Hello All, this is my first cnc project. It’s a work in progress, when completed it will be a 4 axis machine with a plasma/router head. I’m running a stepmasternc board in a 1.8 Ghz Win Xp with mach 3, Bobcad and eCabinets. 500 in/oz steppers with a porter cable 3.25 hp. The table has 3 inserts, vacuum, coolant collector tank and a plasma cutting deck. I’m a month into it hoping to complete before Christmas but its this lack of time and cash thing. . . .I’m sure I’m the only one:) All of the parts are off ebay, I have to buy the drive line next and so far I’m just under $2k.
Thanks for all of your posts, I look forward to a different point of view on my machine. Be kind I don’t have a clue what I’m doing!
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Tim

Welcome to the CNCZone, from the looks of your design you have been learking for a while, or you are just talented.
Looks like a real good start. Fully supported X and Y axis is the way to go. And a good distance between the bearings to give it a wide and solid stance.
I envy you metal workers, able to build so solid and ridgid frameworks.

Good Luck and Keep the pictures coming.

Tim.

You will find that it will need driving from both side of the X axis. Maybe for plasma you'll get away with it but as a router you won't.

A lot of builders try it but it needs either a very rigid or very slow machine.

Say for instance when you get to do someting like a 3D carving and a small cutter is rapidly going back and forth just a few mm's you'll see that it just won't work.

So save yourself some trouble and drive it from both sides from the start.

You have made a good start, keep it up and post lots of pics. :)

Greg

Sounds like a plan, I'll order double screws. This machine will be abused.

Thanks for your input.

Almost got it done when the neighbours had a bbq..........

Love the colors - Keyed to the axis --- Great looking machine. Welcome aboard and best of luck.
:cheers: Jim

BTW - I'd add (for me more than any one else) It's all B.S. -- Until you mill something

Here's what I have now. Still test fitting z axis but getting closer. Motor mount is next. Still trying different numbers to get "Tas" to cut from 100ipm to 350 ipm in whatever project is up.

More to come. . .

Tim

Just wondering how much flex you will see in that plate the router clamps are attached to. I've see a lot of designs where the router hangs down from a plate like that.

I did it the oposit way where the router hangs off the other side and the plate where your router plate is would be on the gantry. Course this means the servos and stuff ride up and down with the router how ever in my mind made it so you didn't have to have a long plate to hang the router down off of to get table clearence when retracted.

Very nice looking machine. . You using regular paint or some sort of powder coating?

b/

I agree, it will flex. It will be beefed up in a bit. For now it will be good enough to get it going. As for paint, its Krylon that was on sale, $1 a can.

Here's what I have now. Still test fitting z axis but getting closer. Motor mount is next. Still trying different numbers to get "Tas" to cut from 100ipm to 350 ipm in whatever project is up.

More to come. . .

Tim

I like it , I like it , I like it!!!
You are going to start a new trend with your paint scheme!!!

A little more time spent on Tas. This is going to be my 4th axis, I'll replace the belt with a timing belt/ stepper combo. Should work.

Tim

A little more time spent on Tas. This is going to be my 4th axis, I'll replace the belt with a timing belt/ stepper combo. Should work.

Tim

who the manufacture of your linear slides and bearing on x and y
you say off ebay who makes them? what the od on the rod?
are you going to rack and pinion on your long x axis

Hello All,
Got a little bit closer, still have to make the motor mounts for the gantry. The screws will show up in 10 days (5/8 8tpi acme). Still debating gears, Mcmaster-carr timing belt set or I’m playing with the idea of using a 10 speed bike gear set up for driving the screws. Vary the gantry speed on the fly. Just a thought. . . . .Wire will be picked up this week, computer is up and talking to the board. Still have to finish up the cyclone dust collector system too. I’m also in the works on starting a 5x10 Mechmate, looking at getting the parts laser cut. On Tas, bearings are from VXB Ball Bearings, great service and product. Screws are coming from a local shop. As for the rest I picked up 2 5” platters to make a 2 axis head for this too but that’s in a bit.

Until next time,
Tim

A cyclone dust collector system is for sure the way to go it really stops the fine dust, which is the bad stuff for our lungs.

If you are building one on Bill P's plans here is a site of a Canadian in Japan that built one, very detailed assembly photos and a lot of good tips.
http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/cyclone.htm

He has a lot of other interesting projects in his web site also.

Good luck and keep us in the loop.

Thanks for the link, pictures are always a good thing.

Tim

Tim,

Where did you get the screws (5/8 8tpi acme, part number?)? I also live in Canada and I need some for may CNC.

THanks,
Alex

Sorry for the late reply Alex. I did a local search for Machine shop supplies and found a bulk acme screw place. Sold by the foot. For my next machines www.mechmate.com I'm going with rack and pinion, easier in my limited opinion but to each their own.

Tim

So Far.....Never enough time. Big question of the day: Is it worth the time to put fanned or regular heatsinks on the steppers? Making more room in the shop to do the cyclone other than that waiting on the driveline components to show up.

Hello All,
I’m waiting for the drive line to show up, 2 weeks to go. So in the meantime I tripped over a 2axis head upped by yohudi. The motors came today, I’ll go get some angle out of the scrap yard and the experiment continues. It will mount on my z axis without any trouble. I’m just wondering how big of a router will this combo take? Anyone have one working yet? I was thinking of a 2hp Rona router, they go for $100 and have a no hassle 3 year replacement. Another Idea was to use the table as a 4th axis in the bed. I have the expansion board on order so it will do up to 6 axis. The wiring harness will also be installed during that time and I’m going to have to learn that Mach 3. Its at the “Just get it running” stage, Lots to improve on but it will cut out the next machines parts easily.

Thanks for all the ideas,
Tim

Hi if you need info for the cyclone I think this is one of the best site that I ever came across http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/blower.cfm I made one for my wood shop and it works like a charm the filters are 0.3-micron certified dust collection cartridge filters

Its alive!. . . Progress made on the electronics side of things. All items function very well, the Shuttle pro is a nice feature. It ran through all of the mach 3 g code without a problem, now the gf has a better interest. I guess this is the second step in the new journey. Ball screws are in the works now so yet another redesign. Still waiting on a quick change chuck and an expansion board for the 2 axis head. Plasma head holder is coming along, I look forward for this thing to start working.

looking Good. I have started my 2nd one. Been without one for a few months and its like trying to quit smoking. Just gotta have one. :)
Steve

As being a newbee here I can appriciate all the hard work that went into your machine. I have build a lot of things in the past and this will be my first atempt at this so I'm just makeing a table top model to play with and learn. The funny part about it was, I ordered some electronic parts and there were 3 small stepper motors in my order. I called the company and they said to keep them no charge. So now I'll put them to good use and learn in the process. I'll just use a dremel tool as a power head. Mike PS do you know of a computer program (simple one) I can learn from , much apprciated thank you in advance ( mmmm freebe maybe) trying to save money at this satge

i like it alot. how do you like the bearings? do they have a lot of play are the shafts crome plated are harden? i try to get the specks but they would not e-mail me back.

Hello all. Thanks for the words of encouragement. I like using Mach3 software and if you watch the training video’s its real easy. If you like check out www.mechmate.com (http://www.mechmate.com)I’m building one as well, and its free too. Should cut down on the r and d time. My ball screws are a bit of a mystery. I traded my machinist buddy for them. All I know is that there 0 backlash , nickel or cadmium plated and new. Once I get them I will post there specs. I do like your idea on the chrome screw thou, we can start a new trend “Pimp your cnc machine!” Hang some fuzzy dice off the corner. . .:) Once the vinyl cutter head is done I’ll do some pin striping on the machine.

Tim

Good Day All,
Its been awhile but a lot has changed. I redesigned the machine from screw drive to rack and pinion. In the end it was cheaper and the mechmate has the same system so. . .I can jog it around but I’m still setting it up with mach3. Once I figure how to input all this info to Mach3 I’ll run the roadrunner. I’m still working on a cheap rotary table with chuck for the 4^th axis, but all in time.
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Later,
Tim

It works! Now the fine tuning begins. The rotary table is coming along, maybe another week.

Tim

Getting closer. . . . .

After lots of adjustments and tuning I'm getting closer.
Tim

I'm curious as to what you're doing for the 4th axis. I'm looking at creating a 4th axis for really cheap on my machine, but I have only a vague idea as to what I want to do. I'd love to see some other designs. BTW, great work on your mill!

Hi - Nice looking machine.

I am also trying to build with rack and pinion. I was wondering how you mounted the rack - it looks like it was drilled and tapped from the back ?

Is this the typical 0.375 in wide rack at std steel or boston gear ?


Thanks

Good Day All,
This is my first upgrade, I changed the z axis motor out for an Oriental Motors pk299-03aa its up to 880in/oz. The old one was 550 and had a hard time picking up the router quickly. The gearing is wrong but the new ones are on the way and I’ve doubled my cutting speed. Head stock had to be modded as well. Having the plasma torch around sure makes things easier.
Thanks for the comments , for the next step the 4th axis will be a cheap and easy setup. Servo motor will be the old z axis, belt drive to the tail stock ,which until I figure out what I want ,will be made from wood. The bearings were what I had in the shop and the shaft is leftover ½ rod stock. Later I’ll look for a 4” 3 jaw chuck to mount. The rack and pinion is your basic ½” 20 x 20 x 20 from www.Martinsprocket.com ,It’s the cheap stuff. All info was used from www.mechmate.com and I drilled and tapped them from the back, the job went quick and easy. All parts were picked up from my local Bearing and Transmission Shop. At the moment I’m on Midnight shift so I don’t do to much to the machine. I picked up my software from www.Vectric.com it’s easy to use. The dust collector is half done now, I’ll post new pics when things are closer. I found more Igus track on ebay for cheap, no more watching wires.

Tim
Another step further. . . .what a killer toy!

Cleaning up the wiring and stuff. The faster you get it going the more flaws you find! This gantry will be replaced with a mechmate one and a gecko system is in the works as well. Im on the road for the next week, time to figure out the 4th axis better, I might run with a trailer short stub axle with a chuck mounted to a adapter plate to the wheel hub.

untill next time,
Tim

More progress. . . . .

Good Day All,
Well I'm at the stage where 120 ipm doesn't pay enough. I need to bump up my speed to 250 to 450 ipm to keep ahead of the curve. I'm looking for a combo pack with a spindle (5 hp I think) and a 1 phase to 3 phase converter. The spindle would have to be able to handle a automatic tool changer down the road too. The shop has 40 amp 220 available for the project.
Is there a place to look that has a side by side comparison? Any input would be greatly appreated.

Thanks again,
Tim

Found this http://www.shopbottools.com/spindles.htm