Hey folks, I admit it. I am one of those "lurkers" on the forum....at least until now. I have read just about every post that's been made regarding Joe's 2006 and decided that I must have one. My first machine was a Kleinbauer PipeDream and while I learned a lot using it, I'm really looking for more capacity/cuttting area. My main interest will be guitarmaking but perhaps VCarving a tennis shoe might be an interesting challange :)

I thought about cutting out the pieces myself, but you guys have made this forum so interesting and exciting, I decided to have Joe provide the kit so that I can get going quicker. To date, I have purchased ALL of the hardware and now just waiting on Joe....no pressure here, Joe!

I hope to be able to count on you folks for assistance through the rough parts but I am certainly up for the challenge. I got to tell you all....this is probably the ONLY forum that I have read all the way through. I found myself reading faster to get to the answers to some of the questions and have completely enjoyed the whole experience so far. I'm really looking forward to showing off to you guys.

Since this is kind of my first real post (at least in this thread), I thought it would be a good idea to let you know what I'm working with:

HobbyCNC electronics with 200 oz steppers. 42V 10A
Mach3
VCarve Pro & Cut3D (awesome products!!)
AutoCAD

That's it for now but I am looking forward to becoming a part of "Team Joe 2006" and I hope to meet a bunch of you at Jay's User's meeting.

AWESOME WORK ON THE MACHINE, JOE!

Regards,
Joe uh oh.....another Joe!!

Welcome to the club!

Can't wait to see your build! Joe and the rest of the gang are very creative and are always eager to help!

Look forward to seeing your log!

Hey folks,
In preparing for the build, a couple of questions come to mind that I'm sure you can answer.

1) Since the ACME rod is being driven with metal ACME nuts, my understanding is that they need to be frequently lubricated. The X axis could be hard to get to on a regular basis. Would it be better to go with Delrin AB nuts like on http://www.dumpstercnc.com/leadnuts.html so lubrication is not required?

2) What have you using to cut the drill rod? It seems WAY too tough for normal woodworking tools.

3) In the EASM file, there is a spacer between the 5/8 bolt and the roller blade bearing. That part does not appear in the hardware list and I'm wondering what you use for that.

Hey folks,
In preparing for the build, a couple of questions come to mind that I'm sure you can answer.

1) Since the ACME rod is being driven with metal ACME nuts, my understanding is that they need to be frequently lubricated. The X axis could be hard to get to on a regular basis. Would it be better to go with Delrin AB nuts like on http://www.dumpstercnc.com/leadnuts.html so lubrication is not required?

2) What have you using to cut the drill rod? It seems WAY too tough for normal woodworking tools.

3) In the EASM file, there is a spacer between the 5/8 bolt and the roller blade bearing. That part does not appear in the hardware list and I'm wondering what you use for that.

all leadscrews should be lubricated nomater what metarial, leave an area below machine to access the leadscrew. I use a white lithium grease on mine, have been using same nuts and leadscrews over a year now.

I also baught a 7" cutoff wheel from lowes about 3.50 and put it in my circular saw and cut the leadscrews and drill rods with it.

for spacers for the bearings the assembly manual has the number of nuts and washers used for spacing.

hope that helps.

Joe

Thanks Joe, that does help.

I don't have the assembly manual yet so I didn't realize the spacers were just nuts and washers.

I beg your pardon....I do have the assembly manual and I do see the spacer info......senior moment!

Thanks again,
Joe

Hey folks,
Anyone have any tips or tricks with regard to filing the flat spot on the aluminum angle assembly? I've drilled all the 5/16 holes and that went pretty fast, but hand filing seems like it will take forever.


BTW...Joe, thanks for the tip on the cutoff wheel for cutting the drill rod. I bought a 10" and put in on my radial saw and it worked great. A little scary though for a "fire phobe". Has anyone tried a cutoff wheel for my question above?

Thanks,
Joe

I use my grinder for the flat areas on the edge of the angle alumn. draw it with a sharpie first from a templet.


Joe

This worked well for me and was at the time my only option.
I used a table saw to cut mine out.
I set one extra piece on both edges as shown to act as the support for the pieces I was cutting. Then I used an 8" x 10" x 3/4" piece of board to act as a guide and to push the metal forward. See top drawing.

Set the height of your blade to 1/8" and your fence to line up the outer cut as shown in the middle drawing. Since all pieces use the same measurement to the center for the bolt hole, once you have the fence set you can run all of the angle through, turn them around and do the other end the same way.

Next I moved the fence to make the inner cut as shown in the bottom drawing. Ran all the pieces through.
Once the inner and out cuts were made I just ran the pieces through the saw until all of the material was removed.

32965

This really is not as time consuming as it sounds and makes a really nice cut.
I had mine done in no time.

Hey thanks gents.....I don't have a bench mounted grinder, but I do have a table saw. This sounds like a really easy way to get the job done. I'll let you know how I make out.

Thanks again,
Joe

ccsparky,
Your idea worked great. Thanks for the tip.

Joe

Joe, they look good, nice work :)

Don't have a table saw anymore - any reason I couldn't do that with a radial arm saw? Did you use the table saw to cut to length too? I was planning to use an air cut-off wheel, but your cuts sure do look nice.

Gary

Just make sure you're using the right kind of blade. I used a bandsaw to cut mine and it did a decent job. David bought a cutout saw as he said, even a cheap one will work from something like harborfreight. I used a cutoff blade for my circular saw for the drill rods and threaded rods, and a dremel with cutoff wheels to do the threaded rods after they were in that needed trimming like the hold downs for the sheet goods.

I used a router table. Cut a "V" in a piece of scrap MDF to support the angle, and slowly slide it over a straight router bit.
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=12694&d=1134220760

Actually, I tried the radial arm saw as well. Both ways worked equally as well. The radial is a little easier since the piece is right side up. I used a carbide 200 tooth plywood blade on the radial, and a regular carbide cross cut blade on the table saw. Before trying this, I didn't have any idea that you can treat aluminum pretty much like you would cutting wood.

Initially, I cut the lengths with a sabre saw with a metal cutting blade (Bosch --- man I love this saw). If I knew how easy it was (as ccsparky indicated)to cut on a radial or table saw, I would have done it that way. Curiously, as great as the cutoff wheel worked for the drill rod (hard metal), it didn't work so well for the aluminum. Just a plain carbide blade works great.

I really enjoy this forum....I am learning so much from you guys.


Joe

I will definately use the tablesaw method on my new machine, should be cutting the mearing slides this week. between the Kit cutting. (I have to squeeze a little time to my self on my own machine sometime... lol)

I need quality cnc time... haha :)

Joe

Joe, those turned out pretty nice, glad it worked out for you!

Gerry's looks really nice and clean. I'll have to give that a try on the next set!
Pretty slick idea! We have an extended table on our table saw and set up a router in it, works really nice and we're able to use the table saw fence with the router.

If everyone has bought a kit that's been inquiring about them lately and taking into account the folks that have already order one, doesn't seem like many Joe hours left in the day :)

I don't know how joe has any time of his own while cutting those parts. I'm sure he has a more production process to it and has it figured out but it ties up his machine. If I were him honestly I'de get bored lol, plus tired that's a ton of MDF. If I were him I'de seriously look into finding somebody to cut his kits for him on a 4x8/5x12 and just focus on his own stuff, but maybe he loves cutting those kits, I don't know.. :D

Either way, I like the 1 off stuff. Makes every new strategy and cutting process on the edge and makes me nervous. That nervousness keeps me forever awake and thrilled while it machines. Joe what are you up to now on kits? 30+ atleast right?

Joe is NOT allowed to get bored.....at least until after he finishes my kit :)

All kidding aside, can anyone point out or offer your own discussion on preloading the screws? What prompted my question was an earlier statement that Joe made about removing the dumpstercnc thread clamps in order to better preload the drive screw. What is it? Why do you do it? And, how do you do it on Joe's machine?

Thanks again guys,
Joe

Joe is NOT allowed to get bored.....at least until after he finishes my kit :)

All kidding aside, can anyone point out or offer your own discussion on preloading the screws? What prompted my question was an earlier statement that Joe made about removing the dumpstercnc thread clamps in order to better preload the drive screw. What is it? Why do you do it? And, how do you do it on Joe's machine?

Thanks again guys,
Joe

It is just to put tention on the leadscrew to help prevent whipping of the leadscrew, you can use a these methods, a tapped nut, a double nut, or as jay did useing a spring.

here is an artical on leadscrews for your refernece, and you can see the theory behind the anti-backlash nut i use.

http://www.desktopcnc.com/articles/leadscrews.htm

http://pergatory.mit.edu/2.007/lectures/final/Topic_06_Screws_and_Gears.pdf

Joe

Joe,
I was putting together the bearing slides according to your directions and ran into a problem. For the 7-1/2 slide you say:

Each 7-1/2” bearing slides uses (4) 5 /16”x1” bolts, (8) 51/6” nuts and (8) 5/16” lock washers
(one nut and one lock washer between the bearing and angle alumn.)

All of that does not fit on a 1" bolt. Was this supposed to be 1-1/2" bolt? Or did you mean only 4 lock washers on a 1" bolt. That fits nicely.

For the 6" you say:

Each 6” bearing slides uses (4) 5 /16”x1” bolts, (4) 51/6” nuts and (4) 5/16” lock washers
(one nut between the bearing and angle alumn.)

Unless I missing something, the above 6" slide couldn't work at all. If only 4 nuts are used and they are between the bearing and the alum, what's holding on the bearing? I assume that you meant 8 nuts.

Can you straighten me out on this?

Thanks much,
Joe

Yes the Z Axis needs another nut on the outside.

here are pictures of mine because pictures work better than explaining. :)

The 1" bolts work.

Joe

Joe,
Thanks so much....I now understand Z, but what about Y? Is there only one lock washer per bolt? Two washers and two nuts do not fit on a 1" bolt.

Sorry to keep bugging you with this and I could probably guess, but I'm not sure what it effect it will have later.

Again, thank you.
Joe

no only one washer on inside

Anyone got any tips/ideas for cleaning up new galvanized gas pipes? Obviously I can sand them, but if you have better ideas I would enjoy hearing them.

Joe

Anyone got any tips/ideas for cleaning up new galvanized gas pipes? Obviously I can sand them, but if you have better ideas I would enjoy hearing them.

Joe


Joe,

I used black gas pipe and chucked each piece up in a lathe. Used green scratch pads and then emery cloth to shine em up.

Kent (calgrdnr) used a treadmill. I get a kick out of that! :)

Bob

Bob,
Yeah, your photos made me envious and that's why I'm asking. If I didn't see how cool yours looked, I'd probably do a quick sand job and call it a day.

I don't have a lathe and therefore I was trying to figure a better way than cupping a piece of sand paper in hand and.....well, you got the picture in your head!

Maybe a wire brush in a drill or something like that?

Thanks for the reply,
Joe

Bob,
Yeah, your photos made me envious and that's why I'm asking. If I didn't see how cool yours looked, I'd probably do a quick sand job and call it a day.

I don't have a lathe and therefore I was trying to figure a better way than cupping a piece of sand paper in hand and.....well, you got the picture in your head!

Maybe a wire brush in a drill or something like that?

Thanks for the reply,
Joe

The wire brush and drill sounds like a good idea! David and Brian's as well as others turned out really nice and I think they did it with elbow power. :)

Have fun!

Yeah I was tired by doing them by hand, they are still hairy, I mean bumps and what have you in different areas, but feel the difference between a stock home depot and mine after I polished them and it's pretty dramatic. I can't imagine feeling the difference between sparkys and stock, his are absolutely amazing. Must make for smooth axis movement because in the beginning before they wore in mine rode a little bumpy. Eventually the bearings work their own paths though and grooves in the rail.

Hey Joe,
The kit arrived today and from a cursory look....very nicely done.

My guess is that the kit parts are free and that you charge for the 100 lbs. of ninja packing peanuts. They seem to attack anything that comes close, like my leg, the sofa and the dog. You must have stock in packaging products ;-)

Thank you very much and I'm looking forward to getting started.

Joe

After unpacking the kit, I thought I would give you an update.....

Ninja Packing Material - 1
Dyson Animal Vacuum - 0

The world's most powerful vacuum that "never looses suction" was no match for Joe's packing peanuts. While cleaning up, if you listen very carefully you can hear the styrofoam taunting the Dyson.....Come and get me sucker!!

After unpacking the kit, I thought I would give you an update.....

Ninja Packing Material - 1
Dyson Animal Vacuum - 0

The world's most powerful vacuum that "never looses suction" was no match for Joe's packing peanuts. While cleaning up, if you listen very carefully you can hear the styrofoam taunting the Dyson.....Come and get me sucker!!

LOL, too funny!

Glad to hear you got your kit, look forward to following your build!
Don't forget to post pictures!

Bob

After unpacking the kit, I thought I would give you an update.....

Ninja Packing Material - 1
Dyson Animal Vacuum - 0

The world's most powerful vacuum that "never looses suction" was no match for Joe's packing peanuts. While cleaning up, if you listen very carefully you can hear the styrofoam taunting the Dyson.....Come and get me sucker!!



LOL, Yea i have to use the Ninja's to protect the goods, otherwise the guys shipping it will destroy it. (Popcorn ninja's protectors of all)....

Bob,
Yeah, your photos made me envious and that's why I'm asking. If I didn't see how cool yours looked, I'd probably do a quick sand job and call it a day.

I don't have a lathe and therefore I was trying to figure a better way than cupping a piece of sand paper in hand and.....well, you got the picture in your head!

Maybe a wire brush in a drill or something like that?

Thanks for the reply,
Joe

Joe, this how I turned my pipes with my home made lathe. You will see that I had a power strip right by me just in case something went wrong. I used a variable speed drill on as low as I could get it to go I hope this helps.

Looking forward to watching your build.

Rick

Joe, this how I turned my pipes with my home made lathe. You will see that I had a power strip right by me just in case something went wrong. I used a variable speed drill on as low as I could get it to go I hope this helps.

Looking forward to watching your build.

Rick

Now that's using the old noodle! Great idea!

Bob

Well that's pretty darn creative. I see you have a McGyver trigger puller.

Can you tell me what the two connectors are on either side? I might want to try something like this.

I will take some pictures when I get home from work today I still have the jig setup.

Rick

Rick I would like to know as well... that homemade drill lathe is exactly what I
need to clean up the pipes for my build. Looks like some 2X4's but the
connectors and bearings is what I am interested in..

Gene

Well that's pretty darn creative. I see you have a McGyver trigger puller.

Can you tell me what the two connectors are on either side? I might want to try something like this.

Ok nothing fancy here just 2x4 A frames with holes in them, and pipe fittings screwed to saw horses with 2 long 2x4s as braces. Pipe fittings are not made very round so what I did to keep very thing from bouncing around was I keep adjusting the fittings on the pipe ends until everything turned some what uniform it takes a little bit of time. When I had them turning good I marked the fittings so I could get the next pipe in the same spot.
This worked well for me as one time lathe.

1st & 2nd Pictures are of the end a way from the drill motor.
3/8 pipe with a cap and washers & fittings

3rd Picture is of the end where the drill motor goes.
¼ bolt with nuts and fittings

4th Picture is of how I hooked up the drill motor.

I hope this helps

Rick

Rick,
Thanks very much for taking the time to post the pictures. It was most helpful and I'll probably go that route or something similar.

Thanks again,
Joe

I have used an orbital sander 150 grit and run it with the legth of the pipe and then finished it off with a foam sanding pad.

Joe

Rick,
Thanks very much for taking the time to post the pictures. It was most helpful and I'll probably go that route or something similar.

Thanks again,
Joe

Your welcome glad I could help that is what is nice about the zone ask a question and you will get a answer.

Rick

Hey folks,
I made some progress this weekend with Joe's machine and things are moving along slowly, but nicely.

I first dry fitted the X and Y components just to make sure all parts would fit (no offense Joe, just being cautious). I cannot state it enough how impressed I am with this kit. If my finished machine can turn out parts like this, I will be extremely pleased. After dry fitting, I then glued the parts together and then got the priming done on those assemblies. I haven't really even looked at the X axis yet, but the process will be the same and I'm sure it will go as smoothly.

I've read how everyone gets pretty exhausted with the painting and how many cans of spray paint been used....especially you, David. I decided to take another approach. I bought a quart of Kilz Odorless and a very small foam roller. After trying a paint brush (cheap chip brush), I could feel myself looking for ways to circumvent this laborious task. When I switched over to the foam roller, things moved along much faster and much smoother. The other advantage of the fine foam roller is that it does not get paint into the grooves and holes where you don't want paint, even when rolling right over them. Big time saver tip, in my opinion. Also, the parts pictured below each have two coats of primer and I only used 1/2 quart. Big money saver as well when compared to the cost of spray cans.

Okay, I just wanted you all to see how things have progressed here in the Philly area with this very fine machine. One more time.....kudos to you Joe for the birth of "Joe's 2006" and how it has effected the hobby CNC community.

BTW....my new motto might be.....if you got clamps, then use 'um

Two more pics of the primed pieces. The last pic shows that using a fine, foam roller will not get paint into grooves where you don't want it.

Joe

Looks good so far, good tip on the painting, maybe you can mention it in the mods section.

Alot of people, including me use the actual gas pipes in the slots and clamp them in while gluing the torsion box skins on that way you make sure it is level all the way across. you may have or yours may be perfect square, just thought i would mention that again.

Joe

Hmmmm.....I wish I would have thought of putting the pipes in place as you suggested. Now, I've got to run up to the shop and see if everything is aligned pefectly. I'll report back to let you know.

Joe

Well Mr. Joe,
You freaked me out just a bit...LOL. I had to run up to the shop and check squareness and how well the pipe rest in the notches after putting on skins.

Maybe I just lucked out, but I couldn't be happier with the fit of the pipes and the squareness across the entire torsion box assembly.

I will do as you suggested on the X axis, though.

I will also write up something for the tips and mods section about painting with the foam roller.

thanks much,
the "other" Joe

Glad everything worked good, hopefully the iner locking pieces help it being sq. some have used staps to place the pipes in place and finish assembly.

the original Joe... LOL

I am certain that it WAS the inner interlocking pieces that kept is square. You almost can't go wrong with this design. I will however use this new information for when I assemble the much larger X axis. I think that should be a tip listed somewhere. It just easily eliminates the possbility of something going wrong later on in the build.

As far as "the original Joe", I think we might have to compare age cards....lol

the "other" joe

Looking good Joe!

Thanks for the tip on the paint! Wish this would have been posted some time ago :) I have some other MDF items I'm working on that I've not painted yet. Look forward to giving this a try!

Clamp-It-Jed, that's some collection of clamps! I find I always have enough clamps until I need one more :)
Oh and for those of you that aren't old enought to know who Jed Clampett is from the Beverly Hillbillies then you won't get my sad attempt at humor ;)

Bob

Hey Bob,
Question is: Did Jed ever GET wit Ms. Hathaway? :) Yeah, I'm that old.

Hey Guys,
I haven't posted for a while, but I have been slowly working on Joe's machine and came up with this tip that I couldn't wait to share.

You know those mini drum sanders as shown in photo #1, well they fit exactly into the 3/4" and 1" gas pipe for Joe's machine. When you put them inside the pipe, you tighten the nut and the rubber sleve holder expands to fit very snuggly inside the gas pipe. You can then put them in a lathe with standard drill chuck or you can just chuck them up into a 3/8" drill. The photos below pretty much tell the story. I liked what Rick (rdhharm) was doing but I wanted to come up with something a little cleaner for holding the pipe in the lathe. With this setup, I was able to do both 36" Y axis pipes in about 20 minutes with 50, 80 and 150 grit emory cloth. I will probably followup with some metal polish.

You'll need the 3/4" mini drum sander and the 1" as well. You can probably pick these up at Harbor Freight or someplace like that for next to nothing. I've had them for so long, I don't remember where I got them.

Give them a try...they work great!

Joe

Thats a great tip, might put it in the Tips and Tricks section.

Glenn

Hey folks,
I'm hoping somebody out there will be able to help me out before I go crazy.

I haven't posted much lately but I got a chance to get back to finishing my machine. I'm having big alignment problems with the X axis drive screw. I can jog the gantry around at a pretty descent rate all around the table (about 100 ipm) until I get close to either end and then it binds up and stop moving. I've also noticed that while trying to preload the screw, even the slightest tightening will cause it to bind anywhere on the table. It seems to me that the screw is not perfectly straight from one end to the other and I have no idea how that could happen. I don't mean that the screw is bent but rather it seems as though the bearings on both ends are not in perfect alignment. Any suggestions about how to measure this? More important though, what is the best way to fix it?

One other clue.....when the motor is off, I can literally turn the screw thus moving the gantry with just two fingers.....that is, when it's not near the ends.

I NEED to get this done as this is taking way too long. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

JOe

Hey folks,
I'm hoping somebody out there will be able to help me out before I go crazy.

I haven't posted much lately but I got a chance to get back to finishing my machine. I'm having big alignment problems with the X axis drive screw. I can jog the gantry around at a pretty descent rate all around the table (about 100 ipm) until I get close to either end and then it binds up and stop moving. I've also noticed that while trying to preload the screw, even the slightest tightening will cause it to bind anywhere on the table. It seems to me that the screw is not perfectly straight from one end to the other and I have no idea how that could happen. I don't mean that the screw is bent but rather it seems as though the bearings on both ends are not in perfect alignment. Any suggestions about how to measure this? More important though, what is the best way to fix it?

One other clue.....when the motor is off, I can literally turn the screw thus moving the gantry with just two fingers.....that is, when it's not near the ends.

I NEED to get this done as this is taking way too long. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

JOe

Joe

It sounds as if your nut may be out of alignment. Your ends can be in perfect alignment but if the nut isn't on the same line then as you approach the ends you will get binding. When it moves away from the ends the flex in the drive screw can will have a longer arc and won't be as bothersome. I haven't looked at Joe's plans but there is usually a way to adjust the nut alignment.

You might want to look at that aspect rather than the bearing alignment.

Garry

Garry,
After thinking about what you said, I've realized that you're correct except it appears as though it's not just the nut but the whole gantry. It also appears as though the nut (deltrin AB nut) is getting chewed up and leaving "nut droppings". I'm hoping that Joe's X axis bearing adjustment assembly will allow me to square up the gantry to the table.


If anyone on the forum that has built Joe's machine has seen the need for this adjustment, could you please let me know what is the best way for squaring this? It appears as though there is almost a 1/4" difference from one side of the gantry to the other when measured from gantry to end of table. If I try loosening the bearing and then adjusting that measurement, I get a few bearing that will no longer make contact with the rail pipes.

I don't know where I went wrong but it's effecting the whole process.

Any help would be appreciated.

Joe

Hey Guys,
I know that I have not be very diligent in documenting my entire build. My feeling is that with as many people out there building this fine machine, it's all been said or done many times over. Plus, my build has been rather slow with everything else gone in around here. Having said all that, it's my pleasure to say that I have finished the machine and I am now getting comfortable with it. I still need some tweaking but I am thrilled with the design and sturdiness of the machine.

I've tried to make as many of the improvements from suggestions from all of you and because of that, this machine screams....at least while jogging. What you can't see in the photo is that I am using the HobbyCNC board with only 200oz steppers and just for fun I wanted to test the top speed. While doing the motor tuning in Mach3, I've been able to achieve over 300 IPM. That just blows my mind! This should be a testament to all of those who are thinking about building a "Joe's 2006". I've cut a few test pieces at about 100 IPM and I'm very happy with that speed. In fact, the dust collector chute in the photo was my first piece and I stole that from Buzz's build log.

BTW.....since it seems to be a new tradition to put a bobblehead doll on top of a finished machine, I certainly had to follow suit. Since I'm pretty annoyed these days with our Philly sports scene, Donovan McNabb was not going to occupy that premier spot. I chose to go with a true icon. Penn State's own Joe Paterno. Since all my money went there for my son and continues to go there for my daughter, it just seemed right that JoePa should sit on the throne.

Thanks to all of you folks for your contributions to the forum...I've studied them all. Special shout out to my new friend CNC-Joe who has given me many suggestions and help on my first cuts. And finally a very special thanks to the "original" Joe for engineering this very fine machine. I hope to make some serious amount of chip flying this weekend.

I'll post some more detailed photos as soon as I get my tiny little shop all cleaned up.

The "other" Joe

You machine came out nice, I hope you get alot of good use and enjoy it.

What is the adapter you have for the dust collection, looks to me a good solution for adapting the hose to the collection shroud.

joe

Hey Joe thanks. Couldn't have done it without you.....and everyone else on the forum.

The adapter to the dust collection chute is actually two 4" to 3" adapters that I had laying around the shop. For some reason one of them is about a 1/16" less on the O.D. and it fits tightly into the to the other for an air tight seal that also provides a quick disconnect. I guess if you cannot find that type of configuration that fits inside each other you could always lightly sand down one until it does fit.

I would rather get the full 4" of collection rather than going down to 3" and back up to 4", but for now it seems to be working pretty well.

The "other" Joe

Im diggin the bobblehead :D

Hey Guys,
I'm looking for a little help here with regard to calibrating my machine. I took Buzz's lead on this and tried a few shapes for measuring. I've actually been using the machine for some simple projects. You can see the cool beer pong table below that I made for my daughter who is out at Penn State. If you don't know what beer pong is.....just ask your kids :)

While doing that project, I had to do a little sanding for the inlaid racks which made me think that maybe the machine is not cutting as accurately as it should. So the next pic shows what I did and how it measured up. The cuts were a little off but I don't know if I should persue this (are they close enough) and try to fix and secondly, I don't know how to make it better. Is is in the software or hardware? I would like this to be as accurate as I can get it.

In the measurement test pic, the bottom left is a 1" pocket which actually measured .922. Top left (cut on outside of line) should be 2.00" ID and it measured 2.077. The square (also cut on outside of line) should be 1.50" ID and measured 1.577. I built the machine to use it for guitar building so accuracy is important, but am I asking for too much? As these reasonable numbers?

Any help you guys can provide would be greatly appreciated.

BTW.....I really love my Joe's 2006!!!

table looks interesting, I know v-carve has a different way of doing inlays, you actually use a v-carve bit and the pieces sit on 45deg. faces of eachother.

On the accuracy, did you do the Leadscrew mapping in mach3?

Joe

In the measurement test pic, the bottom left is a 1" pocket which actually measured .922. Top left (cut on outside of line) should be 2.00" ID and it measured 2.077. The square (also cut on outside of line) should be 1.50" ID and measured 1.577. I built the machine to use it for guitar building so accuracy is important, but am I asking for too much? As these reasonable numbers?

Kinda looks like each cut is undersize by ~38 mils on a side, making the total on each figure a really consistent error of 77 mils. Looks like the cutter diameter is actually smaller than you think it is, or the compensation that you entered for the cutter diameter is larger than it should be. Looks like you're expecting the cutter to be 1/4" - 250 mils, but it's really cutting only a 173 mil slot.

Just guessing, I'm not there yet. Gary

Hey Guys,
Thanks for getting back so quickly....

Joe...I have no idea what drive screw mapping is all about. I've never done it before, but I will check it out.

Gary....I will check the bits that I used in this test to see what they actually measure.

Thanks again and if anyone else has any ideas, please pass them on.

The "other" Joe

Look forward to seeing other pieces you are making.

Joe

Joe or anyone else,
Do you have a .CRV file with tool path for the Z Axis bearing block? The corner cracked off at the lower left (facing router) where the U bolt comes through. The U bolt is now easily moveable by hand and probably accounts for my accuracy questions from before.

I've never done any hole drilling before in VCP and most of the holes on that piece need to be tapped which means the hole should probably be a little smaller at first.

I want to do this piece by myself but feeling a little nervous about it. If you can give me any hints AND/OR the .CRV file, that would be awesome.

BTW....do I really need a drill bit that fits in the router? Or can I just make the holes with an end mill?

Thanks in advance for your help,
Joe

Joe or anyone else,
Do you have a .CRV file with tool path for the Z Axis bearing block? The corner cracked off at the lower left (facing router) where the U bolt comes through. The U bolt is now easily moveable by hand and probably accounts for my accuracy questions from before.

I've never done any hole drilling before in VCP and most of the holes on that piece need to be tapped which means the hole should probably be a little smaller at first.

I want to do this piece by myself but feeling a little nervous about it. If you can give me any hints AND/OR the .CRV file, that would be awesome.

BTW....do I really need a drill bit that fits in the router? Or can I just make the holes with an end mill?

Thanks in advance for your help,
Joe

Here is a quick one i did, Use a 1/4" End Mill, as you can see i used 0.1 stepdown on the Drill and tap hole section, this way the HDPE material will not gum up the bit, but you can mod the CRV file how you like atleast you have a base to work from.

Joe

Here is a quick one i did, Use a 1/4" End Mill, as you can see i used 0.1 stepdown on the Drill and tap hole section, this way the HDPE material will not gum up the bit, but you can mod the CRV file how you like atleast you have a base to work from.

Joe

Joe,
This is great...thank you very much. Just to be clear on the "0.1 stepdown" do you mean that you just peck drill 0.1 to mark it and then drill and tap with the appropriate tools?

I'll be on the road for a few days so I can't get to try this until Thurs.

Thanks again,
Joe

I think he means it drills .1 at a time, then backs up to clear the chip.

I Only drill down 0.1" this keeps the HDPE from collecting on the 1/4" upspiral and melting onto the HDPE later on, The depth is only 0.1" not all the way through.

Then just take it to the drill press drill the 1/4" holes and then drill the holes for the 1/4" tap i think around 3/16" holes but alot of 1/4" taps will come with a drill bit if you buy it like that.

Joe

I guessed wrong :(

Joe,
Another idea is to use a lathe center drill 1/4" size (fits the router chuck) and just peck the hole to .100 deep, then hand drill it later to size, I did mine that way, keeps from gumming up the drill with plastic using the router at high speed.

Cheers
dewalt58

Got it! Thank you guys.

Joe

"Other" Joe-

The machine looks amazing! and I'm loving the bobblehead!!

The Beer Pong table looks great and very professional and the inlays are definitely a great touch! I was thinking about making one for my older brother, as he is in college, and I'm sure his dorm buddies would love it.

Also, I have to cut out the HDPE parts soon and I was wondering how your cut went for the Z Axis Bearing Block?

I Only drill down 0.1" this keeps the HDPE from collecting on the 1/4" upspiral and melting onto the HDPE later on, The depth is only 0.1" not all the way through.

Then just take it to the drill press drill the 1/4" holes and then drill the holes for the 1/4" tap i think around 3/16" holes but alot of 1/4" taps will come with a drill bit if you buy it like that.

Joe

When generating the toolpaths, couldn't you simply set the drilling method to "peck" and have it take multiple passes by pecking down, clearing material, pecking again, clearing, etc.?

Spencer....the Z axis bearing block was a piece of cake once Joe gave me the toolpath in VCarve. I think the trick is to slow down the router a bit so you don't burn the HDPE. Everything seems to be perfectly aligned now that I replaced that part.

When you are ready to do a table for your brother, I'd be happy to pass along the .dxf file out of ACAD. I actually cut it using VCarve and if you have that I can give you the .crv file as well.

BTW....I saw in your log that you might have to buy some more 1/2" 10 ACME rod. I did my build with 1/2" 8 2 start so now I have enough 1/2" 10 to do the machine. If you need it you are welcome to have it. It's brand new and Doylestown is like 20 minutes from here.

Tyler....I'm sure you can do as you suggested above, but I think Joe's reasoning is because a) you're less likely to burn or melt the HDPE because the chips are like rice and they may not clear the hole b) I think you might have a bit more control by using the drill press once the marks are left with a single pass drill peck. Also, you are going to want a hole that is a little smaller than the tap so that you get a nice tight fit. Doing as you suggested works just fine for the 5/8" holes when using the 1/4" bit.

Hope that helps,
Joe

First of all, I can't tell you how much I'm likin' my Joe's 2006!

We bought a cigar sampler (Arturo Fuente) as a gift for a friend and assumed that they would be delivered in some kind of cigar box...what do I know. Upon discovering that there was no box, I thought about a quick and simple CNC machined gift box.

After thinking about the design, I quickly drew it up in VCarve after measuring each cigar. Total cutting time was probably about 1/2 hour. I'm hoping that our friend will find the gift box to be equally as surprising as the cigars.

Below are a couple of pics. The curious thing is that in the picture of the lid, the flash really highlights the clear coat in the detail work which appears to show up as white in the carving. In real life, it doesn't show at all.

The wood that I used is a great story all by itself. I bought it many years ago from an Amish tobacco farmer that had a gas powered saw mill. He cut the trees down off of his own property. It Pennsylvania Black Walnut and at the time I paid $0.45/board foot. Needless to say, I took home a ton of that day.

I just thought it might spark an idea for all you cigar smokers out there.

Joe

Awesome job I wish I would have thought of that I guess next years gift for my brother in-laws

Rick

Very nicely done, PhillyCyberJoe. Your friend is sure to have the cigar box a lot longer than the cigars. ;)

I'm thinking that maybe you should send some pics to Arturo Fuente and offer your services. You never know.

Keep up the good work,

Sweet, Looks very good, and will give people ideas.

I wish i had more time to make things like this, but alot of my time is tied up into building machines.

Joe

Joe,
You are simply NOT ALLOWED to have too much fun with your machine. You are supposed to stay in your secret santa workshop to design, cut and build toys for all of us good little girls and boys. :-)

Thanks for the compliments guys, but it's really all about the machine...isn't it?

BTW....Here is Beer Pong table #2 which will also be a Christmas gift.

Joe,
Great work! I love the cigar box and the beer pong table! They would make great Christmas presents for my father and brother next year. You have some great ideas.