Xairflyer's first MDF CNC router

[xairflyer]

After a couple of months looking, reading and learning about home made CNC machines, I started cutting out my 1" MDF machine today.

As I found other guys threads so interesting and useful I thought I would complete a build diary myself, and if a new person gets one piece of information out of it for themselves then it will be worth while.
Decided my first machine would be the learning platform and I will use simple construction and electronics.


My mate brought his Circular saw with a new MDF cutting blade and we cut everything out lovely and square.

The base is 36" wide x 33" deep, it has a fixed gantry with a table size of 24"w x 16"d.
I think I should have about a 20 x 12 cutting area.

I am using 1" dia stainless tube with a ground finish for the rails and bought a load of abec9 bearings on ebay.

I have three steppers, 1A, 1.2A and a 1.35A all unipolar nema 23 size.
Came across extremly cheap driver board from http://www.kitsrus.com/ (although I bought mine from the UK distributor.)
The K179 unipolar driver board kit was only £9.95 works great had my motors on the bench last night buzzing away.
The board has a manual control of speed and direction so is great for setting up without a pc connected.

Going to use a ATX PSU at 12v and some 6R8 resistors.

I do have some nice new in the box vexta 266 127 ozins motors that I bought from a guy, but I intend to keep them for the next one !

Don't have any fancy cad drawn plans of my machine all on bits of paper. I will see if I can post something to let people see the design.

All for now.

[CNCadmin]

Can't wait to see how it comes out! Keep us posted.

[balsaman]

Looking forward to seeing it. Good design for a first machine. Moving Table is simple and acurate. Also nice size.

Eric

[xairflyer]

Thanks for the replys.

Not having figured out how to draw with Autocad yet I done this in - Don't laugh ..... MS Word.

I'm one of those guys that does everything in word.

Hav'nt drawn the Z axis, but you will get the idea, actual machine will be rounded in places, but that is more difficult to draw !!

Might use some linear slides for the Z if I can get them at the right money, if not I will just go with the same pipe idea.

Hopeing to have it together (minus pipes) like this tonight.



Only just figured out how to post an image, thought you could just upload it to the forum.
The FAQ don't have much info on how to do this.

[balsaman]

You can upload it. Click "browse" which is left of "attach file", then browse for the picture.

Eric

[xairflyer]

I never saw a browse button, only thing was a IMG button then I typed in the address of the file I uploaded to my web site.

[chuckknigh]

That was the problem...it seems to want a picture from your local hard drive. It actually uploads the image onto the server, and hosts it locally.

-- Chuck Knight

[balsaman]

Look at the bottom under your message (while you are posting a reply). There is "attach file" and "browse".

E-man

[dlenox]

what is the difference in the abec bearings, on Ebay I see
abec-5, abec-7, abec9???

[HomeCNC]

Look at the bottom under your message (while you are posting a reply). There is "attach file" and "browse".

Eric,

This is always the confusing part for a new poster. You will not see the "attach file" if you use the "quick post" at the very bottom of each thread. You must click on the small button at the bottom of the last post's message that says "Post reply" Then you will be taken to a new screen with all the bells and whistles

[xairflyer]

Yeah I see it now Eric don't know how I never seen it before !!

Anyway, been out in the workshop all evening/night (midnight here now).

Got the two end rails and the gantry sides and front screwed onto the base.

Takes a fair bit of time getting it all marked out, and drilled accuratly.
I have a vertical drilling guide for my cordless drill (like a plunge router idea) so I was able to get all the holes nice and streight.

Decided to go with the tapping idea.
As I was going to use 6mm metric bolts I found the best drill size for the mdf was 4.8 (3/16").

As I drilled each hole I dropped a AN3 (3/16") bolt into each hole to keep it square.
I then drilled out the base 6mm and countersunk the holes for the allen head C/S bolts.

I tapped each of the holes, using a machine tap in a slow cordless drill and it worked great. I then ran thin cyno down the holes into the threads.

So this is the stage I am at. Need to turn up some inserts for the ends of the tubes (rails) and make the adjusting blocks.

What is the best material, I was thinking about nylon or similar, don't think even the 1" mdf will stand up to it.

[xairflyer]

Don't know a lot about the bearings but I do know that abec 9's are water proof, 7's are classed as sealed and I would think that the 5's are probably just shielded.

I have both 9's and 7's and the 9's are definatly the better.