I couldn't stand it. With all the compliments and pictures of Joes2006 machine, I have to give it a try. Joe is cutting out my HDPE parts and I'm working on the mdf ones. I think I have most of my hardware parts in but had problems finding the right size ubolts. Just ordered the ubolts from Amazon.com (thanks David). Have completed the bearing assemblies and have cut a few of the mdf parts.

That is a pretty nice looking machine you have already.

Yeah, ditto to that. Is that the sosy 3 plan design? I purchased it awhile back but liked Joe's table assembly better and the way the gantry was above the table. Loading the pieces in there seems akward to me, seems more useful to have the slides at the same level as the table and the gantry above. But that's just me. Looking forward to seeing the rest of your build. I hope more people come forward, there are many more people with Joe's parts that aren't posting them!

Yes, this is David Steele's Sosylva plan. It is just to slow for me. A person that knows what he he is doing could probably get more speed out of it. I can jog it around the table @50 ipm all day long but when I actually run a program it loses steps if it goes over 15 ipm. It is very accurate at the 15 ipm. I cut 3/4" mdf in 3 passes and you just about need a magnifying glass to see where each different depth of cut is made. Very smooth. After I kinda learn what I am doing I might try working on the speed again. If the Joes20006 works like I hope it does, maybe I won't have to work on the Sosylva model any more. At one time I had the Sosylva air cutting @60 ipm but it vibrated excessively I slowed the speed. It was not loseing any steps but just vibrating excessively. I'm hoping Joes2006 machine is going to be a vast improvement.

Getting a few more parts cut out.

DougO - I have the same machine you do. I just completed the build a couple of weeks ago and am still learning and tweeking the setup. I hope you continue to update this because I built mine with the same idea in mind. Build the one I have to learn and use it to build a better one.

Dwayne

Looks good so far, let me know if you need any help with anything, ie. depths of cuts or anything else.

It always does not hurt to have two machines... lol

joe

Thought I would try some pattern cutting with some of the multiple parts and looking very good right now. Much faster than the cnc cutting them out.

More parts cut. Pattern cutting is the way to go for me with my setup. Don't know how many more parts I can do this on though.

what kind of hold down are you using when cutting these parts?

More parts cut. Pattern cutting is the way to go for me with my setup. Don't know how many more parts I can do this on though.

Looks good so far, how much more do you need for the machine, do you have the HDPE cut also, or just starting out?

Joe

Okay I have to ask the obvious question, why are you no longer using your existing router to cut some of the parts?

Template cut part look good though.

David

what kind of hold down are you using when cutting these parts?

I cut a piece of 3x2 mdf and brad nail each corner to my existing cnc spoilboard and try to cut out the maximum number of parts possible from this piece of mdf. If you talking about holding the pieces together while pattern cutting, I just run screws through the holes in original piece to the copy. I then use these screw holes in the copy and drill them to correct size with drill press.


Okay I have to ask the obvious question, why are you no longer using your existing router to cut some of the parts?

David

I had some type of glitch in my cnc board and had to return it to Xylotex for repair. Had an email today that it was in the mail headed back my way. I would have pattern cut each part that I could even if my cnc was in operating condition because pattern cutting is the fastest way for me to duplicate parts. My cnc cuts 15-20 ipm and I can probably pattern cut a piece in a quarter of that time. I'm hoping when I get through that the pattern cutting will be accurate enough. I don't see now why they wouldn't.


Looks good so far, how much more do you need for the machine, do you have the HDPE cut also, or just starting out?

Joe
I have all the hardware (I think) but the ubolts and they are ordered. Basically the parts I have pictured are all I have except for the solid pieces I cut on table saw. My controller board went on the blink or I think I would have been through cutting parts out by now. As far as the HDPE parts, I will pm you about those.


thanks

Well, I got my repaired Xylotex board back Sat., hooked it back up and all I could get was a hum from my stepper motors. Emailed Xylotex but didn't expect to hear back til Monday. Sunday I went to Xylotex page and downloaded everything I could about the motors and went to reading. When I originally got the Xylotex kit the board was already preset for the motors and ready to go. The instructions stated how to set the vref (had no idea what vref was). Got out my volt meter just to see if I could get a reading that matched the instructions. Could not get a reading so I turned the blue buttons as instructed and I started getting positive readings. Set all the Vrefs per instructions and the motors started purring like kittens. Before I sent the controller board back to Xylotex my stepper motors made a thumping noise when they run, sounded like a car tire with a big knot on it. Could not get the motors to run over 15 ipm without losing steps. I am anxious to try cutting at faster speeds now that the motors sound right but that is going to have to wait. Unless the doctor changes his mind, I am going to have a new grand-daughter Monday, so my wife and myself will be at my son's for a few days. First things first. May not be the right place but I have to show a video of my first grand-daughter (and first grandchild - born Oct 30, 2006) taken today. It's true what they say, grandkids are wonderful.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8121490483073895802&hl=en



I made a couple of videos after I got my Sosylva back working so here they are also. After cutting out the part it just needs a little swipe with sandpaper to knock off the edges. The Sosylva is just a little slow but again, I hope that is going to improve. For some reason it seems this CNC stuff improves the more I learn:)

I'll get back to cutting out parts for Joes2006 CNC later.



http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1218738718460023514

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7662259046386075342

Nice videos Doug and you have a lovely grandchild - congrats

Looks nice, the only thing i see at the actual corner of the abutting pieces, I use a 1/4" offset to alow the pieces to sit sq. at the corners. as shown in the picture below. I do this on all the pieces that have Sq. corners that way there is not cleanup or further cutting needed. I believe they are shown in all the DWG files.

Joe

Well I made it back and have another beautiful grand-daughter.

Thanks for the compliments David. I thought I would get to see some pictures of your new machine running. You should be getting close. I'm anxious to see your final product and how it operates.

Joe, I see what you are talking about with the reliefs cut in the corners. I thought I might make better time cutting the slots with a 1/2 in bit and then cutting the reliefs with 1/4 bit using it like a pin router. I think I like it better cutting the slots with the 1/4 bit to start with. The corners look more professional than free handing them.

How critical are the .25 inch holes for the threaded rods to run through. I was just checking to see how my holes lined up and it is hard to run a .25 rod through 6 or 7 boards with .25 inch holes. Would it mess things up in the final product to drill the holes maybe a 64th oversize to help run the rods through the braces?

How critical are the .25 inch holes for the threaded rods to run through. I was just checking to see how my holes lined up and it is hard to run a .25 rod through 6 or 7 boards with .25 inch holes. Would it mess things up in the final product to drill the holes maybe a 64th oversize to help run the rods through the braces?

I used a drill and ran the rod through the y-axis gantry, much faster and easier then by hand, just slow down when comming to the next vert. rib, then speed it through.

joe

Thats funny Joe that is exactly what I did. The only slight variation was that I but two nuts locked against each other then used a socket driver on my drill.

Appreciate the suggestions guys. Will take all I can get.

I think I got through cutting all my mdf pieces Sat. unless I overlooked a part or maybe two. Guess I'll start with the assembly & painting after the holidays. I keep watching David's build and got the itch real bad. He seems to be doing his right - not rushing it and just taking it a step at a time.

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas.

Nice work, you're almost there Doug. Yeah David teases us all, his build has been very clean and flawless looking. I just got the shipping notification from DHL, going to get my parts the day after christmas; no overtime that day! Going to make it home early and start building :). Thanks for all your hard work Joe!

Joe's machine will some day rule the world... :)


DougO,
Nice work, everything looks very clean and well done!

bp092, congratulations!

It's great to see all the kits coming together and being able to pick up some great ideas. I will be getting back to mine the day after Christmas also!

Merry Christmas!

Your parts looks very good DougO can't wait to see you start assembly.

bp092 looking forward to seeing your build too.

David

Got back to the machine today and got the z-axis carriage glued together. After the glue set for a few hours I run the 1/4" threaded rods through just to make sure it stayed where it was supposed to after I took the clamps off. While the glue set up I played around with the y-axis torsion box to see how the parts fit. It is just amazing to me that a person that does not know any more about this cnc stuff than I do to be able to take Joes drawings and end up with assemblies that fit together like a glove. I cannot say enough good words about the work Joe has put into his machine. The y-axis torsion box went together perfect. Did not fasten the assembly permanently. I went ahead and coated the ends of the mdf of the z-axis carriage and y-axis torsion box with the spackling compound. I'll knock the rough edges of the compound off after it drys.

Looks pretty good, you did a good job on the cutouts. Make sure the area where the pipes rest in the Y-axis is sanded back down, maybe use a pipe wraped in sandpaper, this will make the pipes fit flush and true.

I have a couple of questions:

a. are the inside & outside of the left and right gantry sides glued together or just bolted?

b. If I don't go with the standard color of white, will paint stick to the HDPE?

I have a couple of questions:

a. are the inside & outside of the left and right gantry sides glued together or just bolted?

b. If I don't go with the standard color of white, will paint stick to the HDPE?


a) glued makes them stiffer

b) yes, just look at my machine and others, I used spray cans on mine. with primer 1st, MDF paints like wood.

b. If I don't go with the standard color of white, will paint stick to the HDPE?

DougO - I think Krylon makes a paint in a spray can that is made specific for plastic. Supposed to bond with the molecules or something, the commercials I have seen show them painting some plastic outdoor furniture. I think most of this furniture is PVC though. Should be able to find it a HD and such

Dwayne

Thanks for the info guys. Now I'll get back to work.

Thought I would try some pattern cutting with some of the multiple parts and looking very good right now. Much faster than the cnc cutting them out.

You say pattern cutting is faster. If your CNC is fast enough in inches per minutes it should be moving as fast as you would move it by hand. Or is it setup time that is slowing you down.

Thanks and keep the pictures coming.

Hager

You say pattern cutting is faster. If your CNC is fast enough in inches per minutes it should be moving as fast as you would move it by hand. Or is it setup time that is slowing you down.

Thanks and keep the pictures coming.

Hager

DougO is running a Sosylva machine, I have one too. Cuts in the 20 ipm range are pretty fast for it, not really fast when running parts. Also if you pattern cut then in my case I use something like a 1/2" diameter bit. With a bit like that I can pattern cut the whole thickness at one time. With my machine and a 1/8 or 1/4 bit I do it in multiple passes. Hope this helps and hope I did not step on DougO's toes.

Dwayne

I have found that with Joe's machine he has a 1/4" relief cut in the corners for the mating piece to fit correctly. I tried pattern cutting with a 1/2" pattern bit and it would not make these 1/4 relief cuts. Ordered a dual cutter 1/4" spiral upcut pattern bit and it works perfect. I am running a 3 1/4 hp router on my pattern cutting router table. It has no problems whatsover cutting through the mdf in one pass. It all depends on the size of the part but on the average I figure what it would take me less than 5 minutes to pattern cut a part that would take 20 to cut on the Sosylva. I have found the Sosylva very accurate but just slow. Another thing, when you pattern cut a part I guess the tolerances are as close as possible to match the original.

I have found that with Joe's machine he has a 1/4" relief cut in the corners for the mating piece to fit correctly. I tried pattern cutting with a 1/2" pattern bit and it would not make these 1/4 relief cuts. Ordered a dual cutter 1/4" spiral upcut pattern bit and it works perfect. I am running a 3 1/4 hp router on my pattern cutting router table. It has no problems whatsover cutting through the mdf in one pass. It all depends on the size of the part but on the average I figure what it would take me less than 5 minutes to pattern cut a part that would take 20 to cut on the Sosylva. I have found the Sosylva very accurate but just slow. Another thing, when you pattern cut a part I guess the tolerances are as close as possible to match the original.

So the Sosylva must have a low HP motor? And that is why it is slower, is that guess correct?
Hager

I don't think it is smaller size motor that is the problem. I use the same Xylotex 269 oz setup that some are using with Joes2006 model and they are getting in the 80 ipm neighborhood. One thing the Sosylva uses 5/16"x18 leadscrews. More threads - slower speed. I think the main thing mine is so slow is me. I don't know enough about the inner works to get the motors working like they are supposed to. I can manually jog around my table @ 40 ipm but when I run a program, the machine stalls out if I go over 15 ipm. I can just be cutting air, do not actually have to be cutting wood. I think if I worked with Mach3 people enough I could get the machine to cut faster. It cuts good with no problems and is very accurate at the 15 ipm speed so that is where I have left it. I have just gotten off on Joes2006 machine and forgotten about the Sosylva.

Have been trying to put some of the torsion boxes together today. I think I got the y-axis, gantry bottom, & x-axis torsion boxes all together except for one on the outer skins. I will leave one side open so I can paint all the insides of the boxes. I needed a couple of extra hands on the x-axis torsion box. It is huge and I tried to glue it up using the 1" pipes that will used in the box. By looking at the picture, I think I could use the x-axis box as a fooseball table( I guess that is how to spell fooseball) if the cnc does not work out. Looked like one to me. Everything is still fitting together and looking right so far.

I ordered the HDPE parts from Joe and got them in today. Everything looked like they were in perfect condition. Maybe I can start putting some paint on some parts tomorrow.

I don't think it is smaller size motor that is the problem. I use the same Xylotex 269 oz setup that some are using with Joes2006 model and they are getting in the 80 ipm neighborhood. One thing the Sosylva uses 5/16"x18 leadscrews. More threads - slower speed. I think the main thing mine is so slow is me. I don't know enough about the inner works to get the motors working like they are supposed to. I can manually jog around my table @ 40 ipm but when I run a program, the machine stalls out if I go over 15 ipm. I can just be cutting air, do not actually have to be cutting wood. I think if I worked with Mach3 people enough I could get the machine to cut faster. .

Yep you can tell a wood worker is building this CNC! Lots of clamps and sawdust, and big tablesaw. Think you are right about the speed and Mach 3. You might try posting in the Mach 3 section and discuss the issue of speed and stalling. I plan to use and buy M3, have it downloaded and watched some of the video, but I need to know more about the terms before I feel comfortable and understand. From what i read it is a good software.

Hager

My machine performs exactly as DougO described his. I think between the screw tpi and whip you are limited with this machine. I can cut parts for Joes machine around 20ipm, but other stuff will have to go to 10-15.

It looks good though. I'm glad to see saw dust so I know I'm not the only messy one. I actually had to do this assembly outside of my shop because I have too much stuff going on in it right now and don't have the room. Either way I'm hoping to get a majority of it done this weekend. I made a few mistakes already that I don't really slap myself for but know it is going to slow me down. 1 - didn't buy full thread bolts on the longer bolts from bolt depot (reordering this weekend, not a big deal) 2 - put the nuts on the outside (fixed, easy fix actually, just plug, glue, sand bondo and redrill) and 3 getting over zellous and putting both sides on the first torsion box I did without priming inside (the gantry one). I like you stapled them together but was careful because 18 guages were too much for half inch mdf, even at 3/4". It just tears out. But as a cabinetmaker I had to atleast try because staples save a ton of time in cabinet assembly. I think of them like virtual clamps so you can imediately work on something else instead of waiting for glue to set up. Did you see any splitting on your MDF? I also see you used what looks like ply for the skins, any reason? And I like you feel the main torsion box is a bit big for one glue up so I'm going to probably use a slower drying white glue instead of titebond to give me some extra time to finigle with the parts. Either way I'm thoroughly impressed by how clean joes parts are that he sent me. It gives me great hope because I know I can produce the same quality not far off if I finish this build right.


I don't think it is smaller size motor that is the problem. I use the same Xylotex 269 oz setup that some are using with Joes2006 model and they are getting in the 80 ipm neighborhood. One thing the Sosylva uses 5/16"x18 leadscrews. More threads - slower speed. I think the main thing mine is so slow is me. I don't know enough about the inner works to get the motors working like they are supposed to. I can manually jog around my table @ 40 ipm but when I run a program, the machine stalls out if I go over 15 ipm. I can just be cutting air, do not actually have to be cutting wood. I think if I worked with Mach3 people enough I could get the machine to cut faster. It cuts good with no problems and is very accurate at the 15 ipm speed so that is where I have left it. I have just gotten off on Joes2006 machine and forgotten about the Sosylva.

Have been trying to put some of the torsion boxes together today. I think I got the y-axis, gantry bottom, & x-axis torsion boxes all together except for one on the outer skins. I will leave one side open so I can paint all the insides of the boxes. I needed a couple of extra hands on the x-axis torsion box. It is huge and I tried to glue it up using the 1" pipes that will used in the box. By looking at the picture, I think I could use the x-axis box as a fooseball table( I guess that is how to spell fooseball) if the cnc does not work out. Looked like one to me. Everything is still fitting together and looking right so far.

I ordered the HDPE parts from Joe and got them in today. Everything looked like they were in perfect condition. Maybe I can start putting some paint on some parts tomorrow.

Well there goes my painting for today. It has been flooding all morning and you can tell there is not a lot of painting going on in my shop. Maybe I can find something else to work on.

I tried tacking my parts with a finish nailer and the nails weren't holding to good in the mdf so I went to the staples and they worked a lot better. Don't see any splitting in the mdf.

I used the plywood for the outside skins because that was the only 1/4" anything I could find. I had the plywood already so it was the best thing for me to use. I didn't know if it would make any difference to use 1/2" mdf so I just went for the plywood.

there is enought clearance for 1/2" mdf for the Z-axis carriage, it would add just a little more weight only.

and on the X-axis torsion box, others have used 1/2" mdf as well will good results.

Joe

By looking at the picture, I think I could use the x-axis box as a fooseball table( I guess that is how to spell fooseball) if the cnc does not work out. Looked like one to me.

I was thinking more along the lines of this...

Add several pager vibrator motors under the top deck, paint it grass green, add yard lines and end zones. I'd have an electric football table when not cutting or if I go the vacuum route I could reverse the air flow and yep you guessed it... air hockey :)

Keep up the great work, looking good!

Oh, and congratulations on the new grand-daughter!!

I'm fixing to start on the painting part of the project. The primer that I am using says to use soap and water for clean up. Does this mean that if I spray the primer I will use water to thin it (if needed) or paint thinner?

Well I guess I have all the parts primed and if the weather holds out maybe I can get a top coat put on today. This painting is a pain. I am starting to get anxious. The machine is starting to look like something.

Well I guess I have all the parts primed and if the weather holds out maybe I can get a top coat put on today. This painting is a pain. I am starting to get anxious. The machine is starting to look like something.

Looking good. What color have you decided on?

Oh and were does that big disk mount? I don't have that part yet. :D

I was trying to find a place to mount a satellite antenna so I could watch TV while the machine did its work:) Just kidding.. That is just an old mirror my wife had taken out of the house and it is just leaning against my shop. Does look like I could use it for something though??

I think my torsion boxes are going to be battleship grey (looks industrial) and the other parts I think are like a royal blue. I am retired from the post office so I need postal blue in it somewhere. I am going to give that a try and if it does not look right, as much as I hate to, I will repaint it white. The white ones look nice but I just thought I would try something different.

Ran into a problem today. The 2 inch bolts I used in the top of the z-axis carriage to press down on the bearing slide had a long shoulder on them and not enough threads to put enough pressure on the bearing slide. I think I ran some of the shoulder of the bolt through the nuts because I could not get the bolts to back out. The bolts would just turn and turn but would not back out. After about 30 minutes I finally figured out how to get the bolts out. Ran all 4 of the bolts through a die and just to make sure I threaded them almost to the head and they worked fine then.

The machine is going together slow but it is getting there. Looking a little better each day.

Ran into a problem today. The 2 inch bolts I used in the top of the z-axis carriage to press down on the bearing slide had a long shoulder on them and not enough threads to put enough pressure on the bearing slide. I think I ran some of the shoulder of the bolt through the nuts because I could not get the bolts to back out. The bolts would just turn and turn but would not back out. After about 30 minutes I finally figured out how to get the bolts out. Ran all 4 of the bolts through a die and just to make sure I threaded them almost to the head and they worked fine then.

The machine is going together slow but it is getting there. Looking a little better each day.

Thanks for posting about the bolts, I'll be finishing my bearings today and installing them at least by the weekend, I'll watch out for that!

In your previous post I was trying to image what the color combination would look like... It looks good together! Keep up the excellent work! :)

Looks good Doug, i like the blue. glad you were able to get the bolts working fine, also use the same on side of gantry.

Well I'm starting to get the gantry together. A fellow needs 5 hands for this, but I finally made it.

I included a picture of my metal bandsaw. It seems by reading some of these threads a lot of people use these. They sure are handy.

I have a question. For the router mount assembly I see some bolts in pictures and have not read anywhere how these bolts are fastened. I have included a picture with red arrows pointing to the bolts I am talking about. I take it that there is a fourth bolt hidden behing the router that is not seen in the picture.

the 4 bolts if i remember they are 1.5" 1/4" and screw directly into the HDPE Z- Axis slide. as shown in red in picture, and the other 4 in yellow are added support and bolt into z-axis slide also.

That's exactly why I went and rebought all my bolts, and got full thread instead of the ones with flat shoulders. Most areas I've seen you don't need full thread, but they are so cheap I just bought the whole order again full thread and didn't waste time trying to figure out which parts were needed. Plus now I have a bit extra :D. Did you buy from bolt depot as well? Looks like their boxes and labels, they run a great business.

That's exactly why I went and rebought all my bolts, and got full thread instead of the ones with flat shoulders. Most areas I've seen you don't need full thread, but they are so cheap I just bought the whole order again full thread and didn't waste time trying to figure out which parts were needed. Plus now I have a bit extra :D. Did you buy from bolt depot as well? Looks like their boxes and labels, they run a great business.

I buy from a company here local, Alamo Bolt and screw, Most cities have distributors in them, I live in San Antonio, Tx., Hence the Name "Alamo" (remember the alamo as the saying goes).

We have the San Anotnio Riverwalk if ya'll have heard of it, Nice place to take a Date. ;)

Joe

Hey Doug nice job. The more I see of the joe2006 cnc machine the more I am looking into it and reading lots.


I buy from a company here local, Alamo Bolt and screw, Most cities have distributors in them, I live in San Antonio, Tx., Hence the Name "Alamo" (remember the alamo as the saying goes).

We have the San Anotnio Riverwalk if ya'll have heard of it, Nice place to take a Date. ;)

Joe

I also have a bolt and fastner place local that I was looking into getting all my fastners from.

My brother lives in Austin and the last time I was down I took a walk on the Riverwalk, I guess it is pretty wild at night.

Yes Bp092, I got all my bolts & nuts from Bolt Depot. It was nice to just sit at the computer and order from Joe's material list. I have run into a couple of more places where the shoulders got in the way of tightening a piece. I would definitely suggest anyone that builds this kit, make sure the screws they order are full thread. Probably will save some time down the road.

Joe, is there a good picture somewhere that shows how the motor, lovejoy connectors and the 2 acme nuts are installed inside the motor mount? What is the purpose of the 2 acme nuts? I read somewhere where you said it was pain to install the lovejoy connectors. Do you have any suggestions on an easy way to install them after you have dealt with them for a while?

Joe, is there a good picture somewhere that shows how the motor, lovejoy connectors and the 2 acme nuts are installed inside the motor mount? What is the purpose of the 2 acme nuts? I read somewhere where you said it was pain to install the lovejoy connectors. Do you have any suggestions on an easy way to install them after you have dealt with them for a while?

I will see if i can find a picture. the two nuts just locks the nut against the bearing for a little preload, you can Drill and tap the 1st nut and do away with the second if you want, i have a picture of one showing it tapped in my log.

Here is a picture.

Thanks, Joe. That is exactly what I was looking for. I thought I had all your pictures in one directory but I didn't have this one.

the 4 bolts if i remember they are 1.5" 1/4" and screw directly into the HDPE Z- Axis slide. as shown in red in picture, and the other 4 in yellow are added support and bolt into z-axis slide also.

I'm catching up on your build, looking good!

I see what you are talking about with the 1/4" bolts as mine was the same.

Joe:
It appears that DougO and I had the same problem with mounting the router mount assembly to the z-axis slide. It calls for using 1/4" bolts however the holes (marked in red) in the z-axis are 1/4" in diameter. We ended up taping the holes to 5/16" and using 5/16" bolts.

I'm catching up on your build, looking good!

I see what you are talking about with the 1/4" bolts as mine was the same.

Joe:
It appears that DougO and I had the same problem with mounting the router mount assembly to the z-axis slide. It calls for using 1/4" bolts however the holes (marked in red) in the z-axis are 1/4" in diameter. We ended up taping the holes to 5/16" and using 5/16" bolts.


I will check my G-Code, it was supose to be 1/4" taped, but i may have made a mistake. :( (sometimes it gets to be alot of g-code to do).

Joe

Joe,

I had to do the same change - tap to 5/16 on mine. No brainer so I did not bother mentioning it.

George

I will check my G-Code, it was supose to be 1/4" taped, but i may have made a mistake. :( (sometimes it gets to be alot of g-code to do).

Joe

Wow, that was fast!

As always thanks for all you do! :cheers:

I'm going to install the acme rod this weekend, which would be a better way to go with the nuts, double nut or one nut with set screw?

DougO,

Have you installed the nuts yet and if so which setup did you use (double or one with set screw)?

Joe, thinks he might have made a mistake, I think his machine has become self aware and did it on it's own! :devious:

I did exactly the same with mine and tapped for 5/16

ccsparky, I have tried both methods and it seems that the double nut method caused less vibration than the single nut method. However that may just be my imagination, but I went back to the double nut. Single nut method is slightly easier to adjust though.

On the z-axis because the nuts at the bottom end of the acme rod are recessed you have to lock them in the right position first then lock the top, which you have to do with at least the front HDPE motor mount removed to gain access.

I haven't really given it a lot thought yet. I don't understand this pre-load stuff and I was going to ask some questions when I got that far along. I need to know how tight to get the nuts. I think I read somewhere that Joe said to handtighten the nut next to the bearing and then turn it another 1/2 round. Then lock the second nut to this one. But if David has tried both ways and went back to double nuts, that is enough for me, that's the way I'm going.

Thanks for the vote of confidence ;)

All I did to pre-load was hand tighten then lock.

Hey Guys very sorry about that, its one thing i over looked i guess.

I don't think it really matters Joe and anyway I am sure the 5/16 is better than having 1/4.

If that's the biggest problem I am going to have, would I feel good.. Everything is going so good so far I know I'm fixing to hit a snag somewhere.

I'm trying to get the gantry on the bottom torsion box and I can't do it by myself. I'm just waiting for a friend to drop by.

Well you have an advantage on building the machine yourself, in as seeing how everything is put together, and will be able to learn from the experiance, and help with more understanding of diy cnc machine and diagnose if there is a problem. plus with others building makes for a good support base.

I know i have had fun with it.

Okay so after some more testing I am still loosing steps.
z is at 1/4 microstepping with velocity at 20, acceleration at 2, step and direction pulse both set to 5.

I used a gauge block to set 0 at 1" above table then ran some g-code that just raised and lowered the z axis by 1" at a feedrate of 20ipm, 10 times.

On completion I checked against the gauge block and the tip of the tool was about 1/8" lower.

I do think the motor resonation is better at 1/4 stepping so I will leave it there for now.

You absolutely right on the experience Joe, knowing how it all works and even the experience of getting it working properly is a great learning experience both personally and for helping others. Even though this is a bit frustrating at the moment, I know it will be resolved and the knowledge I am gaining along the way is tremendous.

Okay so after some more testing I am still loosing steps.
z is at 1/4 microstepping with velocity at 20, acceleration at 2, step and direction pulse both set to 5.

I used a gauge block to set 0 at 1" above table then ran some g-code that just raised and lowered the z axis by 1" at a feedrate of 20ipm, 10 times.

On completion I checked against the gauge block and the tip of the tool was about 1/8" lower.

I do think the motor resonation is better at 1/4 stepping so I will leave it there for now.

This may be a silly question, but is the 5/16" lock nuts on the U-bolts for the Z Axis just barely snug, so that the z axis will move with very little force, I know when it was laying down in the video it seemed to work fine.

No question is silly!

All bearings can be moved with the axis stationary (ie made to slip against the drill rod)

Yesterday when I had the leadscrew out the z slide moved up and down without binding.

Hey Guys very sorry about that, its one thing i over looked i guess.

Joe:
No apologies necessary! Your kit is fantastic and I'm enjoying every minute of it!

David:
Thanks, for the info and the tip on the bottom acme nuts!

Well I finally got the gantry on the bottom torsion box. It was a bugger. I tried for a while by myself but it is definitely a two man job. I've got a little detective work to check on. The holes in router end support that holds the motor is not lining up with the holes in the torsion box. The other end lines up fine. I'll have to go back to the drawings and see what I did wrong.

You can kinda compare Joes2006 with the Solsylva machine. The Solsylva is in the background.

That's looking really sharp!

Did you have any trouble with the gas pipe moving on you or did the strap clamp keep them pretty secure? I've got to get a set of those. I've seen them used a lot but have never tried them myself.

You've got a jump on me, hopefully I'll get to where you're at this weekend.

The Solsylva is a nice looking machine, kinda looks a little dwarfed behind the Joe's machine. Cabinet looks good, can you provide details on it?

Thanks!

Well I finally got the gantry on the bottom torsion box. It was a bugger. I tried for a while by myself but it is definitely a two man job. I've got a little detective work to check on. The holes in router end support that holds the motor is not lining up with the holes in the torsion box. The other end lines up fine. I'll have to go back to the drawings and see what I did wrong.

You can kinda compare Joes2006 with the Solsylva machine. The Solsylva is in the background.

Rotate the Gantry bottom torsion box 180 deg.

Yea colors do look cool, Now i can Imagine the John Deer Colors just like yours, Blue being green, and grey being yelow... :)

ccsparky, The gas pipes were very easy. Once you get the pipes in one end of the router end support they pretty well stay in place. When you get the banding clamp on them they don't move at all. You could use the rachet tie down straps like you can get from Walmart just as good and a whole lot cheaper. The cabinet is nothing special. I just built it to try and keep as much dust as possible off the electronic stuff.

If I was a John Deere man I might have given it a try. Would definitely be different.

Joe, the holes I am talking about are marked in the picture attached. That would not have anything to do with the Gantry bottom torsion box , would it? Like I said, all the holes in the other end of the large torsion box line up perfect. I figure I made two of the same ends and maybe the two opposite ends are supposed to be different. The pipe holes line up perfect on both ends. It is just the bolt holes on one end that don't line up. I haven't had time to check it out yet.

Well after a little digging I found my problem. I looked at the notes I went by to cut out the pieces and I had marked to cut 2 pieces of the CNC Router End Support Rear Piece. Supposed to have just been 1 piece of the rear support and 1 piece of the front support. I missed cutting out the front piece altogether. I guess I will be cutting out the front piece and another inside piece tomorrow. Oh Well, I knew things were going to good. Still not a big problem, just a little more time cutting out the pieces and then painting.

Glad that you have spotted the error :)

Looks good.

Well after a little digging I found my problem. I looked at the notes I went by to cut out the pieces and I had marked to cut 2 pieces of the CNC Router End Support Rear Piece. Supposed to have just been 1 piece of the rear support and 1 piece of the front support. I missed cutting out the front piece altogether. I guess I will be cutting out the front piece and another inside piece tomorrow. Oh Well, I knew things were going to good. Still not a big problem, just a little more time cutting out the pieces and then painting.

Ok i see with the picture above, the front and read pieces are mirror images of each other when cut., the two inside end pieces can be identical because you just flip one around when assembling becasue the cuts on it all all way through.

joe

I have a couple more questions.

In Joe's Solidworks folder he shows a .5x5in leadscrew. Where is this used in the machine?

Also, the 18" leadscrew seems to short for the z-axis and the 60" to short for the x-axis. They do not seem long enough to add the double nuts to the bottom and the double nuts to the top of the leadscrew and also attach to the lovejoy coupling. I must be doing something wrong but I haven't found out what yet.

thanks
Doug

I have a couple more questions.

In Joe's Solidworks folder he shows a .5x5in leadscrew. Where is this used in the machine?

Also, the 18" leadscrew seems to short for the z-axis and the 60" to short for the x-axis. They do not seem long enough to add the double nuts to the bottom and the double nuts to the top of the leadscrew and also attach to the lovejoy coupling. I must be doing something wrong but I haven't found out what yet.

thanks
Doug

Flip your bearing blocks 180deg. with bearings facing inward, and place nuts inside. you just need them snug tight because not much presure or preload needed on the z-axis.

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showpost.php?p=158624&postcount=405

joe

Well I've gotten my motors hooked up and running (I guess?). Now I have a couple of questions.

1. In Mach3 I have manually jogged my x-axis up to 60 ipm fine and after that the motor stalls every now and then. I guess I need to do some adjusting on the x-axis. I have manually jogged the y and z-axis at 100 ipm fine with no stalling. They run real smooth. Where is a good place to start when looking for problems with the adjustment of the x-axis?

2. After manually jogging the axis at these pretty fast speeds, when I run an actual program in Mach3 if I get the feed rate at over 40ipm the axis start stalling. The x-axis is the worse, it won't hardly even move.

thanks,
Doug

Doug0, what controller are you using?

I have the 3-axis ready kit from Xylotex.

I forgot to mention the 269 oz motors

From reading your thread, I think it is the same kit you are having so much problem with.

How's the build going? Getting close to some videos?
Last pictures sure looks good!! :)

CCSparky, I'm having more problems the more I mess with the machine. When I first connected all my motors I could manually jog all around the table at 60ipm on my x axis and 100ipm on my y & z. But when I actually loaded a program in Mach3 and run it, my axis would bind anything over 30 ipm. I have been following David's thread and waiting to see what he finally has to do to get his machine running right. I have the Xylotex 269 motors and can't get them to do the same thing two times in a row. One time I can run 80 ipm and the next I can't go 30. I can manually jog all around the table with the motors sounding good and no binding but when I hit the goto z button in Mach3, the motors bind up. I can manually turn all my leadscrews the full length of the leadscrews with my fingers, so I know I am not binding anywhere. Last night I ran 4 or 5 different programs (not actually cutting and the router not installed) at 15 ipm and they ran perfect. I mounted a laser light to the router mount and marked my 0,0 spot and after every air cut, the laser would return right on the dot. I don't really want to settle for 15 ipm, I could do a little better than that with my Solsylva machine.

How is your running? Your last videos looked like you had yours running pretty good. Every once in a while I could hear a motor bind. Mine sounds a lot like yours but does the binding more. I am watching your thread very close, I think our machines seem to work a lot alike. When you get all the kinks worked out on yours, I will have to find out all your settings. I get lost in David's thread with all the electrical jargon they are using.

DougO, what settings are you using (VREF/ Velocity/ Acceleration/ microstepping)?

It looks like we are Batting 50/50 with the Xylotec drivers?

I have tried about every different combination.

I have changed my vref from 2.0 to 3.6 in .20 increments. Presently set at 3.6

Velocity I have gone from 15 to 100. Presently at 20 ipm.

Acceleration has been from 2 to 20. Presently at 8.

Machine seems to run perfect at these settings. Well, maybe not perfect. 20 ipm is not very good.

Microstepping is set at 1/8. Has not been changed. I was going to change the microstepping last night but could not figure out how to change it. I read the Xylotex instructions about the MS2 and MS1 settings but did not understand how you could jump just one pin - for example 1/4 step the MS2 pin does not have a jumper and the MS1 pin does. I will try to read up more on this tonight.

No you put a jumper across 2 pins so for 1/4 put a jumper across the two pins furthet away from the enable jumper on each axis.

Try putting rubber gromets with a washer either side between the motor and the mount and see if you get the same improvement I saw allowing you to run nearer 80/6

David, I was just looking over the Xylotex instructions and see that I was trying to figure out how to use the jumper that is already on the ENA# position. I see that I am going to have to get some extra jumpers to set the step and leave the jumpers on the ENA# position just like they come from factory. Is that correct?

I added 4 rubber grommets @1/4" thick in between the motor and the mount at each of the 4 screws. That did not really seem to help any. I did not add a flat washer to each side of the rubber grommets. What part does the washer do? Do you think it would help to add a flat washer on each side of the rubber grommets? I have attached a picture of the grommets I used. I added 4 small o-rings between the z-axis motor and mount at each of the 4 screws. I really wasn't having any problems with the z-axis so I have just left the o-rings in place. They don't seem to hurt/help anything.

That is correct, I just pulled mine from an old motherboard.

The flat washer just allows the grommet to be compressed evenly.

What axis are you having problems with? Way back my x-axis was not running very well and what I did was make sure the distance between the anti-backlash nut and the other acme nut was about 1/4 and this made the x very smooth and I never had another problem with it. Also make sure that the two leadscrew acme nut at the end is no more than finger tight then lock it with the other nut.

Thanks for your help David. I will put the washers back with a flat washer on each side of the rubber grommet.

The x-axis is my problem. I don't know exactly but I would figure there is at least 1/2" or more between the anti-backlash nuts. I will adjust that back to 1/4".

I have even taken both of the leadscrew acme nuts off the opposite end of the motor and that doesn't help.

I can unplug the power to the motors and go to the x-axis at the opposite end of the motor and turn the leadscrew by just using 1 finger and thumb. Does not seem to have any binding from one end to the other. Better believe this takes a little while to move the gantry from one end to the other just using these 2 fingers.

I have added another anti-backlash block to the other side of the gantry bottom torsion box. I just added the one block, I did not add the complete anti-backlash assembly that you were talking about like you had 1/4" apart. I thought that second anti-backlash block might help on the leadscrew whipping even though I have not had that problem. That did not really seem to help or hurt either. While I have the leadscrew unhooked to adjust the 1/4" gap I think I will go ahead and take this extra second anti-backlash block off.

DougO,

I had some really nasty settings yesterday and got on the right track thanks to Joe and David! Today I had some success except for being in a hurry and making another bone head move.

These are the settings as of now:

Vref = Xylotex default setting
Step = 8000
Vol = 60
Acc = 15
Step Pulse = 1
Dir Pulse = 0
Jumper on M1

Like you all axis ran smooth when tested by themselves. I ran some of the sample code that comes with Mach3 and found that the X axis was running great but the Y & Z were rough. Once I got home I double checked my settings and found that the X axis was set as shown above however I still had the Y & Z Step set to 2000.
Have made the change and will check again tomorrow when I get to the shop.
Hopefully the Step setting of 2000 was the problem! If so I'll be very happy with the performance. :)

While I have the leadscrew unhooked to adjust the 1/4" gap I think I will go ahead and take this extra second anti-backlash block off.

Yes try that as it worked for me on the x, let me know what happens.

DougO,

I had some really nasty settings yesterday and got on the right track thanks to Joe and David! Today I had some success except for being in a hurry and making another bone head move.

These are the settings as of now:

Vref = Xylotex default setting
Step = 8000
Vol = 60
Acc = 15
Step Pulse = 1
Dir Pulse = 0
Jumper on M1

Like you all axis ran smooth when tested by themselves. I ran some of the sample code that comes with Mach3 and found that the X axis was running great but the Y & Z were rough. Once I got home I double checked my settings and found that the X axis was set as shown above however I still had the Y & Z Step set to 2000.
Have made the change and will check again tomorrow when I get to the shop.
Hopefully the Step setting of 2000 was the problem! If so I'll be very happy with the performance. :)


Try a lower acceleration of say 7 as well.

I added the washers and grommets back to the x-axis, took off the extra anti-backlash block and adjusted the space between the anti-backlash blocks on the x leadscrew to @ 1/4", set the x-axis motor to 1/4 step (could not find but 1 jumper) and this did not seem to help.

I have attached a video of the machine with my current settings. I don't know what that bumping noise is. It's on all axis. Motors do not make that sound when you cut the velocity back to 20 ipm.

vref - 3.6
x-axis - 1/4 step - 8000 steps
y & z axis - 1/8 step - 16000 steps
vol- 60 on all axis
acc - 8 on all axis
step pulse - 1 on all axis

Again I can manually jog all around the table fine at the 60 ipm on all axis but not any faster with any reliable results. The problems starts when the computer controls the motors with Mach3.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4036048424979630159

That thumping noise is a new one on me, but I did notice on your z axis that you seem to have an acme nut underneath the bearing at the top of the leadscrew which is not right, it is supposed to be on top of the bearing next to the lovejoy.

Have you run the drivertest.exe in the Mach 3 folder? What does the line look like?

David, look at posts #83 & #84 in this thread. The plans call for the leadscrew for the z-axis to be 18". I cut my leadscrew to this length before mounting it and after I mounted the z-axis, 18" was to short to put double acme nuts on both ends and the lovejoy connectors also. Joe suggested I turn the blocks to the inside. Measure your z-axis leadscrew and see if it's longer than 18". I installed my x-axis leadscrew before cutting it or it would have been to short also. I am going to order another length of the 1/2-10 acme rod and correct the z-axis. It works fine but it sure cuts down on the length of travel of the z-axis.

I have not run this test you asked about. I have a pentium 3 with 512mb ram running the CNC and last night I connected my pentium 4 - 3.?ghz with 1GB of ram to the machine and the CNC did not run any better. I will read up on this test and give it a try.

I have been thinking about ordering some 1/2-10 2 start threaded rod for the x-axis. Sounds like this would help me but I don't know if it would help or hurt in the long run. Any suggestions?

We must have done something right. I mounted my router and cut out a couple of parts for Joes CNC at 30ipm and the machine didn't miss a step. I tried at 40 ipm but x-axis kept locking up. This is twice as good as I did last night. Still a long way to go but at least headed in the right direction.

I ran the driver test and didn't know what I was looking at but I have attached a couple of screen shots. The majority of the time I just had the short vertical lines but every few seconds the squiggly lines would show up. Occasionaly there would not be but one of the short vertical lines on the screen.

That thumping noise is a new one on me, but I did notice on your z axis that you seem to have an acme nut underneath the bearing at the top of the leadscrew which is not right, it is supposed to be on top of the bearing next to the lovejoy.

David,

I believe I have my Z-Axis set up the same way DougO does and did so after reading the following on Joes site:

"1st ones are of the bearing blocks and motor mount for the Z Axis, notice the bearings are turned inward this way i will have double 1/2"-10 acme nuts on the inside top and bottomwhich will serve the same purpose as the Y axis and X axis on the outside to hold the lead screw in place and take load from motors."
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showpost.php?p=139430&postcount=232

If this has changed, I missed it. I would prefer to do it the way you suggest and was going to at the time of assembly however I figured if I did it would be the one place that would mess up! I am going to replace the double nuts with DumpsterCNC clamping nuts, changing would allow me to use them on the z-axis as well! :)

That thumping noise is a new one on me, but I did notice on your z axis that you seem to have an acme nut underneath the bearing at the top of the leadscrew which is not right, it is supposed to be on top of the bearing next to the lovejoy.

The Z-axis will work fine either way, on mine my tension nuts are on the inside, this should not affect the Z-axis travel height.

As far as the thumping noise I have also not heard that before. Can you listen to where the area the noise is comming from?

Joe

We must have done something right. I mounted my router and cut out a couple of parts for Joes CNC at 30ipm and the machine didn't miss a step. I tried at 40 ipm but x-axis kept locking up. This is twice as good as I did last night. Still a long way to go but at least headed in the right direction.

I ran the driver test and didn't know what I was looking at but I have attached a couple of screen shots. The majority of the time I just had the short vertical lines but every few seconds the squiggly lines would show up. Occasionaly there would not be but one of the short vertical lines on the screen.

I would say that there is too many peaks on that test which could be causing a problem, what does the driver test look like on your faster PC.

A 500Mhz PC I think is a bit under powered for mach 3.

We must have done something right. I mounted my router and cut out a couple of parts for Joes CNC at 30ipm and the machine didn't miss a step. I tried at 40 ipm but x-axis kept locking up. This is twice as good as I did last night. Still a long way to go but at least headed in the right direction.

I ran the driver test and didn't know what I was looking at but I have attached a couple of screen shots. The majority of the time I just had the short vertical lines but every few seconds the squiggly lines would show up. Occasionaly there would not be but one of the short vertical lines on the screen.

This is the only case where a flat line is a good thing :)

Yes i agree the test does not look good at all.

Mach3 will work on a 500mhz ( have used a 500mhz hp before), but you must strip all none essential prog's from running by doing all the steps in the mach3 opt. file on Mach's website.

Joe

I do not have any other programs running while I run Mach3 on the 500Mhz computer. It is about as barebones as it can get and still run.

I went to the shop and cut on the computer and powered up the CNC this evening and run a sample cut program. The bumping noise had gone and the CNC was running smooth as silk. I got it running 60 ipm on a sample cut program and when I stopped it and hit the Goto Z button on Mach3, the motors all went to 0 without any binding. I thought I had a new machine. I ran the drivertest again and the results looked like the same as last night. After running the driver test, I ran the sample cut program again and the bumping noise started again and when Mach3 took control of the CNC, the binding started again (just like last night). I shut down the computer and cut off all power to computer and Xylotex motors for about 5 minutes. Rebooted the computer and ran the sample cut program again (not the drivertest). Machine ran the complete test program at 50 ipm without any binding and if I stopped the program and hit the goto z button on Mach3, the motors would return to 0 without binding.

I made 2 videos. The first is the x-axis motor laying on the table after I ran the drivertest program and the CNC started making the bumping noise again. The motor is not connected to the leadscrew and the y & z motors unplugged. You can see the bumping action. This is where the bumping noise is coming from. I get the same bumping noise from the y & z motors when they are hooked up but not as loud.

The second video is after I turned the power off to the computer and Xylotex motors for about 5 minutes and then rebooted. I ran the sample cut program at 50 ipm. The motors sound all together different. No binding either.

Strange things are happening.

I cannot hook up my P4 computer til the wife and college son goes to bed tonight. He uses the computer a lot during class homework, but when I tried it the other night, the CNC did not work any better with it than the 500Mhz computer. I did not run the drivertest on it though. Will test it later tonight.

motor bump - http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7054608357797222225

running good - http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5118882029095773612

What kind of cooling do you have on the xylotex card? Is it in a case?

What cable are you using to the motors and how are they connected?

I got the 3-axis ready kit from Xylotex so it should be the same as yours, I think. I really don't know what size the wires are. I ran the motors for hours cutting out parts for JoesCNC with the Solsylva without any problems other than being slow.

I have my computer and monitor inside a wooden cabinet with glass doors. The Xylotex power supply and controller are mounted on the inside of the back wall of the same wooden cabinet. See attached picture.

You might want to try disconnecting two of the motors and see if the problem goes away (possible cross talk)

Do you think this computer would work with the system fine?
http://cgi.ebay.com/SUPER-FAST-DeLL-PENTIUM-4-COMPUTER-TONS-OF-FEATURES_W0QQitemZ180078501078QQihZ008QQcategoryZ140070QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item180078501078
These units are going fairly cheap on ebay.

When I started building the Solsylva, I bought a new Dell Pentium laptop with Duo processors to run the CNC. When I tried to hook up the computer to the CNC would you believe the laptop did not have a parallel port. Whoever heard of a computer without a parallel port. The laptop has not done me a bit of good as far as running the CNC.

The video of the motor laying on the table making the bumping noise was with the y & z cables unplugged. They were unplugged from the motors. Do you mean to disconnect them from the controller board?

No that is fine, but be aware that stepper motors do not behave the same when not connected to anything.

I would advise not doing any testing with the motors off of the router as it will give false results.

It's difficult to say whether the Dell will work, but it certainly should.

Well I hope I'm just about there. I have gotten excited again about the Joes2006 CNC. I ordered a Dell Pentium 4 - 2.4 ghz computer from ubid. I was running a Pentium 3 with 500 Mhz. I thought something was wrong when I could jog around the table at 80 ipm but when the computer run a program I could not go faster than 30 ipm. In the last week or so I could not even cut at 10 ipm without the motors hanging up ever few seconds. I received the newer computer today and hooked it up and the CNC will run all over the table without losing steps at 100 ipm. I did not try any faster, seems the machine started vibrating and I just have it sitting on sawhorses. I can't believe that I would ever want to go faster than 100ipm and probably will never go 100. I was just seeing what it would do. I tried to attach a video of practicing cutting the dust collector attachment at 60 ipm on MDF before cutting on HDPE but having problems with Google video. Will try again later. 60 ipm is pretty fast. I don't know if I should cut any faster than that. Maybe somebody can give me some suggestions on how to tell at what speed different woods need to be cut. Have attached a couple of screen shots of the driver test. Much better than the previous tests. Everything seems to working mighty good right now and hopefully it will continue. Maybe I can start on the dust collector and tying up wiring and adding some of the other neat features I have been reading about adding to Joes2006.

I definitely want to thank Joe for offering such a nice machine and his help. Also thanks to David, CCsparky, DayneInfo,and everybody else that has helped. I know I will have a lot more questions once I start adding to the CNC.

Doug

Those are some great looking test, a really nice flat line, it is amazing how just a little difference in hardware, electronics and computers can make the machine run differently from others.

Look forward to seein some cutting now :)

Joe

Congratulations! All you guys have dust flying and I haven't even gotten a splinter yet. :) Hope to get up by this weekend! Your test screens look excellent, can't wait to see the video!

Keep up the great work!

DougO - if I remember corectly you have a Xylotex 269 kit? Is that what you are running with?

Dwayne

Make sure you bolt the machine down, you will get better cutting with a real stationary machine. I have mine with bracing screwed to the wall, makes a difference in how it cuts.

Joe

Dwayne, I do have the Xylotex 269 kit. I had decided I was going to have to go to the HobbyCNC kit but now I'm hoping everything is going to work with the Xylotex. I kept waiting for CCSparky and David to get theirs running with the Hobby but they never would. I'm glad now because I know I would have bought the Hobby kit after theirs starting working.

Joe, now that the machine seems to running fine I will start work on a table to mount it on. I will bolt it to the wall also.


I never could get the Google video to work so I unloaded to youtube. If you can't see the video, let me know and I will upload it to Google later.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q8nfKt7e9I


This is just a short video but it kinda shows how much better my machine is working. I will cut something larger tomorrow and get a video of that.

Looks good.

I am very happy with my HobbyCNC board.

Couldn't stop myself, had to try the BullsHead sign out tonight. The video is of the machine cutting at 60 ipm. You can tell I'm not the best at taking videos but I think you can get a pretty good picture of how the machine is running. I think it will work better when I get it on a table and bolted down. I attached a few pictures of the completed carving, which I thought turned out real good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1dpaXyNruo

Couldn't stop myself, had to try the BullsHead sign out tonight. The video is of the machine cutting at 60 ipm. You can tell I'm not the best at taking videos but I think you can get a pretty good picture of how the machine is running. I think it will work better when I get it on a table and bolted down. I attached a few pictures of the completed carving, which I thought turned out real good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1dpaXyNruo

Great job DougO, that's very impressive. Your machine seemed to handle the 60IPM very smoothly.

What bit are you using?
Also please post a pic or two of your machine when you get it up on it's table.
:)

Yea that did turn out pretty good, even for being carved into an old shelf with the laminate material, good idea to have a material with top coating on it already :). the other way i would do it is to stain the stock 1st and apply a poly coat, then v-carve the sign or pciture, then stain the carving this way the poly will prevent the stain from getting on the stock and will wipe off clean.

Joe

CCSparky, I used a .50 inch 90 deg v-bit. We should be seeing pictures of your machine running by now.

Joe, I used to work for a company that manufactured motor homes and they went out of business. The pieces I am practicing on are some small cabinet doors that I bought when the company sold out. I have had these things for 20 years and don't know how many times I started to throw them away. They are definitely coming in handy now. They are perfect for routing names for some of the young kin folks to hang on their bedroom doors. Rout the names, spray paint the routed part and then just wipe the excess paint off the laminated top. Look real nice when completed.