I finally started building!

[chuckknigh]

Well, I've finally started building mine. After several false starts and scrapped attempts, I have successfully (?) constructed my Z axis, and part of my Y axis, as well as mounted my router. Took a while to design an elegant mount for the router, but I think it came out well.

However, this thing is turning out WAAAY bigger than I had expected! :-) Of course, in my typical fashion I'm overengineering it in the extreme...this ought to be RIGID! Down side is that it's BULKY!

Anyone interested in pictures? If there's some interest, I'll be happy to take some. It's JCK style, MDF and iron pipe, with a few refinements of my own.

-- Chuck Knight

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[HomeCNC]

Yes! post the pics.

[abasir]

Just wondering, can this site create like a folder for all the pictures so it's easier to navigate? Kinda hard going through individual posts to find the pictures (unless I don't know a better way ;o )

You want a Picture galley? If so give me til this weekend I will see what I can do.

[balsaman]

Post a picture for sure.

Eric

[mwestern]

Post Pics!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mark

[JIMMY]

Show us what you have built.


JIMMY

[chuckknigh]

...so I junked it and started over. This is my X and Y axis, pretty much completed. I need only install the drive screws and run the wiring.

The "blocks" under the rails are there to help with stiffening, and do not interfere with the bearings at all. I built it heavy enough that there is some minor sagging going on, on the X axis. They compensate for this, and hold everything in alignment.

I invite comments and suggestions.

-- Chuck Knight

[chuckknigh]

And this is the back...

[cncadmin]

Originally posted by abasir
Just wondering, can this site create like a folder for all the pictures so it's easier to navigate? Kinda hard going through individual posts to find the pictures (unless I don't know a better way ;o )

You want a Picture galley? If so give me til this weekend I will see what I can do.

Try the CNCzone photo gallery-
http://www.cnczone.com/photopost/index.php

[balsaman]

Looks great Chuck. Keep at it.

Eric

[abasir]

Thanks Paul.
Sorry Chuck for sidetracking your thread.

Paul, doesn't the photo gallery automatically capture pics from posts? That way, any pics only need to be submitted once (either in posts or in gallery) but viewable at both locations.

In any case, this is already a great site. I hope running it does not take significant time away from your CNC ;o

[abasir]

Chuck, two questions:
1) Any reason why your Z clearance is small? Will you have enough clearance for clamping, etc.
2) Can't see your roller bearing mounting. Is it at an angle and if so, I'll be interested to see the setup.

[chuckknigh]

1) Any reason why your Z clearance is small? Will you have enough clearance for clamping, etc.

Z axis -- truthfully, it's because of a shortsighted design. It's a relatively trivial matter to increase the clearance, but I just don't see the need.

The Z axis clearance is just over 1.5" which means I should be able to cut anything "normal" that I can imagine using this for. "Normal" being defined as 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", 3/4", 5/4" wood stock. I just can't see working on anything more than 1.5" thick.

Clamping will not take as much room as on some designs, because the bed is made from slatwall, which I'm using as an integrated clamping system. A bolt with a flat washer under it, makes for a VERY effective clamp...and a very tiny one, relatively speaking. I'll just make sure all my clamping bolts fit under the Z axis.

2) Can't see your roller bearing mounting. Is it at an angle and if so, I'll be interested to see the setup.

The roller bearing mount is a little bit different -- I clamped the various axes between the pipe, using 2 bearings at 120 degrees to each other. Considering the outward thrust of the axis itself to be a third thrust component, it completely and "virtually" surrounds the rail.

I didn't include a picture because I'm ashamed of my metalworking skills. ;-) I bent some Simpsons Strong Ties brackets with my vise, to make the brackets -- ugly and inconsistent, but functional. The fact that this design requires a high degree of stiffness in the rails is part of my problem -- the outward thrust component is pushing the rails outward, so I compensated with the blocks you can see in the picture. They serve to hold the rail "in" and in place.

One of my first projects will likely be to make new mounts for the bearings. :-)

-- Chuck Knight

[abasir]

Thanks for the explanation Chuck.
Ashamed about your metalwork? I can't do it at all ;-8. Looking forward to the pics of the new mounts.

[chuckknigh]

That's what I meant!

I can't do metalworking at all. I bought some 90 degree corner angles from the Simpsons Strong Ties collection, and smashed them in my vise till they were somewhere around 120 degrees, instead of 90. :-) That's my idea of metalworking.

In my defense, they work, and pretty well. But there's a bit too much flex, and on the longer axes (the gantry especially) there is enough flex to allow a tiny bit of racking.

If anyone has a sheet metal brake and punch, and isn't on the other side of the planet (I'm just outside of Dallas, TX, USA), please PM me. I think my bearing design works, but I need a few pieces made *properly,* so it will work better.

-- Chuck Knight

[Woodie1]

Chuck, Can you take closeups of the Bearing?

[zbadone]

Originally posted by Woodie1
Chuck, Can you take closeups of the Bearing?

I have taken a few photos of the way I have made my linear bearings using rollerskate bearings and some angle iron.

I have seven photos showing the various views of the method I choose for my linear bearings.

I will try and explain how I plan on mounting these.

Using a piece of angle iron, oriented so it looks like a 7, the bearings will be attached via a nut/bolt so the bearing angle iron is placed against the 7 like this 7>

The rails will be placed like this: 7>O O<7

I am making a moving table design, so the table will be mounted to the tops of the 7's. Of course, the right side 7 will be reversed.

The nut/bolt will be through the center of the > into the lower portion of the 7.

I hope everyone understands my attempt at explaining my methods.

I will attach one photo and will try and post the remaining ones to the photo section.