 5 plunges to complete the cut. Cut time was 3 min for each one.

The little machine is a JCKleinbauer hawk mill. I will try circuit board routing with this one.

Jason

Here is a picture underneath the bed. The bed is supported by square steel tubing parallel with the Y-axis. The "T" nuts are used along with bolts to hold down work. Thin carpet tape also works well. I will post pictures of numbers I have cut out later.

Jason

Some numbers and brackets I have cut out. The small inside pieces to be cut out within "8" and "6" have actually been milled out instead being cutout as you would avoid a small piece of wood flying out and doing some damage.

Jason

These images should serve as encouragement to anyone considering undertaking such a project. The obviously only just good enough construction (and that is by no means meant as an insult) compared to the fineness of the output clearly show the practicality of Doing It Yourself.

Jason,
Very nice !

triticale,
Do not believe anyone could have said it better.


Ken

Thanks for the encouragement guys.
The machine is also accurate enough to engrave animal tags with the finest lines of the letters matching up spot on, I did one for my dog Rocky in aluminium after he somehow lost his original and I decided I was not paying another $18.00 (US $9.00) for a repalcement. I will post a picture of it if he lets me take the picture without licking the camera.
I forgot to add in the first post that I was using 1/4-20 Stainless steel allthread on the X and Z axis but was unable to find any 6 foot lenghts for the Y axis and therefore using standard allthread there. The stainless steel allthread is very clean and operates more smoothly than the standard coated version.

Jason

Hi,

Very nice cuts. May I ask you to give me the dxf of these cuts or the G-codes? I would like to try them.

Thank you,

Zoltan

Here are some of them,will upload more later.

Read the G-code first to ensure you do not get any surprises. Some of them are different to others as I have not adjusted all the parameters. If the file has "fullprogram" as part of its name it will the code will indicate 5 plunges of 4.6 each, finishing at 23.0. The files values represent mm/min feed rates as well as mm units so make the relevant adjustments if you use inches.

You can use NC-Plot to check the toolpath. The demo gives 60 days of testing time.

Jason

Your router looks great Jason, How long did it take to build?

Thanks.
I built it over a period of months. If you have access to a woodworking shop it can go a lot faster. I had access to a friends shop occasionally which helped a lot. To build it again I would say about 20 hours minus torsion box. Tapping MDF takes up quite some time. A drill press is critical as it almost impossible to dill a hole straight with a hand drill.

Jason

Thank you. What about those very nice supports?

Zoltan

When I built my jgro I got frustrated with all the tapping. I finally chucked up the tap in my hand drill and made quick work of threading. Nice to see you've supported the rails.

Zoltan,
The supports are not perfect as I drew them with my rather poor CAD skills. The one with the 5 cutouts although not perfect are copies of each other.

Lionclaw,
Did you have a problem with stripping the threads while using the drill?


Jason

This file was created with Spalm's Spiro program for millimeters. Use nc-plot to check the path first.

Jason

Post some pics of your cuts. I got a free vector file of a bracket which I will convert, cut and post the results.

Jason

Hi,

Thank you. I understand that you cuted everything in one pass, isn't it? What bit did you use?

Zoltan

The files were cut with multiple passes for 22mm (7/8 inch) thick material. In some cases I used 5 passes at a depth of 4.6mm, leading to the following: 4.6mm, 9.2mm, 13.8mm, 18.4mm, 23mm. The ellipse for the open sign in the first post of this thread was cut out in 3 passes of 7.4mm each.

The maximum feed rate I have used is 1016 mm/min (40"/min ).

The bit used was a Whiteside (RU2100) 1/4" upcut spiral with 1" of cutting length, and 2" overall length.

When the bits are new you can have a fast feed rate, as these bits just run through the wood leaving clean surfaces and fine wood chips behind.
Upcut bits will leave a little fuzz on the top of the cut which can be easily cleaned off with a fine sandpaper, however the bottom of the cut is clean.

Jason

Hi,

Thank you again. I downloaded your files and run them on simulator and it run in one pass of 23 mm for all cuts, no multiple passes. This is the reason I have asked. I will look to the code itself. Thank you. Very nice cuts.

Zoltan

Zoltan
Use a perspective or isometric view (X,Y,Z) to see multiple passes you will not see it in the X,Y view. Only the files with "Fullprogram" contained in the name will show multiple pass in a plotter. To have 3 passes ,copy the original code and paste it twice underneath. You will now have three identical pieces of code, Edit the Z plunge in the second and third set of code to reflect your depth of plunge per pass, with the third pass having your finish depth.
eg

Z5.0 (First set of code)
Z10.0 (Second set of code)
Z15.0 (Third set of code)

Note that the program code only has the Z axis above the work at the beginning and at the end of the program. You will edit the code that was copied and pasted to ensure this occurs.

You will also see in my "Fullprogram" G-code the feed rates have been adjusted for the plunge and then readjusted to reflect the original feed rate. The reason for this is that the machine is not as rigid as a metal one, therefore if I plunge too fast the entry point will have a slight gouge in the material face.

Jason

Thank you. I will do it.

Zoltan

Here is the bracket I promised. I am not sure how smooth the curves as I did no editing of the dxf file before converting it to G-code.

Jason

Zoltan,
The supports are not perfect as I drew them with my rather poor CAD skills. The one with the 5 cutouts although not perfect are copies of each other.

Lionclaw,
Did you have a problem with stripping the threads while using the drill?


Jason


So long as I didn't run the chuck into the piece, the threads would work out just fine. The threads in the adjuster blocks eventually came out though and I went to UHMW PE instead of MDF. I threaded the PE blocks with the drill though too ;)

Had to do some running repairs to the JGRO today, the bolts holding the aluminium angle to the MDF blocks had started to loosen up. After months of hard running I suppose they had to loosen at some point. The pics show threaded inserts in the face of the MDF, this was done since constant removal of the Z axis plate would have stripped out the threads eventually. if you are going to put threaded inserts into the face of MDF you must clamp over the hole with a c-clamp and then screw them in so as to prevent the MDF from seperating laterally, as it is very weak along the fibres.

Jason

I cut a simple design in my MDF drawer faces using the Spiro program that Splam wrote. I ran the code twice so that the router would clean up a tiny flaw at the deepest end of the cut. Maybe I should slow it down some more to 508mm/min (20" min). I scaled the smaller design up 1.25 times to get the larger design using NC-PLOT.I will get a clear picture of the error from another drawer face and post it.
I suspect the X-axis rails (attached to the Z axis) are weak and I may repalce them with shafting rod if the correct size is in stock at the metal supply.

Jason

Whats the specs on your motors and what driver are you using?

Trying to guesstimate what my speeds will be like.

How accurate is the machine? about how much did it cost to build?

ShayArnett,
Its the Hobbycnc kit with the 127oz/inch motors 3.6 Volts 2 Amps. I choose to use the 24Volt transformer. Go for the 200oz/inch motors, the only reason I have the 127oz/inch is that the 200's were out of stock at the time.

Trainhound,
I do not live in the USA so my price would not apply to you, but I've seen somewhere on this site a price of approximately $500.00 including electronics.
As for accuracy I don't have a figure but after engraving my dog's tags with all the fine lines of the letters matching up perfectly, that was good enough for me.

Jason

I already have 276oz/in autmoation direct motors and a 24v freebie powersupply i will be using. My machine will be using 1/2x10 acme and I have been trying to decide between direct coupling or gearing 2:1 to double my speed. But I should be able to cut double what you are cutting with the 1/2x10 instead of 1/4x20 so maybe i'll be happy with it for a while :D Probably be alot safer too not having 30k rpm spindles zipping around at 120 ipm while i'm still learning to program :D

ShayArnett,
It would be great to see what speeds you can achieve with direct coupling of acme rod as I may upgrade to this option with a change of motors. I suspect at 120ipm you may have to deal with some whipping. Also remember that the faster a stepper spins the more torque it loses therefore gearing 2:1 may cause you to lose significant torque even with the 276oz/in motors.
Keep us informed, we look forward to lots of pics and build updates.

Jason

Searching the storeroom yesterday I came accross a chair destined to be dumped at some point(I am a pack rat). The folding chair was in need of a foot so I decided to try to model the part and see if I could actually save this chair. Before anyone asks, glue would not work as the plastic is very hard and got slightly deformed during the break.
I am planning to use 1" thick cutting board plastic for the replacement part. The white stock I used for the test part is some type of signage stock, the name I have forgotten.

Jason

Jason,
It has been fun to watch your work. I really like your support mod to the long axis using threaded rods. It is simple and not to “over engineered”. Good job. You a smart thinker.

You seem to be having a blast, and really using your machine.

Thanks for the inspiration,
Steve

Thanks for the kind words Steve.
Yes I am am having a blast with the machine and I try to use it everyday. I just drew up a motor plate like you used on your machine so that I could line up my X-axis (short) threaded rod and motor more easily. I should have some pics of that tomorrow depending on work load.

Jason

Jason,

I also like the idea of using the 3 threaded rods holding the sides tight. Is the piece of wood on each side of the black pipe being used for the pipe? I guess this prevents the pipe from flexing any?

Thanks,

Warren

Yes that piece of wood fills the space between the "pipe" (seamless shafting rod) and the sides of the machine thereby preventing outward movement when the gantry passes by. There is also a piece of wood supporting the pipe from below to prevent any sag. The shafting rod is very rigid but the cost to support it just in case was negligible.

Jason

Well it had to happen, the lead nut failed and has to be replaced. :violin: As luck would have it I had a spare knocking around. It was the first nut I ever made just never used it. :) This gives me a chance to show the bottom of the table with the T nuts as well as inside the base of the machine. The tensioner part of the nut is still good but the nut is stripped out, how strange. I am thinking this would be a good time to change this axis to 3/8-16 threaded rod but that would involve trying to find a latheman to cut the ends down to 5/16" to fit into the bearings and the machine would be down for a little while, oh well.

Jason

I have to change the threaded rod as both ends have burrs on them which would damage the threads of the leadnut. To speed up the process I will stick with the 1/4-20 thread for now but in stainless steel, hopefully the whip should reduce. I cannot find acme rod in my neck of the woods but in time I will aquire some.

Jason

I have to change the threaded rod as both ends have burrs on them which would damage the threads of the leadnut. To speed up the process I will stick with the 1/4-20 thread for now but in stainless steel, hopefully the whip should reduce. I cannot find acme rod in my neck of the woods but in time I will aquire some.

Jason

I used 5/16-18 but modified my anti-backlash nuts to use actual nuts within them, and just keep it lubed, they work really well and have several hours on them and have not had to adjust or replace them yet.

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showpost.php?p=80529&postcount=60


Joe

Thanks for the tip Joe. I have changed again and will now use 5/16-18 as I got some couplings done today, cannot find it in stainless 6' long though. I will post the picture results tomorrow.

Jason

Jason Try www.mscdirect.com for you threaded rod. I know you can order it from them I saw some stainless rod in there today............Mike

Jason,

Looks really great.....did you buy the vcarve software...i cant believe how fast it cuts stuff out.....my small signs take more time to lock down that to carve.....i finally got some paint mask and am going to try it tomorrow......will post painted stuff over the weekend ont the other thread.

Grizzmo

Thanks for the link Mike.
I have not bought the Vcarve software yet Bob. I should have all the funds together soon.
Took a break from the repairs. Presently I am trying to eliminate a little binding in the threaded rod nut. The 5/16-18 seems to working much better in terms of whip reduction. I turned the rod by chucking a drilling machine on and it seemed to work fine.

Jason

Guess what guys, Super Klutz bent the rod and did not realize :withstupi (chair) :mad: :violin: :( . Its a very slight bend but enough to cause the slight binding I was detecting. Its off to the hardware first thing in the morning.

Jason

I got my stainless from a local metal supply yard. Very nice stuff. 6' of 5/16-18 for $2.60.

I drool for that kind of price here in Barbados. The store I went into had a 6' length of 3/8-16 stainless for BDS $80.00 (US $40.00), they had no 5/16-18 stainless in stock so I settled for regular 5/16-18 at BDS $9.00 (US $4.50 ). The duties raise the prices of everything in Barbados.

Jason

After numerous interruptions I finally got the machine to the stage of speed testing. I still have to bolt up the leadnut to the gantry but the clamps will do for now. I got up to 70"/min using 5/16-18 rod with no whip , thats the fastest I will run for now as I cannot go much faster with Mach3 set to 35,000 pulses per second. Then again just for fun I will Mach 3 on 45,000 pulses temporarily just to see what speed I can achieve without whipping (a little grease a must for me on the leadscrew at these high speeds).

Advice to new builders of the JGRO: Go with the 5/16-18 threaded rod at least on long axis instead of 1/4-20. Use the skate bearings all over the machine not just for the runners.

Jason

Well I am back to cutting materials, however I may have to fashion another nut as the integrity of the replacement nut was compromised by a clump of super glue that got onto the lead screw and was pulled through the lead nut threads. It is working for now anyway bit I may consider a metal nut soon.

Good thing about a smaller number of threads per inch is that it allows me more speed from Mach3. I am jogging at 70"/min on the Y-Axis(long) with no whip.

Here is a pic of the first part cut after repairs. It is a motor plate. The reason it has 8 holes is that 4 holes in a square pattern will secure the motor and the other 4 which will be outside of the square of the motor base will secure the plate to the machine.

The bearing hole is slightly too large and I will adjust this in NC-plot if possible. I have lots of these skate bearings with flanges which were obtained from numerous raids on copier machines. The copiers also carry some of these bearings without the flanges.

Jason

Looks good Jason. That cut is very clean. I've always had a problem with melting plastics. I'm guessing I haven't run at high enough feed rates.

What sort of feeds are you using on that stuff?

I was running at 1016 mm/min or 40"/min using a 1/8" straight bit and the router flat out (~25,000 RPM). This material is medium density but it cuts well without burning. An upcut spiral bit is best however as it ejects the chips quickly and they do not have a chance to clog.
I will try posting a video of the next cut.
Jason

Here is the plate with the bearing and nema 23 face plate to show how the holes are located.
The bearing hole in the centre now holds the bearing snugly after adjustment of the DXF file and then replacing the circle code.

The videos I tried to upload were too large.

Jason

I split the already short videos so lets see if this works. Sorry about the quality and absence of sound.

Jason

What are you using to cut the plastics.... any recommendations for wood...
I have got my maching put together and after getting to this point I am finding it hard to nail down what to use as a spindle/cutter/router....

Hi Jason,

Very interesting to see your machine in action on the videos. It seems to run pretty rapidly and smoothly.

Tony

The bit I used in the above cuts was a straight plunge bit, however, the best bit to use is a spiral upcut bit. I usually use whiteside upcut bits but any upcut bit will work.
These upcut bits work well for wood as well. I personally use an aging DW610 router, I have also tried a DW618 which worked like a dream. You will have to make a custom mount for the Dewalt router as they have a diameter of 3.5" .

Jason

Thanks for the response...

Tony,
The machine runs well but could be smoother (THK rails. LOL). Vibration usually comes from the lead screw whipping, which I have now solved by using the 5/16-18 threaded rod on the long axis.

Jason

Here is the code for the motor plate in metric and imperial units.

As always check the code in a program such as NC-Plot first. The skate bearing hole is a snug fit as well as the holes for the #10 screws.

I have found that most NEMA 23 motor motor mounting holes accept #10 screws easily, a few of them however do not.

I cut my plate using the metric file, the imperial is untested but shows no problems in the plotter program.

If you look at the code it is just a series of loops, so change the negative Z values to suit your material thickness, dividing the the plunges into 3 equal depths.

Remember the spiral bits will cut best.

Let me know if they are any problems.

Jason

Post pics or videos of you cuts if possible.

Jason

Jason, are you talking to yourself? Maybe need some time off? ;)

Could you post some pics of how you are using these new bearing plates?

Steve

Steve,
Just maybe I do need some time off. LOL :drowning: :D
I would like to see other machines making cuts of the plates. I will get the spacers for the motors tomorrow and show an example of mounting.
The configuration of the holes is quite simple, they are basically the corners of 2 squares at 45 degrees to each other.

Jason

Did a quick mockup of how these plates would work.
The MDF would be the section of the machine to which the plate and motor is attached.
As you can see the plate can remain attached to the machine while the motor is changed.
The screws for the motor do not protrude past the plate material.

Work is hectic right now so I will not be cutting as often, it should be back to normal in a month.

Jason

Me thinks you should add two nuts on either side of that lead screw and pinch the bearings together. This will totally fix the screw to the machine and decouple it from the motor.

See you later,
Steve

I agree Steve, but as it was just a mockup I left them out.

Jason

Hey guys, work was hell this week. I got some time to design and cut the bearing support for the other side of the leadscrew (The side of the gantry opposite the motor).

The second picture shows a size comparison between them and the motor plate.

Made the screw holes to hold the #10 screws with minimal lateral movement and the bearing fit is snug enough to stay in on its own without the need for nuts.

Got my 1/8 and 5/32 spiral upcut Whiteside bits this week and immediately switched out the straight 1/8 bit for the upcut version to compare them.

The spiral bit cut through the material more easily than the straight bit.

Feed rate: 1016mm/min 40"/min
Depth per pass: 4mm approx 5/32"
Bit size: 1/8 upcut spiral

Got that motor plate installed last night along with the lead screw support.
I also cut a new motor plate that allows the use of #10 screws without widening the hole. I bought #10 screws from different stores and they were slightly different in diameter.
I also modified the motor plate so that the bearing hole is all the way through and the fit is not as tight as before for the skate bearing (608).
Some pics of the installed parts along with new motor plate code.

Jason

I also changed the X axis lead screw to 5/16 - 18 stainless steel threaded rod and it works well, the only thing is that the alignment has to be spot on. For some reason the motors are stalling while jogging at 1700mm/min, I am certain its the lead nut still being a bit tight.

Jason

Jason,
I have enjoyed watching your progress.

Just an observation here that may be a potential for alignment and vibration problems.

It appears that you are using a rigid motor/screw coupling, these work fine for perfectly aligned shafts with perfectly machined ends, however, the coupling method and standoff setup used likely will not lend itself to the necessary alignment precision. Why not use small pipe cut to precise lengths with equal thickness washers at each end to distribute the end forces after tightening and some type of flexable coupling.

The other area that might be troublesome is where the screw goes through the rear bearing, to me this would seem best with a nice slip fit and not locked rigid with locking nuts. This would allow some movement due to expansion/contracting from temperature changes. Perhaps keep the locking nuts and accomplish this by a nice slip fit between the outer bearing race and the nylon bearing journal.

A locking nut on each side of the motor end bearing seems good idea.

Just an observation/opinion and not necessarily a problem.
Ken

Ken,

Thanks for the suggestions. It seems I got away with slight misalignment before due to the use of the 1/4-20 threaded rod which gave a little flex, this is not the case with the 5/16-18.

The small pipe would be a good idea. I used the standoff couplings you see to get it done quickly but soon found out that the couplings are not all the same length, different batches I guess. I suspect use of the pipe will clear any tightness if the lead nut is not the problem.

If the alignment is still out then I may have to remount the motor plate. The truth is I made an error when I was mounting the plate in forgetting to tighten up the lead nut tensioning screws to prevent any droop in the lead screw (JGRO leadnut is a 2 piece one) and this may have caused a slight misalignment.

If there is still a problem I will get a flexible zero backlash coupler that allows for misalignment.

I agree the thermal expansion/contraction is an issue with a rigid system but I am not sure what you mean by the term "slip fit".

Jason

Jason,
What I refer to as a slip fit for bearing ID to shaft OD is a fit not so loose as to feel slop but a fit that allows the bearing to be moved up and down on the shaft race by hand with some, but only minimal resistance.

Ken

Thanks Ken, now I understand.

Jason

Got a new coupling made for the leadscrew-motor shaft and I put in a new motor plate so that my motor screws thread into the MDF. The whole setup now works like a charm.

Jason.

Keeo up the post. Man I really appreaciate you sharing your progress.

Sharing is what its all about in the zone. Thanks for the encouragement.
I should have some time this weekend post pics of work cut on the machine.

Jason

Did a test cut today for a clock I drew up in CAD. I forgot to offset the X and Y axis so the machine did not start from the center of the stock (chair) . The circular alignment of the numbers looks good so I can cut as soon as I get my Vcarve software.

Jason

Would you mind telling me(and everyone else) what electronics and motors you are using?
Thanks,
southernexplorer

The 3 axis Hobbycnc setup with the 127oz/inch motors. I would advise the 200 oz/inch motors. Its not that the 127 oz/inch motors don't work well but I have pushed them to their limits at this time.

Jason

oops.

I made a coupler with my machine and it came out quite well. I will need to use thicker stock as 1/2" stock is a little small. I used 10-24 set screws to secure the shafts. When I hook it up to my small Hawk mill I will report on its performance.

Jason

they look really nice, and yes you will need thicker material i tried that and the setscrew just pulled through the material so i went ahead and got the lovejoy's (as lionclaw sujested) the outer pieces are metal.

Joe,
What size set screws did you use?

I choose the 10-24 as they were the largest diameter and coarsest pitch I could use based on the stock I had.

I found that if the shafts have a flat side the set screws do not have to be as tight as a fully round shaft so I have not had any pull out problems so far.

Jason

Joe,
What size set screws did you use?

I choose the 10-24 as they were the largest diameter and coarsest pitch I could use based on the stock I had.

I found that if the shafts have a flat side the set screws do not have to be as tight as a fully round shaft so I have not had any pull out problems so far.

Jason

They are 10-24 also, but i made a small drill hole so it may have set to far down into the leadscrew and not enought threads in the coupler itself.

Jason, Nice Job. I'd be interested in the g-code for that if you wouldn't mind posting it. :)

Maybe a better place to post the g-code might be http://www.cnczone.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=152 . Actually, I think it might be nice to have a new category under 'Machine Controllers Software and Solutions' (http://www.cnczone.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=69) just for posting shareware g-code).

No problem Rance, I will post the 5/16 hole size as well as the 6mm hole size (motor shaft) and the star, the 1/4" hole code needs a correction.

*********The code is in mm!**********

********Please note that the code requires use of a 1/8" bit.*********

*************The 1/8 bit should have a 1/2" Depth of cut.************

Jason

Joe,

I forgot to indicate my set screws are 3/8" long so I have thread contact right through the stock to the shaft hole. What was the length of your set screw?

Jason

Joe,

I forgot to indicate my set screws are 3/8" long so I have thread contact right through the stock to the shaft hole. What was the length of your set screw?

Jason

Oh ok that will help alot mine were really short.

I decided to get some Lovejoy Couplers for my JGRO, I found some at Surplus Center at $2.19 for each half plus $1.49 for the insert, a total of $5.87 each. I did not know they were that cheap :D so I bought 6 - 1/4 halves , 6 - 5/16 halves as well as the inserts. The extra couplers will go on my Hawk mill for now as I have not had the time to fit the homemade ones.
These couplers are allowing me to jog at a faster speed as compared to the rigid couplers which leave no room for error.

Jason

The lovejoys are working well but I noticed as others did that the rubber spider inserts allow a little backlash if the size is slightly off. I therefore tried my hand at designing and cutting out some inserts as Joe did and they came out quite well.

I am yet to determine the performance of the home made inserts but I will post it in the zone.

The good thing about these small parts is that they can be produced from offcuts of material lying around.

I have not had a chance to test the plastic couplers on the little machine yet
but I should have time this weekend

Jason

Here is the code for the lovejoy L-050 inserts.

This code requires a 1/8" bit to be used.
The center of the insert is coordinates 0.0, 0.0 .
The code is in mm.
Max depth of cut is 12mm. (1/2" = 12.7mm)

Jason

I cut a set of curtain rod brackets for a friend, 22 in all. The bottom is to be routed with 3 small semicircles. The final paint finish was her job.

Jason

Made some adjustments to the inserts. code posted below.

Jason

Here is a pic of the two versions.There is a third version but its a little loose.

Jason

Here is a pic of the two versions.There is a third version but its a little loose.

Jason

Here are the final ones i made, they fit very snug and no play in them, try it out and let me know, it is in inch's, 0.25 endmill, 0.5 stock.

I will try it and let you know.

What type of material are you using to cut the spiders?

I am using a cutting board which is medium density polyethelyne and this requires a little finishing sometimes.

Jason

I will try it and let you know.

What type of material are you using to cut the spiders?

I am using a cutting board which is medium density polyethelyne and this requires a little finishing sometimes.

Jason

DHPE 1/2" and a 1/8" carbide bit

I tried the spider file Joe posted but used a 1/4" bit instead of 1/8" (chair) , I must be working too hard :D .

Here are few pics of some work I am presently working on, a clock in the shape of a shield. This is a sample cut using plywood to give the client an idea of the expected results. The recessed square in the middle will hold a thin sheet of aluminum which will have a crest and some text in colour. My client can apparently print images onto the aluminum.

The wooden curtain rod supports are quite popular as well, a friend wants me to cut 60 for him.

Within the next week or so I should have a new router holder as well.

Jason

I tried the spider file Joe posted but used a 1/4" bit instead of 1/8" (chair) , I must be working too hard :D .

Here are few pics of some work I am presently working on, a clock in the shape of a shield. This is a sample cut using plywood to give the client an idea of the expected results. The recessed square in the middle will hold a thin sheet of aluminum which will have a crest and some text in colour. My client can apparently print images onto the aluminum.

The wooden curtain rod supports are quite popular as well, a friend me to cut 60 for them.

Within the next week or so I should have a new router holder as well.

Jason

that looks pretty cool.

The design is 20"tall and 14" wide. Total time 32min at 40"min with the pocketing using most of that time.

Jason

Thanks Joe.

I almost forgot, I also got my little JCKlienbauer mill working. Here is a pic of the setup.
The motors are a little weak so I am topping out at 30"min rapids.

Jason

.

Well that batch of 60 curtain rod brackets was going fine through the cutting process until Mach3 kept on stopping due to a limit switch trigger. I thought it was a one off error until it happened one minute after restarting the program. I returned the machine to the origin (X0,Y0) switched the machine and the computer off.

A couple of hours later I returned to resume cutting but again the switch was triggered 5 minutes into the cut. I thought Mach 3 would indicate the switch being triggered but on testing it became apparent that once the switch is released the light on the diagnostic screen would return to its unlit state.

In order to ensure that a repeat did not occur I simply disabled all the switches until I can isolate the guilty switch. The other possibility is that one of the limit switch wires is frayed or broken internally and such a occurance would trigger an error.

I should have it solved by monday hopefully.


Jason

It could be noise on the lines. Try increasing the debounce, to maybe 2000 or even 5000 and see if that helps. Config>Logic

I had a similar problem. I determined it was noise on the limit lines caused by the pulsing of the stepper wires. Try putting a 0.0uf cap across the limit lines and also increase the debounce in Mach3.

Thunterman

Uhh.. I studied Electronics, but i can't say I have ever seen an 0.0uf cap before.. did you mean 0.01uf, by chance?
:stickpoke

Eddie

(Boy, I sure wish this board has built in spell checking for my fingers.. LOL)





I had a similar problem. I determined it was noise on the limit lines caused by the pulsing of the stepper wires. Try putting a 0.0uf cap across the limit lines and also increase the debounce in Mach3.

Thunterman

Thanks for the responses guys, the noise problem is very likely because I shifted some wires and they are now probably causing interference on the switch lines.

The noise may not be from the motor wires as I have them encapsulated in split cable.

The router power line is a likely culprit it was always fairly close to the switch and motor wires but never caused a problem. Its an aging router and I am not sure how reliable the insulation is on the power line.

I will implement your solutions and report back.

Jason

Uhh.. I studied Electronics, but i can't say I have ever seen an 0.0uf cap before.. did you mean 0.01uf, by chance?

Oops! 0.0uf would be a very tiny (invisible) cap! Yes, it should be a 0.01uf cap. Spell checker wouldn't of caught that one!

Problem solved!

I increased the debounce to 2000 and further insulated the router power cable from the other wires.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Jason

I cut this design in the cupboard door with my JGRO in 21 min 1016mm/min (40" min). Its 320mm (12.6") wide by 396mm (15.6") wide.

Jason

you did a beautiful job. i like it did y
ou have a pattern for the design?

That looks great Jason.

Thanks Dar and CNCRob for the kind words.

Yes Dar I had a pattern for the design. I combined two dingbat designs, saved them as a dxf which was then imported into Vcarve Wizard edited and the toolpath created.
I cannot say enough about Vcarve wizard, its easy and gives amazing results.

I was trying to find the combined DXF files in order to post it in this message but it seems to be hiding. When I locate it, I will post it immediately

Jason

I had to recreate the dxf file as the original was a combination of two files through importing. This file can be imported into Vcarve Wizard and centered in the material to get everything all lined up. The corner designs may have to be moved around a little in order to get their spacing just right.

The corner designs may be aligned by centering a square in the material and touching the outer edges to the sides of the square.

Jason

All the people I showed the door to loved it, some wanted a design in the middle of the circular design, I personally think its a little too much. Here is the preview from Vcarve.

Jason

very nice, the cut looks good

Thanks Joe, There are some Celtic designs I am taking a crack at next.

Jason

These signs were cut with my JGRO, 24 of each in conjunction with the VCarve software. You just cannot go wrong with the VCarve software.

The bit is a Whiteside 5/32 solid carbide upcut and after cutting 400 feet of mdf is still very sharp.

This job paid for all my previous expenses associated with my machine which includes the machine, mach software, VCarve software and Hobbycnc electronics.

Jason

Jason/Joe, thanks for posting your g-code.

Nice work Jason.

...my little JCKlienbauer mill working. ...The motors are a little weak so I am topping out at 30"min rapids.

Jason, what torque of motors are you using?

To be honest I am not sure of the strength of those motors as I took them from a canon copier and there is no info on them. I am estimating that they are in the the region of 50-70 oz/inches torque. I have since aquired some stronger steppers from toshiba copiers and will swap to improve performance.

Jason

Well guys I finally got a constant response circuitry router from Bosch to replace my DW610 which burned up after bearing failure.
After the initial batch of 48 signs I should have a further 48 to start for the newly constructed buildings.
I had the strange experience of a new v-bit of identical model number burning MDF while the older duller bit gave a much cleaner cut. On inspection of the bit I realized the carbide on the newer bit was thicker and had slightly less clearance between the edge of the carbide and the body of the bit and this may have trapped debris between them and caused the burning.
I will experiment with speed and see what happens

Jason

I cut this circuit board with my JGRO at 1016mm/min with a 0.8mm end mill however I think a 0.5mm end mill would be a better option. The end mill is from think & tinker.

Jason

I cut this circuit board with my JGRO at 1016mm/min with a 0.8mm end mill however I think a 0.5mm end mill would be a better option. Jason

Verrrry nice!!! Is that for a new driver board or some other circuit? It'll kill us if you don't tell us.

If those drilled/milled holes are as big as they look I would second the smaller end mill. Is it me, the picture angle, the picture distance, the end mill size or some combination of the above that makes the through holes look oversize?

Have you tried an engraving bit? Has anyone purchased/tried one of these cheapo 70 BIT SET FOR SHERLINE CNC SMALL MILL carbide USA (http://cgi.ebay.com/70-BIT-SET-FOR-SHERLINE-CNC-SMALL-MILL-carbide-USA_W0QQitemZ110000882147QQihZ001QQcategoryZ104241QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)??? Are they overpriced at $21.99 + $6.99 S&H?


Thanks for the inspirational picture,

HayTay

Thanks Harry

Its the Banshee chopper driver board from JCKleinbauer. It is the angle that gives the impression of the holes being oversized, but it won't hurt to try the 0.5mm end mill when I get it. Thanks for the link, I will have to ask the same question of price to someone who purchased already.

I tried to get a pic from directly overhead but none of them came out like the two I posted before.


Jason

The bit set looks similar to the $12.99 set at Harbor Freight:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=34640

Hi Jason, really like your signs you made. They look very nice! How much did you charge for each one and how long did each one take.

Looks like your having fun with your machine and making money with it.
Keep up the good work!

p.s. I thought I read you are building a bigger machine, How is that coming along.

Scott :cheers:

The bit set looks similar to the $12.99 set at Harbor Freight:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=34640


rweatherly,

That's the 50 piece set, the ebay one is 70 pieces.




Hi Scott,

Staining the MDF took up the most time, about two weeks as I used multiple coats and between other work and drying time. Each sign took about 12 min to carve using VCarve Wizard and then cutout. After this I coated each sign with multiple coats of polyurethane clear coat.

The signs were $40.00 on average but I am sure you would charge less in the USA.

To cut down on staining time I will sand the MDF with a 120 grit sand paper so that more stain stays on the first coat.

My bigger machine, a 5x10 router, will be initially reduced in size to a 4'x4' or 4'x6' as I will not have the amount of space I originally planned. This small one will be just a smaller version of the larger and any short comings with it will be corrected in the larger machine.

I will order pulleys and belts from sdp-si for gear reduction as well as open belts to to drive the long axis from each side.

I was not planning to do a lot of welding but it appears I will have to purchase or rent a small MIG welding plant when I buy the metal.

Jason

Thats fantastic. :).....wheres the doggie tag pic...:( ?

Thanks diarmaid, I will cut a new one soon as the current one is made from soft aluminium and the dog has it rather worn.

Jason

I cut this in about 55min at 40"/min.

Jason

WOW its beautiful . can,t wait to finish my machine and give it a try.
Dar

Link to page containing file. Scroll up and look for daddyshands.eps.

http://vectric.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3764#3764

Jason

Another sign for the hotel using VCarve Pro.

Pic1 :Test cut.

Pic2 :Taken during the cut with the MDF dust flying. Don't worry the
vacuum was in the other hand to catch that dangerous MDF dust.

Pic3 :Tab removal, staining the cut ends and a clear coat remain to be
done.


The signs were cut at 1016mm/min (40" min). Bits used were MLCS 25.4mm (1") diameter 90deg v-bit and a Whiteside 3.175mm (1/8") spiral upcut solid carbide bit.


Jason

For this job I only cut out the letters for a sign company. They finished the sign and after installation I visited the location and took these pics.

Jason

This is a poem I compiled for recently married friends.

Jason

Here is another example of little brother JGRO working hard to earn funds for the construction of big brother.
I have been avoiding advertising of the sign work but its is steadily streaming in from one big sign shop in particular as well as lots of work from the hotel.

Jason

Thanks for the encouragement guys.
The machine is also accurate enough to engrave animal tags with the finest lines of the letters matching up spot on, I will post a picture of it if he lets me take the picture without licking the camera.
Jason

I would love to see pictures. I am considering Joe's design for relatively small 3D carving projects and don't know if vcarved small lettering was going to be clean enough.

Rich

I have to carve a new tag as the other one is worn.

Joe's design is a very good one if you have any questions I am sure he will answer them. He also offers a kit for the machine.
As far as accuracy goes as long as good building techniques are followed these machines are very accurate.


Jason

Latest project delivered this week. The arch is 8 feet wide and 15 inches tall

I stuck the letters on with Krazy glue. I used very small amounts so that there would be none squeezed out and therefor avoided the white residue.
The amazing thing is that after sticking all those letters I still have 1/3 of a small tube left.

Jason

New bit for carving in sign foam as my last attempt with 90 deg bit on fine lettering was a little fuzzy in spots. This one is a triple flute 60 deg vbit with a solid carbide top end.

Jason

Did a sample of a sign for the wife's school. She wanted the english first but I told the her it looked balanced this way (argument). :)

In the end, the other staff and the Principal loved it and wanted others "as is".

It seems I got the last laugh, at least for now, hehe.


Jason

My main bearing on my Bosch router decided it had enough of work and went into retirement. Well it lasted six months.

I will try to bring it out of retirement pack it with dry lube and set it back to work for a few more months. After removing the seal it seems that all the mdf dust from the signs crept past the seal and clogged it.

Jason

To add insult to injury it seems that I have also damaged the edge of the rotor where the collet nut screws on. I should have threaded the nut on and then tap the rotor out. Well its off to the latheman today.

Jason

If you consider buying a new one, check this out, it's cheap and popular in the zone, but then you probably seen it already.
http://www.amazon.com/Hitachi-M12VC-Variable-Speed-Router/dp/B0002ZZWXI

Its a good router and the price is right but it is very heavy. I hefted it at Bolts & Fastners in Lower Estate. The local price is not bad either but at the time they had the kit which I was not interested in.

Jason

Got a bearing to replace the dead one. On assembly of the router it is running a little hot.
I will test it again tonight and see what happens.

Jason

After having the crappiest looking (just in time) JGRO router clamp I decided it was time to make a proper one.
I modified Joe's clamp and milled out the back plate so that the sides and the actual clamps fit into slots.

Jason

That looks pretty good....

Thanks Joe.
The edges of the MDF gave me some stress because I did not use primer so it just kept on sucking up the paint.

Jason

The secret's in the sanding of the edges, prior to painting and between coats, a bit of work but you'll be surprise you can get a great finish, your clamp looks awesome though.

Thanks tajord. The truth is that the dust from all the tappping and drilling had me sneezing so I abandoned any more ideas I had about sanding.

Jason

I am in the process of deciding which machine to build for my first one, and I love watching the progress of your machine.

I am curious, can you point me in the direction that you got your plans for the JCKlienbauer mill? I think something like that may be good for me to get my feet wet, I haven't played with CNC since like 10 years ago in high school. I am thinking that mill is nice, or I'm looking at the Rockcliff model.

Welcome to the zone emtffkev.

the site is www.crankorgan.com

Jason

If you are looking at the Hawk mill, you might want to give this one a look...I am thinking about building it to get my feet wet and assist with making the JRGO. <a href="http://www.liutaiomottola.com/Tools/CNCRouter.htm">Desktop Mill</a>. It looks interesting, fairly easy, cheap :D , and SWMBO approvable!

And welcome to the Zone!

Cheers,
Hos

That machine is a copy of JCKleinbauers Brute from www.crankorgan.com.

Jason

Jason, since I haven't seen Jack's plan for the Brute, is there a substantial difference between the two plans?

Still trying to sort all this out to build my first machine.

Cheers,
Hos

It's the same machine. He said he based the plans on John's machine and is offering them for free while John's plans cost $36.00.

Jason

Gee that sure sounds like theft of Intellectual Property to me.

John Kleinbauer has provided most of us who have actually built machines a lot of inspiration. Many of the best ideas that people take for granted today were developed by "Kranky John". My suggestion is buy his plans and learn. His are usually updated and when you buy plans you get to be able to ask questions on the hardwarestorecnc forum which is a closed forum. So free is good and bad. Good price but so are most stolen items. Bad in that when enough gets stolen people don't want to create new stuff just to be ripped off.

I bought his plans for the Phoenix. It works. By actually buying and building from his plans you learn that a lot of thought went into them. When you study them enough you can selectively change things based on the materials that you can scrounge or find.

Just think what that guy who is selling or giving away copies of John's plan would do if you went and stole his car. He would be really upset. It is no different. Steal a car and give away the parts. Dumb and crooked.

www.kleinbauer.com is where you can get the plans.

My $0.02

Jim H

Since the DIY cnc community is rather small I think that its members should support to each other by purchasing plans or products from members.

John does not ship overseas so I get my uncle to purchase the plans for me and they have always been of good quality. I have purchased about six plans including two of his stepper controllers, one which I built and it worked very well until I burned it up with too much voltage.

Here is a list of the companies I have purchased from:

www.kleinbauer.com (machine plans)
www.hobbycnc.com (machine plans and stepper kits)
www.artofcnc.com (mach software)
www.vectric.com (software for CNC Routing, Engraving and Sign Making, 3D Model Machining,machining photographic designs)

We must also thank JGRO for his design which so many of us use.

Jason

Two signs I carved for friends.

Jason

I cut them from sign foam at 40"/min, 1016mm/min with a sharp 90deg vbit.
The villa sign was supposed to be oval as well but after carving it I liked the square shape with the inner oval and my Aunt agreed.
I will post some more pics when they are installed.

Jason

Looks good Jason, keep em comming.


Joe

Jason,
Nice signs. I've got to try that sign foam sometime. Looking forward to the install.
Dave

That machine is a copy of JCKleinbauers Brute from www.crankorgan.com.

Jason

Jason

I had never seen this site until I ran across it here. However I must ask if you actually looked at the documentation on the site. Though it looks like a copy of the Brute I don't think it shares any parts except the pipe and window channel.

I don't have the Brute Plans but I do have the 7th Sojourn plans and have built it. I have been thinking about re-designing the slides since day one. The plans posted (nearly 70 pages of PDF's are very clear and the slides would seem easier to construct than the those supplied with the boughten plans. I would suggest that anyone buying plans for the Brute or any other of Johns other plans download these pdf's in addition to the plans.

I now plan on redoing my Z per these PDF's and if it works as well as I think it will then my Y.

As I say its a far from a copy even though it looks like and he states it was inspired by Johns design...






I have posted a review of what I thought of the 7th Sojourn plans here on the zone in the past and as a result of that been locked out of any support John might give. In his words the "Jokes on Me".

That said he has had some very interesting and inovative ideas on low cost CNC..

Garry

Jason, since I haven't seen Jack's plan for the Brute, is there a substantial difference between the two plans?

Still trying to sort all this out to build my first machine.

Cheers,
Hos

There is a huge difference in the plans based on what I see on the pdfs and what came with my 7th Sojourn machine plans that uses the same window channel...

If you buy the Brute or any of John's plans I would look at the methods to make the slides on the free site before actually building the linear slides..

The free plans inspired by the "Brute" are at
http://www.liutaiomottola.com/Tools/CNCRouter.htm


Garry

My only real problem with the free plans are that they are based on the brute.
It seems rather unfair to base plans on someone's project and give them away free.
To be clear, I have never been in John's support group although I have purchased several of his plans.

Jason

Cut this part from "teflon" for a latheman friend of mine. This teflon normally cut from a solid round bar. I never expected it to be so hard, I was machining with 3mm passes at 1016 mm/min ,40" min, a new sharp solid carbide upcut bit and the machine was still chattering.
I flipped it over to get the flange shown. In the end it came out pretty good.

Jason

My only real problem with the free plans are that they are based on the brute.
It seems rather unfair to base plans on someone's project and give them away free.
To be clear, I have never been in John's support group although I have purchased several of his plans.

Jason
And the brute is based on the Bridgeport....

All machines are based on another machine to some extent....

As I said the plans are enough different that I see no problem with them.. If you have followed John over the last few years he thinks all plans using skate bearings are a rip off of his ideas..

And he probably was the first or close to it to use the bearings in this way for cnc, But I ave some old optical stages that use the same design idea with smaller bearings. And these are probably close to 50 years old..

There are very few totally original ideas anymore..

Garry

Delivered the bearing mount today and my friend was very pleased with the result. Maybe some more work will come my way.

Jason

And the brute is based on the Bridgeport....

All machines are based on another machine to some extent....

As I said the plans are enough different that I see no problem with them.. If you have followed John over the last few years he thinks all plans using skate bearings are a rip off of his ideas..

And he probably was the first or close to it to use the bearings in this way for cnc, But I ave some old optical stages that use the same design idea with smaller bearings. And these are probably close to 50 years old..

There are very few totally original ideas anymore..

Garry


Personally I am not thinking about it anymore.:)
I have to get back to the Hawk and get it working again. I smoked the controller, so I will have to get either a xylotex or hobbycnc controller for it.

Jason

Personally I am not thinking about it anymore.:)
I have to get back to the Hawk and get it working again. I smoked the controller, so I will have to get either a xylotex or hobbycnc controller for it.

Jason
Hate to hear that....

Never good to let the magic smoke out..
Garry

Carved a design into purpleheart 4x4 posts for a four poster bed yesterday.
I was not eager about the purpleheart as its very hard and always burns,
however, the customer assured me the burning was not a problem as he expected it.

Jason

hey jason, that must've done a number on your v bit/s, i'm not too keep on purple heart myself, the last time I used it, i had to replace the amateur in my table saw, my jgro has been down for quite a while now due to the lack of a monitor as i had to use it to replace the one on my main pc since i haven't gotten that one to the repair guy as yet, nice job though.

I know what you mean I had a friend burn out the armature in his circular saw while constructing a purpleheart roof structure.

Here is the second pic I spent the morning trying to upload.

Jason

Router went south again. Almost spoilt a cut but I stretched it to the end.
The top bearing failed this time so I replaced it, but packed in some high temp grease.


Jason

This christmas season was total pandemonium as I got requests to supply letters for signs at the last possible minute and all were needed now. I delivered the last set yesterday, it was not christmas related but they still wanted it now.

I tried a downcut bit with the sign foam, needless to say I will never try that again, upcut all the way. The chips formed a hard clog at the bottom of the cut and ruined a few letters. Maybe the router rpm was too fast.

I had a strange thing happen during a cut, the machine just stopped for about 3 seconds, I was about freak out as I thought the rest of the cut was going into the garbage but the machine started back on its own and continued for a perfect cut.

Jason

Not sure what's wrong but uploading the other two pics is next to impossible.

You may want to try a 0 flute up spiral, I use an Amana Tool brand on HDPE and works great better than a two flute, it is made for plastic but may work good on sign foam.

Joe

Thanks Joe. I started ordering Amana bits through ToolsToday.com earlier this year and will consider this type of bit in my next order. I have some plastic to cut as well so this bit will fit in perfectly.

Jason

The finish on the HDPE is allot better now with this bit, and also not gumming up on the bit, you will like it. a little more expensive but well worth it.

Joe

The other pics of the machine covered in sign foam chips.

Jason

Looks like you have really put your machine through its paces and got your moneys worth from it. by the looks of all the projects you have done and doing you maybe outgrowing your machine before to long.

Joe

Yes Joe, its has really gone through its paces and I was fortunate to have it pay for itself with its first job. It has also paid for the components for its larger siblings which are taking longer than expected to finish. I will update the JGRO eventually with some v bearings.

I need to get at least one of these new machines mechanically finished for the end of this month as time will be at a premium after that.

Jason

I've used purple heart on a few home woodworking projects and the oil/resin in the wood will change to purple and then to black as the heat from cutting and sanding builds up. Very slow speeds and very sharp cutters will minimize the discoloring. It's tough to be completely free of it though.

CarveOne

CarveOne

I had to wet the wood from a squeeze bottle as I was routing to ease the burning.


Jason

Good idea Jason, I'll have to try that also. I have a single board of it that's about nine board feet in size to eventually use up on home projects. Some other tropical woods I have have the same issues.

CarveOne

Did a little work on Sunday, small curtain rod brackets.

Jason

Jason,
Looking great. I'd like to see the finished parts too.

Jason...From yesterday night i am reading ur this thread...very interesting work u did so far...keep up posting dude

Thanks Khalid the machine has been lots of fun as well as teaching me a lot.

Dave,
I was not painting the brackets, that was up to my friend (freebie job).

Jason

Hey Guys,
I have cut and delivered some signs but totally forgot the pics (age). My X axis, the one on which the Z moves left and right, is giving some trouble and I am tired of trying to tighten it up so I will probally rebuild that part of the machine. I have not worked out all the details yet but I may just go the route of Splam who used V bearings.

Jason

Just a quick note to let you guys know that I am still on the planet. I have been doing some jobs for other sign shops as well as a few of my own. I have an upcoming job on which I may use brown solid surface material, which will save me from too much painting.

Here is a job I did recently for a hotel pool complex. It's not flashy but it pays. The sign foam is really expensive here is Barbados, $330.00 (US $165.00) per sheet.

Jason

Got about 20 of these so far to do. This one is a sample that my 2 year old got her hands on and as you can see she has the corners a little banged up.

Jason

Nice gig. The sign looks great.

Thanks Dave,

Here are some ovals that have also to be vcarved with room numbers.

Jason

First set of room numbers done, 4 sets to go.

Wow Jason..thats comes really nice...

Thanks Khalid,

This should be the last set of ovals, 67 in the picture and a few more unpainted. They should be dry in a few days and then the vcarving will start.

Jason

Those are nice, what is the material?

Thanks Jamf2, the material is white signfoam painted brown.

Here is a pic of the chips flying

Are you stillusingthe original JGRO? I haven't taken the time to read all your posts so don't know. If so, it for sure has paid for itself by now. Pretty cool beans

Thnks MrWild,

Actually it paid for itself and all expenses(software and such) on its first job.

Jason

The little signs look amazing. The foam looks like great material to cut.

Thanks Dave,
Its really easy on the router. I was a little concerned about reducing the router speed so significantly in order to stop the brown paint from being dragged down into the letters, however my fears were put to rest when the cut still came out really clean with no paint.

I have also started to profile cut 1/2" material in one pass to eliminate "pass lines". No lines will mean less sanding for me.

Jason

It seems I may have to mask my next set of signs as my latest job got paint dragged down into the Vcarved letters.
Jason

Try Screenprint paint on PVC Foamboard. As the paint is PVC based it sticks perfectly to the substrate.

Try Screenprint paint on PVC Foamboard. As the paint is PVC based it sticks perfectly to the substrate.


Thanks bdahmet, I will give it a try.

Jason.. very creative and remarkable work:)

Thanks Khalid.


On a lighter note it seems that my machine would not be working for a while and then I get a call for rush work. As sure as night follows day I can expect two more calls for rush work within a day or two. A hotel I produce signs for call with work where all I have to do is v carve the letters and paint them in gold on three door headers as well as as few signs. The other jobs will be more routine.

I will post pics after I finish the door headers.

Jason

A gift for a friend's new house. Its about 11.5" x 8" and vcarved with a 120 deg bit.

Jason

These were sent as stained blanks by the customer and I was required to carve and paint the letters gold. I got very nervous when my contact paper masking would not stick to the cleared surface and had to use trusty masking tape in the end. Clearing the surface first with a few coats allows you to sand off the mask runs without damaging the stained surface

Jason

My two stage gear reduction for my long axis, there is a another one to complete. The gears that the drive belt are missing as I am installing a smaller gear for improved torque.
ratio is 6.25:1
As is the usual case VCarve Pro for the hole pocketing and hole drilling, I really do not know what I would do without it.

Jason

Hi Jason,

That looks great. Can you explain how your design works?

Are you steppers low power or are you looking to cut something very hard?

Matthew

Hi Matthew,
Before I proceed its important to note that there are 3 separate shafts in this setup. Two shafts are at the top, each ending inside the their own blue bearing mount and one long shaft at the bottom.
The motor will turn the small 28 tooth gear on the top left side of the stage which turns the 70 tooth gear at the bottom, the bottom 70 tooth gear is connected to the small 28 tooth gear on bottom right of the stage which then turns the 70 tooth gear on the top right side of the stage. Next to this top 70 tooth gear will be a 20 tooth gear and nylon rollers which the 12 foot belt will roll over and around to drive the machine.

Jason

The steppers are 425 oz/inch and I will be cutting mainly wood

Jason

Here is one for another axis, the arrangement is much the same. The setup can be made a lot smaller if aluminum is used for the plates and the bearings pressed into the aluminum plate.

Jason

That's amazing Jason.

Why do you need to gear your system down if you are using 425IN/OZ steppers and are only cutting wood?

Matthew

That's amazing Jason.

Why do you need to gear your system down if you are using 425IN/OZ steppers and are only cutting wood?

Matthew


My gantry will be heavy and I want to have good acceleration, gearing down will allow me to achieve this with a comfortable margin for error. I also want to increase my steps/mm to get my first 2.5d cuts as smooth as possible.

Jason

These were sent as stained blanks by the customer and I was required to carve and paint the letters gold. I got very nervous when my contact paper masking would not stick to the cleared surface and had to use trusty masking tape in the end. Clearing the surface first with a few coats allows you to sand off the mask runs without damaging the stained surface

Jason

Looks great!

Just to make it clear that the gear reduction boxes shown in the previous posts are for a 4x8 (5x10) machine I have been building for a long time now.
I have been missing out on occasional work due to the small cut area of the JGRO.

Jason

Freebie job for a friend's new store. I choose this font because it was the only one I could get that would look reasonably good and at the same time get the "I" to cover-up a damaged part of the sign blank.

Jason

Client wanted the aluminum pocketed to 0.50mm to retain the paint. all of the finishing work was at them which I do not mind at all. the seven signs took me about 3 hours of cut time.

Jason

Sister-in-laws wedding is today and what could have been done three months ago I waited until the night before to finish. The great thing is the paint dried really fast so its all ready for the cake table today. The letters are 19" tall and cut from 1/2" sign foam.

Jason

What are your speeds and feeds and what are bits are you using on your foam? No problems with blowout? Signs look great. I have not cut any foam yet but im looking to start. Thanks

Joe

Joe

Not sure if we are talking about the same foam this one is almost like a medium to soft plastic. I cut these letters with a 1/8" (3.175mm) upcut bit in one pass at 1/2" (12.7mm) deep at 20"/min. It can be cut faster but with the small bit I was not taking any chances due to thge last second rushing. My router was flat out at ~25,000 rpm.

edit: The reason for plunging so deep in order to make one pass is that I save time if any pass marks have to be sanded off the letters.

Jason

I figured it was more of a hardened foam. Thanks for the info.

Pic of the wedding table. Came out pretty good.

Numbers for an apartment block.

specs:
Mahogany
5 inches tall
cut with 135deg bit
customer (woodworking shop) will finish with a clear coat

Beautiful job.

Jason,

Your work is always very nice, keep 'em coming.

DT

thanks guys