Reply with QuoteOriginally Posted by Fish4Fun
Thanks Very Much!!
I guess then it's matter of preference....John, I actually meant the plate that has A4 and Microcarve written on itI think it spoils the lines of the machine ... kinda like a bad pinstriping job on a 70s classic.
It doesn't necessarily have to be there and just bolts on with
a few machine screws, but it's main purpose is for looks.
The large side panels by themselves are fine.
John
Thanks Very Much!!
I have the machine that John painted and it is my opinion that the A4 or A10 outside plate adds some class to the machine.I guess then it's matter of preference....
It doesn't necessarily have to be there and just bolts on with
a few machine screws, but it's main purpose is for looks.
The large side panels by themselves are fine.
John
Regards, Carl
Good comment, Eaglezsoar ... nice to hear from an owner.
The opinion of the man who has paid his money matters a lot more than that of the sideline critic
I personally think Johns machine looks Bad-a$$....
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/diy-cn...build_log.html
That's a good picture, at a good angle. And I really like the
table he built to store controls underneath.
I haven't heard from him in several days, but I'm looking forward
to seeing what he does next...
Well, here she is all completed and about to be shipped....
(unpainted version...obviously)
Daylight picture seems to look a lot better.
John
another fine looking machine there John - well done you!
Darn it John, I am going to have to stop looking at this thread. Each time you finish an A4, I have to keep telling myself "Don, you don't need another CNC machine"...
Seriously, that is a cool machine and will probably be my next one when I get my big machine working as expected (2ft x 4ft) and then sell my V90. Then I will have one for small stuff which is 90% of what I do and a bigger one for the larger pieces.
I made the mistake of cutting a test Mayan calendar and the WIFE saw it and wants one made from walnut or oak for the entry way. Who am I to say 'no' and it will be the final justification for the larger CNC. From then on, it will have 'immunity'.
Don
Thanks Very Much!
Thanks Don!Darn it John, I am going to have to stop looking at this thread. Each time you finish an A4, I have to keep telling myself "Don, you don't need another CNC machine"...
Seriously, that is a cool machine and will probably be my next one when I get my big machine working as expected (2ft x 4ft) and then sell my V90. Then I will have one for small stuff which is 90% of what I do and a bigger one for the larger pieces.
I made the mistake of cutting a test Mayan calendar and the WIFE saw it and wants one made from walnut or oak for the entry way. Who am I to say 'no' and it will be the final justification for the larger CNC. From then on, it will have 'immunity'.
Don
This time around I made multiples of many parts...while various
setups were...set up...
So there'll be 3 more done in a few days. 2 painted and
1 just like in the picture.
About the only thing I use my big machine for these days
is making parts for smaller machines. But it's staying pretty
busy.
I sure could use some of those 48 hr days. Or...if I can get my time
machine plans finally finished. It still needs a few parts from the future.
Catch-22.
John
Can't wait for it to show up
Well, here she is all completed and about to be shipped....
(unpainted version...obviously)
Daylight picture seems to look a lot better.
JohnI'll feel like Ralphie waiting for his Red Rider BB gun
Awesome work John
Unpainted machines....
The way I do mine is a bit involved, but anyone can do theirs to
their own satisfaction.....but here's a couple things I use that may
be helpful to someone.
I coat all my MDF parts with a mix of yellow wood glue...about 20%
to about 80% water....letting it all dry well between 2 coats.
It'll dry fairly fast and what swelling the MDF can do, it'll do during
this process. It won't be much as the glue seems to seal the porosity
pretty well.
(I actually heard of this long ago from a business that maintained
a quick-dunk tank for lots of large MDF parts....)
It'll swell enough though that the Delrin nut won't fit the 1" hole, so
I use a piece of rough sandpaper wrapped around a 3/4" dowel and
twirl the thing around with my hands on both ends of the dowel.
(being careful the twirling MDF part doesn't smack you in the chin...
found out the hard way on that....
A few attempts and the nut will fit smoothly
BTW...this is the front 'spreader' bar and the only place this needs
to be done. Even just a coat of paint may make it too tight fitting, so
this is an easy way to make sure it'll fit right.
Also, a few sanding sticks that I find indispensable. Made from
scraps of acrylic with sandpaper spray-glued in place. Even as they
wear out, they're still very useful for finer/lighter sanding.
After all that, I use a coat of Zinsser BIN spray shellac. The stuff
seals everything great as the final seal. The stuff comes out of the
can with some force, so hold the can back further than usual.
Sand and paint. It's then ready for the long term.
It takes me quite some time to do all that, but it ends up a nice
durable paint job. My paint jobs are never perfect, but this does
make it a decent quality finish.
John
Can't wait for it to show up
Awesome work John
I'm looking forward to it getting there too!...
The pictures taken outside look so much better, so I'm glad
that worked out so well.
It's a really nice machine that has a good solid feel to it that
pictures can't capture, but you'll see pretty soon.
And...you won't have to worry about shooting your eye out with
it...
John
Every time I look at this thread, I keep thinking I should buy one of these to make parts for my larger machine project.
It's a surprisingly hard working and durable machine. It could make some
fairly large sized parts with a bit of planning ahead. The table itself
will accommodate stock 16-17" wide, though cutting it is limited to
cross travel max of about 12". Stock of very long length fits easily, but
there the limit is about 9".
The metal work is done on a mill and lathe. It'll mill aluminum, and I'd
expect very well for any machine in this 'class' of machine, but I
still haven't had time to push it to the limit to see how it'd stand up
over time. It is built with a bit of extreme pushing of limits in mind, though.
I think it'll hold up very well for a very long time.
John
A few more pictures for anyone interested....
(Nothing is crooked or misaligned....just the way the camera captures it)
John
Here's John G's machine. Still have to get 2 leadscrews made, but
I wanted to get some more pictures taken outside while the sun
was out. I'm a bit late... Shadows from the trees....
This one has the extended Z axis with 6" travel. For possible
experimenting with the plastic printer heads/assemblies at some
future time.
Well, back to work for now...
John
Whoo-hoo! Looking very nice! I'm sitting here in the rain, so even the sun looks nice. I'm getting anxious to see it in person.
I've got my gecko 540 and probotix 280oz motors all working. Will need to tune when attached to the machine. But run very smoothly with emc2 running on a foxconn atom d525 mini-itx pc. Will need to determine what speeds to use on x,y,z.
Still waiting for word on my paul jones spindle. And waiting for the v engraving bits.
I've been trying out emc2 using a sample pcb I created using linux geda gschem and pcb tools (from a design I had made previously). Just getting used to how the motors run. Also tried some other python scripts in emc2 to create gcode (hilbert path).
I just read up on how to put the flats on stepper shafts. Suggestion was to protect the steppers with masking except on the shaft. Clamp the shaft (carefully) in a vise and use a dremel grinding wheel to put the flats on. Being careful to not damage the motor due to vibration.
Does that sound correct? Or better suggestions?
Can't wait to hear its shipped!
John,I guess then it's matter of preference....
It doesn't necessarily have to be there and just bolts on with
a few machine screws, but it's main purpose is for looks.
The large side panels by themselves are fine.
John
I thought at one point you said the side panels were for additional stiffness? Or do I remember wrong (a definite possibility these days!)?
Flats on shafts...
I generally punch a hole in a piece of scrap thin card-stock or similar
to slide over the shaft tightly to protect the motor from the grinding
dust.
The motor will electrically 'brake' if two of the wires touch...naturally
while it's Not connected to any power!
That's generally sufficient to prevent needing any vise. The shaft steel
is very soft and easily damaged. But just using the Dremel cut-off wheels
and pulling away from the motor shaft while making light cuts can make
making the needed flat a quick & easy thing to do.
It doesn't need to be pretty, just so it works...
For those who wonder what's the point...the soft steel motor shaft can
easily displace into the softer brass coupling when the set screw is
tightened, so a flat on the shaft is very important.
Many motors these days don't have a flat, so one should be made by however
means. A coupling can get so stuck as to be very hard to remove....if even
possible. I had to physically slice one in two once.
Filing one is a PITA to me. Dremel cut-off wheels make it easy...
John
Last edited by microcarve; 03-25-2011 at 07:03 PM.
