Another First Router

[Mr.Chips]

Gerry,
Integrating the features of Torsion design will make your CNC a rigid and light machine. And CNC cutting the grid to fit the tubes then bolting everything together completes the torsion sides, good planning and design. Wish I had access to a CNC to cut my material out. I'm guessing that the tubes were mortised into the gantry sides also.
One of my hobbies is woodworking and I am building out of 3/4" MDF. Going for rigidity, but I’m taking the brute force method. The gantry sides are two 3/4" layers and have mortised the gantry cross piece which is also two 3/4" layers into the inside layer of the gantry sides. Everything was glued and clamped together. Because of the mortising the gantry is quite rigid. However at the sacrifice of weight. It weighs a ton.
My objective with this first machine was to make a machine that would accurately cut out my second machine, which before reading your posting was going to be aluminum. But now your design has stirred my interest in "Torsion" construction methods.
Keep us posted on your progress, interested to see it complete and running.
Hager

[ger21]

Hager, with a few jigs, my parts could have been easily cut with a table saw and drill press. As for light weight, I way overbuilt it and it's actually quite heavy. Before I put it back together I'm going to be drilling a lot of holes to lighten it up. But the weight shouldn't be a problem, as I'm driving the gantry with 2 250oz-in steppers.

Gerry

[Mr.Chips]

Gerry,
2, 250 oz-in steppers should do the job.

Excuse my I'm a newbie and gotta ask. I suppose you will be driving on each rail. What is the likelyhood of loosing steps of one motor, and causing the gantry to bind?

Does the one driver module drive both steppers on that axis?

Hager

[ger21]

From everything I've read, you only lose steps if you try to go faster than the system is capable of going. If you set up your software correctly, and stay within the machine's limits, you shouldn't lose steps. Ive got a Xylotex 3-axis board + a single axis board. I'll probably use the single axis board for my z-axis, and the 3-axis for the 2 x motors and the y-axis. All the motors are 250 oz-in. Z-axis leadscrew is 1/2-10 acme, X and Y will be 2 start, 1/2-8 acme (4 turns per inch). Hopefully I'll be able to get pretty good speed out of this setup. I'm hoping to be able to cut at at least 50 in/min.

Gerry

[vacpress]

gerry


its been.. 5 months since this post - updates? hows the build? im curious how the torsion box worked out, as i imagined something like that a long time ago... it reminds me of the bucks ive built to make shaped plywood furniture...

pictures?

[Bloy2004]

Originally posted by vacpress gerry its been.. 5 months since this post - updates? pictures?

I feel the same way...have been waiting more info!

[ger21]

Hopefully I'll be back to work on it by June, maybe sooner. Just have to finish the kitchen.

[Bloy2004]

....upload pictures of your kitchen!

[toolsalot]

Forget the kitchen! Get out in that garage and start building.

[High Seas]

ger21 -
At least the weather kept you outta the yard!
I jackhammered and redid the driveway and walkway - cobblestone pavers - looks great but ohhhh my aching back!
cheers - Jim

[mikeschn]

Hopefully you didn't do what I did. I built all the kitchen cabinettes from scratch, and I didn't even have a cnc machine to help!

I'm looking forward to seeing more pictures of your machine, especially since I have to design a new one for myself!!!

Mike...

P.S. Otherwise I'll just have to drive over to your house and check it out in person!

Originally posted by ger21 Hopefully I'll be back to work on it by June, maybe sooner. Just have to finish the kitchen.

[ger21]

Hopefully you didn't do what I did. I built all the kitchen cabinettes from scratch, and I didn't even have a cnc machine to help

That's exactly what I did. The boxes have been done and installed for a while now. Except for 3, + an island. Mainly, I just have to cut and seam a bunch of veneer, press it in onto some mdf doors, dye and spray them. Oh, and build some pull out drawers, and numerous other small but terribly time consuming items.

Mike, what happened to your router? Did all that flex make you decide to stop, or did you finish it?