pro's and con's of using ball-bearing drawer slides?

[travis_farmer]

I have see some designs using ball-bearing drawer slides, but being a carpenter/cabinet builder, i know they have their limitations. i was wondering others thoughts. i tried to search for topics already posted, but i kept getting an expired token error, so i am posting a new thread i guess.

my worries are side to side sway, and droop when extended fully. my interest is due to my father/boss making the suggestion, though it may have merit for a lower cost slide.

as i would be using it for my gantry, it would have to be fairly tight, correct?

I thank you for your previous help, as well as in advance for help in this topic.

~Travis

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[ger21]

Pros: Cheap
Cons: Everything else - limited travel, poor rigidity, high friction, very intolerant of dust.

Drawer slides are what you would use if you wanted to build a very small machine, on an incredibly small budget.

The best way to use them is to use them in pairs, so that as you extend one, it's closing the other. This addresses some of your concerns.

Imo, you'd be much better off with a skate bearing on pipe machine. Read every build thread in the Joes 2006 machine.

My recommendation for you would be to build something like a Joe's 2006 machine, and do it as cheaply as possibly. Use an Arduino and GRBL for control.
You need a machine, in order to learn what you need to know.

[KH0UJ]

for a high torque movement application I think the bushing type slide can handle much heavier loads, on the other hand a ball bearing is somewhat like using a knobby tires on an asphalt road, sure it can be done but in the long run it will wear out easily compared to the bushing type due to like it`s like standing on a tip of a toe, the bushing type had more wider surface to cling on thus can handle heavier loads without wearing out that easily, reminds me of my previous project once though it`s not a CNC but similar, it`s a deep well pump mechanism and I used 2 ball bearings on the pivot arms, does`nt last six moths compared to a brass bushing of the same size.

[louieatienza]

Pros:
1) cheap
2) available at Home Cheap-o

Cons:
1) ball races not hardened (though they will harden and flake under constant use when you...)
2) use the machine frame to "preload" the ball races
3) not protected by dirt
4) limited machine configuration options
5) longest travel only 24"
6) not much in terms of mounting options

As you know as a cabinetmaker, when you don't have the right clearance for the drawer slide, it doesn't operate smoothly. Your steppers would be working hard just to overcome the preload you set, and there's still no guarantee of rigidity. They come greased up, need to be greased up, and that attracts every speck of dust in the shop.

If I may suggest this kit, which is really super-cheap, and has most everything you need as far as mechanicals. If you use makeshift parts, you'll have more hassles than it would be worth, and the results may further deter your father from using the machine. You can make your parts out of Baltic birch or MDF scraps, and as you learn to use the machine, you can upgrade the framing members and still reuse all the mechanical and electrical components.

600mm x 1000mm CNC Router Kit 16mm Rails and BallScrews

[travis_farmer]

Pros: Cheap
Cons: Everything else - limited travel, poor rigidity, high friction, very intolerant of dust.

Drawer slides are what you would use if you wanted to build a very small machine, on an incredibly small budget.

The best way to use them is to use them in pairs, so that as you extend one, it's closing the other. This addresses some of your concerns.

Imo, you'd be much better off with a skate bearing on pipe machine. Read every build thread in the Joes 2006 machine.

My recommendation for you would be to build something like a Joe's 2006 machine, and do it as cheaply as possibly. Use an Arduino and GRBL for control.
You need a machine, in order to learn what you need to know.

Ok, i will read there some more, i just wanted to satisfy a curiosity my father and i had.

~Travis

[travis_farmer]

Use an Arduino and GRBL for control

just curious on this one, i already had the LinuxCNC compatible breakout board ordered quite a while ago (it actually arrived yesterday), and i already had a computer suitable for LinuxCNC, and it is all loaded with LinuxCNC. I can easily make the machine interchangeable between GRBL and the LinuxCNC (actually a Mach3) breakout board. especially if i have to use larger than the NEMA 17 steppers, and drivers to go with those. both setups are electronically compatible with each other, as far as stepper driver outputs.
I like the LinuxCNC method as i can add extra I/O fairly easily, if needed. not locking myself into any particular controller, just keeping my options open.

now, on Joe'sCNC model 2006, i have the eDrawing (that i assume is a working model). i don't have a way to CNC any parts, so if i hand-cut parts with a saber-saw (or jig-saw, depending on local terminology), how can i ensure accuracy with any level of tolerances? I emailed Joe from the email on his website, inquiring about the cost of a kit, but as yet to receive a response.

or is there an easier way to support the pipe, and ensure decent tolerances?

Just feeling a little overwhelmed right now.

~Travis

[ger21]

If you have LinuxCNC, then just use that. It's better than GRBL.

There are threads here with people that have built 2006 machines with standard woodworking tools.
For multiple parts, make a template, and use a router with a flush trim bit for making multiple copies.
To accurately locate the pipes, use a drill press with a fence and stops, to get repeatable hole locations.

You don't need a cnc to build a CNC. Especially if you have a shop full of other tools. If you have a cabinet shop at your disposal, then you shouldn't have any issues.
If you look around long enough, you should be able to find .dxf files for all of the parts.

Edit: This thread has them. http://www.cnczone.com/forums/joes-c...10617-cnc.html


And here are the files straight from Joe.
http://www.joescnc.com/JoesCNC2006/J...l_2006_R-2.zip

[travis_farmer]

Yes, your right, i have the shop and the tools, but i wasn't connecting the dots for some reason. thank you very much for providing the links to the files
Now it is just a matter of saving for the materials, for the base/frame assembly, and the rails.

I will continue reading the build threads in the meantime.

thank you (and everyone else, of course) very much for help thus far.
I know i can be a pain in the *** sometimes.

~Travis