Momus Design CNC Plans

[iplay1515]

Just curious if anyone has purchased the plans or built a Momus Design machine?

I found the plans on eBay at:

new CNC 3 axis router table mill machine engraver PLANS - eBay (item 280649197179 end time Mar-27-11 08:38:32 PDT)

[kemper45]

I bought these plans last fall and have been slowly working through my build. I have completed all the aluminum components of the machine and am about to start to build the plywood "cabinet" for it. Also I have my cncrouterparts package and with a few more electrical bits I will be able to start playing with motors and mach 3.

The plans are very well laid out and include plenty of instructions, diagrams and text description of how to build it. The author has been very responsive to any questions or comments I had and just recently released an updated version which revise some small errors in the package.

One warning I would have is that there are some pretty complicated pieces in the aluminum components particularly the mounts and clamps for the router. He provides some very good ideas on how to fabricate these pieces using basic tools such as a hack saw, drill and file and claims he built his machine with them. I think it would be very difficult to do so and was fortunate to have access to a good machinist with a mill at his disposal to fabricate the trickier ones for me.

The plans do not cover much at all with respect to the electronics and such, you are left to other resources such as this forum to work your way through them. The builder used Xylotex board and some motors on his machine but I decided to upgrade to a Gecko 540 3 axis kit from cncrouter parts. I felt it was worth the few extra bucks to get something closer to PnP as this is not my strongest suit. He does provide suggestions on sources for various electrical and drive components.

Bottom line : these are excellent plans and at the $20 price tag a very good value especially if you want to follow through step by step without modifications to suit any particular needs you may have.

Cheers, Dave

[antisubae]

I've had the Momus plans for about a month and a half and have slowly been amassing materials and tools for the build. This weekend will hopefully see the first cuts to build the enclosure, and I expect to buy my aluminum and steel stock within the next couple of months to continue the process.

It's entirely possibly to build the whole thing with nothing but basic hand tools and a couple of power tools - you just have to be patient and confident in your ability to operate each.

The designer is extremely approachable as well. I've e-mailed him a couple of times with questions, and he's come right back with quick and friendly replies each time. I'm really quite excited to get going on this build!

[Will Pickering]

Hi,

Just wrapping up a few other projects and expect to start on my Momus build in the next few weeks. Looking forward to seeing the progress that others are making as well.

Looks to be a fun project!

[iplay1515]

So I decided to purchase the Momus Design plans and have a look under the hood.

This makes the third set of plans I've purchased plus several free plans that I've downloaded, and I must say that I'm impressed with the professional quality of the plans, the common sense design, and the discussions about accuracy, stability, rigidity, structural integrity, and materials.

I wish that I had purchased the Momus Design plans first, and would recommend that anyone considering building a CNC machine, purchase and study these plans, even if they decide to build a different design from other plans.

[parallel__lines]

Hello everyone,

I'm the guy selling the plans. Even though I've lurked on CNCzone for years, this is actually my first post, so thanks for dragging me out into the light of day.

I appreciate the comments about the plans and just thought I'd add a few things.

My own main criticisms of the plans have both been touched upon here. The first is the level of complexity of the machine. My goal was to build the highest performing machine that I possibly could on a relatively low budget. The compromise ends up being that it requires some work. But there are a few areas that I would like to simplify, and the router mounts are one of them. 95% of the metal parts fabrication is straightforward, just simple straight cuts and then lots of holes to drill, and many to tap. The complexity with all of those parts is primarily in the care that is required to lay out hole locations. So at the moment the level of complexity of those 4 router mount parts is a bit out of proportion to the rest of the metal pieces.

The other downfall at the moment is a lack of specific information on electronics and wiring diagrams. This is on my short-list of updates to make to the plans. My original thought was to give an abstract overview of the electronics and then defer to the specific manufacturers for wiring diagrams, etc. I do have a step by step photo sequence and descriptions of installing the Xylotex, but that isn't enough. Especially lacking at the moment is information about emergency stop switches and limit/homing switches. So much more detailed electronics info will be included in a future release of the plans.

Which brings me to another topic, which is customer service. I do try to be as responsive as possible at answering questions and helping where I can. I have also issued a couple of revisions to the plans to correct errors as they have been discovered, and I send those out to everyone who has purchased in the past. And that will be my policy in the future, so as new info gets added, or changes made, everyone will get a fresh download link to the new version. And existing customers can always feel free to email me at any point to make sure they have the latest version and I'll make sure they do.

My plan for the immediate future is to get a website up. One of the big drives behind that is to have a place to put some tutorial content, primarily videos related to using a variety of CAM software programs. So I'll go over how to use a bunch of budget friendly programs, to both know how to use them, and to know which type is most appropriate for the types of parts you want to make. The videos will go on YouTube as well. My ultimate goal is to give people enough information and knowledge to get to the point where they can actually make the cool stuff they have in mind. The website should be up in a couple of months or less, and tutorial content will trickle in over the months following that.

-Bob

[kemper45]

Hi Bob,

Great to see you getting involved here. Since I made a comment about the electronics in the existing plans I feel compelled to further explain the context of my comments. It was not meant to be a complaint but rather as a piece of information for a potential customer to have as part of their decision making process. At 140 pages now, the manual is very, very thorough in all aspects of the building the "machine". You provide a quick summary of where you went on your build with respect to the electronics but leave it to user to explore options. I originally planned to be 100% faithful to your suggestions including a Xyklotex board. My decision to change to Gecko was a result of me wanting to get things as "idiot proof" as possible because of my lack of knowledge/skill in this area.

You are quite right in the stating the level of skill for the majority of the aluminum pieces is not that high - I am perfect proof of that as I have never worked with aluminum, never drilled anything other than a few holes in wood, didn't even own a hacksaw when I started my project and had never touched a tapping set in my life. Your plans gave me the confidence needed to set out with this project and I am learning loads as I go along.

Happy to hear about the possibility of a website. Hopefully when I get past the building stage I can even contribute. It certainly will be from an absolute newbie's perspective.

Cheers, Dave

[parallel__lines]

Hi Dave,

Good to see you here as well.

I wasn't taking it as a complaint, I just wanted to point out that it is one area that in my own view is a relative weak point. Compared to how comprehensive the rest of the plans currently are, it just feels slightly lacking. And my sense is that for many guys who are learning about CNC and contemplating building a machine, the electronics is one of the more daunting and confusing aspects. I know I was much more comfortable drilling holes than figuring out what amperage motors might work with what drives and power supplies. So it is something I feel I need to improve upon.

Also, the e-stop and limit switch wiring really needs to be addressed better as that is a safety issue. If my including more information makes the difference between someone installing an e-stop or not, I'd rather be including that info.

Thanks for telling us about your experiences with the fabrication of the pieces, and the skill level required. It is great to hear that kind of feedback.

I hope the build is going well and feel free to post some photos of the progress!

-Bob

[kemper45]

Here is a photo of my build so far. Actually since I took this picture I have done a bit more work ; mounted motors for Y and Z travel and installed drive belt for y axis and lead screw for Z axis.


The router clamps that have been mentioned are visible in this photo. The detailed drawings in the manual are for a specific laminate trimmer (Ridgid 2400) which Bob used in his build. I was able to pick up the exact same make/model so I am able to use the pieces as per the plans. Obviously of you have a different trimmer/router/spindle you will need to adjust the clamps accordingly. As I mentioned in a previous post I was fortunate to have access to a machinist who milled these and a few other pieces for me.


I have my motors and Gecko 540 that I need to spend some time learning how to get them spinning. Also waiting on limit and E-stop switches which should arrive in the mail any day now.

Dave

[parallel__lines]

Dave, the machine is looking great, thanks for posting the photo. Other than the router mounts, did you cut all of the pieces by hand?

It should really sing with the gecko drives. What size motors are you using, and power supply?

-Bob

[kemper45]

Bob,

I also had the belt clamps, Y & Z motor mounts and large hole in X motor plate done by the family friend machinist. I think I could have done them (maybe not so much the clamps at least very accurately) but he offered so I accepted his assistance.

I ordered the 3 axis package from cncrouterparts which includes the Gecko 540, 3 - 380 oz*in high torque stepper motors, a 48V/7.3 amp PS and the motor cables with resistors already installed. Just waiting on the limit switches, Estop button and some cables so I can start playing with the electronics. Also need to buy plywood to get going on the base.

Looking forward to the day it all comes together.

Dave

[parallel__lines]

That electronics setup should be absolutely ideal for the machine. I'm jealous actually. I'll be curious to hear how well the belts perform with that much stepper motor power, as you'll really be able to plow through material. They might be the weak link, so to speak. Especially the X axis which has more mass to pull around. Are you using the neoprene/fiberglass cord belting? Kevlar or steel cords are available if you find there to be any belt stretch, but with proper tensioning they should be OK.

Actually, the amount of spindle power the router has might be the weakest link. Even with the Xylotex I can sometimes push through stock faster and harder than it can effectively remove chips.

You're past the most difficult parts to fabricate, so the base should come together relatively quickly. So you're almost done! And please post more photos as the work progresses. It has been really rewarding seeing customer's machines come together. I've only been selling the plans for about 6 months and I've seen photos of about 4 or 5 other machines that have either just recently been completed, or are very, very close. And I've had emails from a bunch of others that sound like they are at various stages of completion. Maybe some of them will chime in here with some experiences (& photos) as well.

-Bob