First Machine -JGRO

[wallyh]

I've been looking on this web site for a long time and finally am starting to build something. I decided on JGRO for a first machine mostly for the great detailed drawings, thank you for them.
I'm using Baltic ply, about 3/4 and 3/8, at least that's what it's supposed to be but doesn't quite measure 3/4 and 3/8. The ply was left over from another project.
I'm planning to use 3/8 rod and Lovejoy couplers. I have everything cut out except for the router bracket, haven't made up my mind what to use for a router. Any suggestions would be welcome. I also have most of the holes drilled and threaded, used CA to strengthen the threads.
I've built the torture, excuse me torsion boxes, these use 3/8 ply and 1/2 MDF for the tops.
I'll post some pictures next week.
The one thing I can't seem to find at least at Lowes Or 3 Home Depots in this area is the 1 1/4 aluminum angle. Can 1 1/2 be used instead or does that screw up alignment ? Any suggestions here?
I'm sure I'll be back with more questions, especially for the electronics and software. This is a great web site!
Wally

[thunterman]

I've been looking on this web site for a long time and finally am starting to build something

I also lurked for a long time on this site before posting, then jumped in and built the JGRO. Learned alot just by reading all the great posts.

haven't made up my mind what to use for a router

I went with a "Trim router" as my first spindle. It's light enough that I didn't worry about the weight being moved by the Z axis motor. It's a 28000 rpm rated at 700watts. It cuts just fine at 50ipm, but I usually just cut at 30ipm.

Good luck with your build! Lots of people here have built the jgro and you can find many pictures of their machines on this site.

Don't forget to consider having some sort of dust collection. That's one area I am now working on.

Thunterman

[thunterman]

The one thing I can't seem to find at least at Lowes Or 3 Home Depots in this area is the 1 1/4 aluminum angle.

Try your local small hardware store. I found 1 1/4" angle at a business called "Metal Supermarket". They specialize in small quantities of metal. You could also order on-line at http://www.onlinemetals.com/

Thunterman

[wallyh]

Thank you for your reply thunterman. I gave up looking for the aluminum angle and used the "onlinemetals" site you suggested. By the way,what is the trim router brand?
Wally

[thunterman]

By the way,what is the trim router brand?

I found a "cheap" trim router at the local Mernards home center. I believe the brand is "Tool Shop". It was only $28, so you get what you pay for. It's not a quality tool, but works for what I need it for. I will upgrade to a variable speed router in the future.
You can see a picture of the trim router on my web pages at
http://cnc.hobby-site.com/cnc.htm

[wallyh]

Well, I've managed to get some assembly done, don't seem to be as fast as most of the builds I read about on CNCZone.
I'm using baltic ply and MDF skins on the torsion boxes, I'm also using 3/8-16 screw and Lovejoy couplers. I think I have all the machine parts and they're all cut out now. Lots more drilling and tapping though.
Any suggestions on electronics and software would be welcome.
Wally

[HayTay]

Originally Posted by wallyh Well, I've managed to get some assembly done, don't seem to be as fast as most of the builds I read about on CNCZone.

Nicely done! It may be taking you longer than some of the other people building from those plans, but, that's gonna be one nice lookin' JGRO CNC table. My JGRO table took me about a year from start to first cut. Lots of delays due to weather, work, family, the electronics, finances, etc., etc., etc. Take your time and do it right the first time. Looking forward to seeing more pics of your progress.


Very impressive,

HayTay

[Jason Marsha]

That's good work,very clean. It should be a very good looking router when finished.

Electronics:
I use the hobbycnc kit with my JGRO, get the 200oz/inch motors. www.hobbycnc.com


Software:
Mach3 to control the motors. www.artofcnc.com


Jason

[wallyh]

Thank all of you for the tips and the encouragement. If all goes well, I should have some more pics by the end of the week, my garage (shop) gets full afternoon sun so my work days are short now!

Is the hobbycnc kit fairly easy to put together? Assuming average soldering skills?

Looking ahead (way ahead), would a 766 Mhz proccesor be able to run the software?
What operating system? Would ME work or would XP be better? The computer above has a pretty empty 30 GB hard drive and 256 MB memory, video is on the motherboard.
Wally

[ger21]

Mach3 only works with Win2K or XP. ME won't work. A 766 is on the low end, but might work OK. The only way to know for sure is download it and try it. It's fully functional for up to 1000 lines of code in Demo mode.

[mb0978]

Originally Posted by wallyh Is the hobbycnc kit fairly easy to put together? Assuming average soldering skills?

I put together a hobbycnc kit and it went together smoothly with no problems and fired up smoke free during the first test. The instructions were complete and easy to follow. I had done some soldering before but not much so I'd say my skills were average at the time.

Mike

[thunterman]

Looking ahead (way ahead), would a 766 MHz processor be able to run the software?

I run Mach2/3 on a HP 500MHZ K6-2+ laptop running WinXp Pro with most of the services turned off. You can find a "tuning guide" for Mach3 that will show how to disable un-necessary services and other programs that will allow Mach2/3 to run smoothly. The 755 MHz computer should be plenty fast enough to run Mach2/3.

Thunterman