How not to do it!

[elitechicken]

Hello chaps,

I posted a thread on here a week or so ago with a design for a new 8x4 machine, as I wasn't satisfied with my ad-hoc make-it-up-as-I-go-along design which I'd been hacking at for months.

I thought I'd post a few pictures here so that you can see what really didn't work for me, incase anyone was considering that route.

What I must stress is how completely newbie I am - before starting this project I hadn't touched a piece of steel or drilled a hole in anything more taxing than plywood. I definitely don't think the 6 months spent on this were wasted - I've got a new smaller, extrusion based design now and I'm gearing up to knock that together, based on what I learned.

So for anyone who is interested, the "machine" in these photos uses 60x60x3mm RHS steel throughout, with 10ft scaffold tubes as the long axis linear guides, and RHS as the other two. The frame was scaffolding. The main problems were sag in the scaffold rails, and the weight of the gantry wrecking my bearings. Pictured are my incredibly complicated Z axis, the machine frame and the long axis bearings..

[Benonymous]

Boy! That's learning the hard way Glad to see you're sticking with it though. Second time lucky

[ImanCarrot]

Ouch! still glad you're sticking with it.

Just a thought, would pouring concrete down the tubes and capping the ends stiffen them up?