Lucidgroove's Solsylva based 24x48 CNC Router

[lucidgroove]

Well I have been working on my build for about a month. I want to document and post up the pictures I have taken so far. I will get those posted later today.

First off I need to thank a handful of people for getting me this far. I frequently read the 148 pages of the plans, and cross reference with a few builds on CNCZONE.
Devastator's Ongoing Solsylva Build
LS120's Solsylva 24 x 48 build.
CarveOne
louieatienza
revwarguy
Gerry one of the moderators I see in so many threads I read.

I do some woodworking and while building my daughter a castle I discovered the 20 year old router in my shop was for more than edge routing, rabbets and dados. I bought the giant trim bit and started making templates for everything. Google eventually had me discovering there were CNC routers too and shortly after I found David Steel's site with the Solsylva plans. It seemed like something I should pursue, but I shelved it for about a year mainly because I rebuilt my workshop and wanted to build a special room for the CNC. So now I am fulfilling my destiny.

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area in a 100 year old house. If you are familiar with this area, you'll know that you need to be making some decent money to afford a house with more than 1100 square feet. My shop is 18x12 and I also have motorcycles, woodworking tools, etc. So the spare room didn't pan out. Instead I decided to combine my CNC with my mobile table saw station which has a massive torsion box 4'x5'. I created some mounts and a leveling system so I can keep the CNC level on my uneven foundation. This meant I didn't need to worry about the legs on the Solsylva plans. That is where I will start this log on the next post.

Parts I have purchased:
3/4" Baltic Birch (the good stuff, not from the big box stores)
6"x36" of 1/2" 6061 Aluminum Plate
6"x24" of 3/8" 6061 Aluminum Plate
1/8" thick 1" Aluminum Flat ~48"
1/8" 1" Angle ~36"
1/8" 3/4" Angle ~36"
2x6's

Table Bed is 2x6's.
X Rail Support - I scrapped the 2x6's and laminated Baltic Birch with no openings on the sides. This really stiffened up the bed.
Gantry I laminated 3 pieces of 3/4" Baltic Birch for the beam and used the 3/8" 6061 plate for the end plates.
Carriage is all 6061 plate, 3/8" and 1"
X - Rack and Pinion from Mcmaster per the design plans. 2 racks 4' each, 2 1" pinions
Y - Rack and Pinion from Mcmaster 25" rack, 3/4 pinion
Z - I purchased a 3/8" 2 4140 Steel 2 Starts Acme Screw, 3/8" Screw Diameter, 6 Turns per Inch
XL timing pulleys (which are all wrong). They have #10 bore diameter, some are plastic.. Luckily they were less than $50 altogether.
I ordered some new ones which are all aluminum so I can bore the bore a little for the 1/2" pinion shaft.
3 - Nema 23 Steppers - Manufacturer Part Number: 23HS45-4204S
* Motor Type: Bipolar Stepper
* Step Angle: 1.8 deg.
* Holding Torque: 3.0Nm(425oz.in)
* Rated Current/phase: 4.2A
* Phase Resistance: 0.9ohms
* Inductance: 3.8mH+/-20%(1KHz)
Lots of bearings
Flange nut is shipping from dumpstercnc.

Parts I am still deciding on:
Spindle or use one of my routers. I have a, Ryobi(Old 2HP), PORTER-CABLE 690LR, Harbor Freight trim router with a mind of it's own
Something to drive the steppers
Power supply
Build a PC from the parts I have
Dust collection port and adapt to my dust collector
Bits
Software
...

Look forward to talking to you.
Doug

Similar Threads:

• (building a Solsylva 24X48)..
• New Machine Build- Solsylva 25x25 Router
• Fineline Automation 24x48 Router
• Build Thread- Solsylva based aluminum/steel leadscrew

[louieatienza]

Good luck! I started out with a Solsylva machine as well a many others here, and it's a great learning experience... Even had my machine posted on his site for a long while, before he redesigned the plans. a 1.5kW spindle and inverter is so cheap off eBay nowadays, and you won't be limited by just using 1/4" or 3/8" shank bits as you can get ER collets. For the steppers, I think the best deal is Leadshine DM542E which is very inexpensive (about $40 each or less) yet is feature packed. 48V would be a good PSU choice. Buy bits and endmills as you need them; don't buy kits with bits you'll never use. Check out the CAM section for software.

[Biggs427]

I can vouch for Leadshine drives. I running DM556 and AM882 on my Solsylva clone and it is rock solid. I also tried one DM556 clone from Stepper Online. They says that these drives are made by Leadshine and except that it is missing the serial connection it works as the original.

I'd use the PC router for the time being but id you have 220v available, a real spindle will be better in the long run. I'm using a router with a SuperPID and if I sum the cost of the router, PID, collets, this is only 150$-200$ (CAD) cheaper than if I choose the spindle route.

Don't get me wrong, the router + PID is doing a great job, it have a 5k rpm to 24k rpm range, can be controlled by my GRBL controller but at the end of the day it is still a router.

[lucidgroove]

Thanks for the info. I like the spindles on eBay. Need to make sure I understand all the specs first. When I lean back in my chair they all seem to be the same thing.

Here are some pics. I will try to post them chronologically in case anyone is building one in the future.



This is the torsion box bench I built a while back for my table saw extension. I opted to mount the CNC to this nice flat surface rather than build the legs.



Laying out the Bed Frame on top of the finished Torsion Box



If you go the wood route, make sure you pick the best pieces from the store, then let them acclimate in your space for a bit. It really pays to predrill and mark out where your fasteners will go.



Assembled Frame and a coat of paint to seal it from moisture


Cutting out the Top of the bed. 3/4" Baltic Birch



Drilling the 1 1/2" holes in the X Rails Beams. It took forever with my Forstner Bit. Switching to the 1 1/2" hole saw really sped things up.



Found this design online while searching for ideas on how to support long pieces on the drill press. The rails and long boards are a pain to drill if they aren't supported properly. This contraption was fun to build and works great. Especially if you are drilling the rails. Use the V shaped device from Harbor Freight on the drill and the pipe on this roller. Then you can keep the holes vertical as it slides really easy left to right.



Rails Installed

I will post the next phase soon.

Thanks,
Doug

[lucidgroove]

As I was mentioning earlier, I built the bed, legs and X rail supports using 2x6's, but you can see that they were not straight leaving gaps that I felt were unacceptable. There is a place near here that sells the good baltic birch so I picked up a couple 5x5 sheets. I redid the legs and rails as a solid piece. Now it is extremely rigid as there is no way for it to rock compared to the big opening on the 2x6 design.


Long pieces are the rail supports, now 11" x 60". Changed my mind to use Rack and Pinion so I needed to change the legs. Those are laminated birch now. The far piece is a triple laminated birch gantry beam. It is 2.25" thick and solid.


The new config getting a coat of paint sprayed on.


Painted the legs and bed frame. Mounted the X rails. Since the laminated birch is not the same width as the 2x6's I had to make sure the distance between the rails stayed the same. Basically keep the inner edges the same and the thickness can be altered going outward beyond the rails.


The triple laminated gantry. The main reason I did this was because if I used 2 pieces, my holes for the rails would be drilled in the glued seam. Using 3 layers allowed me to drill in the good portion. Here I kept the rails the same distance to the back of the gantry, and the extra thickness protrudes forward, where it doesn't come in contact with anything in the original design.


I found some good prices on 3/8" and 1/2" aluminum plate so I ordered it and will attempt to turn it into gantry sides and the carriage.


I have never worked with aluminum this thick and after googling I realized I had a saw to cut it already. I had to buy a non-ferrous metal blade which was about $50. Nevertheless, it cuts through it like butter. I used a lot of clamps as working with metal is new to me.


Drilling the gantry end plates on my cheap HF drill press. It is so weak so I had to go really slow to keep the bit moving.

Next post will be some of the aluminum parts.

[lucidgroove]

I have been learning a lot working with the aluminum. Well probably not as much as someone in a machine shop. I was using the wrong type of file so it was taking a lot of work to file things. Once I discovered the rasp file, it was a game changer.


The Y trucks which are dependent on the width of the carriage. All parts were per the plans, 1/8" thick 1" Aluminum angle and the 608 bearings.


The Z Leadscrew bearing block, Y pinion lower bearing block, X stepper mount, Z stepper mount.


Just about all the parts for the carriage and gantry. The Z rail ties and spindle mount were not done yet. Also I ran out of Aluminum plate.


Put some wood inserts into the beam and installed the end plates with a screw on each side. Later I will drill the other mounts when things get trued up. The gantry rides very smooth so far. The carriage feels good and solid and also rides nicely on the rails.

At this point I was looking at the wheels on the X rails. As noted in a few other threads, the 1/8" flat bar bent to 120 deg. doesn't seem very strong. So I opened a can of worms when I discovered the Skate-O-Rail model on the 3d warehouse site. I soon found the thread here from la_coterie who created it. The design is not plug and play and requires a lot of machining by hand. I created some templates and jigs to try and make the parts interchangeable. Still working on that and so far I have the original wheel setup in place.


My steppers arrived and I didn't realize that 3/8" shafts were non-standard. The plans seem to assume the shafts were 5/16" so the pulleys I ordered were way to small. I tried to drill them out and tried making some couplings, but in the end I just ordered some new ones which were not plastic. Here the X stepper is mounted to the plate which bolts to the gantry side.


Started mounting some of the steppers. The holes lined up!


For my Skate-o-rail adventure, I needed 8 of these so I used some of the cutting board and made a template. Used the Dewalt miter saw and rough cut them. Drilled a couple holes in the template, and used it to drill the holes in the rough cut squares. Then I used my router with a spiral bit and a guide and made the contours.


This is the stack of plates after bolting them together and filing them by hand. Still need to drill the 1 1/4" hole in each one as well as 6 more mounting holes in each. Like I said, I opened a can of worms.

[lucidgroove]

I have been learning a lot working with the aluminum. Well probably not as much as someone in a machine shop. I was using the wrong type of file so it was taking a lot of work to file things. Once I discovered the rasp file, it was a game changer.


The Y trucks which are dependent on the width of the carriage. All parts were per the plans, 1/8" thick 1" Aluminum angle and the 608 bearings.


The Z Leadscrew bearing block, Y pinion lower bearing block, X stepper mount, Z stepper mount.


Just about all the parts for the carriage and gantry. The Z rail ties and spindle mount were not done yet. Also I ran out of Aluminum plate.


Put some wood inserts into the beam and installed the end plates with a screw on each side. Later I will drill the other mounts when things get trued up. The gantry rides very smooth so far. The carriage feels good and solid and also rides nicely on the rails.

At this point I was looking at the wheels on the X rails. As noted in a few other threads, the 1/8" flat bar bent to 120 deg. doesn't seem very strong. So I opened a can of worms when I discovered the Skate-O-Rail model on the 3d warehouse site. I soon found the thread here from la_coterie who created it. The design is not plug and play and requires a lot of machining by hand. I created some templates and jigs to try and make the parts interchangeable. Still working on that and so far I have the original wheel setup in place.


My steppers arrived and I didn't realize that 3/8" shafts were non-standard. The plans seem to assume the shafts were 5/16" so the pulleys I ordered were way to small. I tried to drill them out and tried making some couplings, but in the end I just ordered some new ones which were not plastic. Here the X stepper is mounted to the plate which bolts to the gantry side.


Started mounting some of the steppers. The holes lined up!


For my Skate-o-rail adventure, I needed 8 of these so I used some of the cutting board and made a template. Used the Dewalt miter saw and rough cut them. Drilled a couple holes in the template, and used it to drill the holes in the rough cut squares. Then I used my router with a spiral bit and a guide and made the contours.


This is the stack of plates after bolting them together and filing them by hand. Still need to drill the 1 1/4" hole in each one as well as 6 more mounting holes in each. Like I said, I opened a can of worms.

[wizard]

Looks like you are off to a good start here.

Id also put in a vote for a spindle over trying to use a router. The cost delta isn't huge and you do gain several advantages. If you want to run on the common 15 Amp outlets found in the USA, you will need to limit your spindles power to under 2HP and frankly 1.5 HP gives you more margin.

Maybe i missed it but i didn't see any mention of an electrical cabinet to hold all of your controls. This is often overlooked but you need something for safety. There is also a lot of random electrical related parts to buy. This includes everything from wire, to switches, to terminal strips & etc. Also it should be considered mandatory to instal an E-Stop circuit or a way to completely kill power. E-Stops are often overlooked and the power switch might not be easy to get too. Keep safety in mind when building.

[lucidgroove]

Looks like you are off to a good start here.

Id also put in a vote for a spindle over trying to use a router. The cost delta isn't huge and you do gain several advantages. If you want to run on the common 15 Amp outlets found in the USA, you will need to limit your spindles power to under 2HP and frankly 1.5 HP gives you more margin.

Maybe i missed it but i didn't see any mention of an electrical cabinet to hold all of your controls. This is often overlooked but you need something for safety. There is also a lot of random electrical related parts to buy. This includes everything from wire, to switches, to terminal strips & etc. Also it should be considered mandatory to instal an E-Stop circuit or a way to completely kill power. E-Stops are often overlooked and the power switch might not be easy to get too. Keep safety in mind when building.

Thanks for the advice!
I think I’ll go with the 2.2k spindle. I like the ones that come with a mount too. That will help with designing the mount. The shop is wired for 20 amp, but I’ll run 220 out there. I have large emergency stops on all my saws and plan on doing the same for this. I was planning on using an electrical box similar to the ones that are for media closets. For the PC I have a new unlocked i7 and am going to try and build it into an iTX form factor.

Doug

[BalloonEngineer]

The control computer does not need to be very powerful. Use the i7 for your CAD/CAM computer, the control computer should be dedicated to only running your control software, and does not need i7 level performance. When you decide on your control software (Mach 3 or 4, UCCNC, wincnc, LinuxCNC, etc.) you can check their system requirements. If you can, do not even hook your control computer to the net, so it won’t try updating in the middle of a run.

[louieatienza]

The control computer does not need to be very powerful. Use the i7 for your CAD/CAM computer, the control computer should be dedicated to only running your control software, and does not need i7 level performance. When you decide on your control software (Mach 3 or 4, UCCNC, wincnc, LinuxCNC, etc.) you can check their system requirements. If you can, do not even hook your control computer to the net, so it won’t try updating in the middle of a run.

Agree... I run a machine off an Intel NUC kit with 64GB HDD. What you do want is turn off any CPU throttling, Windows update, and any power saving settings. You also need some form of graphics acceleration, and Intel's embedded graphics is fine - most control software use OpenGL.

Another reason to use a lower performance chip is noy having to use an active heat sink - meaning no need for fans in the PC case (the NUC's case has an integral heat sink) so if you also use a SSD, no moving parts in the case...

[lucidgroove]

I debated between the assortments of 1.5kW and 2.2kW Spindle, VFD bundle and went with the 2.2kW since it was only marginally more and they had free shipping from Los Angeles.

Here is where I am stuck, but I think I know what I should do. Any help is appreciated.

For the electronics, my assumption is:
1. No matter what, I need a Power Supply similar to this: MEAN WELL SE-600-48 AC to DC Power Supply, Single Output, 48V, 12.5 Amp, 600W, 1.5"
2. Emergency stop switch
3. Nema enclosure or equivalent design from wood
4a. Something like the GeckoDrive D540 and that is a single solution for the BOB and drivers. No need to buy the separate drivers. It plugs in between PC and steppers. This needs LPT port.
4b. 3 - Leadshine STEPPERONLINE (542 or 556) and something like the UC300ETH ethernet motion controller

My confusion is on items 4a and 4b.

Agree... I run a machine off an Intel NUC kit with 64GB HDD. What you do want is turn off any CPU throttling, Windows update, and any power saving settings. You also need some form of graphics acceleration, and Intel's embedded graphics is fine - most control software use OpenGL.

Another reason to use a lower performance chip is noy having to use an active heat sink - meaning no need for fans in the PC case (the NUC's case has an integral heat sink) so if you also use a SSD, no moving parts in the case...

I was recently working at the chip company that makes the i7 and picked up a 6800K and 7700K with my discount before I left . So I feel like I am wasting a 7700K chip as I only built a machine with the 6800K. That machine has 64GB of DDR4, 1060 graphics, M.2 etc. I was thinking I could put the 7700K into a smaller ATX form factor like the micro or iTX and use its on-board graphics. I will do the CAD/CAM on the 6800K and the other will be dedicated to the CNC on an airgapped network so it doesn't get interrupted. I will run the 7700K in normal mode so I can use a smaller heat-sink.

Thanks,
Doug

[lucidgroove]

I have been reading manuals and vague descriptions on sellers websites. Seems like I am getting mixed answers for if I need a breakout board with the UC400ETH Motion Controller. In this diagram below, is the circled area needed or can I interface those components directly to the UC400ETH?

Thanks!

[louieatienza]

I have been reading manuals and vague descriptions on sellers websites. Seems like I am getting mixed answers for if I need a breakout board with the UC400ETH Motion Controller. In this diagram below, is the circled area needed or can I interface those components directly to the UC400ETH?

Thanks!

You COULD potentially but that would require a long 26-pin cable, and splitting the cable up to go to the different components. I believe the UCCNC I/O are opto-isolated so you should be able to use a simple (cheap) breakout board. Makes wiring a bit easier.

[lucidgroove]

It has been almost a month since my last post, but I have been working on the project daily.

I gave up on the skate-o-rail bearings as they didn't really mount well to my existing gantry side plates. I cut them in half and beefed up the Solsylva design which used an 1/8" piece of flat aluminum, bent at 120 degrees.

I was browsing Ger's website and thought about something he said; where people machine aluminum, but don't finish it. I had taken the belt sander to my pieces to give them a brushed look... I decided to see how difficult wet sanding the pieces would be. I took the carriage apart and tried some techniques I used for painting my motorcycle.

Polishing Process for the 3/8" and 1/2" 6061 Aluminum Plates.

1. Use the double cut file to remove the deep scratches and straighten up any edge issues. Cleaning the file (with a wire brush) often sped things up.
2. Fill bucket with water and a few drops of dish soap
3. Sand all parts with 400 grit. Large areas with a dual action polisher, small pieces by hand. Goal is to remove the previous grits sanding scratches.
4. Empty bucket, rinse bucket, rinse parts.
5. Move to the next grit. Repeat steps 2-4 with increasingly finer grits. I used 400, 800, 1000, 2000
   
   • Important note: Once you increase a grit level, don't use the previous grit with your new water/rags or you may scratch up all your hard work.
   
   
6. Once the parts are sanded to 2000 clean everything really well.
7. Take a 2' x 2' piece of MDF and screw a 2x4, on end, down the middle. Clamp 2x4 in a vise.
8. Fasten your pieces to this board because the next step will require them to be secure. I used drywall screws with the goal of not having the heads above the surface.
9. Get some Meguiars 105. I tested against Mothers polish, Blue Magic and anything Pep Boys sells. The 105 beat them all and you can also used it for your cars, headlights, etc. The stuff is amazing and is capable of removing 1200 grit sanding marks. That power comes with some potential issues. Not really on Aluminum, but on car paint. It will burn through clear coat if you are not careful.
10. I have a HarborF 7" rotary polisher. It's around $34. Use the sheepskin pad. This type of tool + the 105 glaze creates the heat and fiction for the shine. I have done it by hand, but it takes much longer.
11. Squirt the 105 on the part
12. Hit it with the rotary about 2/3 power. I work the trigger and constantly change the speed and keep the tool moving.
13. It shines like a mirror in a few seconds.
14. Finish it off with a micro fiber towel.

I was so happy with the carriage, I took apart the gantry and did all those parts too. Also I should mention, I ran out of 105 half way through and tried other Meguiars polish and the metal polished from the auto store. Once I got more 105, it started working again. I am sure there are many other methods for polishing, but just wanted to share this in case anyone is looking to do the same.

This was my initial finish. Belt sander with 120 grit


These are after polishing. I could have spent more time getting the belt sander marks out, but decided to keep progressing and remember next time no belt sander.




The second round of polishing. Gantry parts and spindle mount and adapter.





Next post will be the Controller Box and Electronics

Doug

[lucidgroove]

Electronics

I obtained all the electronics, did a lot of reading and googling. And came up with an entry level box. During this phase, I realized this Controller is not just tied to this machine. It can hook up to other machines with similar designs.

Prerequisites:

• To run UCCNC
• To use RS485 protocol for connection to VFD
• Use my i7 chip

I found a small case and iTX motherboard, 8GB of RAM and a 7200RPM drive during the black Friday sales. This allowed me to use the 7700K i7 which was going to waste. The chip has great onboard graphics, caching, performance, low power consumption, and I am hoping this works out for a dedicated machine.

Controller Box Parts:
UC400ETH Motion Controller
5 Axis Breakout Board
3 - DM556T Digital Stepper Drivers
48 Volt Power Supply
12 Volt Power Supply
5 Volt Power Supply (repurposed a cell charger)
3 Solid State Relays
5 Aviation M16 Male/Female connectors
E-Stop switch
Bag of limit switches
4 XLR Panel mounts
AC input panel mount
Switches/LEDs
Circuit breaker and fuse.
Junction Blocks
Hookup wire
22ga 4 conductor, shielded (solid) cable. (This was a mistake as I wasn't careful reading the description). Still useful where the wires don't move.
18ga 4 conductor, stranded (unshielded) cable. (Again, I misread the description). Still useful for other things.
18ga 4 conductor, stranded, shielded cable.
Had a spool of STP Cat7
Had a spool of balanced shielded microphone cable

From that I built a box from baltic birch and drew up some schematics.

Top priorities were safety for the user, safety for the equipment, low EMI, simplicity.

CNC PC




Mounted the drivers and BOB on a removable piece. Positioned components so high power wires were not mixed with signal wires.


Inside view


Front View


Rear Panel


Cables I used for driver to stepper. 18ga 4 conductor shielded, stranded. Shield connected to panel side plug.




Will test after installing fans and finishing cables to steppers and spindle.

Doug

[lucidgroove]

Update to the build

I rebuilt the control box three times and also decided to build a control panel with some basic features.

Got rid of the Sainsmart 5 axis breakout board and now have 2 C10 Breakout boards
Initially I was trying to wire the 19 switches to the C10s and was having issues changing the outputs to inputs. UCCNC software wasn't allowing my hotkeys.
I rewired the control panel to a hacked ($3) keyboard controller which uses a matrix of 12 wires and then connects over USB.
I sanded the carbon traces on the PCB and then soldered on my 12 wires.
From there it was just as matter of connecting my switches to the different combinations of wires to emulate the matrix.

Panel Functions:

Safety and Control

• E-Stop
  
• Limit Override
  
• Start
  
• Pause
  
• Feed Rate +
  
• Feed Rate -

Power

• Power switch to CNC
  
• Power switch to PC
  
• Power switch to spindle
  
• Power switch to Dust Collection

LED Readouts

• 5VDC from CNC
  
• 5VDC used in panel
  
• 12VDC from CNC
  
• X,Y,Z Driver VDC

Zero/Homing

• Zero X with LED to indicate when zeroed
  
• Zero Y with LED to indicate when zeroed
  
• Zero Z with LED to indicate when zeroed

Jogging

• Jog X
  
• Jog Y
  
• Jog X
  
• Jog Rate +
  
• Jog Rate -

These are shots of the prototypes. Once I get this machine running, I will hopefully be able to cut out some precise panels...


Third rewire of the controller box


I built the panel around an old keyboard I had and the overall idea was inspired from Snailworks CNC Build Log


To mount the LCD I used 1" black gas pipe and various fittings


This was the first try at wiring each switch to the C10 over a DB25 connection..


This is the second effort using the KB controller

[lucidgroove]

Currently I have got everything set up in the software and worked out the initial bugs. I am at the point of doing some test runs using a pen in the spindle. Does anyone have a recommendation on where to educate myself on the next steps? Like Zeroing the Z axis. Is it at zero when the tip hits the work or somewhere else? Seems like the biggest confusion for me right now.

Some of the final overall shots:







Thanks!