Saturn 4x4

[GoFigure]

Today I am anxiously awaiting for the FEDEX delivery with my new Saturn 4x4. I have had my NEMA 34 plug and play from CNCRouterParts for a few weeks already. They are exciting to play with on the workbench, so I cannot wait to get them on the machine they were intended for. I have also been playing with the Huanyang VFD and spindle I ordered from AutomationTechnologies.

I am still experimenting and researching CAD/CAM with Vectric VCarvePro and Autodesks Fushion 360 on my short list. I may end up working with both for a while.

I made this move after stalking the boards for years, drooling over the CNC notion. I researched most of the options available. There is no one size fits all. However, I am convinced that the Saturn 4x4 comes close. At least for me. The durability of construction is truly the greatest I have found in the DIY market.

My biggest issue will be, I hope anyway, getting this monster into my workshop (Basement). I have a plan and Nate from Fineline has been good at helping me refine the plan. It involves temporary removal of the Gantry.

My shop has never been more organized than it is today, with the area cleared out,and new lighting and electrical outlets all the way around. I will be using the CNC to build shop cabinets, so the organizational improvements will continue.

Time to go look out the window again, see if there is a FEDEX truck at receiving. I am taking tomorrow off, no need to be here when my mind will be in the shop at home.

I will post photos and keep you all updated on my progress.

Tom from Green Bay Wisconsin

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[FineLineAuto]

Tom,

Definitely post some pictures!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[difalkner]

Ditto, Tom - post photos! We're looking forward to the build.

David

[GoFigure]

The package arrived as planned

Required photo of it on the trailer. YES....it is BIG.


Unloading off of Trailer


Did I mention it is BIG


My new baby


Nate: What are the bolts in the front of the frame (Below hole for Proximity Sensor) for? Looking for place to attach board for stabilizing the assembly when I raise it up on an edge for moving, after I remove the gantry.


David, Thanks for the shout out. I read every post in your Build Thread before choosing the Saturn from Fineline. You certainly got deeper into the electronics than I am. I used your thread learn what I was and wasn't going to do myself. We all have different strengths, weakness's, limitations, needs, and wants. These forums are great for helping identify where each person fits.

I look forward to sharing more of the adventure. Next is to fabricate my base, remove the Gantry (I will post photos and video for others wanting to move the unit into a basement workshop (Nate: You ok with me attaching a copy of the video you made for me?)), and then moving it down into the shop.

[coherent]

My understanding (per David) is the bolts are plugs that may be opened to fill the tubes with sand to help stabilize the machine if you have issues.

[difalkner]

That looks great, Tom! Save the OxBox pieces - they're great around the shop for temporary partitions, glue doesn't stick to it very well at all so we use it under clamps when we make cutting boards and other glue ups. I also used it for a makeshift dust/chip shroud around my router table and it's holding up like it was MDF.

Can't wait to see the build - post lots of photos!

David

PS - Yes, the bolts are for filling the tubes with sand should you need to. I used the front left ones to mount my E-stop switch - it's probably in my photos somewhere.

[GoFigure]

Other aspects of life kept me occupied this weekend, so I have made little progress in getting the CNC closer to the workshop.

I was able to remove the Gantry from the base. As I explained earlier, I am putting the CNC into my workshop which is in my basement. In order to move it, I need to tip it on a side, and reduce the overall height to make a few turns. Removing the Gantry reduces the height and the weight substantially, so that is what I did.

In order to do that, one must separate the cable carrier, which is shown in this video .

After that, there are 12 bolts per side that need to be removed. The Gantry is "top heavy" at this point, so it does need to be rigged to prevent it from tipping over. The gantry alone weights about 150 pounds, so this does reduce the weight substantially.

Nate sent me this video to show me which bolts needed to be removed.

When I do get to reassembly, I will need to get some Loctite Blue based upon the residual left on the bolts.

Attached are before and after pictures of the Gantry removal.

[coherent]

Great info! I was wondering how the cable chain opened to lay cable (I just fed my cables through from the end). I knew there was a way but haven't had time to research. Thanks.

[FineLineAuto]

The package arrived as planned

Required photo of it on the trailer. YES....it is BIG.


Unloading off of Trailer


Did I mention it is BIG


My new baby


Nate: What are the bolts in the front of the frame (Below hole for Proximity Sensor) for? Looking for place to attach board for stabilizing the assembly when I raise it up on an edge for moving, after I remove the gantry.


David, Thanks for the shout out. I read every post in your Build Thread before choosing the Saturn from Fineline. You certainly got deeper into the electronics than I am. I used your thread learn what I was and wasn't going to do myself. We all have different strengths, weakness's, limitations, needs, and wants. These forums are great for helping identify where each person fits.

I look forward to sharing more of the adventure. Next is to fabricate my base, remove the Gantry (I will post photos and video for others wanting to move the unit into a basement workshop (Nate: You ok with me attaching a copy of the video you made for me?)), and then moving it down into the shop.

Yes, you can attach the video.

Regarding the bolts, they are used as plugs. If you need additional vibration resistance you can fill the inner cavities with expanding foam or sand. They are only threaded 4mm so I would not use them for any sort of structural attachment.

[GoFigure]

It has been almost a week, so an update is due on my build progress.

This past weekend, was the scheduled move date to move the Saturn 4x4 from my garage to my basement workshop. As I mentioned earlier, moving this BIG unit into the house and down my stairs was not being taken lightly (Yes, pun intended).

I recruited help of four (4) family members since friends can choose to no longer be your friends, but family is stuck with you (And they are less likely to sue you if something goes wrong).

Being an engineer, I "over prepared" for this move.

• I removed the Gantry, as seen in earlier posts, so that when the unit was raised up on one edge, it would be approximately 12" wide which allows it to moved through the doors into the house and down the basement. This also reduced the weight to around 400 pounds.
• I also removed the wire way and tray along side the frame, so that it wasn't bumped or bent during the moving process.
• I made a skid plate to bolt to one side of the frame. The skid plate is 24" wide to give the unit stability when it is standing on the edge. The skid plate added a lot of stability to the unit and allowed us to drag it across the floor and down the steps. The friction helped with going down so that two people above and two people below easily maneuvered down the straight stairway. If you have a turn on the stairs, then you will need additional strategies. I didn't take a picture of it vertical on the skid , but below is a picture with the skid plate still attached after we moved it. I used the four 1/2" threaded bolt holes (On front, used to add weight or foam to frame if necessary) to mount the skid plate using recessed bolts in glued up 2x material used for the skid plate. As Nate noted above, these bolts are only in 4mm material, so do not put high loads on them. I was comfortable with my use as they were really used to hold or pin the skid plate to the frame.

Attached photos of skid plate mounted to the frame after the move. Second one shows recessed bolts. Note that the picture was taken after the Gantry was moved separately, but placed back onto the Tracks.

Will add another post of progress and issues faced after the move into the basement.

[GoFigure]

After moving and bolting the frame to the table top, I installed the motors and wiring. During this effort I had three things that needed to be addressed.

1. The left side gear looked out of square to the frame. I found the retaining collar was not tightened down. When I tightened it down is squared the gears to the frame and the rack, but it also pushed it up against the frame. I made a shim, that I installed between the motor mount and the guide rail mounts (See photo with notes, let me know if you cannot zoom in to read the notes).
2. The Z lift motor could not be installed with the coupling provided. Nate indicated to me he had fixed this issue, but either that didn't happen, or I did the motor mount incorrectly. In order to make it fit, I drilled out the center of the coupling spacer so the motor shaft could go through it. I suspect I reduced the load bearing capacity of this piece, so I will be ordering another one before this one fails. I will also need to relook at the modifications others have made to get this space back for them. I have not run the motor yet, so I still have my fingers crossed. Let me know your thoughts on the "fix" I made and risks I may face.
3 I could not install the spindle. The spindle motor mounts was the wrong one. . I ordered the 80mm unit, but the mount on the frame is a different model number. Its a larger diameter, made for a router motor. I am waiting to hear back from Nick on when he can ship the correct one. I will be ready to test out and run soon, so I hope the correct motor mount comes quickly.

While I wait, I will finish the wiring and begin testing on the electronics, setting up my spoil board, and working on getting my dust collection system up and running. I will also be working on making and installing some type of device for the proximity switches to read better as others before me have had to do. I also don't like the proximity switches sticking out so far from the front of the frame. I know they are going to get hit eventually, and will be thinking of ways to get them out of the way, and yet do what they need to do.

Enjoy,

Tom

[difalkner]

Kudos to you for getting it down to the basement without issue! Ours is only 2x4 and it was a bear just getting it into our garage and then using an engine hoist to lift it over the table saw extension and onto the stand.

Good job!
David

[MajorTendonitis]

After moving and bolting the frame to the table top, I installed the motors and wiring. During this effort I had three things that needed to be addressed.

1. The left side gear looked out of square to the frame. I found the retaining collar was not tightened down. When I tightened it down is squared the gears to the frame and the rack, but it also pushed it up against the frame. I made a shim, that I installed between the motor mount and the guide rail mounts (See photo with notes, let me know if you cannot zoom in to read the notes).
2. The Z lift motor could not be installed with the coupling provided. Nate indicated to me he had fixed this issue, but either that didn't happen, or I did the motor mount incorrectly. In order to make it fit, I drilled out the center of the coupling spacer so the motor shaft could go through it. I suspect I reduced the load bearing capacity of this piece, so I will be ordering another one before this one fails. I will also need to relook at the modifications others have made to get this space back for them. I have not run the motor yet, so I still have my fingers crossed. Let me know your thoughts on the "fix" I made and risks I may face.
3 I could not install the spindle. The spindle motor mounts was the wrong one. . I ordered the 80mm unit, but the mount on the frame is a different model number. Its a larger diameter, made for a router motor. I am waiting to hear back from Nick on when he can ship the correct one. I will be ready to test out and run soon, so I hope the correct motor mount comes quickly.

While I wait, I will finish the wiring and begin testing on the electronics, setting up my spoil board, and working on getting my dust collection system up and running. I will also be working on making and installing some type of device for the proximity switches to read better as others before me have had to do. I also don't like the proximity switches sticking out so far from the front of the frame. I know they are going to get hit eventually, and will be thinking of ways to get them out of the way, and yet do what they need to do.

Enjoy,

Tom

I want to order a new 4/4 Saturn , but I'm in Canada so it's going to be inconceivable to deal with problems up here , and I'm not getting a vote of confidence hearing about these issues